Living in an apartment complex just off campus, Jay didn’t have a long walk to the food hub. On clear days, he could almost see the large building where all the restaurants and fast-food joints were housed from his second-story window. It was pretty convenient whenever he and Zack forgot to stock up on groceries or got tired of eating ramen noodles, sandwiches, and microwaved nachos. The only drawbacks of eating campus food were the price of it and the lines of students that sometimes stretched for many yards.

Fortunately, there weren’t too many people at the hub that morning. Most of the early classes at the university started at eight o’clock, but Jay’s psychology class began at the unusual time of eight thirty. So, unless there were other students with later classes who happened to be craving a bagel between eight and eight thirty, he often got lucky and didn’t have to wait for a long time to get his breakfast.

Jay got in line at the bagel shop—there were only three people in front of him—and ordered his food when he reached the cashier. He stood off to the side to wait until his number was called. He had a number ending in sixty-nine this time, which was fun because the student workers would often shout it in ridiculous voices. College humor like that was yet another thing Jay loved about living in a place surrounded by men and women of his own age. He smiled to himself. The fall semester hadn’t been going on for very long, but he was already having a great time. If things kept up like this, his junior year would be his best one yet.

“Order number sixty-nine!”

“Sixty-nine! Come and get it!”

The students waiting for their food snickered at the tirade of raunchy jokes that ensued until Jay claimed his bagel. He found a seat at an empty table to eat while he causally scrolled through Facebook on his phone until it was almost time for his class to start. Once he was done eating, he got up again to toss out his trash and head to the behavioral sciences building. However, he didn’t get very far before he was stopped.

As Jay was passing by another food shop, he couldn’t help but notice a pretty blonde woman standing in wait for her order. Momentarily forgetting his class, he slowed to a stop, brown eyes fixed on her back. The internal war began. He wanted to go up to her and say something, but the memories of his past girlfriends glued his feet to the floor. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to get back into the world of dating yet. He didn’t even know what to say if he did approach her. So, when the woman turned and started walking towards him, he froze. His face flushed and his mind went blank.

Apparently, the girl didn’t intend to talk to him. In fact, she didn’t seem to even notice he was there. He took a step back as she almost collided with him—he was still too startled to think clearly enough to move out of her way—and looked up as the lights overhead flickered suddenly. [i]That’s weird,[/i] he frowned. [i]You’d think a school of this size would pay for better wiring…[/i]

“No, it’s my fault,” Jay said quickly when the blonde woman apologized to him. “I wasn’t paying attention—” he faltered as she moved to get past him, making a beeline for the door. Just as fast as their little encounter had happened, it was over. He blinked in confusion, staring at the ghost of where she had been. [i]What a strange person,[/i] he thought as he finally recovered enough sense to head to his class—of which he was now late. [i]I wonder why she seemed so afraid…[/i]