I honestly don't know how I'd describe my love life — if I even have one — but I suppose wonderful is a good word. In a confusing, upside-down, universe-has-a-weird-sense-of-humor kind of way.
It all started right after Zoey, Lily, and I (Anne, the quiet one of the trio) had finished talking about the so-called "Greek god" Zoey was drooling over. I had just given my usual deadpan opinion — which, of course, no one asked for — and Lily, with that dreamy smirk of hers, prophesied that I'd fall in love soon.
Naturally, I scoffed it off.
But, as if the universe had been eavesdropping with a grin on its face, it decided to prove her right. By dropping a transfer student into our school the very next week.
ಠ_ಠ Wow, universe. ಠ_ಠ
It was time for math class, and I took my usual seat in the back corner near the window — my personal escape hatch for when the teacher's voice becomes background noise. I brought out my books, settled in, and rested my head. The class was its usual chaos: girls gossiping, boys laughing too loudly, the class divas being... well, divas.
Just as I was about to take a nap with my eyes open, the math teacher walked in — and that's when I saw him.
The new guy.
Wearing our school uniform like he'd been born into it, he stood there at the front of the class. Tall — maybe 5'7" — with warm brown skin, a strong jawline, and this quiet kind of intensity. From a distance, he looked... tolerable, I guess. Nothing jaw-dropping. But for some reason, I couldn't stop analyzing him.
In my daze, I didn't even notice the teacher assigning him a seat.
Right next to mine.
By the time I snapped back to reality, there he was — sitting beside me. I figured I'd be polite. Say hi. Maybe offer my name. But before I could say anything, Stephanie — our class queen bee — marched over, shoved me aside like expired cafeteria bread, and threw herself into his personal space.
He didn't respond much.
Then a few more students tried chatting him up, but the teacher told everyone to return to their seats. Finally, I got my chance. I looked over, offered a small smile, and said, "Hi."
Nothing.
I followed up with, "I'm Anne, by the way."
Still nothing. Not even a nod.
In fact, he gave me this look — like I was a speck of dust on his shiny new desk. A look of pure disapproval. That was the moment I mentally filed him under unbothered and officially unapproachable.
And yet… for the rest of that math class, all I could think about was how invisible I'd been to him.
After class, Zoey and Lily rushed over, absolutely buzzing about the new guy. Meanwhile, I stood there with a blank face and a flat soul. Zoey nudged me and said, "You're literally sitting next to him! Why aren't you excited?"
I shrugged and mumbled something about getting to chemistry class on time.
But the universe wasn't done.
At the door of the chemistry lab, I somehow ended up walking in at the exact same time as him. Perfect rom-com timing, right? I thought maybe, just maybe, this was his chance to acknowledge me. Maybe even apologize for earlier.
But no.
He practically shouldered me out of the way and walked in without a word.
(ʘᗩʘ') Excuse me, sir? Ever heard of chivalry?
I tried to let it go, but fate had other plans. Our chemistry project required groups of four, and guess who ended up in the same group?
Yep. Lily, Zoey, me... and him.
Still didn't know his name, and at that point, I didn't care.
During the experiment, Zoey did what Zoey does — she casually asked his name. He finally spoke. "Austin," he said. Simple. Distant. Like that one-word answer had cost him oxygen.
Lily, always the brain of the group, took charge and assigned tasks for our titration experiment:
Lily handled the acids.
Zoey took charge of the base.
Austin was in charge of the methyl orange indicator.
And I — sweet little me — got to stir the solution.
When I reached for the beaker, Austin gave me a smug look. I ignored it.
We finished the experiment successfully, and I was about to walk away when something snapped in me. I turned to him and asked, "What was that look for?"
He raised an eyebrow and said, with no hint of sarcasm,
> "Stay away from me, you little shy peasant."
I blinked.
He didn't just say that.
But he did. And he didn't stop there.
> "If you think just because we're seatmates we can talk, think again. You're not even close to my level. So stay away from me."
And with that, he walked away like he hadn't just verbally slapped me across the face.
Peasant?
I mean, yes, I'm shy... but peasant? Wow.
So I did what any "shy peasant" would do: I kept my distance.
Except... I also started noticing things. Like how he had basketball practice in the afternoons. And archery on Wednesdays. He visited the library more than once. And, annoyingly, he was always hanging around Stephanie.
Not that I cared.
But what started to grind my gears was the fact that he had almost all the same classes I did. It felt like I couldn't escape him.
Then one day, he had the audacity to accuse me of stalking him.
That was the final straw.
But the real betrayal came when he walked into literature class — my class — and started stealing my thunder. He had the nerve to answer questions better than me. To challenge my interpretations. To draw attention. In my class.
And just like that, a quiet storm started to brew between us.
It wasn't love at first sight.
It was rivalry.
Maybe even war.
But whatever it was...
It was the beginning.