You Got Me Twisted

Chapter 1

I was always the emotional one. I cry at the simplest things, I easily get touched with very simple efforts and I get sad even for the shallowest reasons. When I was made to leave home for college, I thought it was the hardest thing ever.

But the toughest thing was not leaving itself; it was having to live through the change day by day and I have never been good with change. I’m not one to adjust easily and make friends with anyone I bump to. I’m more on the quiet side. Some people might not understand this but it’s just so difficult for me to talk to a stranger and reach out to people.  

So long story short, I have no friends. Well I know some people but we are definitely not on the let’s-hang-out level.

I was in this major stage of adjustment when my boyfriend for almost 3 years broke up with me. The timing was remarkable.  Just when I needed him most, he left. Another painful thing to live through; him gone. Right then, I just got lost interest in everything.

It all happened at once and so fast, I didn’t get the chance to prep myself for it. I didn’t have the energy to go to school or to just do anything, I let the frustration get the best of me. I dropped subjects; I missed deadlines, made very frequent absences. I stay caged in the house because I don’t really have anywhere to go to in this foreign city.  I got depressed and I have no one to talk to. That was the loneliest days of my life.

Subsequently, the semester ended and I had to get my grades. I felt eyes on me as I walked through the hallways, or maybe it’s just the Spotlight Effect. Because I was keeping my head down the whole time I was walking, I didn’t notice that I was about to bump someone up until I actually came in to contact with... it’s a ‘him’. God. This is so embarrassing. I looked up and saw him staring at me as if trying to study my face.  I quickly mumbled a “sorry” and started to walk away.

“Hey, wait up!”

I am so not waiting up. I pretended not to hear him and walked a little bit faster. But to my surprise, he caught up.

“You’re the transferee, aren’t you?” He asked, walking beside me.

“Uh, yeah” How the hell did he know that?

“Samantha, right?"

Okaaaaay. Now why would a handsome guy happen to know my name? I looked at him and saw him smiling. So he has this mesmerizing smile that would probably make most girls faint.

“Samantha” I confirmed and smiled briefly. Thankfully, we reached the booth where I was supposed to get my grades. I entered the necessary information needed in the touch screen machine and instantly, it emitted a paper with my grades for each subject printed on it.  The moment I looked at the paper, I wanted to cry. Two subjects were dropped, two were ‘No Grade’ which was because of the requirements I failed to submit and the remaining four subjects, I barely passed. This was the worst set of marks I ever received. I have always been good with academics and I felt like breaking down. But I don’t have the right to, this was my entire fault. I knew that.

“Must be pretty bad, huh?” I was so lost in my thoughts that I forgot the guy I bumped to was still standing next to me. But he wasn’t looking at the paper I had in my hands, he was looking at my face. He must have noticed my sullen expression.

It’s not just bad. It’s horrible.

“Yeah, it actually is pretty bad” I sighed and folded the paper in two, then hid it in my bag. I was about to leave but he caught my wrist. I was shocked at the sudden contact and he seemed shock too because he immediately removed his grip from my wrist and scratched the back of his head.

“So, uh, do you want to.. Maybe grab lunch?”

Hell no.

I gave him my best are-you-kidding-me? look. I turned around and walked as fast as I can, I don’t know, maybe to indicate that I’m in a hurry. I don’t care. There’s no way I’m having lunch with someone I just met, and not to mention a guy. A very handsome guy, that is. Nope, I’m going home.

I was near the school doors when I heard him shouting. “It was nice to meet you, Samantha!”

Uh-huh, pretty boy. If there’s one thing I know about boys, it’s that boys like you are the kinds you want to avoid. I shook my head and continued to the parking lot.