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The new year was off to a great start and once again, Frinky had his schedule filled to the brim with classes. He barely had time for anything outside his studies. High school had been so easy, but here he found a challenge and that he actually had to put a small amount of effort into his work. He made his way through the buildings thinking about the assignments he'd read the night before. He repeated definitions and equations in his mind trying to commit them to memory. Once again he wasn't looking where he was walking as he made his way to the next class. As he came round the corner of a building he smacked right into another student who was walking in the opposite direction. The impact knocked the two off their feet and both their books and notes went sailing through the air and rained down around them.
"Oh, dear! I'm so sorry about that." Said Frink as he scrambled on the ground trying to catch the loose sheets of paper before a gust of wind came by.
"Good gracious, why don't you watch where you're going….Frink?" said a familiar voice. He looked up to see Owen who had already gotten back up on his feet.
"Zoi! Owen, I didn't know it was you, that you were here that is, that you…"
"Shut up." Said Owen annoyed. "The last thing I expected was to see you also. Now pick up my books!" Frink stood up and looked at the mess on the ground.
"Uh, which books are yours?"
"What do you mean which ones are mine? Don't you know your own books?"
"Yes, but it looks like we've got the same classes. Look, two chem books, two statistics books, two…"
"Oh for crying out loud! Mine are the newer nicer looking ones. See!" He said as he held one of them up. "And Frink, I better not see you in any of MY classes."
Frink frowned as he watched Owen walk off. That old feeling came back, the nervousness, the sweat and the insecurity. His first year had been great. He'd met new people and didn't have to worry about his past in high school. But now it had come back to haunt him. Owen had joined the same university and his competition; his rival was back. The relaxing first year was over. It seemed like it was all starting again.

As luck would have it he knew he'd end up with Owen in a class together, and sure enough it happened in Electricity and Magnetism. Frink had been looking forward to taking this and he wouldn't let anyone ruin it for him. The class was huge and in an underground auditorium. Owen sat in the middle left aisle of the room that held 250. "Very well", thought Frink as he watched from the back. He would sit on the right in the very back, or top of the room. The view wasn't so great, but at least he was alone. There were so many students. Frink couldn't believe how many people came to these classes. He always arrived early and one of his favorite things to do was just people watch. A group of guys in the middle chatted about things like the current game that had been on, to the left of him, girls cackled at a silly joke and made plans to go eat at the near by mall after class, others further down asked each other if they thought the class would be hard and if the professor was easy or not. Frink smiled. He could really get into these conversations at times, and he knew people and their lives that never knew him nor had seen him.

Then one day, she entered the room. Frink had never seen her before, a thin girl with auburn hair. She entered from the back of the room, walked right past him and sat down at the very front of the class. A whole week had passed and she must have been one of the ones that registered late. It happened all the time during the first week. People dropped and added constantly. A seat most likely opened up and she was able to get into the class. She had a whole week's worth of material to catch up on. For Frink the world just stopped. He just watched her every move. What was this feeling? Never had he felt this way before, he'd never had an interest in the opposite sex. This was all new to him. Perhaps she would need help catching up. Perhaps he could help her. She was beautiful. The lecture began and the professor started off by asking questions from the last assignment. She was one of the first to raise her hand and answer. Frink rested his chin on his hand and just watched. It didn't seem like she would need help after all. She always answered his questions, what a smart girl. He sighed. This class was even more wonderful than he imagined.

Every class period was the same. She answered all the difficult questions that were presented. Frink took notes and watched silently from the back of the room. He had to talk to her some how. He just had to get up the courage to go down there and sit next to her, or at least near her. It had been weeks since he first saw her and he wanted more than to just watch. Students were slowly coming into the room; it was the start of a new week. Frink stood at the back and looked down on the sloping seats that ended in the demonstration area below. A periodic table hung from one corner, a screen in the center for slides and a map of the world hung from the other. All sorts of mechanical equipment littered the floor and walls from which the professor gave his lecture. More students came in, but not her. He wondered where she was. She was always early, why would today be any different? At last he saw her step through the door and make her way down to her usual seat. He clutched his books hard and with a smile began to make his way down the steps to the front of the room. The view was so different from here; it was like being in another room. He wouldn't sit exactly next to her yet, but behind and to one side. He walked slowly down the center steps and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Owen enter from the right side of the building. He always entered from the left. What was going on? Owen walked down the right side steps quickly, never once looking up and all the way to the front row. Frink's heart sank as he watched him take his seat right next to the thin girl he had been watching for so long.

"Good morning." He said with a smile. "My name is Owen, and yours is?"
"Caroline." She responded eyeing the strange blonde guy who had suddenly sat next to her.
"Well that's a very beautiful name. You're very smart. I thought perhaps we could study together." He continued.
"I'm sure you did." She said still suspicious. Owen cocked his head and realized what she must be thinking.
"Oh, don't think I'm some slacker that just wants to run off of your smarts, my dear. I hold my ground very well when it comes to classes. I figured if you and I put our minds together, we'd be bound to get the top grades in the class and floor everyone here. Wouldn't you like that?"
Frink had enough. He turned around and returned to the back of the room. Lousy Owen, he didn't stand a chance. One look at him and she'd fall for him. He was good looking, smart and out going. No one had even seen Frink before. It was back to that dark corner at the top of the room for him.
"Actually, Owen was it? I prefer to study alone." She said.
"Hum. Well everyone has different study habits, but if you need any help ask me. This stuff's a piece of cake for me."

After class he walked her out into the bright sun. "Caroline, allow me to buy you lunch. We have time between classes to take a break." A smile crept onto her face. Another free meal was staring her in the face and if he wanted to spend money on that she wasn't going to stop him. It was more she would save.
"I'd like that."
Frink stormed out of the classroom. He couldn't believe what he'd seen and heard. Still he wouldn't give up. Something told him to keep trying with this girl. He didn't know what it was, but some how he had to get to know her.

Owen too was developing feelings for Caroline. She was pretty; she was smart and the best; just like him, and he deserved the best. He had to make her his own. Every class period he'd take his seat next to her. They'd compare notes. She tolerated him, but could care less if he was there, though that's not the way Frink saw it. To him they were an item. They always sat together and studied together. Owen was getting tired of games though, and one day outdoors near the class he finally asked her.
"Caroline, there's a dance coming up this weekend and I was wondering if you'd like to go with me. We've been friends long enough, and I'd like to be more." He said lifting her chin up gently so she would look him in the eyes. "I have so much more to offer you, if you'll let me."
Caroline's eyes went wide behind her glasses. What made him think they were friends in the first place, just because she allowed him to sit with her and had accepted lunch from him? What a creep. Frink watched them from a distance. He sat on the hard branch of a large oak tree as a warm breeze weaved through it and whisked through his hair. He had his feet up on the branch, and placed his arms around his knees resting his chin on them sighing. It was over, they were so close and he would witness their first kiss.

"Owen, you move way to fast for my taste. What makes you think we are friends?" Said Caroline with anger in her voice.
"But we always work together. If we aren't friends then what are we?"
"Try acquaintances." She said bluntly.
"Oh, don't be silly now and pass this up." He said grabbing her arm as she tried to step back. "I'm the best guy that's come into your life. You'll not find another like me."
"I should hope not." She added.
"You must come to the dance and be my girl." He said still holding her. Her response was a loud stinging slap to his left cheek that nearly knocked the glasses off his face.
"Zoi!" Yelled Frink as he fell out of the tree, landing in the grass on his back. He hadn't expected that as much as Owen hadn't. Owen held his face and looked to see Caroline walking off. Oh she was a fiery one, and she would be his. She just didn't know it yet.

Frink just sat in the grass as the sun beat down on him. He still couldn't believe what he had seen. He'd been too far away to hear what had happened, but either she never liked him or Owen said something really wrong. He had a chance after all and a huge goofy grin came over him.
"Oh dear, with the heart break and the failure, for you Owen Marsh. For you." He said pointing. He could never say that to him directly but with the advantage of distance it sure felt good to say it now. That day Owen didn't sit next to her and things couldn't have looked better. Once the professor dismissed the class Frink was one of the first out the door since he sat next to the exit. He waited in the distance until he saw her leave the building alone, his rival leaving in the opposite direction. He walked off after her and finally called out to her.
"Uh hey. Hey. Excuse me, young lady, um hey."
Caroline rolled her eyes. What now? She stopped turned around and saw him for the first time. Her jaw dropped slightly and she stared at the brightly colored young man before her. He literally had a smirk from ear to ear. Caroline giggled a little. Frink fidgeted during that moment of silence that seemed to never end. The silence broken at last when she asked with a laugh, "Who are you?"
"Uh, well. My name's John, and I'm in your Electronics and Magnetism class. But you can call me Frink. That's what my friends call me, glayven. Yes anyway, I was absent the other day nah hey and wanted to know if I could borrow…uh copy your notes."
"Sure. I know a nice quiet place were we can write. By the way, my name's Caroline." She said as they walked off together.
"So, what's you're major?" asked Frink.
"Actually I'm double majoring." She said.
"Zoi! So am I. I'm going for physics and chemistry. How about you?"
"Physics and biology."
"Sounds like we could help each other out in our differing classes. Hey where are we anyway?" asked Frink as he noticed they were further and further away from the buildings.
"Don't worry, we're here." She said as she pointed to a bench. Large oaks grew giving off plenty of shade and a babbling brook rolled through. "It's a little out of the way, but few people know of this area and I find it's easier to study out here. Here, these are yesterday's and today's notes." She added as she handed him a thick spiral notebook. Frink couldn't believe what he had done. He hadn't been absent and he had these notes already. He wanted to impress her, tell her she was beautiful, tell her all the things he knew, tell her how he felt, but every time he opened his mouth nothing came out. Even stuttering would have been better than dead silence. He opened her notes and began copying what she had written. Half way through he lifted it up and turned it one way then the other.
"Is something wrong?" She asked. "My hand writing is bad. I know."
"No it's not that." Said Frink perplexed. "What are all these little symbols?"
"What symbols?"
"These little circles." He said pointing at the paper. "I thought I knew all the Greek letters already." Caroline looked at her notes and began to laugh.
"Oh those!! Those aren't circles. They're spirals. I tend to doodle in my notes."
"Spirals? You mean like whirl pools?"
"No, more like black holes."
"Black holes?" This was his chance. He knew loads about black holes. He could really impress her with his knowledge now. "Yeah, black holes are neat." 'ARG!! What was that?!' his mind yelled at him.
"I think they are fascinating. There's so much about them we don't know, and they are so powerful."
"Even light is helpless against them." Added Frink and then noted that she was looking at him intently. "Actually, I've studied them in my spare time and have read several interesting articles. We most likely have a small one at the center of our own galaxy."
"You know, I've got a few things I've written up myself." Said Caroline. "Would you be interested in seeing my notes for that?"
"Why sure!" He said excitedly.
"Alright, I'll bring them next class. Hey speaking of black holes I'm hungry, it's way past lunch time."
"Lunch. Yes, with the ordering and the eating and the finding your seat. Um, hey, let me get lunch for us this time."
She accepted. This time she didn't say yes just to get a free meal. She would actually enjoy this. She seemed to have a lot in common with this guy and wanted to hear more of what he had to say. They sat together at a small round table. She watched him as he explained the life cycle of a massive star, it's incredible release of energy spent all at once in a super nova and it's death as it collapses to infinite density becoming a black hole. He was so energetic, waving his arms around demonstrating what he was describing. His hair flayed around over his face. She really liked his hair, it was a very unique color of brown, hinging on green and flowed nicely down the sides of his head. He was exhausted after his explanation and she was just taken by it.
"Wow, John. You made that really easy to understand."
"I did?" he asked.
"Yes, I think you'd make a good professor."
"Really? I hadn't thought about that."
"Hum, well may-be you should." She looked at her watch. "Oh, I gotta run, I've got class now. Thanks for the lunch and I'll bring those notes next time."
Frink placed his elbow on the table and leaned his head on his hand. She was like an angel leaving, and he just stared as she floated away. What he hadn't noticed was that he'd placed his elbow on a napkin, and his arm slid out from under him, slamming his forehead onto the wooden table with a loud BASH!
"Ow, pain in the glayven."

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