Corey was happy the semester was finally over. His first term at college was fun, but it was challenging. He found high school to be pretty easy, even though he took honors classes - and then AP classes - in math and science. But when he got to college - where lots of people were as smart as he was - he had to work a lot harder to keep up with the pace. He was also taking advanced classes as a freshman because he had received some college credit from his AP classes.
The funny thing about it was that he LIKED the challenge. He especially liked the advanced Physics class he was taking, since it gave a scientific explanation of things everyone experiences in the world every day. And he liked the challenge of proving he could do the work. He always loved JFK's speech about going to the moon, when he said, "we choose to go to the moon not because it is easy but because it is hard." Whenever Corey repeated the line, he always dropped the 'R' on the last word and did a terrible job of trying to replicate JFK's Boston accent, pronouncing the last word "h-a-a-a-a-d".
But now he could relax for a few weeks during Christman break. He lived less than two hours away, and his parents texted to say they'd be at the dorm in fifteen minutes.
When their car pulled up, Corey walked outside, rolling one suitcase with some clothes. He was surprised when the back door opened, and his sister, Melissa, stepped out. Suddenly he had a huge smile on his face.
"Melissa!" he yelled. "I didn't think you were back yet."
Melissa was two years older than Corey and went to a different college. She had told him she'd be home the day after him.
"I wanted to surprise you," she said, just before the two embraced. "Good to see you, Corey!"
The two siblings were always very close even though they were, in some respects, very different. Corey was generally quiet, shy, and uncomfortable in groups of people who weren't his friends. Melissa, on the other hand, could show up on another planet at a party with aliens, and within ten minutes, she'd know all the aliens' names, and they'd all love her. She was very popular in high school; he was not. She dated a lot in high school; he did not.
Corey looked up to his sister in many ways. Even though she was beautiful and very popular, she was very down-to-earth. Some of the other pretty, popular girls in high school were real snobs. They wouldn't even consider talking to a nerd like Corey. But Melissa was friends with everyone. She had some friends from the Pom Squad, some friends from her honor classes (some of whom were a little nerdy, like Corey), and random friends she had just made over the years. When some of her "popular" friends made bitchy comments about someone - especially about "nerdy guys" - Melissa would call them out. Corey wasn't sure if she was explicitly trying to defend him or just not tolerating someone being a jerk. But it always made him respect her even more when she'd go against the crowd and defend people.
As they drove home, everyone asked Corey about finals. Corey caught up with Melissa, since they didn't talk a lot the prior week when they were both studying for finals. On the way home, they stopped for lunch. Corey smiled when they were all piled into a booth, with Melissa next to him and his parents on the other side. It reminded him of his childhood, when they'd go out as a family and laugh and make fun of each other. He had friends who had older sisters, but none of them got along like he and Melissa did. He always appreciated Melissa - probably more than she realized.
That night, after everyone got ready for bed, Corey was sitting up in his bed surfing the web on his phone when he heard a knock on his door.
"Come in," he yelled.
Melissa walked in wearing a t-shirt and shorts, her standard sleeping outfit. She sat on Corey's bed and started asking more questions about his first semester. Once again, Corey smiled to himself as this was another event that reminded him of his childhood. Melissa would often plop on his bed to talk to him about everything and anything. When he started middle school, and then high school, she also tried to give him pep talks about girls. He was obviously very shy and didn't date in high school, and Melissa always tried to convince him that girls would like him if he just tried.
So, he wasn't surprised when Melissa finally got around to asking if he had gone out with any girls. When he said he hadn't, Melissa again turned into his personal life coach and biggest cheer leader, telling him he didn't realize that he's a good-looking guy and that any girl would like him if he just talked to them. While he appreciated Melissa's concern and confidence in him, this was not one of the conversations he enjoyed. Like when he was in high school, Melissa left a little frustrated and definitely feeling sad for her brother.
ON the following Monday, Melissa had a few of her high school friends over. They were sitting outside, just catching up on everyone's last semester. One of the girls asked about Corey and how he liked college. Melissa let them know he was doing well, but she briefly mentioned that he's still as shy as he ever was. She told them she felt bad he didn't have the confidence to talk to girls.
As soon as she heard that, Olivia smiled to herself. Back in high school, she was EXACTLY like Corey. She was shy around boys and didn't think they were interested in her. It didn't help that some of her friends - including Melissa - were absolutely beautiful. Some of the cheerleaders had big, curly blond hair, big boobs, and big personalities. They knew how to do their hair and apply makeup - a little too much, in Olivia's opinion - to look like movie stars. Olivia had a thinner body, full B-cup breasts, and stick-straight, pitch-black hair that went halfway down her back. She had big, brown eyes which many would find to be alluring. But she just didn't understand how attractive she was.
She was still uncomfortable around boys when she left for college, but her freshman year roommate fixed that. She was a year older, and she told Olivia she was making it "her personal project" to help Olivia come out of her shell. She was fine around girls - she only got nervous around guys. So, her roommate dragged her to every party she went to and forced her into situations where she had to talk to guys. It was a very painful couple of months before she finally found a guy whom she found easy to talk to. She also thought he was hot, and he ended up being the one to take her virginity. Once she got "over the hump", the damn broke. She suddenly realized she COULD talk to guys, that some guys thought she was hot, and sex was fun!
She felt bad for Corey - she remembered how miserable she was before her "awakening".
She was jolted out of her thoughts when she heard, "Hello! Earth to Olivia. Are you there?"
"Huh?" she asked, realizing the other girls were looking at her.
"I said we were going to go out for lunch and then go to the mall," Melissa said. "Are you good with that?"
"Actually, I'm not feeling great. I think I'm going to head home. I'll catch up with you guys later."
"You sure?" Melissa asked. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just didn't sleep well last night, and I'm kinda' tired," Olivia responded.
"Okay," Melissa said, we're going to head out.
"Okay. I'm gonna go say hi to Corey and then leave," Olivia said.
As the other girls headed out, Olivia went inside and up the stairs. She had been in Melissa's house a million times, so she felt quite comfortable being there without her. When she got to Corey's room, she knocked.
"Come in," she heard.
She opened the door, and Corey was sitting at his desk where he had been looking through email. He turned when the door opened, and he smiled. He always liked Olivia.
"Hi, Corey," she said with a smile.
"Hey, Olivia. How ya' doing?"
"I'm good," she said. "How about you?"
"No complaints," Corey said.
They chatted for a little while before Olivia said, "Melissa said you haven't done much dating at school."
Corey looked embarrassed and was a little pissed at his sister.
"Why would she tell you that?" he asked.
"It just came out when someone asked how you were doing. Nothing to be upset about," she said.
"It's just not easy..." he said, with his voice trailing off.
"You know," Olivia said, "I used to be the same way. You know how shy I was."
"Yeah, I suppose."
"But my roommate really forced me into situations where I'd HAVE to talk to guys, and eventually it wasn't so hard. Hey, I've got an idea. Come here."
