Seen - A Novella
Hey guys! I hope you enjoy this short story over the next few weeks - don't forget, at the end of every chapter there is an opportunity to dictate where the novella will go next! I hope you enjoy this:)
- Andrea
1.
I don't know what irks me more.
The fact that he's seen my message, and hasn't replied.
Or the fact that I care.
I'm a young woman for goodness sake! I shouldn't be like this, I should be focusing on my studies, on my job, on my friends.
I shouldn't be staring at my phone, sitting in the library with my notes sprawled out around me in a studious disarray. It's my attempt to look like I'm actually studying...
I swear I was.
I groan and run a hand through my coffee toned hair, my fingers knotting in the ends as I attempt to drag them through. I've got split ends, I need to get a trim.
Why don't you just...UGH!
Frustrated, I flick my phone off and place it face down on the bench in front of me.
Yes, this is what has become of my life.
A small groan escapes my lips and a few students sitting beside me on the bench look up in frustration. I know, the library probably isn't the best place to have a head full of non-studious thoughts. It's a place to fill your mind with hundreds of pages of notes, of all the material from the three lectures you just had in a row (case and point: Me), a place to find boys (case and point: Alison, one of my friends), and a place to catch up on the latest gossip whilst annoying everyone else around you with you 'not so quite' whispering (case and point: Haven, another friend).
Ok, maybe some of my friends are not exactly the best example of what you should be doing in the library...
I drag my finger on the pad of my laptop to bring the screen back to life before continuing to furiously take down the notes I wrote all over the slides during the lecture I was just in.
THINK. SCIENCE.
THINK. DEGREE.
One more year and I'll be out of here.
Not if I keep thinking about the message on my phone. The one I sent ages ago.
It will go unanswered.
That's one thing I know for sure.
It's not the most pleasant thought.
You're probably thinking, why does she care so much?
Well, if only you knew...
An hour passes and my hand starts to go numb as I finish off the summary of my most recent lecture. I'm finally feeling content again, with my body methodically taking in information and my headphones in.
*Bzzt* *Bzzt*
*Bzzt* *Bzzt*
I look across at my phone, it's still face down where I placed it earlier and it's vibrating.
My brow furrows, did he reply? Surely, it's too good to be true.
I take a deep breath and flip my phone over.
Incoming Call: Haven (Swipe to Answer)
I sigh a little and take the call, pulling out my headphones and lifting the phone up to my ear.
"SAM! Girl, where are you?! I thought we were meeting on the balcony for lunch!"
I pull the phone back from my ear and grimace as Haven's voice pours out of my phone, the dirty looks are certainly aplenty right now.
"Haven!" I snap, keeping my voice to the quietest whisper I can muster. "I'm in the library, you've got to calm down!"
"Oh, shoot, sorry." She mumbles in response.
"All good."
"You still coming? Or are you already super busy? Need I remind you, it's only the first week of the semester..."
"I'm coming, I just got distracted."
"Studying?"
"Yeah..."
"You're a mess, you know that right."
"I do."
"The day you say you got distracted by a boy, that will be the happiest day of my life!" She sighs.
If only she knew...
"Oh, ha ha, Haven. Look I'll pack up my stuff and be over in five."
"See you soon!"
I end the call and place my phone back down, before collecting together my notes and laptop and desperately trying to squash them all into my tote bag.
Goodbye library, hello social life.
~~~~~~~
Haven almost squeezes the life out of me when I approach one of the large round tables on the balcony. It's one of the countless outdoor seating areas at Bayview University, which allow students to make the most of the sun when it's out.
She's not alone, there's three other people sitting with her, two girls and a guy.
"I've missed you so much Sam!" She tells me, sweeping her long blonde hair back from her face as a gust of wind catches it.
"Likewise!" I respond, joining her at the table and taking a seat beside one of the girls.
I haven't met the three people she's with before, knowing Haven, they're 'long lost friends she just met'. She's a very likeable person.
"I'm so rude! Let me introduce you to everyone, these guys are my friends from high school, I don't know if you met them last year." Haven starts, her hazel eyes bulging as she excitedly carries the conversation.
The two girls chuckle a little, and the guy takes a bite from the apple he's holding.
Haven gestures towards me, "This is Sam, she's a doll. I've known her since primary school! Sam's a science major, and a bit of a nerd might I add!"
I shrug, "I suppose so."
"Sam," Haven begins, "These three lovely people are Maddie, Carina and Daniel."
I smile at them all, feeling slightly awkward in the presence of a few unfamiliar faces.
"And they're all art's majors! Like me!" She finishes, grinning with pride.
I chuckle a little, "Oh wow, so I'm guessing you guys love it when people tease you about being a BA?"
They all roll their eyes.
"Don't even start..." Carina groans, "I'm reminded daily that my music degree is a waste and I'll never get a job."
"You'll prove them wrong though, we all will." Maddie responds.
I nod, "I'm sure you will. I wish I could play an instrument."
Hazel pats my shoulder thoughtfully, "Oh Sam, you're already super talented. At least you're not one of those snarky science and law students that uses our music room to play their instrument, while reminding us that they're 'just as talented' but will still get 'a real job' with their degree."
I shudder, "Yikes. They sound lovely."
Daniel rolls his eyes, "Far from it..."
Daniel seems quite shy to me, hiding behind his glasses and a mess of dark brown curls. For someone who wants to live as a performer, I don't exactly see confidence oozing out of him. Maybe there's more to him than meets the eye...Or perhaps he's like me, he doesn't really enjoy meeting new people.
I'm slightly curious to find out more about him.
But, just like always, my stupid phone decides to interrupt my life again.
My stomach flips, did he finally reply?!
I pull out my phone and allow my stomach to flip back into dismay.
REMINDER
TUTORING MEETING – 1pm – OFFICE.
It's one of the reminders I set for myself a few days ago,
I'd recently gotten a new job as a Functional Human Biology tutor, since I did quite well on the papers last year. Tutoring starts next week, but I had to meet the other functional human biology tutor today...turns out there were two for each subject in the syllabus.
We were supposed to work together throughout the semester, plan cohesive tutoring sessions and help each other out with ideas.
I kinda wanted to work alone, but I guess I didn't have a choice.
"Don't tell me, you've got a meeting, or something?" Hazel asks, noticing my disappointed expression.
I sigh, "Yeah, it's for that tutoring position I got."
"Will I see you later?" She asks, looking hopeful.
I nod, "Of course. I'll message you later. Oh, it was lovely to meet you all!"
I push my chair away from the table, before getting up and grabbing my bag.
They wave as I dash off.
~~~~~~~
I arrive at the office five minutes late.
It's empty.
"Dammit!" I groan, tossing my bag onto one of the chairs in the room.
Of course, I get paired up with an unorganised tutor who knows nothing about punctuality.
You were five minutes late yourself though...
UGH.
I might as well wait and see if they turn up, if they're not here in the next ten minutes I'll just go and complain to my boss. Her office is just down the hall.
I decide to make myself a coffee while I wait, why not enjoy the perks of my new job – free coffee.
As a student, that means I can save the hundreds of dollars I'd usually spend on coffee each year.
That is a great feeling.
I head into the kitchen and make a steaming hot cup for myself, before heading back into the warm office.
It's a lovely place, with a couple of comfy chairs and desktop computers to use. As well as a collection of resources from past tutors and the department.
Bayview university is affluent, so every pair of tutors gets their own office.
I guess, if this other tutor never turns up...I will have the office to myself.
Awesome.
My body decides to torture me while I pass time waiting for my unreliable counterpart.
My phone is in my hand, messenger is open, and the conversation of doom is staring at me.
Seen.
Seen.
SEEN.
Why do I even like this guy again?
Oh right.
Because he's perfect.
Beckett Ryes.
With his perfect tousled chocolate brown hair, hazel eyes that become speckled with gold in the right light, a perfect tan and a perfect smile. You'd never guess he was a science major like me. Not only that, I heard he volunteers for charity and plays three different sports.
He's smart, he's gorgeous, and he's the kindest person you'll ever meet.
Or so I thought.
Guess looks can be deceiving.
I guess you're wondering how did you even end up in a messenger conversation with this guy?
Well.
Um.
We're lab partners.
We were assigned to each other earlier this week.
He was lovely in the lab, ensuring that our experiments were precise and consistent. We joked a little about random things, and agreed to meet up later in the week to prep for the lab the following week.
After the lab, we messaged back and forth a few times.
Then, when I brought up our catch-up session...
Silence.
Nothing.
Seen.
I'm not entirely sure what to do. I mean, we don't really need to meet up before the lab. It's not like we don't know what we're doing.
But I kind of, wanted to...
I mean, who wouldn't?
My heart flutters when I'm near him, and it doesn't usually do that.
Anyway, it's been a day since this word popped up at the bottom of our conversation. All I know is that if he doesn't reply, I'm going to have to awkwardly bring it up in the next lab.
There's something up with Beckett, Mr Perfect. Hopefully I'll figure out what that its.
Maybe, he's just not that into you.
Yeah. That's probably it. BUT STILL.
He should reply. We're lab partners. This is totally platonic.
"Shit! Sorry I'm late, hope you weren't waiting for too long."
A deep voice interrupts my hopeless train of thought. I look up and watch as a young man saunters into the office.
You know how I said that Beckett made my heart flutter...
Well...maybe he's not alone anymore.
A pair of piercing green eyes lock with mine, as a tall guy with slick midnight black hair and a crooked smile stands in front of me.
It's weird though, because as much as my heart is fluttering, it's mostly out of fear. He's certainly intimidating.
"You must be Sam, then..." He starts, looking down at me.
I shrug, "I am. What's your name?"
"Rafael. You know, I thought you were going to be another guy when I saw your name on the sheet."
I roll my eyes and take another sip from my coffee, "Sorry about being a girl. I'm sure it's terribly upsetting to know that there are girls at this university as smart as you."
He raises his eyebrows, "Yikes. You're an icy one, aren't you?"
"When I want to be." I respond.
"So..." He asks, "You got an A in Functional Human Biology?"
"A+, are you telling me you only got an A?" I ask, a fake look of disgust crossing my face.
He grins, "Please. An A is like an F to me."
"Good to know. You're a high achiever who has no sense of time." I reply.
"I'll try not to be late again."
"I hope that's the truth. I'm on a tight schedule..."
He grabs a chair and pulls it up right next to mine, before taking a seat and looking deep into my eyes. My heart rate skyrockets, I hope he can't hear it.
"I'm sure you are."
I lean back, taken by surprised.
"What are you doing? You're a bit confronting, you know?"
He winks at me and leans back, "Girls tell me that a lot."
I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him.
"Well, I'm not planning on being one of them. We're co-workers now."
He chuckles, "Sam, you wish you were one of them. Believe me, I don't want to work with you as much as you don't want to work with me. I prefer to do this alone."
"How did you-" I start.
"I just know these things, you're used to being independent. So am I."
"Perfect." I groan. "Let's just grit our teeth and get this semester over with."
He nods, "Great idea Sam, you're really full of them."
"Don't start."
"Start what?"
"Ugh..."
I take a deep breath and look away from him. My new, devilishly handsome co-worker turns out to be arrogant and annoying.
With this, and Mr. no-reply Beckett...well, it's looking like my semester is getting off to a great start.
Little did I know, I was going to experience more things over the next couple of months, than I have ever done before.
This semester was going to be a wild ride.
And I haven't even prepared for it in the slightest.
~~~~
A/N
Hey guys! I hope you're liking this so far. I've never done one of these teen fictions before (they've all been reasonably fantasy related) so I hope it's alright!
So, like I said at the beginning...What would you like to happen next?
We've got Daniel, Beckett and Rafael...Is there anyone you'd like Sam to find out more about in the next chapter?
Comment and let me know - It's entirely up to you!
Oh and please let me know what you think so far!
Don't forget to vote and comment! (I may add a small vote count later)
xoxo - Andrea