Ok so picture this.

First Year University. My best friend Sylvia and I are waiting to go into the lab for Chemistry 101. We hate chemistry. Really…who doesn't t?

I m in honours Chemistry (Chemistry 102 if it matters). It s the chemistry for …um smart people? Basically if you got into university with more than an 85 average then you re in Honours chemistry. So I am. This does NOT mean tha nerd or anything. Just wanted to make that clear.

Anyway, so we re waiting outside. Through the window we can see the T.A. preparing things for us. He s the quintessential nerd…unlike me of course. He s quite tall, probably 6ft and thin as a rake. You know that kind of thin where the person seems to want to cave in towards the centre? Well, he was like that.

He has hair that can only be described as mousy, gray and limp…I always thought that was a strange word to use to describe hair but that was before I saw Steve s hair. (Oh that was his name btw…as per our class notes. Steve B.)

The worst thing about Steve was his clothes. They all looked way too big for him…I guess because he was thin right? I suppose that makes sense. But there was no excuse for his glasses. Stereotypical nerd glasses…black, think lensed with the ubiquitous tape in the middle. OMG...I can t even make out what colour his eyes were because the glasses instantly drew your attention to it.

Sylvia and I looked at him then at each other and both smiled in anticipation. This poor man was going to regret ever becoming a T.A. by the time this class was over.

Oh no it wouldn't t be the two of us that did it. I was always wary of teasing nerds, not because of any similarities I would feel with them…come on! It was just mean you know? But I always laughed…because he who laughs last may be the next one to be picked on!

The bane of poor Steve s existence (even though he didn't t know it yet) was to be Charlie and his gang. Charlie the teaser, the joker, the bully. Charlie the class clown. We were well acquainted with Charlie; we had come from the same high school. Frankly, how he managed to get into university was a mystery to me. But I digress.

So we go in and everyone sits down with their own friends. Charlie and his gang sit together of course. I sit with Sylvia.

Steve stands in the front of the class explaining what we were to do in this first lab. Or rather I should say, trying to explain. His voice was soft and everyone was ignoring him and talking amongst themselves.

He stood, seeming lost. I was watching him, wondering what he was going to do. I felt a slight tickle in the pit of my stomach, watching him. Hmnn it wasn those fries I had for lunch I hope.

He turned to the blackboard and wrote his name and office number on it. When he turned back to the class nothing had changed. He just stood there, unsure of what to do next. His long thin hands still holding the chalk trembled noticeably.

Well folks, that s when the horror started.

All of a sudden I felt this well feeling well up inside of me… the feeling was "awwww poor baby!" Right after that another thought "Um…what?" "Aww he s like a little lost puppy", "Girl, what the hell?" It was like there were suddenly two personalities in my head. One was Me…cool, rational, straight thinking and currently horrified and the other was some poltergeist or something, a nightmarish Steve crushing thing.

"Ohhh he s so sweettttttt, look how he s sweating in fear".

"SHUT UP!"

"Ohhh but he s cute like a little mouse"

"YOU DON T LIKE MICE!"

By this time I had staring fixedly at Steve for quite a while now. I felt a kick on my shin and snapped out of my nightmare. Sylvia was looking at me with narrowed eyes. "What?" she whispered? "Dunno". I said.

By this time Steve had finished explaining and came straight over to me and Sylvia. Good God had he seen me staring at him?

"Do you understand what to do?" he asked. I nodded mutely. I was as red as a lobster. Sylvia was staring at me…mouth open. I wanted to reach over and close it for her but I kinda felt a bit frozen at the moment.

He was still looking at me. "So, what s your name then?" My mind whirled. I think the bad crushy me had probably strangled the cool rational me because I couldn't t think of a thing to say. I see that he s waiting for an answer.

"Urghhh", I said. "Suzanna", supplied Sylvia helpfully. Thank God for that girl.

Well needless to say, that first year chemistry lab was never to be forgotten. I think that fate or something had put a spell on me. That's the only explanation.

I couldn't t wait for Thursday lab to come. That was so that I could get a chance to prove to Sylvia (who was accusing me of horrible things) that she was wrong, way wrong.

But I think that there was something in that lab…maybe in the air or something? Whenever he looked my way I d turn as red as a beet. Why? I have no idea. I already told you what he was and how he looked! If he spoke to me I d lose all understanding of English and I d dropped things. Like acid and stuff. Not good. It must be some kind of black magic or something.

Fate or witches even conspired to bring us together all the time. I mean how else can you account for the fact that I d see him everywhere I was? If Steve was in the lab there I would be walking up and down (and up and down) the corridor. If Steve was in the caf that s the day that I would decide to skip class and go to the caf to.. um… sit and read for hours. If Steve was in the library wow! Coincidence! Guess who else had to go to the library too that day? And on a Sunday! (No I don t live on campus).

It was horrible and that whole year I suffered a lot. Charlie and his gang bugged poor Steve endlessly and instead of laughing I was mad at them. When the classes finally ended the fate/witches/black magic made me feel terribly sad…even cried a bit. That part might have been pms.

When I came back for year 2 it was all over. I think there was somehow something in that lab and now it was gone. Perhaps I should think about suing the university or something. But I think not.
Then I d have to go to court and testify and so on and have to admit that well that I was put under a spell by a nerd. I think not.

I hope to heaven I don t see that Steve ever again in my whole life. And I ll never take another Chemistry class again.

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