Maintaining her GPA meant she couldn’t afford the typical college experience. While other girls were out at bars or on dates, Christine was in the library until closing time. Romance wasn’t on the schedule. That was why Jack’s subtle attempts to get her attention went unnoticed for so long.
“Christine, come on, put the textbooks away. Who cares about political science on a Friday night? Let’s go out with the guys,” her roommates would plead. “Are the guys going to take my finals for me?” she’d snap back, her eyes never leaving her notes. “This professor is a shark. He doesn’t give out A’s; you have to bleed for them.”
The professor in question was notorious for his disdain for “lazy” students. Yet, Christine showed up to every lecture, sat in the front row, and engaged in every debate. She asked the hard questions and demonstrated a level of preparation that eventually forced even the most cynical academic to admit she was an exception to the rule.
Jack finally found his courage a year later, catching her during a rare moment of downtime after finals. He approached her cautiously, offering a genuine compliment on her academic performance. Christine was caught off guard. In a debate, she was fearless, but genuine interest from a handsome man made her feel uncharacteristically vulnerable.
“Wow, did the shy guy finally make a move on the Ice Queen?” her friends whispered from a distance. A few minutes later, Christine rejoined them, looking thoughtful. “Alright, spill. Did he ask you out? We thought he’d just stare at you until graduation!”
