For the first time in my life I had developed a crush on a guy and I had no one to tell it to. His name was Adrian, he sat in front of me in Biological Science, and he was unlike any guy I had ever liked. He was a straight-up dork with messy blond hair and glasses, rather thin and wore flannel shirts even in Florida. But he was so nice and so cute that I found myself looking forward to seeing him and discussing Dr. Akim's notes from hell. My heart melted when he stammered if I wanted to study after class together. I had answered a little too eagerly that I would love to. He had flushed red and I had spared us both the awkwardness of the embarrassment by leaving the class and agreeing to meet in the tutoring lab at 2:30 pm.

"We're going to Subway," Jon said.

I stared at Jon and Victor who looked at me rather expectantly. As if I had nothing better to do than hang out with them two.

"Ok," I said.

"Are you coming?" Victor asked.

Oh my goodness, I had become part of the guys. Yara would never believe this.

"Nope." I hid a smile of excitement.

Jon raised a brow at me. "What is that?"

"What is what?"

"That look, you've got a date!" He pointed to me in the most ridiculous accusatory manner.

"I do not!" I hissed, looking around as if a wild Adrian would appear and overhear this assumption.

But Jon had decided that I was ditching them for a guy. The moment they left I let out a sigh of relief, having guy friends had suddenly posed an unforeseen complication. Like having five extra brothers instead of just one. I dreaded the thought of Adrian actually dating me and having to introduce him to the guys. I ate four peanuts before my stomach nerves clenched completely closed. Typical. Anytime I liked anyone my appetite would be gone which meant you could always tell when I didn't like anyone because I'd inflate like a pool toy.

The Atrium clock moved like molasses and finally at 2:15 I decide to enter the tutoring lab and be casual about my activities. It's not a big deal, completely not a big deal. He was not there, which of course, I should not have been surprised, we had agreed on 2:30. I decide to place myself in the most flattering pose imaginable without looking ridiculous. Adrian didn't arrive until 2:40 and by then my pose had been forgotten by the thought that he had stood me up. I lit up at seeing him and then I turned down the wattage, my smile was too eager. He did return the smile as he took a seat across from me.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," he said. "I'm in the Government club and it ran over."

Government club. How college-like. I could see him being a politician, a legislator. Wouldn't it be amazing for us to have met in college? I become a civil rights attorney and my husband, Adrian (I actually didn't know his last name), gets elected as the first Democratic Governor of Florida, representing the local people and bringing with him new innovative environmental laws! Huh? Oh, he was talking, shit, what did he say?

"I said have you been waiting long?" He pushed his blond hair out of his face and gave me a side smile.

"No." Lie. "I was going over my notes, there's so much I'm still overwhelmed with."

Adrian dove right in, he didn't stop, didn't even flirt, he was 100% focused on the course and I was, once again, trying to keep up. He was in the middle of explaining a concept when a bag was shoved at my face by someone who stood next to us. I jumped back and looked up to find Victor looming over us like a helicopter. It was a Subway bag and I realized, with a start, that he had brought me lunch.

"I figured you wouldn't have time to eat," he said but his eyes were on Adrian.

He was inspecting him, looking him over with a clear curl of distaste on his mouth. I felt like my brother was here, questioning Adrian's intention, ensuring he was keeping his hands in a respectful distance. I flushed red and grabbed the bag making Victor look at me.

"Wow, thanks," I said.

My words were tight, and my eyes were dancing daggers, murdering him in twenty different ways. I could run him over with my car, watching him twitch from my rearview mirror. Or perhaps a cleverly placed fire. Or poison into one of his protein shakes.

Victor looked back to Adrian, he was unperturbed by my dagger eyes. After all, he has been on the receiving end of them many times.

"Victor. What's your name, man?" He extended a muscled arm in Adrian's face.

Adrian was confused and then he looked from me to Victor from Victor to me. "Oh. Sorry, yeah, I'm Adrian Phillips (Governor Adrian Phillips)."

They shook hands and Adrian's hand looked like a drumstick in Victor's beefy one.

"I didn't mean anything by it, I didn't know she had a –"

"No!" It's too loud, I realize it as I say it because people are now staring. "No." Softer now. "Not dating. Not at all."

Victor is staring at me. Adrian is staring at me. The tutoring lab teacher is staring at me. All of this is Victor's fault and I'm thinking flaying might be a good punishment.

"Oh." Adrian looked at the Subway bag in my hand.

"Thank you so much, friend, for the lunch," I said in words so tight I hardly understood them.

"Right," Victor said. Then he turned and unceremoniously stalked out of the lab like a manic vampire. The girls who stood by the entrance erupted in a fit of delightful flirty giggles.

The rest of the not-date-study-session is a mess. By the time it ends I was fuming, nothing went according to plan, and there's a certain meathead that I needed to kill. I found him, unsurprisingly, outside flirting with a girl with a pixie haircut. She's taller than his usual flair and I aim to return the favor he did earlier.

When I erupt from the doors the girl is startled and my hair must be a manic mess because I'm fuming.

"I need to speak to him privately, do you mind?" I was in her face and she looked me over then at him and walked back inside. Before he can say anything, I hit him with the sandwich. I smashed the sandwich again against his arm. The bread was now broken, and lettuce is dancing in the wind.

"Hey, what the hell?" He blocked me effectively.

"How do you like it?" I'm spitting I'm so angry.

"Calm down, you lunatic!"

He grabbed my arm in an effortless manner and I was left glaring up at him, restraining myself from kneeing him in the groin. He's a whole head taller than me, maybe more, but I'm still in his face and ready for murder.

"That was a shitty thing to do, even for you, Manning!"

"Oh, I bring you a fucking sandwich because I thought you might be hungry and it's a shitty thing to do?" He turned red and his hair was disheveling. I've never seen this happen.

"You cockblocked me!"

He's stunned. "How? How did I cockblock you?"

"You came in with your cock, shoved it at his cock, and effectively," I signaled with my hand. "You cockblocked!"

He let go of me and started laughing. I will murder him.

"It's not funny," I said.

"I've never heard you say 'cock' so often." He's such a child.

I smack his arm again and he ignored it, unperturbed.

"Look, it's not that I don't appreciate the sandwich but you had a pissing contest on him, don't try to deny it." I pointed my finger in his face. "And you knew I was on a semi date."

"And he takes you to the tutoring lab?" He shakes his head.

He's right. It was not a date. I imagined it to be a date. But still, obviously, I liked him and he interrupted. I'd never do that to him.

"It was a thing." I insisted.

He rolled his eyes but still smiled. "You're doing yourself no favors, that kid would never be able to put up with you."

Now I'm pissed. My face heats up and my nostrils flare and he instantly knows he's said the wrong thing.

"That's not what I meant, what I mean is that you're –"

"I'm what?" I'm growling like a small animal.

"You're passionate!" He raised his voice and people were starting to watch us.

"I'm not talking to you." I decide. "I can't believe you've essentially called me a fiery Latina."

"You are a fiery Latina, you forget that I've known you longer than most these bozos." His tone is completely neutral. "I don't hold it against you, my mom is a fiery Latina."

I press a hand to my forehead. "Did you just compare me to your mom?"

He realized what he did, and he closed his mouth. "No."

I leveled him with a look that could melt skin and I'm sure that at that moment I reminded him a lot of his mom because he blanched and shrunk back which was hilarious considering his size.

"Don't do that again," I said. "That was shitty and you know it. I get to decide who I want in my life, Manning, and if you do that again I swear on my grandmother's grave I will remove you from my life." I snapped my fingers in his face. "Like that."

And I turned and stalked away. In my car, I ate the stupid deconstructed sandwich which was squished but he had gotten me turkey and salami which I damn well-loved.

Recommended 90s Playlist (will grow with each chapter)

1. Gettin' Jiggy With It - Will Smith

2. Kiss The Rain - Billie Myers

3. Come Baby Come - K7

4. Tubthumping - Chumbawamba

5. Bitch - Meredith Brooks

6. Something to Talk About - Bonnie Raitt

7. WannaBe - Spice Girls

8. Miami - Will Smith

9. Ghetto Supastar - Pras

10. All Cried Out - Allure

11. The Way - Fastball

12. Walkin' on the Sun - Smash Mouth

13. Can't Get Enough of You Baby - Smash Mouth

14. Stay (I missed you) - Lisa Loeb