A. C. Meyer - Under Pressure

In addition to being an excellent player, Ryan was handsome. The most handsome boy Mandy had ever seen. Since she and May took a three-day trip to New York during the ninth year and discovered that Cat-Ry was New York slang that meant the most perfect guy in the world , they have come to refer to him that way in their conversations.

The two were not the type of girls who used to polish apples for the athletes, but it was impossible not to recognize and admire - and even drool over a little - their beauty. With light brown hair tossed to the side and blue eyes that looked like two cut diamonds when he smiled, Ryan had a breathtaking appearance. He was tall, six feet nine of pure defined muscle.

Mandy found it impossible not to sigh when she saw him, even though she knew he would never give her a second look. That thought made her smile and remember that he was on the list of Mandy Summers Unattainable Things , that is, totally unreachable.

But that's okay. She didn't care to admire from afar, as if he were a knickknack in a crystal shop - look, but don't touch . She was a very down to earth girl. She was aware that she was not beautiful like the cheerleaders of alpha, beta and gamma , or whatever the sisterhood was called. She was never popular either, although she always wanted to know how that kind of girl felt when she was admired by everyone. She was just an ordinary girl, a good student who, despite doing ballet, was never part of the group of students who excelled in something in particular. So obviously, a beautiful guy like Ryan McKenna was someone unattainable to her. Dreaming about having anything close to a relationship with him was like imagining that she could be Zac Efron's girlfriend. That is, impossible. Ryan was the type of guy who dated girls like the ones in the café: beautiful, popular, charming, with generous curves on their bodies, who wore trendy clothes and lots of makeup. Not a skinny little girl like her, who wore faded jeans and a band T-shirt.

"Ah, but he abuses his right to be a handsome guy... - May sighed, taking her friend out of her daydreams.

"Um ... who?" - She asked, shaking her head, trying to focus on what her friend was saying.

" Cat-Ry " - May replied and smiled at her. - "That was the best welcoming committee and on the first day of school!"

"True." - Mandy smiled and, looking away from her friend, saw Sean waving in his direction. She returned the greeting and followed him, accompanied by May.

Sean and Mandy were very close. They met in kindergarten and grew up together. I used to trust Sean as if he were his older brother, until things started to get a little awkward during the last semester of high school. She shuddered just to remember the day when he cornered her in a corner, at the house of one of her schoolmates, where a party was taking place - one of the first that she went to, since she didn't usually socialize much. Holding her wrists more firmly than would be appropriate, Sean tried to kiss her, said that he liked her and that they should date. His impetuous - almost aggressive - behavior scared her. She had never thought of him that way and, in fact, she had not yet awakened to relationships with boys. She was a shy, inexperienced girl and didn't feel ready to be involved with anyone, not even the one she considered her best friend.

Sean's firm hands on her wrist, his hot, beer-smelling breath against hers, turned his stomach. Despite the boy's insistence on stealing a kiss, she managed to escape his grip and was very strict when she said she didn't want to date him. Afraid of losing his friendship - even though his behavior scared her a lot - Mandy explained that she didn't want to be involved with anyone. For a few days, he distanced himself from her, but shortly after, he seemed to accept her position. Mandy, on the one hand, was relieved to have managed to do damage control, but since then, she had lost some of the security she felt beside him - especially when she felt his eyes watching her with a mischevious expression.

"Hi girls! What's up, May, how's Betti doing?" - Sean asked for the cart, using the nickname May had given the old Subaru, in honor of Betty Boop, claiming that his car was vintage and cute.

"It's great! You and Yoshi were wonderful!" - she replied and hugged him. Sean smiled and turned to Mandy, looking a little shy.

"And you? How are you? All right?" - He asked and pulled her into a hug, which made her a little tense. Sean's touch felt friendly, causing a familiar sense of guilt to envelop her. Taking the worry out of her head, she smiled and struggled to feel happy to see her friend.

"Everything is great. What's your next class?" - Asked, trying to break the ice and maintain the atmosphere of friendship that they always had, until that day.

"Biology And you?"

"Literature. May?"

"History" - the friend replied, making a face of disgust. The history teacher, Miss. Mary Ellen, was reputed to be extremely demanding. They heard about it when they still were in their hometown. In the first two years, college students were taking basic subjects, such as literature, social sciences, history, art, among others. According to a freshman welcome manual, this was a way for students to gain general knowledge on a range of subjects, before focusing on a specific field of study. In general, from the third year onwards, they should choose the qualification they intended to complete their bachelor's degree. If the student opted for courses such as medicine, veterinary, dentistry or law, the duration would be a little longer than the other courses, because when completing the bachelor's degree, they would still need to take three more years of specific subjects of the profession they chose.

"Damn" - Sean and May spoke at the same time and laughed.

Mandy looked away, distracted from the conversation while watching the movement of people towards the big building, until May took her out of her thoughts, warning that the class was just around the corner. The three went to the entrance, looking for their respective classrooms, and said goodbye right there at the entrance, each heading towards their class.

Mandy took the bullet journal from the backpack and searched the class grid that was printed and pasted on one of the pages of the hardcover notebook for the number of the literature room. Disconnected from what was happening around her, she walked towards the room, her attention focused on her backpack while she kept the bullet journal . Before she had a chance to look up, the girl went against a wall and almost fell sitting, being prevented by two warm, firm hands that held her, but her backpack was not so lucky and fell to the floor. Looking up, Mandy felt her face heat up and turn red.

Oh, dammit. With the number of students at Brown, did I have to trip over Ryan McKenna right away?

"Ehr ... um ... So-Sorry” - she said, realizing she was stuttering like a fool. She was embarrassed. In addition to being completely clumsy, she was even stuttering as if she had no ability to articulate words.

"Are you alright? Forgive me, I was distracted" - Ryan spoke in a soft voice, looking into her eyes. Mandy had never been so close to him as in that moment - in fact, she had never been so close to any boy - and she could see every detail of his lovely blue eyes. His face was clean-shaven, making her feel a strange desire to raise her hand and feel if the skin of his face was as smooth as it looked. She stared at him for a few seconds, almost mesmerized. He was even more beautiful than she remembered.

Stop it, you silly! Where in the world one would behave like you, standing in the middle of the corridor, drooling over the hottest guy in college? She scolded herself in thoughts.