Dear Chaser

Chapter 5: A Breath of Fresh Air

As Jake stopped Lisa from leaving, he felt a strong urge to truly get to know her beyond their brief moments in physics class. With a desire to connect, he decided to ask her questions he had never gotten the chance to ask before. As Jake attempted to engage Lisa in conversation and ask her questions, Lisa couldn't help but feel a sense of skepticism, particularly about why he was wearing a mask.

"Is there somewhere quiet we could go after we're done here?" Jake inquired, his tone earnest and a touch hesitant.

Lisa glanced at him. "Um, sure, I don't see why not. But, if you don't mind me asking, why are you wearing a mask?"

She couldn't help but notice that no one else around them was masked. The question slipped out before she could fully consider its implications. "Do you have Covid or something?"

Jake gave a small, reassuring smile. "No, it's not that. I promise I'll explain everything later."

After finishing their shopping at the grocery store, Jake suggested they grab some drinks at the nearby Starbucks. Lisa, intrigued by the idea, agreed, and they made their way to the coffee shop. Once they had ordered their drinks and settled into a cozy corner, they began to chat more openly. As they sipped on their beverages, Jake found himself curious about Lisa's absence from the physics class they once shared. Wanting to understand her perspective better, he broached the topic gently. There he had his mask taken off.

"So, Lisa," Jake started, stirring his coffee thoughtfully, "I noticed you're not in the physics class anymore. What happened?"

Lisa took a sip of her drink, her gaze thoughtful as she replied, "Yeah, I used to be in PHY2048. That's the physics with calculus class, right?"

Jake nodded. "That's the one. I'm just curious, what made you drop out?"

Lisa's expression grew reflective. "I ended up dropping the class 'cause I didn't do well on the first exam."

Jake was sympathetic, "Oh, I'm sorry, but can't blame you. A lot of people I know didn't do great either. I honestly don't know how I got 18/20 'cause I didn't study as much as I should've." 

Lisa's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "18 out of 20? Is that the highest score?"

"No," Jake laughed a bit, "the highest was 19 out of 20. I honestly thought I'd be closer to 15 out of 20."

Lisa nodded, considering his words. "I think I'll try again in the summer. I don't want to fall behind."

"That's a good plan," Jake said encouragingly. "By the way, I never caught your name."

"It's Lisa," she replied discreetly. 

"I'm Jake," he introduced himself, returning her smile. "And I'm really sorry if I startled you back at the store. I promise I didn't steal anything."

Lisa laughed, shaking her head. "Haha, don't apologize. You're good...I didn't think you were a bandit. I just didn't expect to see you in a mask." 

Jake responded to her question from earlier. "I wore the mask because I didn't want to be bothered by some girls from my discrete math class. They always want to talk to me when they see me alone."

Lisa raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Do you have the same issue with girls from your other classes?"

"Yeah," Jake admitted, shrugging. "But I usually try to ignore them when it's not a class day."

As Lisa's phone buzzed with a text from Hardin, her initial attempt to maintain the flow of conversation with Jake faltered. Reading the message, she felt a mixture of annoyance and resignation wash over her. It seemed that once again, Hardin had intruded upon her moment of enjoyment with his demanding and presumptuous request. The message said, "I'm at 4West Lounge. Wear something pretty, will you babe?. Can't wait to see you there." with a winky face emoji at the end.