Alice: Just a little late!

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Ugh why’s he banging on my door so loudly?

“Hey, you awake in there?”

My eyelids fluttered open as I mindlessly mumbled. “Uh huh, yeah. Just give me like five more minutes.”

“We’re kind of supposed to be there—like right now.”

I stay lying down, still trying to wake up. Is it eleven already? I glance at the clock and it’s only eight. Our class starts at twelve, so why is he banging on my door like this? I know for sure Jason doesn’t care about school enough to be awake this early. “What are you talking about? It’s only eight,” I call out.

“It's Tuesday,”

Tuesday? What's that got to do with anything?

…

“OH MY GOSH, we have an eight am today!” I blurted out.

“Yeah, I know...” he answered, without an ounce of worry.

“I’ll be out there!” I say with a panicked voice, “ just let me get ready real quick.”

“Yeah sure, quick”

“I swear! I’ll be out there soon.” I call out over my shoulder as I rush to the bathroom.

“Alright I’ll be waiting beside the door.”

“Okay! I’ll be there soon!

Second week in and I’m already going to be late. My dad would kill me if he knew what was happening. Luckily I have Jason to wake me up, otherwise I would’ve skipped by accident.

Now that I think about it, having Jason here is kind of strange. Not like he shouldn’t be here strange, but like the way we became friends was strange. It’s kind of funny how close we got. I met him in my first year here, he didn’t really talk much back then. But like today, I would accidentally sleep in a lot and would be behind on notes. I would ask Jason for his since I didn’t want to be behind. At first he seemed annoyed but I think I grew on him and we eventually became close friends. Both of us having the same major also helped with our relationship too. By the time this year rolled around I asked him to be my roommate, luckily he agreed because I wasn’t sure if I could ask anyone else. I guess it was the same with him because he didn’t seem like he was close to anyone else either; I guess we just settled for each other as roommates. I don’t mind this though, he’s a really good friend and a useful alarm clock from time to time.

“Sorry about that,” I say, catching my breath. “Let’s get going now.”

He raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by something. “I think you’re forgetting something.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t you think you need to see to be able to take notes?”

…

“To see?... I COMPLETELY FORGOT MY GLASSES! "

"Yeah…” he smirks.

“Let me grab them real quick” I say while rushing to find them.

“Alright” he replied with a satisfied look on his face.

I rush back into my room, blankets in a mess, socks on the floor and start scanning every surface. Glasses, glasses… where did I leave them? Ugh where could I have put them. Oh yeah I left them on my bed. As soon as I find them I rush back to the door.

“Okay got them, NOW we can leave!”

He lets off a gentle smile and says, “Yeah, lets go”.

Class is like a twenty minute walk away from our apartment so we’re gonna be pretty late. I should’ve woken up the first time he knocked on my door. I kind of feel bad for making him late because of me. Even while being late he doesn’t seem to be bothered at all. Hmmmmm??

“What are you looking at?” he asked with a suspicious look on his face.

“Oh uhm, I was just thinking, since you woke up in time to get to class without being late; I wondered why you didn’t just go on ahead without me.”

Jason looked up, thinking about what to say next. “Well if I did that then you would’ve missed all of class. I don't mind being a little late if it means I can help you.” he answered.

“Wow” I shockingly replied.

“What?” he turned to me, confused.

“Who knew you could be a gentleman?” I teasingly said. My lips curling into a playful smirk.

“What's that supposed to mean?” he replied, clearly not amused.

“Uhhh nothing nothing.” I quickly waved it off, trying to hide my grin. “Alright let's pick up the pace, we can’t be too late right.”

We got to class about thirty minutes late, not too bad for waking up right when class started. But the professor did give us an earful, saying something like if we act like this when we have jobs we would surely get fired. We apologized to him and promised that this wouldn’t happen again. Hopefully we could fulfill that promise. Even though we were able to make it to class, there’s one more problem we have to deal with.

“Ughhhh, we don’t have any notes.” My shoulders slump as disappointment hits me.

I’d already messed up today and the day has barely even started.

“Yeah, by the time we got here, the professor was finishing going over the notes. If only you woke up in time,” he says with a sigh, his tone teasing.

I look down, too sad to respond properly. “Yeah sorry.” I mumbled.

“Oh, uh, I was just joking,” he reassures me. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure we can find someone with notes.”

He isn’t upset but I just can’t help but to feel bad.

“Maybe, but I am really sorry about making you late.”

“Hey, I said that it was fine already. So don't worry about it too much, okay?” He gave me a reassuring look, his voice a little more gentle now, like he really was trying to put me at ease. Jason was always like this, whenever he would see me sad or upset he would try to comfort me. It’s nice having someone like that around, especially when I’m the type of person who would mess up a lot.

“Okay sure.”

The professor ended up assigning the class a lot of work—work we had no idea how to do. Way too much work for the first day if you ask me. Still, with a bit of time to kill before our next class, we walked over to the Starbucks and just decided to chill there in the meantime.

I kind of feel bad for making us late so I want to make it up to him in a way. Oh I got an idea!

“Hey, I’m going to order something. Do you want anything?” I asked.

“Oh uh can you just get me a cup of water.”

“You sure? You aren’t hungry or anything, it's on me by the way so don’t think about the money.” I quickly added, hoping I can make it up to him.

“Oh well if it's on you… get me one of everything.” he said with a flat tone.

“Oh uh sure… yeah” I blink, unsure whether he was being serious or not.

“That was a joke by the way.”

“Oh yeah, a joke.” I let out a nervous and awkward laugh. “So funny…”

“You good?. Was the joke really that bad?”

“Uhm no?”

He lets out a sigh, “Just water is fine, and don't think you need to make up for this morning okay. Remember, I chose to be late with you.”

“Okay, one cup of water coming up.” I nodded, feeling a little bit of relief.

I guess if he just wants water then I’ll just worry about what I want. I kind of forgot to eat dinner last night so I’ll order a sandwich and bagel along with a caramel Frappuccino. Okay now I just gotta order, I got this.

Normally, I’d ask Jason to order for me since I get anxious doing it myself, but this time, I can’t ask him for any favors. I need to do this on my own. Still, I hesitate. I glance back at him, and he waves. I awkwardly wave back.

Okay it's fine I don’t need him, I got this.

I walked up to the counter and began to place my order. “H-hey, can I get a bagel, a sandwich, and a caramel frap?”

Nailed it… I think.

“Sure, and can I get a name with that order?”

“Oh yeah, it’s Alice,” I muttered.

Okay going good so far, I feel like I’m forgetting something though.

“Alright Alice, your total is going to be $16.54.”

“Okay, thank you.” As I hand her the money, my mind starts to wander.

What am I forgetting? Oh yeah, the water. Wait I just paid though is it weird to ask right now. No, it can’t be, it wouldn't be too much trouble to add water right. Nah it’ll be fine if I just ask, right?

“M-ma’am are you okay?”

Huh, is she talking to me? She has to be, who else is here.

“Oh uh yeah, can I get a cup of water with that too?” I reluctantly ask, “If it's not too much trouble.”

“Yes of course.” YES! Looks like I don’t need him after all.

Once the food was ready I grabbed everything and brought it back to the table. That interaction took a lot out of me so I was ready to eat.

“Wow, with all that, I’m amazed you’re not rolling out of here.” he says with a disgusted look on his face.

“Hey that's rude” I reply, with my mouth full of food, “you shouldn’t say that to a girl.”

“Okay, sorry.”

“That’s better.”

“Sorry that you’re eating that much.”

“Hmmm.” I stare at him, eyes squinted. “Anyways, you sure you’re not hungry? I really do feel bad for making us late. I don't mind paying for you at all.” He didn’t respond. “Hello you there?” I ask.

Is he good? Looks like he’s staring at something? Or someone! Wait, is he looking at me?

“Hello, anyone there?” I mutter. He didn’t answer. Jason leans in, and for a second, I think he's serious. He's going in for a kiss?! “Uh, hey what are you doing? If you’re trying to be funny again it isn’t working.”

I’m not ready for this—this is way too much, I can’t—I can’t handle this. Who does he think he is, pulling something like this? What is this, some kind of joke? The closer he gets the more I—I can't even think straight. My heart’s racing, my face is burning, what is he trying to do right now? I haven’t dated anyone yet, this is all too new to me. I don't want to ruin what we have. Should I say no? Should I back off?

I lean back and put my hands up to make some space between us. “Uhm, what are you trying to do?” I nervously ask.

I peek through the crack between my fingers and see that he's trying to say something. I lower my hands and lean in with him. He gets a bit closer and whispers something in my ear. “Move”

Huh what?

“Move your big ass head,” he casually says.

Wait… what?

“The guy behind you,” Jason stares past me. “He's in our class, right?”

What is he talking about? Ugh I’m so confused right now.

I turned around and noticed a guy. I can feel myself calming down after turning around.

“Uhm yeah, what about him?” I ask.

“You think he has the notes for today?”

I’m still trying to catch up with everything he’s doing. What is he even—wait, he was just trying to get a closer look at the guy behind me. I’m an idiot. He wasn’t leaning in for me, just… trying to see that guy. Not whatever I thought. Of course he wasn’t leaning in for me. That’d be ridiculous. Right? I really need to stop overthinking these things.

I let out a sigh of relief, then answer him. “Uhm well I would guess so.”

Maybe it was silly to be so worried. Jason’s not trying to make a move. He’s just... I don't know.

“So shouldn’t we ask him for the notes so we won’t be behind in class?” he suggests.

“Oh, right. Yeah, that’s a good idea actually,” I respond.

“Yeah, so go on,” he urges, looking at me expectantly, his tone still flat.

…

“Huh??? I’m not going to talk to some random guy, that's weird.” I blurted, my face tightening with concern.

“Why would it be weird?”

“I don’t know, it just feels a little awkward, you know? I mean, what if he says no? That’d be... weird,” I muttered, feeling stupid as soon as the words left my mouth.

“It's not like you're confessing or anything.” Jason says, his voice flat as always.

I can’t tell if he's annoyed or amused. He seems too unbothered by this.

“Well, I guess, but it's still pretty weird in my opinion.” I say, still unsure, even though part of me knew he was right.

He let out a little sigh, “Fine if you really don't want to ask, I'll just do it then.”

“Really?? Thank you very much I’ll find a way to pay you back I promise.” I blurted out, feeling some relief.

“Yeah, sure.” He said, with the same indifferent tone as before.

While I stayed behind, Jason walked over to the guy and talked with him for a bit. I watched them from a distance. I can’t really hear anything, but it seemed like everything was going well. They talked for a little while, he pulled out his phone, but didn't take any pictures of notes or anything. After that, they wave goodbye, and the guy leaves.

“So, did you get anything from him?” I eagerly asked.
“Yeah, I got his phone number,” he says in his usual monotone voice.
“Wow. Your job was to get notes, and you come back with his phone number? How bold,” I jokingly say.
“What? No. He had class to get to, so he offered to show us the notes after our classes are done. We just exchanged numbers so we could talk later.”
“Really? He’s willing to go over what we missed with us?”
“Yeah. Nice guy, I guess. Said he’s new to the area and wants to make some friends.”
“Oh. That’s nice, then, I guess.”

After that, we decided to meet up with him after our classes. Jason and I share all the same classes except my last two, so once I’m done, he’ll tell me where to go to meet up with the guy for the notes.

My last class just finished, so I guess I’ll head over now.

I check my phone, and Jason says to meet at the same Starbucks where we were this morning. I’m a little nervous, not gonna lie. Meeting a complete stranger like this isn’t exactly my thing, I’m not great in social situations. But at least Jason will be there, so I won’t make things awkward. Thinking about that eases my nerves a bit. But when I spot them already seated and talking, I suddenly feel nervous again, like I’m interrupting something.

Okay. I got this.

“H-hey there guys, thanks for offering your notes by the way.” I stammer.

“Oh yeah no problem” he replies with a smile on his face. “My name is Luca, nice to meet you.” he extended his hand with a confident smile.

I can tell that this guy is extremely extroverted.

I hesitantly shook his hand. He had a strong grip, it was a little intimidating. “Uhm so what’s your name?” he asks.

“Oh yeah my name, my name is Alice nice to meet you too” I whispered, feeling my voice shrink.

“HUH? What’d you say?” Luca asked, leaning forward, eyebrows raised.

“She said her name was Alice.” Jason stepped in, “She’s kind of an introverted loner so if she seems off that's why.”

“HEY!” I barked, my face flushing with embarrassment.

“Kidding kidding” Jason says with a smug expression on his face.

“Oh really huh, guess I got a little carried away. Sorry.” He puts his hands together and bows his head down a little.

“Oh uh” I struggled to find the right words, still feeling a little off.

“Would you please accept my apology,” Luca asked earnestly, though his tone was a bit too dramatic for me to take seriously. I couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “Uh yeah sure.” I muttered.

“Alright, now that introductions are out of the way we can start on this assignment.”

“Assignment?” I asked.

“Yeah, don’t you guys need help with it?”

“Uh well we do but I feel bad for asking this much of you, especially since we just met.”

“Nah don’t worry about it,” Max shrugged casually. “I finished all of the work for my other classes so I don't mind helping a few friends out”

“Friends?” I repeat, unsure if he was serious or just being polite.

“Yeah, if you don’t mind,” he says, flashing a big smile.

“Uh yeah, sure,” I say nervously.

“Alright let's start,” Jason says, sounding slightly annoyed.

Once the introductions were out of the way, Luca started walking us through everything we missed, it turned out it was a lot so we lucked out with this guy. With me being a little slow, it’s nice that he’s pretty good at explaining everything. Jason didn’t seem to struggle with all the new content but he would often glance over at me when Max was helping me understand the new material. He’s probably struggling too but is too embarrassed to ask for any help. He always had a problem with asking for help so I asked him if he needed any. As expected, he told me that he was doing just fine. Anyways, after an hour of Max’s lessons I finally understood the material so we started working on the assignment. Everything seemed to be going well until Luca unexpectedly got a call. He stands up and talks a little, his voice not sounding as enthusiastic as before.

“Sorry guys, something came up and I got to go.” His tone is more serious than before. Even though there’s a hint of panic in his voice, he’s clearly trying to mask it. It's like someone forcing a smile while pretending to enjoy something they don’t.

“Oh no it’s fine,” Jason replied, “Thanks for helping us out. She’s thankful too by the way.” Jason says while looking over at me.

“Oh yeah… thank you very much,” I said nervously.

Luca took off, looking like he’s in a rush. I hope there was nothing wrong with him. Jason and I sat in silence for a little while working until he says “Hey Alice, you still confused?”

“Nope, not anymore.”

“That’s good.”

"Sorry it took me so long to understand it though, we could’ve started working on the assignment way earlier if it didn’t take me so long to understand the material.”

“Yeah, you were pretty slow.”

I shot him a look. “You weren’t supposed to agree.”

He smirked “Oops my bad,”.

I narrowed my eyes. “That didn’t seem too genuine.”

“Maybe…” he replies while shrugging, clearly not trying to be sincere.

“But it could have been a lot easier if you weren’t so scared of asking for help.”

I looked down and let out a silent breath. “Yeah, but you know, I get nervous around new people.”

“I guess, but you weren’t too nervous when we first met though.” he says, for a second he had this mischievous look in his eyes. “You were more… hmm how do I put this, dumb?”

“Hey, that's not very nice.” I tried to sound offended, but couldn’t keep the smile out of my voice. “Heh, sorry.” He wasn’t sorry.

“I forgive you… I guess.” I reply while rolling my eyes, “but when we first met, talking to you felt comfortable I guess so I just didn’t think about getting nervous.”

His response was hesitant as if he was caught off guard “Oh…”

“But you were kind of an asshole though so I guess I was too annoyed to be nervous too. I guess you still are, so not much has changed.” I say while tilting my head.

“Ha ha ha… very funny.” he replies, unamused.

“Thank you.” I say while smiling ear to ear.