It’s been this way since middle school. Becky Evans saw Jake Andersson for the first time when she was 11 years old. He wasn’t the tallest guy around, but his handsome face, tan skin and dark hair made him stand out. It was a bonus that he happened to be the best soccer player in the national team. He always had something to say about everything, and calling him the class clown would be an understatement. Students loved him, teachers loved him... and Becky was no exception. Like many other girls, Becky was head over heals for Jake.
He knew that girls loved him and that made him dangerous for Becky. She was short and her baby face made her seem way younger than she was, but her quiet nerdy ways were a turn off for most boys. Jake saw this and he took it as an opportunity. He could make Becky do whatever he wanted.
All it took was for him to send her a text or call her, and she’d do anything for his attention. It started with asking her to let him copy her homework and it snowballed into her actually doing his homework and writing his name on her tests so he’d get all the points.
Becky didn’t realize what was happening, she was just happy that Jake acknowledged her existence. This made her think she was special, until graduation day.
“Mom! We’re gonna be late, hurry up!” Becky said as she looked at herself in the mirror trying to fix her hair. This was the first time she straightened it. It’s past her waist and it made her super uncomfortable, but she wanted to impress Jake. He always complimented girls on their long hair, and she wanted to hear those sweet words from him. She also wore a bit of mascara and pink lipgloss that she saw in a magazine some weeks before.
“Why can’t you guys just wait? Be patient!” Becky’s mom said in an annoyed tone of voice, while staring at Becky and her dad.
“Mom, we have to be there early! We talked about it many times! On Graduation day, us students need to be there earlier than the guests.” Becky just wanted to be there early because she had a plan. She would finally confess her feelings to Jake and she wanted to do it before the ceremony, so she could take pictures with him afterwards.
Becky and her parents finally arrived at the venue, and it was breathtaking. An endless field of green grass with a large swimming pool in the middle. Trees with white flowers filled the scene with an ethereal atmosphere making the sky look almost blurry.
“Becky, are you looking for someone?” Her mom asked her. “I’m trying to find Nataly, she’s not answering my texts” lied Becky. She was really looking for Jake. Her courage would crumble away if she waited any longer. Finally, she spotted Jake talking to his best friend Omar. Becky walked over to them, a hurried pace as she felt sweat beads starting to form on her forehead.
“Hey, um Jake... do you have a moment to talk?” Jake and Omar kept chatting away about soccer and graduation parties... when Omar noticed Becky and with a mocking grin, told Jake, “Oh look, it’s your girl Becky”. Jake turned around and coldly said to Becky, “What? What do you want?” The annoyance in his voice was evident but Becky brushed it off.
“Sorry I was just wondering if we could talk for a sec”? Jake scoffed at her, while Omar laughed and walked off. Jake looked annoyed and it was making Becky nervous. “I want to say that I really like you, Jake. I’ve liked you since 7th grade.” Jake’s face grew disgusted. Becky was starting to stutter. “Jake, I... I really...”
“Let me stop you right there. The only reason I talked to you was because you were doing my work. Do you think I’d be interested in a nerd like you? Now that school is over, I don’t have to be nice to you.” With these words, he walked away from Becky, leaving her to a broken heart and an innocence lost.
The rest of the day went on in a haste. Becky’s pain made the green paradise even more blurry as she stood in front of the stage with a dead look in her eyes. She had no idea how her legs were holding her up.
As soon as the ceremony was over, her best friend Nataly came running over to her. “Becky! Is it true? Did you tell Jake you like him?” Becky seemed to wake up at the question and panic started to take over her features. “Who told you that, Nat?” Nataly hesitated for a moment. “Beck, Omar is telling everyone about what you said to Jake...” before Nataly could finish, Becky turned away with tears in her eyes and ran back to her parents pleading with them to go home.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” Her mom’s face softened at the sight in front of her. She’d never seen her daughter like this before. “Mom, please I beg you, please don’t ask me anything, please just take me home now!” Seeing her pained expression, Becky’s parents held her and drove her back, no questions asked.
They could be annoying, but they loved their daughter more than anything. She was always quiet and well tempered, even as a child she rarely ever threw a tantrum. When they saw her tears in public, they knew they had to do whatever they could to help her. Even abandon the graduation dinner and family pictures.
This summer was going to be a slow one, with Nataly going to Spain for an international exchange. Her only friends would be games and books, before she had to head off to university herself.
Becky planned to go Italy, but in the end her parents were not able to afford it and it was loo late for scholarships. She took the next best thing which was 4 hours away from home. S City Private University. This was the place to go for law students, but not really all that great for graphic designers which is what Becky wanted to do. Her parents still wanted a good university on her resume, so she applied and got accepted into the graphic design program.
She would’ve been happy, but she knew that Jake along with some of her classmates would be attending as well. Jake wanted to be a lawyer and since he was the ring leader, most of his friends were doing the same. How long they’d last was another story.
Becky also knew most of them graduated thanks to her. Jake included.
-First day of University-
Becky’s POV
‘Where should I go? These buildings are so confusing. Now I’m gonna be late for class and on my first day... just my luck.’
Becky was nervous, it was not just her first day, but she was really trying to avoid eye contact with people around her. She was not just shy, she was also trying to avoid meeting Jake or anyone from her high school. Becky wanted to move on from her heart break and mostly, from further embarrassment.
‘There! Class 02, Introduction to Design Psychology. Made it!’
As Becky rushed inside, she didn’t notice someone walking in from the other side. Bumping into him, she dropped her books and phone on the floor. She looked up to apologize, and cold green eyes were staring down at her with an annoyed look.
“S... sorry I didn’t see you.” He stared at her, and while his eyes remained cold, a slight smirk gave him away as he looked at her from head to toe. Becky quickly picked up her things and when she got back up, the guy was already inside the classroom.
Becky looked around and spotted an empty seat. She made her way to it, and as soon as she sat down, the tall guy with green eyes from before stood from his seat and sat next to her. Becky gave him a puzzled look and he proceeded to ignore her.
‘What the hell...’ Becky was confused by boys in high school and she thought they’d be different in university... but this guy was proving to be even weirder than high school guys. ‘Why is he sitting next to me, but decides to ignore me? Ugh, whatever! I need to pay attention, this is my first day and I’m tired of guys.’
“Good morning, class! Welcome to S City Private University! You guys will be, with hard work, the first class to graduate as Graphic Designers from our University. Let’s get to know each other!” Students introduced themselves, and soon, it was Becky’s turn. She could feel her stomach in her throat, but she wanted to leave the shy Becky behind. ‘Time to fake it til I make it!’
“Hello, everyone. I’m Becky Evans and I come from T City. I love art and animation, and want to open my own indie studio in the future.” With a short introduction, she sat back down and let out a sigh of relief. A deep, strong voice brought her back to reality as the guy sitting next to her introduced himself.
Becky looked up at him, his voice was like a finely tuned violoncello and his long black hair fell on his shoulders. His face was manly, but his pink lips and green eyes stood out. He was wearing a dark green shirt and tight black jeans.
“My name is Peter Steele, and my dad threatened to kick me out if I didn’t enroll in university. I chose Graphic Design because it seemed like the easiest way out. Thank you for your attention.”
