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I exhaled slowly and glanced at Hailey to see what she thought. She stared at the professor with wide eyes and scribbled down notes while he spoke. She meant what she said, she was going to take this class seriously.
I knew if I was going to be successful in my pre-med classes I had to get my act together. Shameless flirting and letting myself get distracted during class wouldn’t get me into med school. This professor meant business, but so did I. I wasn’t going to let my perfect academic record slip through my fingers just when it was finally beginning to mean something.
Being a doctor was my dream. There was no other option for me. I would ace my premed classes and get into a great medical school.
As I listened to the professor finish explaining the syllabus, I made a vow to myself that I would really try. I would put aside my attraction for Hailey and focus during every single class.
With a determined nod that only I noticed, I pulled out my own notebook and grabbed a pen from my backpack. The professor was about to start the real lesson of the day and I didn’t want to miss a single word.
By the end of the hour, I had two pieces of paper completely filled with notes. He spoke fast and my hand ached, but in a good way.
When we were dismissed, I packed up my stuff slowly and glanced over at Hailey. She tossed her notebook into her bag and put the top back on her pen. She still hadn’t looked at me since before class.
Despite my internal promise to remain focused, I couldn’t help but think about Hailey throughout the lesson. I did my best to put her out of my mind but when the air conditioning kicked on and blew the scent of Hailey’s perfume my way I knew I was a goner. She smelled amazing and the way the cool air rustled her shoulder length hair made my whole body tense.
She was beautiful.
I really couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed her before.
“That was a good first class,” I said lamely.
I smiled at Hailey when she looked at me.
She just nodded and smiled back politely.
“Yeah,” she said. “I thought it was interesting.”
Hailey stood up and made her way toward the door. I hurried after her, falling in step beside her when we reached the hallway.
“So,” I said. “I was thinking that since we’re already sitting together, we could be study partners. I have a feeling this class is going to be a killer so we’ll both need the extra help.”
Hailey looked at me for a second before she looked away again. It seemed like she was thinking about my offer.
I couldn’t tell if I had insulted her by implying she might need help, but it was the truth. That professor wasn’t fucking around. It would be easier on both of us if we had someone around to help us study.
Plus, I just wanted an excuse to see her outside of class. I knew I wasn’t going to get anywhere in the confines of that lab.
“Sure,” Hailey said with a shrug. “Whatever.”
With that, she hurried off to her next class. I watched her disappear with a smile.
She wasn’t interested in me yet, but by the end of the semester, she would be.
***
I sat on my mom’s porch holding my acceptance letter and remembering that day.
The first time I saw Hailey seemed so insignificant at the time. She was just a cute girl in my biology class. I was attracted to her and determined to get to know her better.
At that point, I had never met a girl who didn’t want to date me. Hailey threw me completely off my game and I liked her more for it.
That entire semester flew by in a blur. Hailey and I studied together almost every day and we both ended up acing that stupid Bio 101 class. We set the curve on almost every test. We slowly became friends and when the final grades came out, I suggested we go out to celebrate. That was the night things shifted between us.
I had always wanted more with Hailey, but that was the night she finally saw something worthwhile in me.
I smiled to myself as the memory washed over me. It had been years since I had last seen Hailey, but I could still picture her face clearly in my mind. I was sure she was just as beautiful as ever.
Sitting there, holding my future in my hands, I wondered what she was doing. I imagined what her life was like now. Did she look the same? Where had her life taken her? Was she still in Bradberry? Had she moved somewhere far away? Was her life everything she always wished it would be?
