The Batch of 2018-19

Very Nice to Meet You! But Please Stay Away

Name: Paige Bronson
Age:23
Nationality: British
Hobbies: Baking and knitting
Likes: Sweets, flowers, picnics and Kris
Dislikes: Large crowds and spiders

Define a good girl. Now define an even more good girl. Now define the most good girl the world can witness who can make you feel bad for just existing but just how NICE she is. That girl would fall pale to Paige because was unbelievably good. Almost "it is an issue" good. Her "goodness" was her worst quality and that's what she couldn't over come.

She remembers coming all the way from London, which was a lot for her, and leaving her family behind was one of the toughest things she had to experience. With two older brothers, Paige deeply loved and very protected. She didn't even need to speak up very much, her family knew everything she wanted. Her brothers knees what Chinese dishes she liked, what were her favourite toppings on a pizza. Her mom kept her clothes ready for the day. Her Dad would buy her a couple of books every month, cause she loved reading and he knew exactly what genre she enjoyed the most. Paige was in "dependence" heaven. Never moved an inch, never explored anything. Her biggest hardship was truly to "want" something and not be telepathically understood. She didn't find this burdensome at all. She was more than content with it.
But now, due to unfortunate circumstances, she got admissions for Masters only in Nottingville and she had to accept it, since that was her only alternative. She also didn't want her family to uproot their lives for only a year's course so she "passively" convinced them that they can visit her every week, taking turns, without disrupting much of their lives (but we all know that was pretty disruptive).

Three months in, Paige hates it. She has no friends, no social group, she's too shy to order any food so she cooks and eats her "below average" cooking. She's lonely. LONELY. Her family visits her every weekend and she cries every time they leave. She's frustrated and feeling fragile. There are only two things that distracts her from this personal hell: Her studies, since the course is so tough and she knows she going to have to resit a couple of Modules, and, Kris. Kris Basinger. The only human being she's had an interaction with since the course has begun. Kris is from South Africa. Pale, blue eyed, blonde hair and really really tall. He sat next to her the first day of class and couldn't stop talking to her. Their eye contact was enough to encourage him to interact. He was that sort of a person. He had quite a few friends and he always kept inviting Paige to each of their outings. Paige politely nodded no. After their first eye connection, she can't bring herself to look at him. She just froze. Their interactions would end up with Kris continuously talk, and Paige nodding. She didn't understand why he took so much of an effort to even be friends with her. Paige didn't consider herself beautiful. She always thought herself as heavy, as compared to voluptuous, she had greyish eyes and plain old brown hair. She was so confident he wasn't attracted her. She could stamp on it. This actually helped her promote herself from nodding to giving one syllable answers. She was happy with this progression and her new "kind of" friend.

Kris: Paige! You still haven't given me your cellphone number!
Paige: Ya
Kris: Well, Give it! Or wait, I'll talk your phone and save mine and then you can message me and then I can save it and we can start chatting and if we're going somewhere...
(He went on and on and on)

Paige was just blushing quietly. "The first whatsapp buddy I've made here"...nobody would believe she's 23. Kris grabs her phone, does he deed and while placing the phone back into her hand, he comments,
"Paige, you have such beautiful hands!! You should become a hand model!"
A model?! Me?! Of any kind?!
She looked up at him. He was fucking hot and his eyes were so blue, she saw a glimpse of herself in them.
She quickly looked away. Clutched her phone tight. Packed her bag and ran. She could hear Kris saying something* but for her, she had never felt like this before. A wave of attraction. Her heart ready to tear through her chest. She felt ready weirdly teary eyed.
"I must be mad. I've never had a boyfriend, heck I've never had a male friend before...Charlie and Sam (her brothers) are my only two touchstones, to knowing boys...this is why jump to conclusions. Relax. I bet he has some hot South African girlfriend back home...yes I bet. I'm hungry...Dammit. I have some leftover lasagna from last night..."

And this is the first time Paige ever missed a lecture.

*(Note: Kris: Paige! Professor Dennis is yet to come! Don't leave! Microeconomics is really tough this Semester! Paige! Don't go!
Ok! I'll whatsapp you the notes! Why are you running!)