touched by stars -chaennie

Chapter 1: Shot Down

So college isn’t turning out exactly how you’d expected it to. What you’d expected to be your big college adventure filled with books to read and parties to dance at was actually a stressful first semester of papers to write and hormonal teenagers to avoid. Not to mention you’d suffered through your entire first semester with a crush on your roommate’s girlfriend.

Not that you’d known she was your roommate’s girlfriend when the crush had developed. But this was Lisa Manoban. What wasn’t there to like about her? She’s tall and confident. Really smart and athletic. She seemed to have everything together from what you could tell. You hadn’t even known your roommate, one Jisoo Kim, was dating her when you’d met.

Lisa was your 19th Century English Literature class teaching assistant your first semester. She’d been standing in front of the class looking completely flawless. Six feet of grace and elegance, her blonde hair in a ponytail, wearing a baseball tee with washed-out jean shorts. She’d been chewing at the tip of an eraser and looking down at a notebook resting on a podium.

You can still remember how your heart skipped a beat when she looked up to meet your eye. And then you’d subsequently been knocked from behind by another student. You turned and glared at them but they were already making their way to their seat paying you no attention. When you looked back at your unnamed TA, she’d been smiling which made you blush and hurry to a seat in the front.

Your professor had introduced her as “Lisa Manoban ” and you’d tried not to swoon since you’d been sitting right in the front. Then the professor randomly decided to call on students to find out their favorite novels of the time period to start the class. She'd pointed to you and you'd panicked.

You’d muttered out something along the lines of “Alice in— Frankenstein—The Secret Garden!”

You’d never been more embarrassed, but at the end of class Lisa offered to show you around campus and there was no way you’d turn that down. It had been so nice, up until the moment she’d been walking you back to your dorm.

That’s when Jisoo appeared from your room and greeted Lisa with a kiss and a ‘babe’ that had shattered your dreams.

“I didn’t know my girlfriend was your roommate.” Lisa had laughed. Yeah, funny.

Despite yourself, that hadn’t done anything to diminish your crush on her. You’d learned through high school you really couldn’t control how you felt about people so you don’t blame yourself too much. Still, it sucked sitting on your bed trying to write essays for her class while Lisa and Jisoo were cuddled up on Jisoo’s side all loved up watching movies. Or hearing Lisa walking Jisoo back from a date and listening to Jisoo  gush about how amazing her night had been when you’re nursing a mug of cocoa trying to watch one of your shows. You couldn’t even blame anyone for your bitterness except your own petty jealousy.

It’s not so bad honestly. You make friends with your Floor Don, Ashley, and her friend Joan. You’d met Joan previously on move in day. They were directing freshman like yourself to their different dorms, but you hadn’t talked to them since. Ashley had reintroduced the two of you, and they became your parents away from home. They didn’t coddle you like your dad, but you could count on them.

You’re still not really sure what they are to each other. Ashley threw around the words “best friend” often but they acted just like a married couple. You don’t want to make assumptions and make them uncomfortable, so you never push the topic.

When you can, you third wheel with them rather than Jisoo and Lisa, ditching her invites to parties hosted by the club was Vice President of called the Summer Society in favor of quiet nights in with the married couple. At the very least you didn’t have to worry about them sucking face right in front of you.