Jasmine Farrows yawned after she turned off the alarm next to her bed. Trudging to the kitchen, she switched on her coffee maker and opened the refrigerator door glancing at what she was going to feast on for breakfast. Glimpsing at her school schedule on the dry erase board, she noted she had an hour before her class began. Once her cup of coffee was made, she sat down on her couch, placing her mug and bowl of cereal on the coffee table inches away. Jasmine had no clue what this semester at Columbia University would have in store for her. To someone who would be meeting her for the first time, it might seem as if Jasmine was extremely introverted. However, it was due to past experiences that she was very guarded when it came to whom she opened up to. In her eyes, college was about completing her classes and attaining her degree as quickly as possible. She had been to a few parties to realize the drinking and binging that went along with it was not her scene. Watching people lose their inhibitions, as well as their last meal, was not appealing to her in the least. On more than one occasion for a few of the parties she had attended, the guys were all about scoring with girls who were completely wasted. She thanked her common sense for not being one of those victims! Noticing that she was starting to daydream, she snapped back to reality and quickly finished her lukewarm caffeinated beverage and soggy cereal. Her phone showed she had just enough time to take a quick shower before leaving her apartment. Quickly dumping her dishes in the sink, she made a dash for the bathroom and stripped out of her clothes for the warm shower. Jasmine amazed herself at how quickly she was able to cleanse her hair and body. After finding a pair of jeans and long-sleeved shirt, she quickly changed. Brushing her coffee breath away, her eyes gazed in the bathroom mirror at her reflection. Once was rid of the toothpaste, she ran a brush thru her semi-wet, red shoulder-length hair. Grabbing a Columbia University hoodie, she picked up her backpack and locked the door behind her.

***

                AJ’s stomach was fluttering with butterflies as he woke up on the first day of his school semester. The bed was beyond comfortable, but his mind kept him from attaining the precious sleep he needed. He was sure an afternoon nap would be on his agenda later on that day. It wasn’t long before he had completed his morning routine and was on his way to the campus. AJ made it a point of getting to campus with time to spare so that he would be able to find his classes without getting lost. Luckily, there would be designated students to guide newcomers around campus for the first week. Passing through the doors of the building where his first class would be held, he was greeted by a male who was wearing a student ID badge.

                “Welcome. Need help finding your class today?” The student ID badge displayed the name “Zach Buchanan.”

                “Uh, yeah…thanks!” AJ said as he opened up the first compartment of his backpack and pulled out his class schedule.

                “Psych 101…well, you’re in the right building, so you’re off to a good start!” Zach chuckled. “Go down this hallway, make a right, and it will be the fourth class on the left.” Zach handed AJ back the piece of paper.

                “Appreciate it.” AJ started to bow and realized halfway thru that he wasn’t in Korea. Pretending to make it seem like he was looking at something on the floor in front of him, he made a quick exit towards his classroom. AJ was able to find his psychology class easily and glancing at his phone, he realized it would be a good twenty minutes before it started. To pass the time, he pulled out his phone and slipped in her earbuds to listen to some music and play with some apps. So indulged in one of the games, it wasn’t until he saw some other students filing in the room from his peripheral vision that made him pause what he was doing. Slipping the phone into his pants pocket, he entered the room and looked around for a good place to sit. His eyes did a double take as he saw a female drape her hoodie on the back of her chair. “She looks so familiar…I think she’s the waitress from the Italian restaurant!” AJ thought excitedly to himself. He took a deep breath and biting his lip, made his way over to her. Jasmine was in her own little world as she was quietly humming a tune. Getting ready to sit down, she had no idea that anyone was nearby. AJ couldn’t help but be lost in her beauty. He faintly heard a melody, but was unfamiliar with the song. Standing frozen like a fool, he cleared his throat just loud enough to get her attention. Unfortunately, it caught Jasmine completely off guard, making her jump at his presence.

                “Oh my goodness! Do you always sneak up on people like that? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” Jasmine lashed out once she had caught her breath; her hand clutching over her chest directly over her heart.

                “Mianhae! Um…I mean, sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you! I was just wondering if this seat was taken…” AJ sputtered, feeling a blush rise up in his neck and cheeks.

                “Mia what??? What language is that?” Jasmine questioned, looking at him like he had three heads.

                “Korean. It’s my first day here on campus. I’m a foreign exchange student. I’m only doing this semester for now before I go back home. Sorry if my English is not so great.” AJ felt like a fool. He was wishing that the Earth would open up and swallow him whole at this point.

                “Oh. I’m sorry. I must seem so rude. I just…you scared me half to death. Your English is quite good, if I must say so myself.” Jasmine softened.

                “Thank you. I try to speak it as much as I can.” AJ grinned his infamous kitty smile. A few minutes went by where neither spoke; both standing in the same place where their conversation began. “Uh, so…is that seat taken?” AJ asked, pointing to the seat on her right side.

                “Huh?” Jasmine followed his finger and stared at the empty desk before turning her gaze back on him. “No one is sitting there that I know of…”

                “Then, may I?” AJ prodded gently. She motioned for him to go ahead. Inching his way past her, he shrugged off his backpack on the floor and sat down. Realizing that she was still standing, Jasmine immediately plunked her body down in her seat. She reached into her backpack and extracted a pen to write with, taking whatever means necessary to not look in his direction. “You know, I don’t mean for this to sound rude, but I feel like I’ve seen your face before. Do you work at an Italian restaurant close to campus?” His voice drifted to her ears.

                “What gives you the impression that I’m going to tell you where I work?” Jasmine smirked. She knew that a lot of the male species on campus were all about being suave and smooth with their banter…only to have it lead to getting into the girl’s . Although she knew that AJ was not lying about being from Korea, she couldn’t let her guard down this easily. Her brick walls were stacked high, and there was no way she would let any man tear down her defenses.

                “So you admit that you have a job…” AJ said smugly; if she was going to play cat and mouse, he was more than up for the challenge!

                “What makes you say that?” Jasmine said non-chalantly, but was panicking inside, hoping he wouldn’t drag more information out of her than she was willing to give away.

                “This is a psychology class, is it not? I’m doing a reverse psychology on you.” AJ simply stated. Jasmine opened , but realized that AJ knew what he was talking about. Closing her lips, she decided her best plan would be to stay mute towards him for the remainder of class. He was cunning, no doubt about that! Before he could say anything further, the door to the classroom closed with a loud click.

                “Welcome class. My name is Dr. Westford. For all of you that have chosen to sit in the very back of the room, please make your way up to the front and fill in the empty spots. Quickly now…we haven’t got all day!” He addressed the students. Once the first few rows were filled, he gathered his syllabi and handed the stack to the student at the end of the front row. “As you can see, the syllabi are being sent around. On the first page, you will note the textbooks required for this class, as well as the time, room number, days of class, and my contact information.” Going over the next few pages that described the homework assignments and percentage of grades that would be assigned, Dr. Westford went into a brief lecture. The first day of class was more about accounting for the student attendance, describing requirements for completing and passing the course, and getting to know a few things about the class as a whole; after all, this was Psychology 101. “…Before I finish class for today, I believe that it is crucial for students to have at least one contact information in case of an unforeseen event that may cause a student’s absence. Turn to the student next to you and exchange a way for the other person to reach you.” He waited a few moments before continuing, “Now, look to the person on your right. Congratulations! Say ‘hello’ to your new partner for the group project due at the end of this semester. Class dismissed.”

                “No! No, no, no, no,nnnnnnnoooooooooooo!!!”  Jasmine screamed to herself silently. She peered up and saw AJ tickled to death at this news. “Of course he would be. Urgh…of all the people in the world for me to be paired up with…it has to be him!!! Do not fall for him, Jasmine! You know better than that! Remember what happened last time you let down your defenses!”  Her brain spoke crystal clear. Seeing her window of opportunity, Jasmine gathered her belongings and bolted for the door. AJ had just finished zipping up his backpack when he observed a piece of paper on the floor by his foot. Curious, he clutched the paper in his left hand and letting his eyes glance over the words, noticed it was Jasmine’s class schedule.

                “Aigoo! It is her! I need to find Jasmine ASAP so she knows which class to go to next!”  AJ looked up and saw her red hair disappear out of the doorway and into the hall. Just as he was close to exiting, there were a bunch of students that were filing out at the same time, delaying his chance to see where she went. Deciding to go outside and search for her, he left the building and started scanning his immediate surroundings. It took a good ten minutes, but recognizing her bright red hair and Columbia University hoodie, he dashed to catch up with her. “Jasmine! Jasmine…wait up!” Hearing her name, Jasmine stopped and looked around to find where the voice was coming from.

                “Stalking me already?” Jasmine crossed her arms in front of her as AJ caught his breath.

                “Stalking? Is that what you think I’m doing?” AJ scoffed. Jasmine eyed him up and down. “I guess you won’t be needing this then…” He held out the now crinkled piece of paper. Raising her eyebrow, Jasmine took it from his hand and realized it was her schedule.

                “My apologies. Thank you. Yes, this will come in quite handy today.” Jasmine trailed off.

                “Is there something about me that is really bad?” AJ asked quietly.

                “What?” Jasmine asked confused.

                “I feel like I must have done something very wrong to have you not want to talk to me…” AJ frowned.

                “It’s not that…I just…Please don’t take this the wrong way! I guess you can say that I’m extremely shy…” Jasmine stuttered.

                “I’m sorry. I don’t want to sound rude by mentioning that…I guess I want those around me to like me and feel comfortable in my presence, you know?” AJ ran his hand thru his very closely shaven black hair. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since his hair was this short.

                “I understand completely. Seems like I didn’t give you the correct first impression. I’m assuming you know my name from this?” Jasmine lifted up her course schedule. AJ nodded.

                “My name is Jaeseop Kim.”

                “Jay what?” Jasmine giggled.

                “Jae-seob” AJ tried to enunciate his first name. Jasmine pronounced it a few times to make sure she was saying it correctly. “But, because it’s not a common name here in the US, you can call me AJ.”

                “You made me go thru all of that and then decide to tell me your nickname?” Jasmine rolled her eyes. AJ broke into laughter at her statement.

                “Well, call me whatever you want…I’m just trying to make it easy on you. Seems like we’ll be getting to know each other over the semester…with us having to work on the group project for the psychology class…” AJ wrapped his hands around the straps of his backpack.

                “Yup…” Jasmine said before an awkward silence came over them.

                “I know we should have good contact information to be able to work on the project. I have a cell phone, but I put an international plan on it before I left. I don’t know if it will charge your phone a bunch of money since it’s still a Korean phone number…” AJ said honestly.

                “Oh…I didn’t even think about that. You bring up a good point. Um…what do you suggest then?” Jasmine asked as she glanced at her phone.

                “Well, what is the best way to get in touch with you? What’s your availability?” AJ inquired.

                “I am taking a full load of classes this semester. Yes, Mr. Smarty Pants,…I do have a job. Um, I have internet at my apartment. My suggestion is that you get a pre-paid phone here for calling locally. Your choice, but you just buy the phone and a phone card each month and voila…no worries about possible cell phone bills going thru the roof.”

                “Actually, that’s probably the smart thing to do. Can you show me where I can get one?” AJ gave her the best aegyo pout.

                “What are you doing??? What is with that face? No…you just look too…quit looking at me like that!” Jasmine tried to shield her eyes, knowing all too well that AJ was getting the best of her defenses.

                “So, you’ll take me then?” AJ asked a hint of hope in his voice.

                “Why do I have the feeling that you’re going to be following me around like a lost puppy?” Jasmine sighed.

                “Actually, I’m referred to a lot as a kitty…I mean, just look at my face…” AJ winked. Jasmine slowly gazed upon his facial features and saw exactly what he was referring to.

                “You look like ‘Puss in Boots’ when you do that eye thing.” Jasmine scrunched up her nose. AJ looked at her blankly. “You know…from the Shrek movies.” AJ still had a lost look in his eyes. “Don’t tell me you’ve never seen them…”

                “I’ve heard of them. I don’t remember watching any of them. I have a bit of a busy schedule back home. Besides, they’re movies for kids, right?” AJ explained, trying to shift her from asking questions about his job back in Korea.

                “Well…yeah…but they do have a bit of adult humor to them, too.” Jasmine tried to make it seem as if she was mature for her age. “Remind me to show them to you. You’ll understand what I mean by the cat reference once you see it.”

                “Inviting me over already?” AJ said coyly.

                “Gee, I do recall just moments ago of a certain guy asking for help in finding a prepaid phone…or was I just imagining that?” Jasmine tried to shift the conversation in the opposite direction.

                “Mmmmhhhhmmmmm. Why? Were you planning on taking me there now?” AJ was praying she’d cave in.

                “Hhhhmmmm…I don’t know…let me check my schedule.” Jasmine straightened out the piece of paper as best as she could on her leg and made a big show about studying it in front of AJ. “My next class is in three hours. What about yours?”

                “This was my only class for today. The remainder of my week is a different story.” AJ said matter-of-factly.

                “Shall I presume that you want to go look at the phones right now?” Jasmine raised her eyebrow.

                “Please!” AJ couldn’t wipe the grin off his face.

                “I was afraid you’d say that…” Jasmine replied dryly. “C’mon…let’s go.” They started walking across campus to their destination.

                “You should feel honored…you’re the first one to show me around New York like this. Well, JD gave me a rundown my first day here. But, that was just the basics.” AJ rambled.

                “JD?” Jasmine said confused.

                “The guy who was with me the day we came to the restaurant you work at…” AJ continued.

                “Sorry, with as many customers as I deal with each day I work, it can become one big blur…” Jasmine replied.

                “I’m sure. Well, you’re the first one I’ve talked to extensively here on campus. That must mean something, right?” AJ gently nudged her with his elbow. Jasmine smiled genuinely and nodded.

                “I hope you enjoy your time here in the US and at Columbia. Getting accepted into an Ivy League university is no small task! I’m sure there are going to be times where you feel like you’re losing your mind!”

                “So how do you do it?” AJ searched Jasmine for an answer.

                “How do I do what?” Jasmine asked, confused by his question.

                “Stay sane. How do you keep everything all together; in perspective?”

                “Hahaha…you think I’m sane? That’s funny!” Jasmine chuckled before sticking her tongue out at him playfully. “We’re taking a psychology class together…maybe you’ll find out later on when it comes time for midterms and finals…that’s when the real fun begins!” The duo continued their journey. AJ couldn’t quite determine what it was about Jasmine that he felt so drawn to; but he was looking very forward to seeing how the pieces to this puzzle would fit into place!