Page 5 of Heartstruck

Jared

Walking into the lab for the first time at Carolina Coast University, I’m already bracing myself for the tornado.

The noise and the sheer volume of new faces are becoming too much.

The lab’s packed with students already paired up, chatting and gearing up for the experiment like they’ve all been doing this for weeks.

I’m standing here, wondering how they all make it look so easy.

I can’t believe Mr. Henderson managed to get me a seat in this class at the last minute. Usually, colleges don’t allow late students to join, but he pulled some strings due to my interesting circumstances , as he’d called them. I appreciate the effort, but it doesn’t make the adjustment any easier.

I scan the room for an empty spot, and then I see a familiar face. She’s hunched over a notebook, scribbling furiously with a pen. I take a steadying breath, walk over, and ask, “Is this seat taken?”

Alli looks up, her eyes widening in surprise as I claim the seat next to her. “What are you doing here?”

“Here for a lab with Professor Moua. Problem?”

“Yes, there’s a problem. I need you to mo—”

The lab room quiets down once Professor Moua steps in, her presence demanding immediate attention. Alli’s words cut off abruptly as she shoots me a glare, her expression sharp.

“Welcome to the Cell Biology Lab,” Professor Moua begins.

“We had enough introductions for the last module. Today, we’ll be diving into our first experiment, so I hope you’re all prepared.

First, I want you to take a look at the person sitting next to you and say hello to your new lab partners for the rest of the semester. ”

Oh. That explains her death glare.

Alli shoots me a look of pure betrayal, her jaw tightening as she mutters under her breath, “Great. Now I’m stuck with you for months.”

I suppress a grin. “Don’t sound so thrilled, Castillo.”

She glares harder, practically boring holes into my skull. I swear smoke might actually start pouring out of her ears.

“We’ll be working on enzyme reactions today,” Professor Moua continues, oblivious to the charged air at our table. “Make sure you understand the procedure before you begin.”

Alli and I exchange strained glances. “Well, this should be interesting,” I mutter, trying to break the ice.

She flips open the lab manual with an exaggerated sigh, her movements stiff but calculated. I match her energy, settling in like I couldn’t be happier to ruin her day.

I lean in closer, a smirk playing at the corner of my mouth. “Don’t worry, Castillo. I’m not planning to fail. Just don’t lose your cool every time I exist.”

She rolls her eyes so hard I’m afraid they might stay that way. “Let’s just get this over with.”

The tension hangs heavy, but beneath it, I can’t help but find her irritation amusing and just a little endearing.

We get our materials and start setting up for the experiment.

As we work, the initial awkwardness starts to fade, replaced by a focused determination to get through this lab together and the rest of the semester.

We perform the experiment step by step, discussing each part carefully.

A few times, our hands bump when we both reach for the same equipment, and there’s a brief pause each time, like neither of us expected it.

“Pass me the pipette,” she says, her voice taking on a gentler tone.

I hand it to her, our fingers brushing momentarily. “Do you still hate me?”

“Yes,” Alli says clearly, her gaze fixed on the experiment, her voice flat. “You ruined everything.”

“I ruined everything? I literally just sat next to you because you were the closest to the door.”

Alli sets the pipette down and faces me with both hands on her hips. “Precisely.”

“Explain.” I lean against the counter. We have a few minutes until we need to reevaluate the experiment.

Before she can respond, Ethan walks by, catching her attention. She turns her head to follow his movement, her focus shifting.

“Ethan Díaz, huh?” I say, trying to keep my tone neutral but failing to mask the hint of amusement. “You wanted him as your lab partner.”

Alli’s eyes widen, and her attention snaps back to me. “What? No. It’s not like that.”

“Sure, it’s not,” I reply with a smirk. “I get it, Alli. I’m just the annoying guy who ruins your plans to have the love of your life become your lab partner.”

“It’s not about you messing up my plans,” she says, her voice tight. “It’s just… complicated.”

“Complicated how?”

She hesitates, biting her lip before sighing, her voice dropping to almost a whisper. “Ethan’s in my major, and he’s… he’s kind of perfect, okay? And you being here, it just… throws me off.”

“Throw you off how? Because I’m not perfect?”

“No,” she says quickly. “It’s just that seeing you reminds me of high school and all the drama that came with it. And right now, I’m trying to avoid drama.”

“You’re not over me, huh?”

Alli’s eyes flash with annoyance. “We were never a thing,” she snaps, then lowers her voice, her words clipped. “We hooked up once.”

“You liked it.”

“So did you,” she retorts, crossing her arms over her chest, giving me a sharp look that sends a jolt through me.

“So, what’s the deal with Ethan?” I ask, shifting gears. Honestly, angry Alli is kind of… hot, and it’s throwing me off more than I want to admit.

“Nothing.”

“Are you blushing just at the sound of his name?” I tease, noticing the way her cheeks pinken. “Oh my god, you’re totally crushing on him.”

Alli slaps my arm. “Quiet. You’re so loud.”

I laugh, pretending to nurse my arm as if it’s a serious injury. “Okay, okay. But seriously, if you like him, why not make a move?”

“Because I’m not you,” she spits out, her frustration evident in the sharp tone of her voice.

She shifts uncomfortably, avoiding my gaze.

“I’m not Jared Collins. I’m not someone who can get anyone they want.

People actually notice you, while I’m just trying to survive another year without losing myself. ”

I feel a pang of irritation. “You think all that attention is a blessing? Half the time, it’s a nightmare. People notice me for the wrong reasons, and they never actually see me.”

Alli’s eyes flick to mine, and there’s that split-second hesitation before she looks away. The easy banter falls into a heavy silence. Her hands move, but they’re fidgeting, like she can’t find a place for them to rest.

“Um, I…” She clears her throat, eyes still avoiding mine. Her usual sassiness is missing. “I don’t know what to say to that.”

I exhale sharply, running a hand through my hair in frustration. “Can we just focus on the experiment?”

We return to our work in silence, the awkwardness thick between us.

I glance at Alli, and I can’t help but feel uneasy about her words.

People see the fame and think it’s all glitz and glam; even Alli must think I’m just another privileged athlete who has it all, but she doesn’t see the other side of it—the pressure, the scrutiny, and the loneliness that come with it.

Having girls throw their numbers at me after games and follow me to classes isn’t exactly a picnic.

Once the lab wraps up and the room starts to clear out, a mix of relief and discomfort fills the air. I grab my stuff, stealing one last glance at Alli before heading out. The door slams behind me, and I exhale, feeling like I’ve just escaped a pressure cooker.

My phone buzzes with an incoming call. I head toward the stairwell, searching for some space before I answer. “Hey dad.”

“Hey, son. How are classes?”

I slide down the wall, sinking into the quiet of the stairs. “Good, yeah. I think I like most of my professors.” I pause, hearing the hesitation in his breaths. “What’s up with you?”

“Well, you know… same old stuff. Work, the usual.” He explains, then clears his throat. “How’s your mom been? Any word yet?”

A breath escapes me. “Not really. Haven’t heard from her in a bit.”

“I figured. You don’t think about reaching out to her, son?”

My teeth scrape together. “Why should I? She’s the one that disappeared, not me.”

There’s a long pause before he sighs. “I get it. I do. But she’s your mom. You don’t want to leave things like this.”

“Why should I be remedying this? She’s the parent in this situation, not me.” I snap, clenching my jaw harder; it feels like my teeth might crack.

Dad’s quiet for a second, letting the tension linger. “Yeah. Okay. Just maybe—”

“Can we not talk about her?"

I stand there, eyes fixed on nothing, as the question lives in my mind: what does normal even look like with my mom anymore? Because I’ve been trying to figure that out for years, and every time I think I have a handle on it, it slips away again.

“Alright, I’ll think about it,” I grumble, though I don’t mean it.

“Okay. Just keep me posted.”

“Yeah. Will do,” I reply, more out of obligation than anything else.

When I hang up, the silence of the stairwell wraps around me, but the stiffness in my chest doesn’t let up. I shove my phone back into my pocket, running a hand over my face, frustrated. How do I even begin to fix this?

The semester’s just started, and it feels like everything’s already piling on my to-do list. New school. New team. Family problems. Perfect timing, as always.