#computer application and programming course

“S’fine…” he breathes, “Have you heard back from any of those scholarship people yet?” He asks, changing the subject. 

Right. Scholarships. 

You put your pencil down on your notebook. “A couple, I still need to hear back from the big ones that I need to actually be able to afford it.” 

He nods.

Boston College had been your plan ever since you were young, and since you found out they have an excellent nursing program, you’d been determined to go there. The problem was that it was expensive, so scholarship applications had been all you’ve been able to think about for the past two weeks. 

Ironically, BC had also been his plan since you’d known Will. His plan was that no matter what happens at the NHL draft, he wanted to do at least one season at the collegiate or minor league level before going into the NHL. Of course these plans had merged, and now both of you were counting on going to college together. 

“They’d be stupid not to give you those scholarships, I mean you’re the smartest person I know. And I know you’re the smartest person at school, probably the smartest person in the city…you’ve got it.” He tells you. 

You just shrug, “I just don’t want to get my hopes up and then not be able to go.” 

He shakes his head immediately at the sound of you talking that way, “Seriously, Y/N, you’ve got it. and if they don’t give you any of the ones you applied for then we’ll figure it out. I’m not leaving my best friend behind when she’s on a perfect track to go to her dream school.” 

You don’t respond, and honestly you don’t want to talk about it any more right now because all it’s doing is stressing you out. When you go a little stiff and don’t respond, Will reads into it immediately. “Okay, we won’t talk about it anymore,” he offers, softly. “But…” he continues, looking right at you, “I really don’t want to work on this paper anymore so can we please just be done for the night?” 

You hate the way he looks at you sometimes because he knows you hate telling him no. “Fine, no more tonight,” you tell him, against your better judgement. He grins instantly, relief written all over his face as he shuts his laptop a little too fast, like if he doesn’t do it immediately you’ll change your mind. Before you can even react, he’s leaning over to the stool you’re sitting on and pulling you into a hug, his arms wrapping around you tight and quick.

You laugh, the sound bouncing off the kitchen walls. “But you know what that means?”

He groans into your shoulder, already knowing. “Don’t say it.”

“It means,” you continue anyway, pulling back just enough to look at him, “you’re finishing it tomorrow. With more effort this time.”

He squints at you. “I had effort.”

“You stared at the same sentence for ten minutes.”

“I was thinking.”

“And suffering,” you add.

He huffs, shaking his head, but there’s a smile tugging at his mouth. “Whatever. Tomorrow’s problem.” You cross your arms, leaning back against the island. “You say that like I won’t be there forcing you to do it.”

“Yeah,” he mutters, grabbing his phone, tossing it onto the counter, “unfortunately you will be.”

You nudge his arm lightly. “You’d be struggling without me.” He looks at you for a second, like he’s actually considering it instead of brushing it off. “Yeah,” he says, quieter this time. “Probably.”

The tone makes your chest do a little flip that sometimes happens with him, and certainly doesn’t happen with anyone else. Instead of dwelling on it, you push off the counter, glancing toward the stove.

“Did you eat after practice?” you ask. He shrugs. “Had a protein bar.” You turn to look at him fully. “Will—“ 

“What?” he says defensively, already knowing what’s coming.

“That’s not dinner, that’s not anything at all.”

He shakes his head, brushing it off, “It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine,” you argue, already moving toward the fridge like this is your kitchen instead of his. “You had practice for two hours and you think a protein bar counts as a meal?”

He watches you, leaning back against the counter now, arms crossed, a small, amused smile creeping in. “You’re bossy.”

You shoot him a look over your shoulder, pulling the fridge open and scanning the shelves. “Do you have anything that isn’t… this?” You gesture at the vagueness of the contents. A few half-finished containers, sports drinks, and things that require actual effort to cook that have just been sitting in the fridge for a few days. “I know for a fact your mom intended for all the good stuff in here to be cooked by the time she and your dad get back from that conference, and you haven’t touched it.” 

“Hey,” he says, pushing off the counter to walk over, “I was gonna make something.”

“When?” you glance at him skeptically. “Midnight?”

He bumps his shoulder lightly into yours. “Maybe.”

You roll your eyes but can’t help the smile. “Sit down.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he says, dragging it out just to annoy you as he goes back to his stool at the island.

You ignore him, grabbing a pan and setting it on the stove. He watches you the whole time, chin propped in his hand, eyes following every little thing you do.

“You don’t have to do that, you know,” he says after a minute, softer now.

“I know,” you reply simply, not even looking up as you start cooking. “But I’m going to. I also know that when your parents left this morning they probably said ‘Will, make sure you cook all the things we left for you in the fridge’ —” 

He cuts you off with a laugh, “Yeah, yeah, I know…thanks, Y/N.”

“Mhm,” you hum, turning back to the stove, trying to ignore it. “Don’t get used to it.”

He smiles to himself, watching you a little longer than he probably should.

“Too late.”

⊰══════════════════════⊱

Graduation in early June comes and goes faster than it’s even possible for either of you to process. Summer continued as normal, but with good news upon good news. 

Will got drafted into the NHL, 4th overall, San Jose Sharks, and you don’t think you’ve ever been prouder of someone in your life. Things went well your way too, the scholarships turned out to be yours, no problem. Everything lined up the way you’d both planned it for years, your paths staying connected as you wanted them to. 

Boston College. Both of you.

The first month after move-in goes quickly. Finding the balance between schoolwork, hockey practice for him, working for you, and spending time with each other. Around October you two have gotten a schedule down almost perfectly. 

You’re both walking to the one shared class you have, a basic professional development class required for all freshmen to take. “So you’ve got your lecture at 10 after this,” you say, adjusting the strap of your bag on your shoulder, “and then nothing until practice at 3?”

He glances at you. “Yeah, then I’m done by 6:30.”

You nod. “Alright, are you still coming to my dorm or am I coming to yours? Or are we doing dinner someplace?” 

“I uh…was actually going to grab dinner with some of the guys from the team,” he says cautiously, as if you’d be upset about it. 

“Okay, I hope you guys have fun,” you reply, genuinely, with a smile on your face. You’d never be upset with him for changing plans and wanting to be with his teammates. His caution stems from him not wanting to hurt your feelings, no matter how many times you’ve reassured him he’s not hurting your feelings at all. 

He nudges your shoulder lightly as you walk, and you bump him back without thinking. It’s easy, as it’s always been. 

By the time you get to your shared class, he’s already headed to your usual seats in the middle of the lecture hall, at the end of the row, letting you have the aisle seat. It’s small things like that, letting you have the better seat, and he’s been like that since he’s known you.

He saves you a seat without asking, you grab him a coffee without texting first. He knows when your labs run late, you know when he’s gonna be too tired after practice to function. It just works…and everybody knows that, even if they don’t know you, they can tell. 

You’re settling into your seats, getting out textbooks and pencils when you hear his name from behind you, “Hey, Will.”

You turn around at the same time. A girl from the row behind you is leaning back in her chair, looking at him like she’s been waiting for the right moment to say something. She smiles when she has his attention.

“You’re in my psych class too, right?”

“Uh, yeah,” he says easily, friendly like he always is. She nods, then her eyes flick to you for a second as if she’s assessing something.

“Are you guys, like… together or something?” You shake your head before he can answer. “No, no, it’s not like that.”

“We’re just friends,” he adds, just as easily.

The answer is automatic, as it always is, you’ve had to say it a million times. 

The girl hums, like she’s taking that in, questioning it. “Just friends?” she repeats, tone light, but it seems a little condescending. Will doesn’t even seem to notice anything off about it, he just shrugs. “Yeah.” You feel it, though. The way her question lands, there’s something off.

You brush it off, turning your attention back to your notebook as the professor walks in, it’s not that serious, she might just not believe you. But it’s not your job to dwell on that sort of thing.

Class starts, and things fall into their normal rhythm. You take notes, and he leans over every few minutes to ask you questions if a concept doesn’t click in his mind right away.

At one point, he taps your paper lightly. “You’re writing too fast.”

“You can copy notes later, it’s not like they’re going to get up and walk away.”

“But I won’t have time later,” he argues quietly.

“Then you’re getting behind.”

He nudges your elbow this time. “Y/N.”

You don’t even look up. “Focus, I’ll help you later.”

He laughs under his breath, against his better judgement.

After class, you pack up, falling into step without thinking as you head out into the crowded hallway. People move around you, voices overlapping, the campus loud in a way high school never was.

“Where are you headed?” he asks.

“Bio,” you sigh, “Across campus.” He winces, “That’s far.”

“I know, thanks for reminding me.”

He laughs, and of course he walks with you anyway.

Halfway there, you hear his name. You turn when he does, and it’s the same girl from your previous class, jogging slightly to catch up. “Hey,” she says, addressing you. “Sorry, I didn’t catch your name earlier.”

“Oh, I’m Y/N,” you tell her, offering a small smile.

“I’m Jordan” she introduces herself, then glances between you and Will again. “So you guys went to high school together?”

“Yeah,” Will answers, seeming a little skeptical at the sudden questions from a random girl from your class, but he continues, “She basically carried me through English."

You roll your eyes, downplaying the situation. “You would’ve passed.”

“Debatable.”

The girl laughs, but there’s something in it that doesn’t quite match.

“That’s really nice of you,” she says to you. “Helping him like that.” You shrug, “It wasn’t a big deal, I was happy to do it.”

She tilts her head slightly. “Still. Most people wouldn’t put in that much effort for just a friend.”

Will doesn’t react. “She’s not ‘most people,’” he says simply, like that explains everything. To him, it does. He can’t imagine anyone assuming you’re just some person to him; you’re his person, and he’d be upset to know that someone who knows both of you doesn’t realize that. 

You don’t say anything, just adjust your bag again, glancing ahead toward your building.

“I’ve gotta go,” you say. “I’m gonna be late.”

“I’ll walk you,” he starts. You stop him, “You’ve got class too, I’m fine. I’ll see you later,” you add quickly, giving him a small smile before he can decide otherwise. He nods. “Yeah, just text me when you’re done.” 

“Always do.”

You head off towards the science building, not looking back.

Behind you, the girl stays standing with Will and watches you go. She turns to look at him, “You guys are really close,” she says. Will doesn’t even hesitate. “Yeah.” She smiles a little, but this time it’s different, less genuine. “Just friends, though?”

He nods, easy. Certain. “Yeah,” he says again, still watching you walk off to your class.

But for the first time, something about the way it’s said, in an off tone by someone else, not him, sticks a little differently than it used to. He doesn’t like it, but the thought that maybe he’s overthinking it crosses his mind. He knows you two are solid, he isn’t worried about outside opinions swaying the way you feel about each other. You know and trust each other too much for that to happen, and he’s more confident in that than he is in anything else. 

⊰══════════════════════⊱

It starts a few weeks later, before your shared class. Will has an away game that night, so he was on a bus before 7am, driving to another state with the team. You’re leaving the dining hall alone for once, balancing your phone in one hand and a half-finished coffee in the other, on the way to your lecture, when you hear your name.

“Y/N!”

You turn, a little surprised, and it’s her, Jordan from your and Will's shared class. She’s smiling, already walking toward you like she’s known you longer than she actually has.

“Hey,” you answer, shifting your coffee to one hand and your phone into your pocket. 

“Mind if I walk with you to class?” she asks. 

“Sure,” you say, smiling, and you mean it. She seems nice enough, and the whole “friend” thing in college has been sort of hard so far, so you’re happy to spend some time with someone new. 

The conversation is easy. That’s the thing. She asks about your major, your other classes. When you answer, she listens in a way that feels genuine. By the time you get to the building, it doesn’t feel like you just met her, it feels nice, like you’re making a friend.

That’s how it starts. 

Over the next week, she starts sitting with you more. Sometimes in class, sometimes if she spots you around campus. You two even start studying together occasionally. Then there’s her best friend Anna. They’re both always friendly, and always welcoming you into the conversation without making it a big deal. 

They’re fun people to be around, confident in a way you’re not, but not in a way that makes you feel excluded, at least not at the beginning.

And they ask about Will, but not immediately. It’s not like they’re spending time with you to get to him. It slips in more casually. 

“You and Will seem really close,” Anna says one afternoon, stirring her drink absentmindedly.

You shrug, “We are.”

Jordan tilts her head slightly, saying, “It’s cute, how much he relies on you.”

You blink a little. “Relies on me?”

“Yeah,” she says easily. “Like…you’re his person, you know? His comfort or something.”

It’s not said like an insult. So you laugh it off. “I mean, we’ve known each other forever. And he definitely doesn’t rely on me, he’s one of the most independent people I know.”

“Still,” Anna adds, “I could never do that. Be that close with a guy and only be friends? I’d catch feelings so fast.”

“Yeah,” you say lightly, sort of uncomfortable by the comment. “That’s not really us.” It’s not you, and you know that, but you have that little feeling in your chest, and you don’t know what to think of it. 

They don’t argue with your point, they just exchange a look. You pretend not to notice but it definitely puts an odd taste in your mouth. 

It keeps happening like that. Casual little comments that don’t seem direct, yet they come up every time you hang out with them. They stick, but none of them are something you can call out and say that it feels wrong.

The changes with Will don’t happen drastically, they’re quiet shifts in your dynamic, and in your attitude. At first it’s easy to miss if you don’t have the idea that something’s different in your head.

A few days later, you’re walking with Will across campus like you always do. He’s mid-story about something that happened at practice last night, hands moving as he talks. You’re listening intently, like you always do, but there’s something clawing at the back of your mind. 

The comments Anna and Jordan had been making have been bothering you, and now you keep noticing how close Will walks to you, the little glances he gives you when you’re around one another, the things you’ve always liked. You still like those things, they just feel different now. 

Something keeps telling you “he just doesn’t want to be alone, you’re easy company, nothing else.” you frown to yourself, hating that the thought even crossed your mind. The thought doesn’t even feel like yours, it feels like someone planted it there and it’s been fostering for days. 

“What?” he asks immediately when he notices you frown. “Nothing, sorry, just thinking too much about assignments,” you say quickly. He looks at you for a second longer than usual, trying to read between your lines like he’s become so good at doing. “Okay…” he says. He doesn’t want to push, if you want to talk about it you’ll tell him, he knows that. 

You two eventually part ways, you heading to your afternoon classes and him going to hockey practice. He texts you that night, like he always does: You make it back okay? 

He’s always checking in, making sure you’re okay if he’s not walking you all the way to your door at night. 

You just stare at the message, hesitating to answer. You always answer right away, not wanting him to worry about you. But you don’t this time, you just…have the thought that maybe he only checks in when he needs something. That’s not true, you tell yourself, he checks in every night, he doesn’t want or need anything. Still, you hesitate with your answer. 

When you do eventually respond it’s nearly half an hour after his initial message, and you only send him one word: yeah. 

Meanwhile, Will stares at his phone the second your response comes through, noticing your tone is different by the use of only one word, but it’s not enough for him to ask if something’s wrong. He wants to check, though, so he asks; You sure? 

You glance at the notification when your screen lights up, but again you ignore it for a while. He can wait on a response, maybe he just wanted to ask for the notes he didn’t take, or see if you’ll help him with some essay he’s been stressing about. 

Across campus he leans back in his desk chair, frowning slightly at the screen. Maybe you’re tired, and you’ve got a lot going on this week so that’s why the responses have been hesitant. He tries to write it off in his head as nothing, it’s got to be nothing.  

⊰══════════════════════⊱

But the next day when he sees you, something still feels off. You’re present, talking, laughing like always, but some part of you still seems checked out. 

“Y/N,” he says at one point, nudging your arm lightly. You look at him. “Yeah?” Suddenly he doesn’t know what to ask, he was really just checking on you but he can’t admit that if he’s wrong in assuming something’s off. 

He hesitates, because he doesn’t actually know what he’s asking.

“Uh, I’m free tonight. No practice,” he says finally. “Maybe you could come over? We can grab dinner or something, if you want.”

You nod, like that makes sense, but then shake your head once you understand what he actually said. “I’m actually hanging out with the girls tonight, I’m sorry. I’ve got a lot going on this week too, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to do anything for a while,” you say, trying to make yourself seem busier than you are, if that’s even possible. 

He doesn’t say anything about the way he hates the way those girls treat you, and that he doesn’t get good energy from them at all. In his mind that seems selfish, because he knows friends are sometimes hard for you to make, but at the same time, the way those girls treat you, he doesn’t think they’re very good “friends.”

“Okay, I hope you have a fun night,” he says, trying to keep a disappointed tone out of his voice. You force a smile, “Thanks.” 

⊰══════════════════════⊱

Later that night, you’re sitting with the girls again in Jordan’s dorm.

They’re mid-conversation when one of them glances at your phone lighting up beside you. Your screen had been lighting up with Will’s name every few minutes, you hadn’t bothered to look, because of the reaction you knew you’d get from the others in the room. 

Anna notices, and brings it up.  “You guys text a lot,” she says casually.

You shrug in response. “Yeah, we always have,” you say as you flip your phone facedown. She hums. “Makes sense.” Your brows furrow slightly at that but it goes unnoticed. 

Jordan leans forward slightly. “Does he ever…not text you?”

You frown blatantly now, “What do you mean?”

“Like, go a while without reaching out,” she clarifies. You think about it for a moment. “I mean he’s busy a lot, it’s peak hockey season so yeah, sometimes we go a while without texting or anything. He’s got a lot going on,” you reply. 

She nods slowly, like she expected that answer. “Yeah,” she says. “I mean…guys like him usually do.” Something about that comment rubs you completely the wrong way. Guys like him? You don’t respond, just force your lips into a line, trying to hold a neutral face and hope for a change of subject. 

Back in his dorm Will is just replaying his conversation with you over and over again. The way you seemed off, the way you didn’t give him detailed answers like you normally would, just a bland explanation. That’s nothing like you. You’re the girl who talks about blades of grass like they’re the most beautiful thing in the world, and when he asks about your new friends, you have nothing to say? 

His thoughts then descend into, “Is it my fault? My fault that she's getting distant?” 

He really gets in his head after that thought pops up, something’s definitely off with you, he just doesn’t know what. The worst part is he feels like it’s his fault, but he doesn’t know what he did. 

⊰══════════════════════⊱

For you, the pulling away starts with little things you tell yourself are reasonable. You stop offering to help him with assignments, you lie and say you’re busy even if you’re not. You convince yourself that it’s good for you, and for him. You know he’s taking a completely different life path than you, and he doesn’t need to be relying on you so much, like you’d been convinced that he has. 

You stop texting first, and you try to distance yourself from any kind of communication possible. Things don’t feel easy anymore, they feel weird, like you’re trying to condition yourself to see him the way others are painting the picture rather than seeing him as who he’s always been; your Will. The worst part of it all is you’re aware of it. 

I’m just protecting myself, and it’s better if I pull away first so it won’t hurt when he doesn’t care that I’m doing it. You tell yourself this every time you avoid a hangout or leave him on delivered on purpose. It doesn’t feel good, and it surely doesn’t feel right. But it feels safer than whatever it is you’ve started to fear. 

Everything changes when you’re cutting across campus one day after a three hour lab, exhausted and a little on edge, when you see him sitting outside the student center. 

He’s with a few guys from the team, you recognize them instantly, but as you get closer you realize Jordan is there too. She’s got her head tipped back in a laugh, probably at something he said. He’s smiling ear to ear, not his “I’m being polite” smile, but his genuine smile. 

A knot of jealousy forms in your stomach almost immediately, and you stop walking in the middle of the sidewalk. He laughs like that with you, your brain supplies immediately. What immediately follows is meaner, But of course he does it with other people too.

You don’t go over to the group, you don’t even look back in their direction, you have no interest in going over to see them. You just stand there for a second longer than you should, watching something that shouldn’t matter, and you feel like it matters too much.

⊰══════════════════════⊱

You start distancing yourself on purpose now, well—it becomes more intentional and much more of a choice. 

Will texts you that night; You doing alright? Saw you earlier but you didn’t stop. 

You just stare at your screen, unsure of how to answer such a simple question when you have such complicated feelings. You don’t have a reason to ignore him, but you do it anyway. You turn your phone off and set it facedown on your bed. You tell yourself you’ll respond later…but that slips your mind, and his message goes ignored. 

Will notices, like he notices everything. 

The only place you can’t avoid him is class. And one morning, during your lecture he nudges your shoulder while you’re trying to take notes. “You good?” he asks in a whisper. 

“Yeah,” you answer quickly, “Why wouldn’t I be?” 

He knows it's a lie, it’s an obvious lie, but he lets it go. For now. He doesn’t want to keep asking and that make you push him away even more. 

This pattern keeps repeating itself. He can’t get more than a short sentence out of you for anything, and it’s scarily uncharacteristic. You always say no to plans, and you never check in on him; if you two interact he’s the one initiating it. 

One night, by some miracle, you’re both in the library at the same time. As soon as he walked by and saw you at a table by yourself, he happily invited himself to join you. You don’t say much, just acknowledged that he was there and kept working. 

He opens up his laptop and starts working on something too, but after a while he asks, “Did I do something?” his voice quieter than usual, like he’s already bracing for an answer he won’t like.

You freeze, not wanting to have this kind of conversation right now, or at all for that matter. So you shake your head immediately. “No, Will. I’m just busy. I’ve been telling you that.” Technically that’s not entirely a lie, but you’re leaving parts of the truth out. 

He studies you for a second, you can tell there are a lot of thoughts swirling around behind his eyes, things he wants to say. He doesn’t say any of them, he just says, “Okay,” and gets back to work. 

⊰══════════════════════⊱

It escalates. Your silence and distance is bothering him so much he calls you late one night, not being able to stand the circles he’s running in his head about this whole situation. 

“Talk to me,” he says immediately after you pick up. He’s being more direct this time, no greetings, just straight to the point. You don’t say anything for a few seconds, before you settle on, “I don’t have anything to say.” 

“Are you seriously just gonna keep doing this?” he asks. You don’t play dumb, and you don’t pretend you don’t know what he means. So you don’t answer. “Y/N,” he says, softer now. “Please.”

You swallow, fighting back the emotion in your voice. “I just need some space,” you tell him. The words feel wrong the second they leave your mouth, and part of you wishes you hadn’t said them. Because that’s not what you want, not at all. You just don’t know what to do about how you feel. 

“From me?” he asks, “You want space from me?” He repeats it as if you’ll correct him and tell him he’s got it all wrong.

There’s a long pause before you answer. 

“Yeah.” 

You can hear him take in a sharp breath, not angry, just upset. Like he didn’t want it to get like this, and he didn’t want this to be the outcome of the conversation. 

“Okay,” he says finally, and he means it. No arguments from him, no trying to convince you of something else, just an agreement. He sighs before he repeats himself, softer this time, “Okay.” 

And you hang up the phone. 

⊰══════════════════════⊱

That’s how it ends.

⊰══════════════════════⊱

On his side none of it makes sense. Will replays every conversation over and over again, trying to find the moment he messed up. Had he been too distant when he had away games and was gone for a few days? Had he not checked in with you enough? Had he said something to upset you? What did he miss? 

But there’s nothing he can see that he’s done that would’ve led to this.

He becomes so desperate to understand what’s going on with you he starts to ask some of your mutual friends, classmates, even some of the people in your nursing program he’d only spoken to once. 

“Has she said anything to you?” he asks one of the girls in your health assessment class. She shakes her head, “No she seems fine, I haven’t noticed anything different.” 

Fine. In his head that’s the complete opposite of the word he would use, because you certainly don’t seem fine with him. 

⊰══════════════════════⊱

He starts noticing patterns instead, little things he didn’t think about before because clearly it wasn’t a surface level thing that caused this shift. 

He thinks about the timing and when you started to pull away, he thinks about how it started slowly, but then picked up way too much and now you two haven’t talked in a week. But what his mind really settles on is who was around when these changes started happening. 

Slowly it clicks into place who was around when this started happening. Once he realizes he can’t unsee it. Anna and Jordan. Who suddenly showed up and who you spend almost all of your free time around. The ones he’s hung around too because they’re friends with some of the guys on the hockey team. The ones who have always looked at him a little differently than the other guys on the team for reasons he didn’t always get. 

Will leans back in his bed one night, staring at his phone. Your contact is still pinned at the top like nothing’s changed, the photo of you smiling back at him, like nothing’s changed. 

Except everything’s changed. “That’s not you,” he mutters quietly to himself.

Because he knows you, he knows you better than anyone. You’d never just walk away from someone without an explanation or a reason. He knows that you’re the sweetest person he’s ever met and it’s so unlike you to even think about losing a friendship in this way.  

His jaw tightens slightly at the thought of this being someone else’s fault for putting false ideas in your head, or making you feel like you weren’t enough, or treating you like those girls clearly have been. 

“Okay,” he says under his breath, more to himself than anything else. He decides he’s going to try and fix this. He’s going to try and talk to you, really talk to you. Because he doesn’t care if this is his fault and he’s just reading into all the wrong parts, or if it’s someone else’s, or if there’s something going on with you and this is just your way of coping. He doesn’t care, he’s going to figure it out, because all he wants is for you to be okay. 

If you being okay brings him back into your life he would be the happiest person alive, and if not, it would hurt; but he cares about you too much to pity himself at the thought. If he loses you but you find your way back to yourself? Then he’ll be okay living with that. 

⊰══════════════════════⊱

Part 2

Sugawara

He truly loves his job, even though working as a teacher can be exhausting at times, he loves his students more than ever and does his best to bring fun activities and dynamics to the classroom.

His day was practically filled with social interactions. Teaching the children, chatting with other teachers during breaks, and even having meetings with parents from time to time. Yet, even so, in the dead of night, lying in his single bed in his small apartment, he couldn't help but feel a little lonely.

Sugawara swears he's fine, but only he knows that every time he gets home from work, after dinner, his nightly routine is always the same: watching romance movies, series, and even bad dating shows. It brought him a little comfort, and that's how he spent his time.

Until he discovered Searching for Love, a reality show aimed at singles looking to find their soulmate. And coincidentally, the very next day, he saw an Instagram post announcing registration for the next season. He was thrilled right away. And after registering, he called Daichi and Asahi to tell them the news. Asahi almost fainted during the call, nervous for his friend, But despite everything, they supported their friend and laughed a little at the situation.

His first impression is that he's a very nice and friendly person, so he attracted the interest of some participants who find cute guys their ideal type.

Even though he voted for another girl as 'Best First Impression', he felt a better connection to you. You two are very similar in personality, and he thinks your radiant smile is your best feature.

Your conversations are quite light at the beginning, but from the middle of the program until the end, you had more opportunities to get to know each other better.

But it was during one of your one-on-one dates that you opened up. A small activity as a couple, where the date involved preparing dinner together and eating it overlooking the beach. You thought that maybe he was a little undecided, or that he didn't even like you in the same way, since he also treated other participants in a friendly manner, in the same way he treated you, which made you feel a little insecure.

He understood you completely, and comforted you when you said it might be a silly reason to be sad. Sugawara placed his hand on top of yours, caressing it with his thumb, and even though he was a little shy, he opened his heart to you, a declaration that made you shed a few tears of happiness. Even the reality show hosts were moved by his kind words.

And it was at that moment that he knew he would never feel lonely again.

Asahi

He really didn't intend for this to happen; after all, he didn't even know this series existed.

It was only when a notification appeared in the corner of his phone screen that he discovered he had supposedly signed up for Searching for Love. Asahi initially thought it might be a virus. But less than two minutes after the discovery, Sugawara called him asking if he had been selected. His blood pressure dropped and he collapsed to the floor.

He always talked to his friends about how much he wanted company, but whenever the opportunity arose, he ran away with his tail between his legs. Even though he was reluctant and totally anxious, he decided to go, because he knew that sooner or later he would be the one who needed to open up if he wanted to meet someone.

Asahi attracted a lot of attention at the beginning of the program, his serious expression leaving everyone curious about what he might be like, but the truth is that he was lowkey shitting his pants.

But the truth is, you can't judge a book by its cover. Even though he's super shy, Asahi proved to be a very kind guy, and even cute, so to speak. And that ended up alienating some of the female participants who thought he was the 'manly' type, both physically and in personality.

And even though he felt a little out of place among all the other guys, he managed to find comfort in your presence. Someone as sweet as you, but also bold, who isn't afraid to speak your feelings and thoughts about him.

He adores the way you talk to him, and he also wanted to reciprocate the affection, which made him a bit apprehensive about taking the initiative.

His words are sweet and sincere, his gestures are the complete opposite of his intimidating appearance, and he treats you with gentleness and care.

You once jokingly mentioned how much you wanted an outfit designed by him, and the next day he was already showing you the sketch, and promised that he would make that drawing a reality when you two get out of there. And the moment you two go out of the reality together, as a couple, he's already trying to make all the arrangements to give you the outfit as a gift some day.

Tanaka

I feel that even though he feels a certain need for a romantic connection right now, he didn't apply for the reality show for that reason, but rather because he did one of those challenges with his super bro, Nishinoya, where if one of them gets accepted, the other has to buy him lunch or something like that.

Even though he lost the bet, Nishinoya would still be so happy for his friend that his other friends would thought he had won the bet himself.

When talking about it, Tanaka laughed, had fun, and even boasted a little about getting a spot on the show, but with each passing day, as the filming date drew closer, he began to feel a little nervous, thinking that he might not find anyone who liked him and would only leave with a broken heart.

But the moment he steps into the living room and introduces himself to the other participants, their eyes fall on his figure, so radiant, almost blinded by his contagious smile, and eyes that immediately sparkle as they observe him, maintaining eye contact practically the entire time they speak. He felt transported back to high school once again, the feeling of a passion that was once unattainable, now he feels he truly has a chance.

The men who used to try to win you over now give up trying because Tanaka is always clinging to you and even intimidates any other potential romantic partner who tries to flirt with you. And if you become uncomfortable with this, he will stop immediately, thinking that his actions might upset you.

He's the type of person who makes his intentions clear from the start, so the realization that he's interested in you is almost immediate, and I think if you wanted to win him over, you'd also have to make your feelings clear.

From the start of the program, you always go on dates together, you always manage to stay in the same group for any group activity, and so on. As the days go by, you're practically glued to each other, and by the end of the program, it's pretty obvious to everyone which couple will be formed.

Nishinoya

If Nishinoya had won the bet between him and Tanaka, he would have been overjoyed and would have called everyone he knew to encourage them all to watch the show when the new episodes were released.

He's a much more carefree person, so I feel like he would go into the reality show with a clear conscience and wouldn't be so nervous when introducing himself to someone during first impressions; quite the opposite, he would talk to and be friends with practically everyone there.

But the moment he sees you, his jaw practically drops to the floor, his legs turn to jelly, and his mind is invaded by your beautiful face. At first, you only see this boy who's always eyeing you, but then you realize that he might be, perhaps... nothing confirmed... completely interested in you (still, without confirmation-).

He has no shyness or hesitation when he talks to you, and everything unfolds so naturally that you feel like you're talking to a friend you've known for years, even though you've only known each other for a few days.

Just as he can be somewhat exaggerated, he can also be very sincere, and that's what attracted you to him.

Even if everything he tells you might seem a bit excessive, he talk seriously, as if there were no other truth; any compliment from him is as if he'd read it in a history book: it's real and recorded.

He tells you about the various adventures of his life, from his high school years and all the excitement of volleyball, to his great travels to every corner of the world, but nothing compares to being by your side.

And of course that he speaks loudly and clearly to you about that last part.

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦

You roll over in your bed, groaning as the program refuses to compile in front of you. “Are you serious?” You hiss to yourself, annoyed. “You spend one summer relaxing and forget Python?”

You switch between coding languages so much that they’ve started blurring into each other. For example, when you accidentally programmed an object constructor— something that should’ve screamed Java— into a simple Python application that hadn’t needed more than a few loops. Or when you kept forgetting to add semicolons at the end of every statement in C++. And now, you were working on the first real project your computer science teacher had assigned— except you couldn’t focus.

It’s been a week since the horror movie at Jake’s apartment, and yet you can’t forget it. Jake’s words in the kitchen replay in your mind all the time, haunting you every minute of the day. And it’s not like anything has changed— worse, nothing has. Jake went back to normal the day after, acting exactly as he had before that fateful night. It almost pisses you off, how good he is at pretending it didn’t happen. Now you’re left wondering if it even meant anything to him. 

You roll back over, getting off the bed. Are you seriously going to sulk in bed, thinking about a man? You might be a romantic at heart, but even you have your limits. You still have your self-respect, gorgeous outfits, and face. It’s not like you need to beg for attention. 

Yeah, you tell yourself. If Jake wants to play memory loss, we can do that. You’ll just make sure it comes back to bite him. 

“Lia!” You burst into her room excitedly, fueled by spite. 

Lia groans, sitting up from where she’s slumped over her own homework. “Do you run on battery acid?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Wanna go shopping?”

She perks up, grabbing her purse from where it’s sitting on her bed. “Thank god you asked.” Honestly, it’s a little funny how much you guys play into the sorority girl stereotype. But whatever— you’re having too much fun to care.

“Yay! Okay, wait— who’s free? Because I know Somi’s in class—”

“Yuna and Hyeju are hanging out with some of their friends right now,” Lia shakes her head. “Let’s go wake up Wonyoung.”

You furrow your brows. “Why is she sleeping? It’s like, three in the afternoon.”

“That girl works in mysterious ways.” Lia pauses, as if for dramatic effect. “Oh, also she was out late last night. Probably with Sunghoon.”

You gasp. “We’re so asking her on the way.”

After about twenty minutes trying to drag Wonyoung out of bed (she’s incredibly strong when she wants to be), the three of you are on the subway, taking the fastest line to the city mall. There’s closer shops, of course, but nothing can match the sheer range of stores at this particular mall; it’s quickly becoming a fan favorite among your friends. 

“So,” Wonyoung says casually, twisting to face you. You’re a little jealous— how does she manage to make stumbling in a subway car look elegant? “Not that I don’t love shopping with you, but it feels like there’s a backstory to this.”

You hum, sweet enough to be mistaken for compliance. “If I tell you, you have to tell me what you were doing with Sunghoon last night.”

Wonyoung chokes. Lia watches from your side, amused. 

“We were just walking…”

“Scandalous,” You cut in with a smirk. 

Wonyoung rolls her eyes like she’s picturing strangling you in her head. “Anyway, we talked for a bit and maybe… kissed…”

You gasp, and Lia’s mouth drops open. “No way, really?”

“My little baby’s growing up,” Lia wipes a fake tear from her eyes.

Wonyoung chooses to ignore her, instead focusing back on you. “Don’t tell everyone, yet, okay? And it’s your turn to spill now, by the way.”

You hesitate. “You know how Jake and I… kinda had a moment last week?”

Wonyoung nods sagely. “Ah, yes, the infamous kitchen scene you won’t tell us about.”

You glare at her, then exhale. “He’s acting exactly how he was before it happened. No acknowledgement, or even a shift in mood. Just the same, happy, could only be interpreted as flirty by a senior citizen, friendship. It’s driving me insane.”

“And shopping is supposed to help that… how?”

“I was getting to that.” You sigh, tossing your hair over your shoulder. “If he wants to be friends, then I’ll give him friendship. I’ll be the greatest friend he’s ever seen until he can’t stop thinking about me.”

Lia looks mildly disturbed. “You really do scare me sometimes.”

“In a good way, right?”

“Not at all, no.”

“But I totally get the plan!” Wonyoung claps excitedly. “Battle gear, right?”

“Mhm,” You nod. “I’m thinking new outfits, lip gloss, jewelry— maybe even some cute sunglasses?”

“You said you were going to get them anyway,” Lia grouses. 

“Yeah, but now I have a real excuse. Plus, I need your opinions on which pieces will make him lose his mind the most.”

“What exactly are you thinking? Like sexy?”

You wince. “No, like— I don’t know. Sweet. Pretty. Cute?”

“Isn’t that your style already?”

“Yeah,” You sigh, frowning. “I just want to elevate it a bit more, y’know? Even if it doesn’t work, at least I’ll feel cuter.” 

Wonyoung shrugs at Lia, as if to say she’s got a point. The subway doors slide open, and the three of you step into the station, wincing at how loud it is. 

You might be a little too addicted to retail therapy. It’s a short walk to the mall, and it feels even shorter since the weather’s beautiful; sun streams down in gentle rays, caressing the planes of your friends’ faces before blinding you momentarily.

Yeah, you could get used to this.

—-

When the three of you finally return home after a long day of shopping, you sink into your bed, setting the bags down by your closet. 

Satisfaction settles over you as you carefully arrange your new clothes in your closet, hanging them up delicately to avoid creases. You re-organize your vanity, placing the new lip glosses you bought from Sephora in line with the others, then flop back onto your bed.

“What are you doing?” Somi bursts into your room, not unlike how you’d bothered Lia earlier.

You groan, squinting at her. “I was about to take a nap, why?”

“Please tell me she’s joking,” Hyeju sighs, forcing her way past Somi.

“Oh my god, there’s some stupid Alpha Phi event I forgot, isn’t there?”

“It’s the charity ball!” Wonyoung’s voice filters in from the hallway. “Why did you think we went shopping for dresses today?”

“You don’t need an occasion to shop for dresses!” You call back at her. Then you pause. It’s coming back to you— you’re pretty sure you organized this event. The charity ball? Small-talking with alumni for hours in painful heels?

Your feet are already protesting from the long day, you’re not sure you’ll be able to handle more. “Please, please, please convince Moonbyul and Solar to let me skip?” You look up pleadingly at Hyeju. “I have a really big data systems test tomorrow, and I’m so fucking tired. Also, I think I organized this event a few months back when Solar told Wheein to do it, so she really owes me.”

Hyeju sighs, taking Somi by the arm so they can (hopefully) go tell the heads of Alpha Phi of your plight. “Fine! You know she’s going to make you do extra later, though!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever!” You wave her off, relaxing when you hear the telltale sound of the door slamming shut as your friends leave for the ball. The room goes dark. Alpha Phi is a sorority that prioritizes achievement above all else, which is why Solar is more lenient for school-related issues than most other greek life.

You stand up, but only to close your laptop. You do have a data systems test tomorrow, but you’re also nowhere near focused enough to get anything done. Instead, you throw on one of your new outfits: a pretty off-shoulder cardigan and a lacy cami, paired with a brown pleated skirt and your favorite boots.

One thing you love about your apartment is how close it is to campus. Within a few minutes, you’re walking through the main quad, watching students get back from evening labs. It’s your favorite time of day, when the dusk sets in like fine powder and the setting sun has just disappeared beyond the horizon. Not quite night yet, but getting there.

Eventually, you stop at the fountain on one end of the quad. You’ve passed hours studying here, or sipping on an iced coffee between classes, but at this time of day something feels different. Deeper. Like it’s the type of spot to think about the stars instead of scrolling on Instagram.

Suddenly, there’s an iced coffee in front of your face, and you glance up to see Jake. You blink. “Hey. Is that—?”

“An iced blonde vanilla latte? Yes it is. Want it?”

You grin at him, and he smiles back at you, eyes creasing as he takes the seat next to you on the fountain ledge. He briefly gives you a once-over, and you remember your entire plan with the new outfits. It all seems so useless now; he barely even looked at you. God, you hate how much you like him and his perfect smile. Your shoulder presses to his when you take the cup, a welcome warmth in the slight chill of the night. “So what, you just happened to have my favorite drink?”

He coughs, and the tips of his ears turn slightly pink. “Something like that. I didn’t expect to see you here, though. I remember you sending me a text about a data systems test?”

You frown at him. “And you really thought that meant I was studying?”

He laughs. “Fair enough.”

“Where are your friends?”

His smile dims slightly. “Why do you want to know?”

You tilt your head. “Just curious. They’re my friends, too, y’know.”

He answers, but you’re too busy lingering on the slope of his side-profile to really pay attention. Your thoughts from before come back to you, but this time under the guise of insecurity. Does he not want you? Are you not pretty enough for him?

Why would he say everything that he had in the kitchen if he didn’t mean it? Deep down, you know the answer— you’re just one of the many girls he’s lied to, played for his own amusement. And it stings, because you don’t even hate him for it. Because under all your bitterness, you still light up when he texts you or asks to hang out. Because here, at the fountain, you want to lean closer instead of shoving him away.

Despite everything, you still don’t want to lose him, even if that means he just stays a friend. 

And even though you’d been so flippant earlier with Lia and Wonyoung, you don’t have a plan. You don’t know what to do except keep existing in this space he carves out for the two of you. 

“Y/n? Are you listening?”

You blink at him, and the corner of his mouth curls in amusement. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

“We can just study in my apartment next time, instead of the library. Sunghoon’s visiting his parents and Jay’s flying out for a job interview for the next few days, so it’ll be quieter.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Do you even have a desk?”

“Um, what about studying on the floor like a real college student?”

“Right, because that’s conducive to learning about matrices.”

He raises his hands placatingly. “Don’t mock it ‘till you’ve tried it.”

You give up. “Yeah, that’s fine.” There’s a brief moment of silence, but you hate the quiet too much to let it last. “What are you doing out here, anyway?”

“I was walking back from the gym, decided to take the long way.” He shrugs casually. “Nothing more to it.”

You light up. “The gym? Can I come with you next time?”

He stiffens, jaw tensing. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why? I had fun last time.”

“I didn’t,” He mutters, just quiet enough for you to miss it.

“What?”

“Nothing.” He runs a hand through his hair, exhaling. “The guys there are too interested for their own good.”

What is that supposed to mean? You don’t really have it in you right now to analyze his words, so you don’t spend any more time on them. “I guess.” As you sip on the coffee, vanilla bursts on your tongue, sharp and sweet. “I love this fountain. Back in freshman year, I would come here all the time. Whenever I failed a test, or felt lost, or when Minseok—”

You cut yourself off, but Jake’s already stiffening, turning towards you. Your eyes widen in panic. Fuck. You hadn’t meant to say that much.

But instead of voicing the assumptions you know he has, he just asks, “When Minseok…?”

For a second, you consider lying to him. Playing it off, keeping this steady peace between the two of you. But like your friends said, he was going to find out eventually.

“I dated Minseok for a while last year.” You say, fixing your eyes on the sky. “It was… rough.”

Jake looks at you like he could tell you were keeping something important from him. But that part of the story was too raw, too painful to bring up yet. So you lead him away from the truth. “We both just weren’t right for each other. It was for the best that we ended things.” 

He leans back. “So that’s why you were weird when I texted you about him.”

“I wasn’t weird!” You protest. He gives you a look. “I was… being mysterious.”

“Right, because you’re definitely mysterious.”

You squint at him. “I am!”

He smirks at you, unfairly attractive in the now fading dusk. “Really? What are you hiding from me?”

“Hm… let me think—”

“That’s dangerous.”

You squawk, shoving him even though he barely moves under your palms. “Hello? My secret is obviously that I’m going to drop out of my degree and do Etsy dropshipping for the rest of my life.”

Jake barely reacts. “Yeah, I call bullshit.”

You lower your hands to scowl at him. “Why?”

He shrugs. “I can’t see you ever dropping out. You’re just so… passionate about everything. There’s something about you that lights up the room every time you walk in. Even when you talk, it’s like everyone leans closer just to hear what you’ll say.”

You still, heart in your throat. No one has ever said anything like that to you before. Minseok told you to tone it down before meeting his high school friends, and he hated whenever you laughed too much. You’d never thought about being too energetic as a… good thing. 

Jake clears his throat, looking away. “Sorry, that was weird—”

You blink. “No– no, I… I think I needed to hear that.” You smile softly at him. “Thank you.”

You can’t tell for sure, but there might be a subtle flush on his cheeks as he glances back at you. For a moment, you realize that the two of you are way too close to be casual. His face is barely two inches from yours, and the noise from the rest of the quad practically fades into the background as you stare at him. But before you can say anything, he’s reaching up, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear as his fingers brush your cheekbones. Your eyes flutter, leaning into the touch. Warmth blossoms in its wake.

“Minseok was a fucking idiot,” Jake breathes out, barely audible. You don’t say a word, too afraid to break the moment. “He was a fucking idiot for having the entire world and giving you up.”

You can’t fucking breathe. Your entire world shrinks down to Jake and the look in his eyes, the one that says he would do anything for you, climb every mountain, pass every test—

Your phone buzzes in your pocket, breaking you both out of your stupor. Almost on cue, the two of you jerk backwards, awkwardly trying to save the conversation.

“I should— I should go?” You half-question yourself, wincing.

“I’ll walk you back,” Jake stands up, extending his hand like it’s second nature. Maybe it is, You tell yourself viciously. Maybe he just holds hands with any girl. 

But you still take it and start walking, so the joke is still on you. It’s not lost on you that he still hasn’t brought up what happened in his kitchen last week. For a second, you thought things might actually change. That this might spill past friendship into… whatever it is you’ve been feeling. 

You glance at Jake out of the corner of your eye. He’s texting Sunghoon about something. You sigh. At least walking back, your hand in his, you can pretend something has changed.

The two of you stop outside your apartment, and you can tell he’s about to spit the same script: have a nice night, text me later, see you tomorrow— that he usually does when he walks you back. So instead you summon a lick of courage and blurt out: “Wanna come inside?”

He freezes, like he didn’t expect you to say that. You stare at him, eyes wide, unsure if you should try to run away and save yourself the embarrassment or just wait it out. 

“Sure, yeah,” He manages eventually, more hesitant than you’re used to hearing. “Lead the way.”

You lead him into the kitchen, which is small but not cramped, decorated with marble countertops and oak cabinet doors. Alpha Phi had too many pledges to fit in the house anyway, so the five of you split this apartment, surprisingly cheap for how big it was. The previous owners had taken good care of it, and it was spacious and clean, well-suited to a college student’s needs.

You fill up a glass of water and hand it to Jake, leaning against one side of the ledge while he leans on the opposite side in the narrow space between the island and the counter. Your legs brush against each other when you shift, and you cross your arms over your chest, unsure how to navigate this unfamiliar territory.

“So…” You start, intending to bring up the weather or class or your group project— something safe and nowhere near what you’re thinking. Instead, you go: “My friends liked that movie night we did.”

But he barely reacts. “Yeah? We could do it again. Or go out somewhere.” 

Fuck it. You think. If he doesn’t want to confront what he did, then you will. “Really? I thought you didn’t enjoy it.”

His brows furrow. “Why wouldn’t I?”

You lean forward in the already narrow space. “I don’t know, you spent a lot of time in your kitchen and didn’t say anything about it.”

That gets him. His eyes dilate and narrow all at once, and muscle in his jaw feathers. “And now we’re in another kitchen. So that’s your move, isn’t it?”

Your breath leaves you all at once, escaping into the tense air. But his stare doesn’t leave you, low and heated and filled with all the words you won’t say. One second passes, his words drifting into the space between you, before you reach forward and kiss him. 

In a second, he’s on you, kissing back just as furiously, his lips warm and soft and pressing against yours with the kind of fervor you used to dream about. He presses you back into the counter, groaning against your mouth. Your fingers reach up, threading through his hair and tugging him deeper into you.

Suddenly, he breaks off, panting, and attaches his lips to your neck, making you whimper.

“You're so fucking pretty,” He whispers into your ear, low and rough. "You like that?"

You can’t even summon the awareness to do anything but nod in agreement before he’s on you again, sucking a trail of marks from your jaw to your collarbone. Your grip tightens in his hair, and he groans. “Fuck, I can’t believe you’re real.”

But you’re an impatient woman, so before long you’re tugging him back up to your lips, barely paying attention when he lifts you onto the counter without breaking the kiss. It’s all fire and passion, a heat so consuming you don’t know where you end and he begins. Like everything else has faded away except for the feeling of his lips on yours, a feeling you’ve been thinking about since that bodyshot three weeks ago—

“Y/n? Are you home?” Somi’s voice calls out from the entryway, and reality slams back into you in an instant. You shove Jake away, wide-eyed. 

“Oh my god,” You whisper, panicked. “Hide somewhere!”

But he just smirks lazily, hair mussed enough and lips swollen enough that it’s quite obvious what you were doing. You’re sure you look even worse. “Feeling shy— ow!”

You smack him in the shoulder, glaring at him. “I’m serious!” If the rest of your friends find out that you were making out with Jake in their kitchen, they might actually evict you. “My room’s down the hall on the left.”

Jake takes his sweet time getting to your room and closing the door— not without a salacious wink— but thankfully by the time the girls pile into the kitchen, he’s out of sight. Wonyoung strides in first, heading straight for the fridge when she sees you and stops in her tracks. Too late, you forgot to look in a mirror. 

“Oh my god.” She raises her eyebrows. 

You lift your hands pleadingly. “Please, don’t—”

“What the hell happened to you?” Lia asks, stunned, and the rest of your friends echo the sentiment as they stare at you. 

You choke. “Um… I got into a situation…?”

Hyeju rolls her eyes. “Bitch, we all know you were just making out with someone. Messy hair, red lips, weird post-sex-but-in-this-case-post-kissing glow.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Yuna gives you a look. “Yeah, alright, spit it out babe. Who was it? Jaehyun?”

“Wasn’t he just flirting with Wonyoung?”

“Maybe Eunwoo? Or Yejun, you were texting him too, right?”

You scowl at them. “You guys are very misinformed.”

Two texts buzz on your phone in quick succession. You glance down and groan.

Jake

who the hell is eunwoo?

and yejun?

You type out a quick reply.

stop listening, fucker

You definitely don’t have enough sleep to deal with all of this. “Listen guys, I promise I will tell you who it is if you wait until tomorrow morning when I have less of a headache. Deal?”

They sulk off, disappointed about not having any new gossip, and you take a moment to brace yourself against the kitchen counter.

Now, you have to figure out how the hell you’re going to sneak Jake out of an apartment where you guys go to sleep at 5am on average.

Great, just great.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTES: CHAPTER 6 YAY ik this took genuinely forever um... so I actually am still incredibly busy but I will still be updating. TYSM to everyone who likes and reblogs I love all of u sm <3

Preview

Hey! The Vet School mod is finally here :) This has been my biggest project yet, taking me months to finish, including having to start over and endless testing. But I'm really proud of the result, and I hope you enjoy it!

This mod is based on extensive research of how vet schools work (in the US), the application process, what topics are covered, typical activities, licenses, etc. So it has a realistic base, but I still added my own touch, since many things just aren't possible to do due to game limitations and my own modding knowledge.

Please let me know if you encounter any issues or have any suggestions or ideas that I can add to the mod. This is the initial release, but I have many features planned, so stay tuned 👀

This mod introduces a new career for those Sims who wish to become vets: vet school. It has an application system that can be started on the computer by signing up for the SimVet Academy Portal. If you just want to start right now or you got rejected the first time and don't want to repeat the whole process, there's a cheat to get accepted immediately (make sure testingcheats is on and you shift + click on your sim).

To sum it up, you have to write and submit a personal essay, submit a vet experience report, a letter of recommendation, and a final grades report/uni diploma, then pass the Sim Graduate Record Examination, pass the interview, and receive your acceptance letter!

Once you get your acceptance letter, whether it's through the cheat or the application process, you will have to pay the course fees (50k - vet school is expensive) and enroll in the program to be able to join the Vet Student career (still through the academy portal). Teen sims will be able to complete the application process, but to pay the fees and enroll, they will have to wait until they age up to YA.

Also, the letter mentions scholarships, which haven't been added yet, so if you don't have enough money, you can either cheat it, or take a loan with a separate mod.

Once the sim joins, they will be able to sign up for the digital campus on the computer, which gives them access to the study materials and allows them to write final papers.

Vet School consists of 4 years: 3 rabbithole years of pre-clinical studies, exams, papers, and other activities + 1 year of active clinical rotations.

In the first 3 years, you will have to pass 5 different subjects (3 exams - phone - and 2 papers - computer). To do this, Sims can study for the exams on the computer or by attending a lecture during class (new custom career tone that increases a different subject's knowledge every day).

They can also increase the 2 new academic skills: Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine. These skills can be increased by reading skill books, performing computer or phone interactions, practicing on the veterinary medicine station, and going to the lab (new custom career tone that increases a different skill every day). Once they reach the max level, they will receive a trait (Medical Expert and Veterinary Scholar) with special interactions and abilities.

When they reach year 3, and they pass all their subjects and sign up for the next simester, they will start their year 4 active clinical rotations at the veterinary hospital. In order to do this, you will have to place down a veterinary clinic/hospital from the gallery, use the premade one, or make your own, and then change the venue type to Veterinary Hospital.

The venue type has no required objects, but I recommend that you place down the following: veterinary medicine station, chemical analyzer, get to work snack fridge, coffee pot, bathroom with sink, front desk with computer, and some animal care objects (beds, food bowls, litter box, toys...). If you forget to add anything, just use the enablefreebuild cheat and add it; otherwise, you may not be able to complete certain objectives.

Some NPCs will spawn (including sick pets and vet workers), and they will mostly hang out around the hospital. Pets are more likely to interact with objects, and sims with each other and with computers. Due to the way sick pets and vet situations are handled in the game, I couldn't get NPCs to actually use vet objects or interact with the animals. Hopefully, I'll find a fix in the future, but for now it has to be like this 😢

Also, Sims will wear the low-level doctor uniform to the rotations, but you can edit it with this mod from midnitetech.

Every time they come back from work (whether it was an active shift or rabbithole), they will be able to write a clinical rotation report, which they must submit. So, they will have to complete at least 5 days of clinical rotations. Then they will be able to take the final exam (study first), and if they pass, they will be able to graduate!

During the 4 years of vet school, they will also be able to attend some activities/events (I'll be adding more in future updates), depending on the year they're in.

To graduate, they will need to attend the graduation through the phone (it's a rabbithole for now, but I plan to make an active event in the future). After they graduate, if they want to work in the field, they will need to get a license by taking the SimNation Veterinary Licensing Examination. They can apply on the computer, and access all the information they need on the new menu.

There are some extra features if you have other packs installed, so I'll let you discover that on your own :) But I did want to mention that I created a new childhood formative moment for kids who would like to become vets one day. You can get it by choosing it from the list, or by receiving it as a suggested challenge from performing a certain interaction with a certain object from Parenthood 👀

Optional Overrides

I've also included some optional overrides in case you want them.

dion_testSet_ChildhoodInspiration_AllCompleteInquisitiveness_Override: Overrides the tuning that tests to see if a child completed all challenges from the inquisitiveness category. I added my custom challenge to the tests, so only add this if you have Adventure Awaits and you want my custom challenge to count for this. Conflicts with any mod that also overrides the tuning: testSet_ChildhoodInspiration_AllCompleteInquisitiveness

dion_BuyVetClinic_VetLicenseRequirement_Override: Overrides the requirements of the Buy a Vet Clinic interaction from the phone; with this override, buying a vet clinic requires being a licensed vet (vet school graduate + snvle exam passed). The interaction from the bottom right corner, where you can buy other businesses, is not affected. Conflicts with any mod that also overrides the tuning: phone_BuyVetLot and vet_BuyVetClinic

1_dion_VetSchool_IconsOverride_Softpines: Overrides the phone icons to match the softpines phone icons override from honeymoonsimmer.

Cats & Dogs EP

Get to Work EP

Core Library by LOT51

Venue Changes by Zerbu

OPTIONAL PACKS THAT ADD MORE GAMEPLAY:

Discover University EP

Adventure Awaits EP

Growing Together EP

Horse Ranch EP

Parenthood GP