Charms or Banjos?

Chapter 3

The day had finally come. Their first day of college. Granted, Jessica and her friends alongside Alex and his had been for their inductions prior to their first real day of college. Jessica and Paige stepped out of the lift onto the fourth floor, ready to get started with English Literature. Luckily for the two of them, Jessica and Paige had aligned timetables, meaning the pairs' lessons fell at the same time and they had the same lesson to start off their day: English Lit. "I'm actually quite nervous, I've only met Gerald, not Christine. What if she's not very nice?" Paige worried as the two waited for Christine to arrive. "I have Paige, Christine is very nice. I haven't met Gerald, what if he's not very nice?" Jessica assured her friend. "You've got a point there, but I told you how nice Gerald is. I met him during the pre programme events. Come on, I think Christine is here." Paige said. Jessica followed Paige towards their classroom and the two made a home at the back in the corner. Paige plugged her laptop charger in while Jessica pulled her iPad out and got it set up for the lesson.

After 30 minutes of their 90 minute lesson, Jessica's phone buzzed and the screen lit up with Alex's contact. She opened the message and saw that it showed Alex teasing Jessica about having to go into college on a Thursday and Friday. Paige and Jessica, much like three of their other friends, had chosen to do three A Levels as opposed to a B Tech, a course or a T Level. Alex and some of his friends had chosen to do a course, which meant that they were only in three days a week, unlike Jessica's four days and one day from home. Jessica replied to Alex's message with a picture of her making an angry face, to which Alex replied with a video of him laughing. Little did Jessica know, Alex was smiling like an idiot at his phone, his thoughts filled with her. How cute she was, how beautiful she was, how different she was. Though something hung like a shadow at the back of his mind, some primitive instinct that he must not go there. She was invisible and as his friends said 'a massive weirdo', and he was the kind of guy that got invited to parties and dated the popular girls, the girls who didn't bring him down socially. But he couldn't help but think it was all rubbish when he saw Jessica smile. It could only be a dream. He thought.

Back at college, Jessica and Paige parted ways to go to their respective classes. "Hey, Paige. I think I have something to tell you when I see you at lunch." Jessica said over her shoulder. "Can't wait." Paige replied. All through her lessons, Jessica's mind reeled with the information she held away from her best friend. Though she secretly knew why she had put off telling her, Paige wouldn't approve, they'd be moving too fast, Paige would argue they didn't know enough about each other, their texts were only goodnight, good morning and school. They couldn't possibly date.