Nice Guys Finish Last by OlympusMons90
As I ride away from the restaurant, I'm not sure which emotions are winning the battle raging within me at the moment. Anger? Betrayal? Frustration? Disappointment?
No, the main emotion I'm feeling is that of sheer embarrassment in myself, that I should've always known this was bound to happen, yet I've been deluded enough in convincing myself otherwise. That I've repeatedly told myself that we would be together, when everyone and everything was telling me the opposite.
Well, not anymore. No more will I be anyone's fool, no more to getting used, no more to being the nice guy.
It all began five years ago when I was in my second class as a freshman, that's when I first saw her. This angel walked in and sat down just two seats away from me, placing her backpack down on the seat in between us and looking up to smile at me and say 'Hi'.
I never believed in 'love at first sight' before, but right then I felt it, or a strong infatuation at least, for this gorgeous smiling creature sitting just a yard from me. She introduced herself as Tasha, I would later find out it's short for Natasha, Natasha Taylor. She has long light brown almost golden hair, blueish grey eyes and a smile that could melt icebergs. She had tan skin as well, looking athletic with lovely curves and wonderful legs. If I could've imagined what the sexiest college girl could look like, she would look just like Tasha did that morning.
My name is Mikey Jones, and on that day that I first met Tasha, we were both just nineteen years old in our first week in college. Both Tasha and I were both starting our journey in majoring in a Bachelor of Finance at Portland State University, and I was determined to get to know this beautiful angel better.
During class we spoke a few times, and after class I sat with my best friend Norm who is doing engineering as his major, telling him all about this wonderful girl I'd just met. When Tasha and one of her friends then walked past us and waved to me as she went by, Norm was quick to start laughing at me as they walked on.
"What's so funny?"
"Is that the girl you were just talking about? And you seriously think you have a shot with her?" Norm said as he continued to laugh.
"I still don't get what's so funny. I'm not the ugliest guy in Portland you know, and besides, we both share majors as well." I replied in my defense.
"You can share whatever the hell you want, there's no way that a guy like you is ever gonna be dating a girl like her. Maybe if your parents were super rich or something, but otherwise you're fooling yourself if you think she would ever go out with you."
"Nah, you're just jealous that I met a hot girl that likes me, when most of your classmates are other ugly dudes like yourself."
"Yeah, yeah. Dream on Loverboy. Do you even know if she already has a boyfriend?" Norm asked further.
"No idea, but it's our first week, and unless she had a boyfriend from high school already, I'm betting she's single too."
"We'll see, I guess. Anyway, are you still all good for Friday night?" Norm asked me.
"Yeah, of course. I wouldn't miss kicking your ass for anything." I replied, in relation to our gaming night we've had every Friday night for the last three years without almost any breaks.
Both me and Norm grew up here in Portland, so we still live with our parents while now going to college. We have a few other friends that we enjoy our Friday gaming nights with, but only me and Norm are now going to PSU together.
I did see Tasha in a few other classes I had, but she didn't take a seat near me those times. I did however see her with the same girlfriend most of the time, and I found out later her name is Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Bergstrom. She looks nice with long blonde hair, blue eyes and wears what I'd call big librarian glasses everywhere. She's studying Marketing and is a bit more 'bookish' than Tasha appears to be, but quite attractive too in that hot librarian kind of way, whereas Tasha has more of the hot cheerleader vibe.
When Tasha again sat with me in our next Finance class, I asked her if she and her friend would like to hangout after class during lunch. Tasha accepted, and I got to know both her and Lizzie better during our lunch together, along with Norm tagging along too.
I didn't ask Tasha if she was single, I didn't want to seem too forward, overly interested in her dating life during the first time we were hanging out together. I did find out that she had a good sense of humor though, that she's smart and friendly too. Her friend Lizzie was nice to talk with as well, and we too had a lot in common as well. I was now hoping that the four of us would become good friends, hanging out even more together in the future.
Over the next few weeks, that's exactly what we did. We spent free classes together as well as lunch each day. I found that Lizzie actually has a wickedly dark sense of humor when me and Norm got to know her better, she's just starts off shy with people she doesn't know that well. And as for Tasha, the more I got to know her, the more infatuated with her I became. I still hadn't asked her out on a date, even though I've since found out that she's single, having broken up with her boyfriend over the summer when he left for college out of state.
That's why I was a little shocked one lunchtime when Tasha joined me, Norm and Lizzie at our table with her new 'boyfriend', a guy named Matt Edwards. We learned that Matt is a third year and twenty-two years old. He looked like that quintessential jock, being about 6'3 with an athletic build, a winning smile and wavy blonde hair.
As much as I wanted to hate him, I have to admit that Matt was very charming and seemed like a great guy. I was more pissed with myself, that I had perhaps waited too long to take my shot with Tasha, an opportunity that Matt obviously didn't miss after only first meeting her in the library only a day earlier.
So, I had to bite my tongue and watch on for the next few months as Matt became a regular part of our little group. Watching on as Tasha would fawn over him, kiss him and hug him. All the things I wish she was doing with me.
I was a little surprised when Tasha pulled me to the side one day during one of our free classes, she wanted to talk with me privately about something.
"Can I ask you something, something personal Mikey?"
"Um, yeah sure."
"Do you like girls? I'm just checking to be sure. It's just that I haven't seen you ever talk about other girls and well, you and Norm seem pretty close." Tasha confided in me.
"What? No! Me and Norm are just best friends, have been for years. But that's all we are, I'm definitely not gay!" I instantly replied defensively.
How could she even think that? How could she not know that I've been infatuated with her from the first day we met? That I don't talk about other girls because I've wanted to be with her more than anything.
"Okay, I didn't mean to offend you. Jesus, very touchy there Mikey." Tasha chuckled at my response.
"Yeah, sorry. But I thought you knew me better than that, to even think that I'm gay..."
"Okay, okay. I knew you weren't gay; I was just having a little fun with you. Well, that brings me to why I actually wanted to talk with you privately."
Deep down I was hoping she would say that she now realizes that she loves me and not Matt, that she's made a mistake, and that her dream guy is right now standing directly in front of her. But I know that's not true, no matter how much I wish it was.
"So, what do you think about Lizzie? Be honest with me, please."
"What? Lizzie?" I kind of stumbled out with my answer.
"Oh, you don't like her?" I could hear the disappointment in Tasha's voice.
"No, I never said that. I just wasn't expecting you to ask me that."
"Well? What do you think about her? Do you like her?" Tasha continued.
"Um, I'm not sure. Does she like me?"
"I wouldn't be asking you this stuff if she didn't, silly."
"I mean, yeah, I like her. She's fun to hang out with, and funny in her unique kind of way too." I reply, trying hard to dig myself out of the hole.
"But do you find her attractive, or is she just a friend to you?" Tasha asked me further.
"Are you asking me if I'd like to go out with Lizzie? Like, dating?" I ask, still a little surprised by all this.
