Not great.

Jennifer swore under her breath and checked the clock. Mark was twenty minutes late and she was starting to think he had just bailed on her. He was supposed to bring coffee, too. She had called and texted repeatedly to no avail, so she decided to just set up shop at a small study nook by herself.

Flipping through the textbook did nothing to help Jennifer's sour mood. She had already studied solo for hours; she needed Mark to quiz her and do pair exercises. To top it off, she was completely uncaffeinated and her brother's study **** didn't seem to be doing anything. Worst of all, some dickhead in the next study nook over had audible music on.

Jennifer considered saying something but decided it was more trouble than it was worth, so she just put in her earbuds. Another phone check revealed that Mark still hadn't responded, so she sighed and decided to keep solo studying.

As she continued to pore over the text for the next hour, she felt her mood lighten considerably. She chalked it up to the study ****; it wasn't the intended effect, but it was a welcome relief from her irritation and worry. She even felt less fatigued, although it didn't do much for her concentration. As Jenn went over the upper circulatory system for what felt like the hundredth time, she actually began to hum an upbeat tune.

Jennifer was surprised by a tap on her shoulder. She had been totally zoned out for at least ten minutes, just staring at a diagram of the lymphatic system and humming to herself. She swiveled in her chair to see a strikingly handsome guy staring at her nervously. She smiled at him and asked him what he wanted.

"I, uh... I just heard you humming that tune. Do you... do you like A Waste of Regret?" he asked timidly.

Jenn sized the young man up. He looked like an undergrad, skinny and disheveled with cheap jeans and an oversized red shirt. He seemed so intimidated by her, it almost broke her heart.

"What is that?" she asked. Somewhere in the back of her mind, it occurred to Jenn that this was not typical behavior for her. Whatever that study **** was, it was apparently making her **** and less antisocial.

He seemed caught off guard by her question. "Oh! Sorry, it- it's a band I like. I thought you were humming one of their songs. It sounded just like it."

Jennifer made a mental note to give them a listen. "Sorry," she said sympathetically. "Must have been a coincidence. I'm Jennifer, by the way."

He shook her hand and she couldn't help but notice how sweaty and clammy his palm was. It was oddly endearing. "Gregory. I- uhm. Do you go to school here?"

Instantly he turned red at his own lame question. Jennifer could practically hear the self-berating in his head. You finally meet a hot girl and that's the best you've got? She answered earnestly and smoothly, trying to reassure him that he was doing fine. "I do! I'm a second-year medical student. What are you studying?"

"I'm majoring in biochem and minoring in classical poetry." She was relieved to hear some confidence creeping into his voice. Jenn had a moment of vertigo as a strange thought flashed across her mind: Why do I care if he's confident? It passed immediately and she continued the conversation.

"A Renaissance man! I've always been interested in classical poetry." That was technically a lie, but she suddenly did have some curiosity about the topic. "Are you planning on attending med school?"

Gregory shook his head. "No, I think I'm gonna do research. I don't know, maybe some kind of neurology thing or something."

With that, Gregory seemed out of questions. He coughed nervously and Jenn decided to make her move. "You know, my studdy buddy stood me up this morning. I haven't even had any coffee yet!"

"Really?" he asked. "You seem so energetic."

Jenn was surprised to find he was right. She felt great, like she had just finished a long workout. She even felt a little more put-together. She didn't remember wearing pink sweatpants, or even owning pink sweatpants. It didn't matter, though.

"Thanks! Still, I could use a pick-me-up. Want to join me for a cup of coffee?"

Gregory could only nod, dumbstruck by her aggressive friendliness. She stood and began packing up her things.