"Just a minute," I shout, pushing my hands against the bathroom door. I lean my forehead against the cool surface, reminding myself to breathe. In, and out. In, and out. See? Easy, I tell myself, still unconvinced.

Another loud bang rattles the door on its hinges. "Are you okay in there? You've been in awhile," The voice whines from the other side.

Just a couple more weeks, I remind myself, double checking that the door is locked before I make my way to the mirror. Looking at my reflection, I am ashamed of what I see. The girl in front of me is no where near the perfect girl I was raised to be. Her makeup is dark and smudged around her eyes, which themselves are bloodshot from all the tears. I was supposed to excel in college - I'd done everything right to prepare, getting good grades, volunteering, clubs, even a sport in the winter when my job at the frozen yogurt shop closed for a few months. And yet...

I press a damp paper towel under my eyes, wiping at the smudged mascara. Taking a few deep breaths, I grab my backpack off the floor and onto my shoulders. Chin raised, I open the door quickly, barely making eye contact with the other woman in line. I hear her irritated huff as I walk past, but I keep going until I'm out of the campus center and standing outside my dorm.

The building is pretty typical, old and probably full of mold. I'm pretty sure they haven't redone the dorms since they were first built, but the rooms are decently sized. As I trudge up the three flights of stairs to my floor, I say hello to the group of girls walking by, trying to appear calm and collected.

It's just about noon, so I know Hannah, my roommate, will be in class. Whereas I opted for morning classes, leaving me done by noon every day, Hannah prefers to sleep in, staying up well into the night to get her studying done. We're different in small ways like that, but ultimately, the mutual hatred for chemistry brought us together our freshmen year. As it turns out, chemistry sucks no matter when you do it.

Chemistry. I crumple my fist around the thick exam packet in my hands. An F. I got an F. I have never gotten an F in my entire life and yet, this semester, with only a couple weeks until finals, I'm failing Biochemistry. There's no way I'll get my grade up in time for the semester to end. And like that, the tears are falling down my cheeks once more.

Needing to hear her voice, I grab my phone and quickly dial my moms cell. "Hi baby," She answers on the first ring. She's probably home on her lunch break now, pulling together something delicious and unlike dining hall meals.

"Hi," I squeak, hugging a pillow in my lap.

"What's wrong? Is everything alright?" I hear the panic in her voice already. My heart hurts at the thought of letting her down.

"This is just really hard," I whimper, biting my lip to keep the tears at bay.

"What is?" The TV hums in the background and I long to be sitting there with her, curled up in a blanket, maybe reading a book while she watches the news.

"Biochemistry, finals, college, in general, I guess." I wipe at my cheeks furiously.

"Oh honey, you'll be just fine. You just do your best, you hear me? Remember last semester you were worried about that oral presentation and look how that turned out!" Her voice is light again when she realizes the only concern is my grades. I had gotten an A. But that wasn't the point. Up until now, my best has always been good enough.

I want to tell her about my exam, I do. But hearing how she believes in me, even when I spent two weeks studying for nothing, is just too much. I pick at the edge of my comforter, "Okay,"

"How's Hannah?" My mother asks and before I know it, an hour has passed with mundane chit chat and my stomach is growling loudly.

I hang up with a promise to call again soon, and I unpack my backpack from today's classes, promising myself to confess the next time we talk. Once everything is out, I reload the bag with everything I need for homework tonight, tucking the exam snuggly into the back pocket.

Walking across campus to my favorite study spot, the café in the Science Center, I try to put finals and grades out of my mind. The sun is shining brightly and feels warm on my skin. I almost consider doing homework outside, maybe get a tan going. But the belly pains keep me going until I order a chicken pesto panini and an iced coffee.

Finding a smaller table in a quiet corner isn't easy. This spot is my favorite for a reason - a central location not far from the dorms, and it serves the best food on campus. I'm just pushing my earphones in when a large, tanned hand raps it's knuckles on the table top. "Mind if I sit?" A deep voice asks, already pulling the chair out. I kind of do mind, I picked an isolated table so I wouldn't be distracted. But I wouldn't ever say that.

"Oh," I look up, greeted by a one dimpled smile. I haven't seen the guy around before, but that means very little on this large campus. "Sure," I smile half-heartedly. Pushing my earphones in, I'm interrupted once more.

"I'm CJ," he sticks out his hand, hazel eyes twinkling in the light. His hair is a deep brown, sort of shaggy and in his eyes in an endearing, minimal effort kind of way.

"Kat," I shake, feeling a slight tingle as his hand encloses mine. I ignore it, glancing back down at my stack of notes.

"What's that?" He points to my exam, knees bouncing under the table. I press my palms to the surface, stilling the vibrations as I push the paper aside.

"Just an exam I got back, Biochemistry." He lets out a low whistle between his teeth. "Have you taken it?" I look up again, hopeful.

"Nope, not me." I smile in return and find something else to work on, not wanting to get upset in front of this guy. "But a friend of mine did," he adds quickly. "Good luck," his dimple pops out again as he chuckles.

"Thanks, I'll need it." I sigh, not even beginning to understand the reaction on page one. I sip my iced coffee, swirling in the sugar with my straw.

"You seem smart. You'll be fine," CJ waves his tan hand dismissively.

"I got an F." I blurt out and immediately clasp my hand over my mouth, embarrassed. CJ laughs, throwing his head back. "Is that funny?" I glare at him.

He nods. "Definitely not the first college student to get an F, I'm sure you'll be okay."

"Maybe." I shrug, really wanting to get back to my homework. I have a paper and a presentation I need to start by tonight, or I'll be behind for next week.

CJ doesn't take the hint, "I mean it. It'll all work out," he looks me in the eyes and I have to look away to avoid blushing. I notice that the table has stopped vibrating, without my hands holding it down. "Why don't we take your mind off of it?"

"What're we doing now?" I raise my eyebrows at him.

"Talking about it," CJ sighs. "That won't help. You need to relax, put it out of your mind for awhile and come back to it later. Fresh eyes and all that," he chuckles.

I bite my lip, hesitating for a moment. "I don't know you," Even as I protest, I find myself wanting to go. It's still day time, we're in public, I have time later to finish my work... and his smile is enticing.

"I'm trustworthy," he winks. "Trust me,"

I can't help it - I feel the corners of my mouth turn up in a reluctant smile before a giggle escapes my lips. His eyes light up, "Come on, we won't even leave campus. Let's just go for a quick walk," CJ puts his hands together in front of him like he's begging, a pout on his full lips.

"Fine," I accept slowly. "But twenty minutes, tops." I tell him seriously. Maybe I do need a break, if I cry any more over this exam, I'll drive myself crazy.

He nods, collecting my papers as I wrap up my lunch. We walk in silence for awhile, passing rows of labs, lecture halls, and professors offices. The familiar chatter of students discussing final schedules, weekend plans, and gossip fills the air. Once we're outside, the noise subsides. Most people are in lecture at this time, so there's only a few groups of people meandering around the grounds. It's the end of November, so the weather has been getting cooler lately. Days like this one are becoming rarer and rarer, and I welcome the sunshine, knowing we won't see much more of it soon.

"So now what?" I ask, eyeing him in my peripherals. He pushes his hair back off his forehead, leaving a floppy mess on top. He's much taller than I am, so I find myself looking up, the glare of the sun in my eyes.

"Now we walk," he shrugs as if it's obvious.

"Hm," I try not to stare too hard, with my luck, I will trip right in front of him if I don't pay close attention. "I've not seen you around before, are you a junior?" I break the silence after another few minutes. Oddly, though, I don't feel the need to fill the quiet with senseless chatter - it's a comfortable silence. But I really am curious.

"A senior, I live off campus." His eyes are more green than brown in the sunlight, I notice as he stares down at me, his expression unreadable.

"What do you study?"

He throws his head back in mock exasperation. "I thought we weren't talking about school,"

"We just aren't talking about me and school. I like school usually, just not today," I feel my face warm. I should've thought of something better to tell him.

"Psychology," He answers me anyways, not pausing to poke fun at my nerdy reply.

"Ah, so what's the verdict?" I joke at my own expense, stopping to look up at his face as he responds.

"I told you - you just need to relax," he lazily turns his face to the sun and it glints off his tan skin. "Luckily, I know just the thing to get you feeling better." His expression is smug.

"What's that?" I wonder.

"A date with me. On Saturday," CJ bites his bottom lip in an adorable, almost shy way and it's like my insides are melting.

"I can't." I reply shortly. "Thanks, though. For you know, distracting me from myself," I laugh, feeling a little forced. Looking at his face, I really don't want to decline the offer. But that's exactly why I have to - I have too much on my plate as it is, without adding a beautiful boy to the mix.

"Well, it's only Wednesday." He shrugs, not seeming one bit offended or defeated by the rejection.

"So?" I can't help the stupid grin on my face.

"So, I'll be seeing you again before then and I'll convince you." He says matter of factly. Somehow, without my realizing, we're back at the Science Center and he holds the heavy, glass door open for me to walk through.

I blush. "You will?"

CJ smiles, dimple and all, "Oh, I hope so, Kat, I hope so."