THE PRETTY LIE

Christine's eyes fluttered open, greeted by a pounding headache and the faint smell of beer. She felt like she'd been hit by a truck. As she struggled to sit up, her phone shrieked to life, piercing the air with its shrill ringtone. Christine winced, her eyes scanning the screen to see the numerous missed calls from her mom. She hesitated for a moment, knowing she couldn't avoid her mom's worried inquiries any longer.

With a deep breath, Christine answered the call

"Hello?" Christine said, her voice groggy.

"Where was your phone? I called you tirelessly last night!" her mother responded, concern etched in her voice.

Christine rubbed her temples, trying to ease the pain. "Sorry, Mom, I missed your calls. I was just too busy settling in... and preparing for my first day of college today," she lied, trying to sound convincing.

Just as Christine's mind began to drift, a reminder popped up: she had a lecture that morning, and she hadn't even gotten ready yet. Panic set in. "Shit, Mom, I'll call you soon, I promise. I really need to get ready."

"Christine—" Her mom's voice was cut off as Christine quickly hung up the call. She jumped out of bed and onto Jessie's bed, tapping her roommate awake.

"Wake up, sleepyhead!" Christine called out, trying to sound cheerful despite her growing anxiety. "We have to get ready for today's lectures!"

Jessie groggily opened one eye, then the other. "I don't have any lectures this morning, leave me alone!" she replied, her voice husky from sleep.

"But I need to get to the lecture room, I can't be late on my first day," Christine said, still tapping Jessie to wake up.

Jessie slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. "What's the big deal? Can't it wait?"

"Come on, Jessie!" Christine called out again.

"I'm out of energy," Jessie cried out playfully, falling back onto the bed with a dramatic flop. 

Realizing Jessie wasn't going to budge, Christine decided to make a run for it, hoping to make it to her lecture on time.

*-*

Christine quickly grabbed her backpack as soon as she was done getting dressed and rushed out the door, almost forgetting to lock it behind her. As she emerged from the dorm building, she realized she had no idea where her lecture was. After searching for her course timetable, she finally knew where it was.

Breathless and relieved, Christine slipped into the crowded lecture hall, 20 minutes late. She scanned the room for an empty seat and spotted one next to a friendly-looking guy. As she sat down, exhausted, she greeted him with a warm smile.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," he replied, looking up from his notes. "Are you an English major?"

Christine's smile widened as she introduced herself. "I'm Christine. Yeah, I'm an English major."

"I'm Marvin, nice to meet you," he replied, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

As Christine settled into her seat, her gaze wandered around the room. That's when she noticed Peter, sitting in front of her, his pencil moving deftly across his notebook paper. She was drawn to his artwork and couldn't help but stare.

Peter noticed her gaze and turned around, a flirtatious glint in his eye. "So you're obsessed with me, baby girl?" he teased, his voice low and smooth.

Christine's cheeks flushed as she defended herself, "Get over yourself. I just happened to sit here accidentally."

Peter continued to flirt, but Christine shut him down with a witty remark. "In your dreams," she replied, her tone light but firm.

The lecture began, and Christine focused on the lesson, ignoring Peter's further attempts to flirt. She took diligent notes, her pen moving swiftly across her notebook paper.

After the lecture, Peter called out to Christine as she packed up her things. "Baby girl, can I have your number?"

Christine walked away, replying over her shoulder, "In your dreams, Peter, in your dreams." Marvin, who had been sitting next to Christine, caught up to her in the hallway. "Do you know him?" he asked, nodding towards Peter.

Christine rolled her eyes. "Ignore him, he's trouble"

Peter walked away as soon as Marvin stepped in, as they fell into a comfortable conversation. They exchanged stories about themselves, and Christine found herself feeling at ease with Marvin's warm and friendly demeanor.

As they walked across campus, Marvin asked Christine about her favorite books and authors. Christine's eyes lit up as she talked about her love of literature, and Marvin listened intently, sharing his own thoughts and opinions.

The conversation flowed easily, and before she knew it, she enjoyed his company. He took her on a tour of the campus to help her get familiar with the surroundings, as she was a freshman. Marvin had arrived on campus before her, just like her friend Jessie, who was her second-closest friend after Marvin. Whenever Jessie was busy, Christine spent time with Marvin.

*–*

One afternoon, Christine sought refuge in the library, the only place she could find some peace and quiet away from her friends. She sat down at a table, immersed herself in her book, and began to study. Suddenly, a hand appeared on the table, and she looked up to see who it belonged to. Her eyes met Peter's, and she wasn't surprised. It had been two weeks since she'd last seen him, and she'd been avoiding him ever since. Now, here he was, sitting across from her with a charming smile on his face.

"Well, well, well," he said, his deep voice low and smooth. "Look who's hiding in the library."

Christine sighed, her shoulders sagging in exasperation. "Peter. What do you want?"

Peter leaned back in his chair, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Oh, I just wanted to see how my favorite freshman is doing."

Christine rolled her eyes, her long brown hair swinging with the motion. "Save it, Peter. I'm busy studying."

Peter chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Ah, come on. You can take a break. I promise I won't bite... hard."

Christine shook her head, her bright green eyes flashing with annoyance. "Peter, stop. Just leave me alone."

Peter grinned, his eyes shining with mischief. "Okay, okay. But just remember, I'm always watching..." He winked, his lips curling up in a charming smile, and got up to leave, his tall, athletic frame moving fluidly out of the library.

As Christine watched him go, she couldn't help but feel a shiver run down her spine. There was something about Peter that made her feel uneasy, something that made her wonder if she was just a game to him. She pushed the thought aside and focused on her studies, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Peter was going to be trouble.