Short Summary You preferred books, video games, and quiet weekends. Hannah and Allie preferred parties, crowds, and socializing. With a little bribery and a lot of persuasion, you found yourself agreeing to go to the party.
Note Hi, welcome to the first chapter! This is my first time writing this story, so I'd love to hear your thoughts about it! Let me know if you enjoyed it π
Booked and Blinsided Masterlist
"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate." γ
‘Carl Jung.
You stared at the quote projected on the screen through sleepy eyes, tuning in and out of Professor Bennett psychology lecture. You wondered if Carl Jung had ever felt the same way, fighting off sleep during a lecture, of if he would have been completely fascinated by the subject. But you doubted he ever had.
After all, someone who devoted his life to understanding the human mind must have found comfort in the very ideas that were nearly putting you to sleep.
You let out a quiet huff, remembering your poor decision to stay up until three a.m. playing games. You had just bought Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and in your defense, the game was far too captivating to simply put down and go to sleep.
And this was what you got.
Daphne, who had been one of your friends since freshman, leaned closer and whispered, "There are no accidents, you know? Only fate."
"Shut up, you tarot freak," You whispered back.
She shot you a look, "And who was the one who read your cards when you fell in love and got your heart broken? That's right. It's me. And i was right both times."
"It was just a moment of weakness. You put those ideas in my head."
She pouted, "Fine. Don't come crying to me when you need another tarot reading. I'm never reading your cards again."
"That's... A different conversation."
Your head snapped up. Professor Bennett was looking directly at you.
"Sorry, Professor," You said quickly, "Could you repeat the question?"
Professor Bennett looked at you for a moment before repeating his question, "To what extent can unresolved unconscious conflicts manifest as emotional avoidance in close relationships?"
You stared at the projected quote for a second, a thoughtful hum escaping you as you considered the question.
"Unconscious motivations often influence behavior in ways individuals aren't fully aware of," You began, "In the context of emotional intimacy, unresolved fears of internal conflicts can lead people to avoid vulnerability and close relationships. Because those motivations remain unconscious, individual may interpret their actions as personal reference or rational decision making rather than recognizing the underlying fear driving them."
"Interesting," Professor Bennett nodded, "If those fears remain unconscious, how can an individual begin to recognize them?"
You continued, "Through self reflection, therapy, or recurring patterns in their relationships. People may not recognize the underlying cause at first, but repeated experiences often reveal behaviors they weren't consciously aware of."
Professor Bennett gave a small, approving nod before reaching his laptop.
The projector screen went dark as he closed the lid, "That's all for today. I'll see you all on Friday next week. And don't forget the essay, the deadline is one month from today."
Almost immediately, the lecture hall erupted with the sounds of chairs scraping against the floor and students gathering their belongings.
You let out a quite sigh of relief.
"Lucky you," Daphne said with a grin.
You rolled your eyes as you slipped your notebook into your bag, "Remind me not to talk about tarot ever again. Pretty sure it's cursed."
The corridor buzzed with the usual post lecture chaos as students streamed out of classrooms, conversations overlapping with the sound of footsteps. Walking beside you through the crowd, Daphne adjusted the strap of her bag and said, "Professor Bennett was surprisingly nice today. He never repeats his question. He practically handed you a second chance."
"Didn't feel like it," You muttered, "He still put me on the spot though."
"Hey, count yourself lucky."
You were about to argue when your phone buzzed in your pocket. Pulled out your phone and immediately regretted it when Allie's name appeared on the screen.
Letting out a soft groan, you locked your phone and slipped it back into your pocket.
"Hayes again?" Daphne guessed.
"She still not giving up?"
"I did," You shot her a look, "Several times. And she's still insisting."
Daphne snorted, "Well, then maybe you should just go."
"I'm serious," She raised her hands in surrender, "One party won't kill you. If Wells and Hayes are still begging this hard, you might as well give in."
"I'll think about it," You said.
Daphne looked pleased enough with that answer.
A glance on your watch however wiped the expression right off your face, "Oh shit, i'm gonna late for my shift."
Without another word, you turned your heel and started jogging toward the bicycle parking area.
You lifted a hand in acknowledgment without looking back and picked up your pace.
Allie glanced down at her phone, read the message before dropping her head onto the table.
The reaction immediately caught the attention of everyone gathered around the booth at Malone's. Hannah sat beside her, while Dean, Garrett, Logan, and Tucker occupied the seats across from them.
"She said no again?" Dean asked.
"For the fifth time this week," She groaned.
"Just give up this time, babe."
"No, i won't give up," Allie straightened in her seat. An amused smile tugged at Dean's lips for her effort.
Hannah took a sip of her drink, "She's always been hard to convince."
"Exactly," Allie pointed a finger at Hannah, "Which is why giving up isn't an option."
Logan, who had spent the last few minutes focusing on his burger rather than the conversation, finally glanced up, "Who are we talking about?"
Before either Hannah or Allie could answer, Tucked leaned back in his chair and groaned, "Man, why are the four of us crammed onto one side of the table?"
"G, move," Tucked pointed to the empty seat beside Hannah.
Garrett sighed dramatically, "Fine."
He got to his feet and slid to the empty seat beside his girlfriend, draping an arm around her shoulders, Hannah couldn't help but smile.
"Anyway," Logan said, returning to his earlier question, "Who are we talking about?"
The name was immediately familiar to Logan. He'd never actually spoken to you, but he'd seen enough of Hannah's and Allie's Instagram stories to put a face to the name. More often than not, you stood between Hannah and Allie, just half a step behind them whenever they took a pic or video for their stories.
You also appeared in some of their posts. And if you weren't in the pic, there was a good chance you'd be somewhere in the comments.
At some point, he'd sent you a friendly follow request to your private account and it remained unaccepted. Logan figured you either hadn't notice it or simply weren't on Instagram enough to care.
"Oh, the one who's always with you two?"
"That's the one," Allie confirmed.
Tucker glanced between Hannah and Allie, "How do you guys know her, anyway?"
"We used to be roommates back in freshman. Three of us," Hannah explained, "Then she ditched us and move to another room. At the start of sophomore."
"Ditched is a quite strong word, Wellsy," Dean teased.
"I'm kidding," Hannah laughed, "But we're still close. It's just harder to see each other as often now."
"She didn't ditch us," Allie added, "She just upgraded to a quieter roommate."
Logan nodded and smiled at their exchange, finally putting together how the three of you knew each other.
"That makes sense," He took a sip of his drink, "Maybe she just doesn't like that kind of things. I mean, from what you've told us she doesn't seem like someone who enjoys being pushed into stuff she doesn't want to do. That's why she keeps saying no," He smiled, "No point forcing her, right?"
Allie pouted, "I just want her to have some fun for once. She spends most of her time in the dorm, studying, and working."
Logan shrugged, a small smile tugging at his lips, "Maybe that's just what she enjoys doing."
Dean reached over and nudged Logan's hair back with a finger, earning a grin from him, "Babe, Logan's talking. You might wanna listen to this."
Logan laughed, pushing Dean's hand away.
Garrett, who had been quietly listening, nodded, "Logan's right. If she doesn't want to go, don't force her," Logan flicked a finger toward Garrett, grinning as if to say exactly.
Hannah turned to her boyfriend, narrowing her eyes slightly, "You're supposed to be on my side."
"Han," Garrett smile at her reaction. He leaned closer, pressing a kiss to her cheek before she could complain, "You know I'm right."
"If you really want her to come, just talk to her in person this time. Ask her one more time. If she stills says no, then let it go," Tucker said.
The conversation about convincing you eventually died down, replaced by their usual banter.
Logan leaned back, listening to them talk while finishing his drink. When he finally glanced at his phone, his eyebrows lifted slightly.
He had lost track of time. He had a few repair jobs lined up for the evening.
"I gotta go," He pushed himself up from the booth, grabbing his phone and keys.
Logan tossed the keys lightly in his hand, "Jobs aren't gonna do themselves. See you guys later."
The bookstore was quiet for once. Working at Hastings Books & Co. had it's perks. Nobody asked why you spent most of your shifts surrounded by books.
You were halfway through restocking a shelf when your phone buzzed in your pocket. Pulling out your phone, you weren't surprised to see Allie's name on the screen.
where are you? your part time place?
With a sigh, you typed back.
The message appeared on your screen at the exact moment the bell above the door rang, announcing a customer's arrival.
With a sigh, you set the book in your hand back onto the restocking cart and made your way toward the cashier counter.
Sure enough, standing by the entrance were Hannah and Allie. Hannah offered you an apologetic smile. Allie, on the other hand looked intirely too pleased with herself. The two of them made their way over to you.
"You're going to the party!" Allie announced, holding up a shopping bag from your usual game store like she had just won a lottery.
"We know. And that's why we're here," Allie said.
Allie's grin widened. Without another word, she thrust the shopping bag into your hands. You looked between her and Hannah suspiciously before peering inside. Your eyes immediately landed on the cat PS5 controller case you'd been wanting to buy for weeks.
You stared at the controller case for a long moment before looking at the two of them.
"You bought this to get me to go to the party."
"Correct," Allie admitted.
"That's friendship," Allie argued.
"That's literally bribery."
Hannah let out a laugh, shaking her head.
"Okay, i won't defend the controller case," She began, "But we really do want you there. We barely see you anymore. You're always studying, working, or hiding in your room."
"I don't hide in my roomγ
‘"
"You absolutely do," Allie cut in.
"I'm serious. It feels like we have to always schedule an appointment just to hangout with you," Hannah said.
"We literally had lunch together three days agoγ
‘"
"For twenty seven minutes," Allie cut in again.
You sighed and crossed your arms, "But it's a party, Han. And you know i don't like parties."
"It's not that kind of party," hannah said immediately.
"It's not some huge frat party with a hundred people packed into a house," She gestured with her hand, "It's mostly just friends, only a handful of people are invited."
"But i'm not friends with your friends."
Hannah pointed at you as if presenting evidence in court, "You're friends with Garrett. And Dean."
"How does that not count?" Allie demanded, "You literally have their numbers."
"That still doesn't count."
Hannah let out a sigh, "Okay, fine. Forget Garrett and Dean," She looked at you for a moment before softening her tone, "Just come. And if you're uncomfortable, you can go home whenever you want. No questions asked."
You looked between the two of them. Hannah was giving you that hopeful look. Allie looked one second away from climbing over the counter.
With a sigh, again, you rubbed a hand over your face, "Okay. I'll go then."
"Wait, seriously?" Allie added.
"Don't make me take it back."
Allie's face immediately lit up. Before you could react, she pulled you into an awkward, quick hug, the register and countertop very much in the way, "I knew you'd come around."
With a sigh, again and again, you accepted your fate. After all, it was just one party.
What could possibly go wrong?
For reference, this is the controller case Hannah and Allie bought for her π
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