Two Week Before The Event
The air was thick with tension as Jacob and Alfred sat in their college lecture hall, preparing for their semester exam. Alfred, the quintessential nerd, had his eyes fixed on the exam paper, a calm confidence radiating from him. He was in the front row, right where he belonged, completely in his element. Jacob, on the other hand, sat in the middle of the room, feeling like a ship lost at sea.
The exam paper in front of Jacob might as well have been written in a foreign language. He stared at the questions, his mind a blank slate, a cold sweat forming on his forehead. This was not good—not good at all. Just when he thought things couldn't get worse, he noticed that Emma, the girl he had harbored a huge crush on for what felt like forever, was seated right next to him. His heart raced faster than ever.
Emma was everything Jacob admired—smart, kind, and undeniably beautiful. But he was too shy to even say more than a few words to her, let alone ask for help. His mind was a whirlwind of panic and self-doubt until, out of the blue, Emma leaned over and whispered to him.
"Jacob, why are you looking so tense? Any problem?" she asked, her voice soft but full of concern.
Jacob froze. This was it—his chance to talk to her, but he could barely manage to get the words out. His face flushed with embarrassment, sweat dripping down his temples. Mustering all his courage, he whispered back, "Emma, please help me. I don't know what to do, and I need to pass this exam at any cost."
To his surprise, Emma smiled warmly and replied, "Sure, here," discreetly showing him her answers. Relief washed over Jacob as he quickly scribbled down her responses, his anxiety easing with every word he copied. But it wasn't just relief he felt—there was something else too, a deeper emotion stirring within him. He realized that he was falling even more in love with her.
After the exam, as they filed out of the hall, Alfred walked up to Jacob, a grin already forming on his face. "Dude, how was your exam?" Alfred asked, knowing full well how unprepared Jacob had been.
Jacob, still riding the high of surviving the exam, shot back with a grin of his own, "Well, you're not the only one who's intelligent, you know."
Alfred burst out laughing, the sound echoing down the corridor. "Oh really?" he teased. But before Jacob could respond, Emma joined them, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Yeah, Alfred, I showed him all the answers," she said, laughing along with Alfred.
Jacob felt a mix of embarrassment and joy. Emma was talking to him—really talking to him! And she had just become a part of his world in a way he never imagined.
With a friendly smile, Alfred introduced himself to Emma. The three of them stood there, laughing and chatting, and just like that, a new friendship was formed. Alfred was thrilled to have someone as bright as Emma join their small circle, and Jacob felt a surge of hope. This was his chance—his chance to talk to his crush daily, maybe even win her heart.
But as they walked away from the exam hall, a shadow of doubt began to creep into Jacob's mind. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the calm before the storm, that the bond they had just formed was about to be tested in ways none of them could foresee. Little did they know, the trouble was only beginning.