Dinner with Jennifer

{if FranklinTactics == 1} You and Daphne show up at the beginning of practice, excited to share the training plan for the day. The intel she got could make all the difference. As Daphne walks through the drills that she’s cooked up, you can feel the rest of the team getting into it. It’s not every day that you get a chance like this. You drill hard with the team, everyone putting their best effort in, and before long, everyone’s moving together like clockwork. The tactics are coming together. {else} Daphne shows up at the beginning of practice, excited to share the big news. She’s spent the last half an hour reviewing footage from your upcoming opponents—Franklin University. The team buzzes with excitement. This could be a big lead. Daphne’s cooked up some new drills for the day, and with the rest of the team, you drill your corners and some tactics that she’s designed to break their defenses. {endif} You’re feeling good about the game this weekend, and soccer practice whizzes by.

As soon as you change out of your kit, the late hour suddenly hits you, and your stomach growls. It is getting late and you need food in your system. You rush over to the dining hall, eager to get your fill. In a minute, you’ve loaded up your plate high with chicken steak and a roast vegetable medley, and you grab a second plate and load it up with fries. Got to get those carbs in.

Then it’s off to find a table. The dining hall is pretty quiet at this hour and you don’t immediately spot any friends around. But you do spot a cute dark haired girl sitting alone at a table, picking away at her food. She’s dressed in a simple small black dress, unobtrusive but eye-catching at the same time.

You take a seat opposite you, smiling at her. She looks up from her food, brushing the hair out of her eyes.

“Hey,” you say, and she gives you a half smile back.

“Hey,” she says. “Been a second.”

“Yeah,” you agree. You’ve met so many girls these past few weeks that it’s hard to keep track of them. “What brings you here at this late hour?”

“I don’t like the crowds much. I’m not that extroverted,” she says. She takes a small bite of her food. “But you’re nice. I guess I can talk to you.”

“Thanks, glad you think so,” you smile, taking a huge bite out of your food. “Excuse me if I eat a like a caveman. I’m famished. Chem lab into soccer training does a number on me.”

She nods, smiling, and the two of you chew in silence for a minute as you shovel more food down your throat. Then she looks up and stares at you for a bit longer.

“What’s my name?” she asks.

{if Jennifer > 0} “Jennifer,” you say. {else} “Uh… I don’t know. Have we met?” you ask. {endif}”

“You’re Alex Knight,” she says, staring at you intensely.

“Erm… yes, that’s right,” you laugh, not really sure how you should react.

{if Jennifer > 0} “It’s a nice name,” she smiles. She’s disarmingly cute when she does so. {else} “I’m Jennifer,” she says, smiling. She’s disarmingly cute when she does so.

{endif}

There’s another long moment of silence as you polish off your plate of fries. This girl isn’t terribly talkative, but she sure is easy on the eyes. She glances at you a few times in the silence that follows, and then eventually clears her throat.

“Do you find it easy to make friends around here?” she asks.

“It takes a bit of effort,” you answer, as diplomatically as possible. What comes naturally to you might not to others. “It’s a new environment and it takes time to really get to know someone. Also, I came here late, so… felt like everyone knew each other by the time I got here, you know?”

“I feel the same way, but I showed up on day one,” Jennifer says. “People seem to gravitate to you. You’re friendly.”

“It helps that I like crowds more than you do,” you say. “But I’m not that extroverted, either. Socializing for too long is draining.”

“You got that right,” she says. “So much easier to just hole up in my room and study. Just learn stuff.”

“That is half the point of college,” you say. “Some would say, the whole point.”

She snorts. “I could hole up in my room at home and go through the same textbooks that I’m reading right now. I don’t even show up to class half the time.”

“Why not?” you ask.

“What’s the point when it’s a massive lecture?” she replies.

“I always thought I learned better in person,” you say. “Also, some of my profs have pretty anal attendance policies, so I’d have to show up whether I wanted to or not.”

“That sucks,” she says.

“Yeah,” you say, feeling the conversation heading towards another dead end. Is it time to spice things up? “Hey, but you know what, there is one perk to studying in your room all day around here.”

“What’s that?” she asks.

“Burn night!” you say. You catch her blushing. “Come on, don’t tell me there aren’t guys you’re looking out for.”

“There are some cute guys on campus,” she admits. “Still seems a bit scary though. You know, you have to approach them and ask them to do it…”

“You know, that could be awkward now that you mention it,” you say.

“I’ll just practice in front of the mirror,” she says. Then, miming the act: “Hey, you’re looking good, want to fuck?”

You almost spit take onto your nearly empty plate.

“Maybe be less direct,” you say.

“I don’t get how guys ask out girls,” she says. “I could never do that.”

“Oh, I’m sure your line would work,” you say. “Any guy would be flattered to have a girl like you.”

She blushes again at that.

“Anyways, I really should be going,” you say. “There’s something going on tonight that I should be getting to.”

“The drive-in movie theater, right?” Jennifer asks, and you nod.

“That’s the one,” you say.

The only question is, who’s your plus one?

Jennifer +10