At College, Carol generally passed unnoticed. She was grateful that nobody bullied her, but on most days she felt invisible. At best. Until a transfer student showed up in her History class.
Carol's heart lost count of its beats as soon as this individual entered the room. Knowing nobody in the class, and transferring two weeks into the semester presented an obvious social disadvantage. Yet, when this person sauntered over to the first vacant chair, there was no trace of awkwardness. There was no hint of discomfort, and no lack of confidence.
Carol normally didn't get that fluttery feeling when she noticed anyone of the male persuasion. Naturally, she questioned herself. Why was this specimen any different? She watched him for what seemed like hours. In actuality, it was only the duration of the History lesson.
His eyes were almond-shaped, and his nose turned down slightly at the tip. He was slim and lanky, and a silver chain peeked out from under his button-down shirt collar. When Carol saw him approach his seat, she noticed he had this sort of coolness to his stride. Definitely a confident gait.
Before class was dismissed, the newcomer must have felt Carol's bespectacled gaze boring a hole in him, because his eyes met hers. He smiled, almost cockily. Carol busied herself with the tidying up of pens and notebooks. The stranger grinned to himself, unseen by the embarrassed girl. As students started escaping the confines of the classroom, Carol found herself dawdling. She wanted to watch the boy exiting, so she could hopefully observe him discreetly. As he approached the doorway, he seemed to hesitate on the balls of his high-top-clad feet. Rolling back ever so slightly, Carol could swear he smiled at her again. His bleach-streaked hair fell over one eye so she couldn't ascertain, but she thought he might have given her a wink as well.
And then he was gone.
Ohmigod, what's wrong with me? Carol asked herself, as the blood rushed to her cheeks belatedly. As her thoughts preoccupied her, her glasses balanced themselves near the edge of her nose. She snapped out of it and roughly nudged the heavy frames back into place. Stuffing her textbook into her schoolbag, she went to meet Jen for the spare period they both shared. She wanted to recount what had just happened, but decided to hold off, considering it was probably just her imagination. Besides, she felt silly revealing she'd checked out a boy.
Why did she like a stupid boy anyway?
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Carol was eating dinner while coding - a common occurrence. Her apartment was affordable for a student, therefore small. When furnishing the dwelling, she'd consciously not added a dining area, knowing she spent all her free time in front of her computers anyway. If mealtime didn't happen hovering over the kitchen sink, it certainly took place at her computer desk.
Between bites, her fingers stayed busy punching keys or clicking a mouse. She liked to think she kept her brain sharp by constantly focusing on code, rather than flavor. For this reason, she was often satisfied with ramen or plain tea biscuits. Occasionally adding 'spice' to her diet, she did also eat fruits, vegetables and proteins. A brainiac needs protein to increase brainiac functions. Carol was no imbecile - she knew proper diet and exercise were essential to her brain's health. And if it kept her outer shell in shape, maybe some day she would get a date.
Would that transfer student notice if she stuffed her face with cookies and sweets? Would he still smile at her if she became fat and unkempt? Would he still wink at her if she showed up to class one day, rail-thin and under-nourished like the popular girls?
Ugh why is he in my head?! CODING! I am currently *coding*! No time for thinking about stupid boys! Carol shoved a piece of garlic toast deep into her mouth to force herself to concentrate on chewing, instead of on some guy she didn't even know.
