Timing
Back with another PB and J one shot, hopefully this one will be a little longer and better. I decided to write this on a whim, barely planned it out, so I have absolutely no idea where this is going. I guess you could say this is my second fic like this. If you're a Monica and Chandler fan, go check out "Going to Happen." This will kind of be like that, I guess. Okay, then. Read on. And go vote in my poll, please!
The first time Pam decided she was "in love" with a boy, she was nine years old.
His name was Sterling Samuels and in Pam's eyes, he was just perfect.
He wasn't really a jock, but he could sink a layup and throw a football with ease if needed. The boy liked to read and was always cheerful and friendly. He was the only person in class that would volunteer to work with Johnathan Hendricks on a project, with that nasty rumor floating around.
All in all, Sterling was kind, talented and the most wonderful nine-year-old boy Pam had ever met. He was handsome too; deep blue eyes peeking out underneath a mop of light blond, almost white, hair.
Pam loved him for the last half of third grade and the first, maybe, quarter of fourth.
That was when, at age ten, Sterling could already be seen downing mouthfuls of crack with sips of whiskey in the shadowy back corner of the parking lot. Seriously. Age ten.
Pam's love for him dwindled quickly and she had to stop telling Penny she had a crush on a boy to get her off her back.
Her first actual boyfriend was a guy named Theodore, someone that she started dating in the summer after seventh grade and continued being with him for the majority of eighth grade.
Theodore was shy, just like Pam, (probably even more shy) liked playing video games and was a straight B student with the occasional A or C. He mainly talked in mutters but always saved a smile for her. He wasn't as perfect as Sterling used to be, but he was still a good guy.
Their relationship ended on March 15th, the evening of the Eighth Grade Spring Dance, an event that had been plastered over colorful flyers and posters for close to a month. Theodore had called the night before, claiming he had a family emergency.
One of Pam's best friends forced her to go to the dance anyway, where she saw her so-called boyfriend in the middle of the room, dancing very closely with his ex-girlfriend.
And that was the end of that.
After the Theodore incident, Pam's love life was put on hold, trying her best to not fall in love with anyone, as she apparently had the worst taste in men.
This worked well enough until the first day of junior year.
Pam was attempting to go unnoticed the entire walk to Mr. Birdman's chemistry class, when she slammed right into one of the football jocks. The boy managed to catch himself and adjusted his backpack so it wouldn't slip. Pam, on the other hand, spilled all of her second-hand textbooks on the tiled floor, instantly going to her hands and knees to pick them back up.
He stared down at her for a second before sighing and kneeling beside her, helping her scoop up the books.
"Thanks," Pam mumbled as the jock handed her her copy of 'Algebra 5.' She vaguely recognized him from the table in the very center of the cafeteria, laughing and throwing around whatever they had available. "Roy, right?"
"Uh, yeah," he replied, nodding.
What followed was a few well-placed compliments, an invitation to sit with the football boys at lunch, (an hour of being constantly shoved into the corner) an absolutely horrible first date, and Pam Beesly was officially in a relationship with Roy Anderson.
Sure, he could be rude and insensitive, sometimes ignored her, (unless he needed answers to homework questions) but she was happy. (Sometimes.) She always had immunity from bullies, as did her closest friends. Roy could even be pretty sweet on occasion.
They dated up until graduation, when they broke up for a solid thirty-six hours. Pam had brought up the matter that both of them wanted to go different ways in their careers and lives in general. The break-up was quick and painless and Roy called back later, begging her to come back, a request she had instantly taken up.
Three years later, he proposed to her in the middle of a crowded party Pam had not wanted to go to, but eventually did anyway.
It wasn't the perfect proposal, they were both crammed in by the snack table, but that was just fine. She definitely didn't need perfect to be happy.
At the time, Roy had a job as a warehouse worker and he happened to mention there was a receptionist position open at one of the offices where they sold paper.
The workers were a bit strange, but the job seemed altogether alright and simple.
Pam's first day at work, the dark-haired salesman came up to the reception desk with a warning about the mixed berry yogurt she was about to eat.
"Oh, and you might want to exit the room in-," he checked his watch, "sixteen minutes."
Pam narrowed her eyes teasingly at him. "Why?"
He shrugged. "Dwight tends to get a little, ah, overdramatic when his stapler somehow gets put into Jell-O. Weird, huh?"
That got her laughing for the first time in a couple days and she replied, "Very impressive, Sir Jim."
The pair was still giggling a minute later when Roy came into the office, raising his eyebrows at Pam. "Hey, babe. Ready to go to lunch?"
"Oh! Right! Um, let's go." Glancing back at Jim, she said, "Jim, this is my fiancée Roy."
"Right, of course," Jim said nodding. "See you guys after lunch." He scooted back to his own desk from reception.
"Who was that?" Roy asked, glaring in the direction of Sales, steering Pam towards the door. "I don't like him."
Pam followed his eyeline to where Jim was still discreetly eyeing Dwight. "Jim is a, uh, a friend."
Even so, she kept her gaze on Sales the entire way out the door.
Hope this wasn't too terrible. It took me quite a while to write, even though this wasn't even very long. Still trying to write an actual Office story. Please go vote in my poll!
