In Love, Against All Odds

A Vending Machine Encounter

The next day at uni, I was still vibing off the weekend with Patrick. The café had been cozy, full of good energy and laughs. Honestly, I hadn't felt that light in a while. It was like everything bad with Bradwin was slowly fading into the background. I couldn't stop smiling at the thought of spending time with Patrick again. The excitement was real. But little did I know, the universe was about to throw me a curveball.

As I stepped onto campus, the autumn air hit me with a refreshing chill, making me feel even more amped. I spotted my crew near the entrance, all buzzing with energy. Their faces lit up as they saw me, and I couldn't help but grin.

"Yo, Kat! You won't believe the tea!" Brailey said, practically bouncing off her shoes.

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What's up?"

"Patrick's totally into you!" she said with an exaggerated wiggle of her eyebrows, making it impossible to ignore.

I rolled my eyes, feeling my cheeks go red. "Oh my god, it's not like that."

Alista, who'd been keeping quiet till then, chimed in with a smirk, "Well, I don't know, girl. I think you might be moving too fast. You literally just broke up with Bradwin." Her voice was playful, but something about the way she said it made me feel uneasy. Was that jealousy? I shook it off. Nah, it couldn't be.

"It's just hanging out, we're just friends," I said, trying to sound casual, but the heat in my cheeks wasn't lying.

Alista just raised her eyebrow. "Sure, sure," she teased, clearly not convinced.

The teasing didn't stop as we made our way to class, but I tried to block it out. I needed to stay focused. I couldn't let myself get too carried away, especially when it came to Patrick. I was still figuring things out, and moving too fast wasn't the play.

The rest of the day was a blur. I found myself checking my phone way too often, hoping for a message from Patrick. Part of me wanted him to hit me up for another hangout, but the other part of me was holding back, worried about how fast things were moving.

Later that afternoon, I walked out of the library and bumped into Patrick just outside. "Yo, Kat! Didn't expect to run into you here," he said with that signature grin that made my heart skip a beat.

"Hey, Patrick! Just wrapping up some studying. What about you?"

"Just about to grab a snack from the vending machines. Wanna join?" he asked, already moving in that direction.

"Yeah, sure!" I replied, excitement bubbling up. Spending time with him again? Yes, please.

As we walked toward the vending machines, the conversation flowed like it always did between us—effortless and fun. We talked about everything: uni, the weekend, random stuff. It was one of those moments where everything felt right, and I didn't have to think too hard about it.

When we reached the machines, I spotted a candy bar on the top shelf. "I dare you to get that candy bar," I said, smirking as I pointed at the prize on the top shelf.

Patrick raised an eyebrow, a little challenge in his eyes. "You think I can't reach it?"

"Prove me wrong!" I teased.

With a grin, he took it as a challenge, stretching up on his toes. But in his effort to reach the candy, he knocked over another snack, which fell to the ground with a loud clatter that echoed through the hallway.

And that's when I heard it—Mrs. Page's voice, was sharp and cutting through the chaos.

"What is going on here?" she snapped, her eyes locked on us.