d.

She was the type of girl you’d see from miles away.

Always sharply dressed and put together. She was cool. And stylish. And she would never look at you. At least that’s what you think.

She’s always laughing with her friends. An inside joke, probably.

In a sea of 350 students, all you can see is her.

You sigh and keep on staring. She notices you and her lips curve up, giving you a half-smile. She looked confused but not creeped out so that’s good.

After the lecture ends you want to say something to her. Anything.

You know she’s always the last one to leave, always forgetting her phone. Silly girl.

You smile fondly at the girl whose name you do not know. But you feel like you know her.

You stand by the door, lost in thought. Black boots approach you.

Could it be…? This is the moment you have been waiting for all semester.

“Hi,” she says.

“Hey,” you reply.

She waits for you to respond and when you don’t, she looks away. She probably thinks you are dumb and you have no idea what to say next.

You have been imagining this moment a million times, maybe more. But your legs turn into jelly because her gaze is on you and you are so awkward and she is like sunshine.

The silence lingers on and your face turns red.

“Your shoes!” You blurt out.

“What?”

She cocks her head to the side, her brown eyes wide with confusion.

God, she is so beautiful.

“Your shoes- they’re nice,” you stammer.

“Oh, um. Thanks,” she smiles and looks down at her feet.

A lock of her dark hair falls onto her face and it takes everything out of you to not tuck her soft curl back behind her ear.

“I’m late for my next class,” she says.

“Okay.”

“I’ll see you around.”

She smiles at you again and walks out the door.

You leave in opposite directions.

When you hear her footsteps getting fainter and fainter, you turn around to catch a glimpse of her one last time.

Your heart skips a beat when you see that she is already looking at you.

 

— for Dena, the girl everyone sees from miles away