Intermission 7: Katherine Brown.

She had to run past them. She couldn’t just walk by. Seeing them together was frustrating. It isn’t until they’re completely out of her sight that she starts walking again, yet at every slow pace, almost dragging her feet.

She had won again. Sophia Johnson had beaten her to the punch AGAIN. Her chest hurts and she feels a knot in her throat. A feeling of inferiority starts washing over her.

Katherine has been thinking a lot about that man, about David Walker. She knows very well she’s falling for him. He’s smart, handsome and was willing to help her despite her terrible attitude towards him. She knows she was being rude when she asked for help, but she couldn’t help it. Whenever she tried talking to him, she had to **** the words out or she’d be unable to speak.

She has no problems speaking in public, or to other girls. But guys? Guys have always been a problem. She gets too nervous around them. She couldn’t help it. When she tries talking to them, it always ends up with her sounding rude, which in turn pushes them away.

“Don’t bother with Katherine. Sure, she’s hot, but she has a terrible personality” is what they’d say in high school.

When she saw David walking with Sophia on his arm, all her small frustrations came flooding in.

Katherine considers Sophia her rival, in a way. She’s beautiful, well-spoken and confident. She joined the debate team, just like her. They competed for the captain seat, and she won. Then, she won again in their midterm scores. To see her hand in hand with the man she was falling for was too much.

She’s not frustrated because she can’t be with David anymore. After all, it seems that David is up for having more than one girlfriend. She clings to the hope she might still have a chance. However, there are two things that make her mad and are the main reason her chest hurt.

One: How did Sophia and David get together? She didn’t know they were already so close. She thought that David and herself were closer… but maybe that was just wishful thinking. David has been very accepting of her. He doesn’t seem to mind her rudeness, and if he does, he forgives it. She feels… comfortable around him. She wants to become close with him, but she’s so afraid to screw things up that she hasn’t approached him again. This leads to number two: There are rumors going around that David has been hanging out with Jessica.

Jessica! Jessica Ramirez! One of the bitches that tormented her for four years and almost got David himself expelled and thrown in prison! Did he forgive her? Possibly. He seems the type, if her short conversations with him are anything to go by.

But what scares her is a simple question. What if he ends up dating Jessica as well? Will she lose to her as well? What if he does date Jessica and she prevents him from even looking at her?

No. She can’t accept it. This is all her own fault. It’s all because she’s been too scared, because she can’t be honest with herself and with David. Enough of that. No more hesitation, no more self-deprecation! She’s tired of watching him from afar.

But… how does she get close to him? How does she make him fall for her?

She bites her lip in frustration. She’s going to have to swallow her pride and ask her for help.

When David is about to turn in that night, he checks the AMA one last time and wonders why Katherine’s love score suddenly rose to 35.