"Kirby, are you going to stare at that yearbook all night?" Kevin asked.

Startled, Kirby looked up. "What?"
Kevin laughed. "You're obsessed, man! When are you going to give it up?"
"Give what up?"

"This fixation with Dale... whatever her name is."
"Bieberman." Kirby corrected.

"Yeah her. What's the big deal?"
Kirby looked at his roommate, incredulous. "Are you crazy? Do you really have to ask?"

"Well, I just don't get it." Kevin said. "I mean, you follow her everywhere, and call her every chance you get. It's like ever since you saw her at the hospital that night, you're addicted to her or something. It's freaking me out to be honest. Has she even called you back once?"

"Dale's a doctor and she's very busy. She'll call back... eventually." Kirby said, wanting the statement to be true, but knowing deep inside that it was just a crazy dream.

Kevin scoffed. "Yeah, she'll call you back. When hell freezes over."
"You're just jealous, my friend."
"Jealous? Right. Why would I be jealous of you?"

"I don't know, Kevin. You tell me." Kirby said as a small surge of anger came over him. "You know, ever since Leslie dumped you, you've been a real pain. When are you just going to let her go?"

"She didn't dump me!" Kevin said defensively. "She just needed some space."

"Space my ass." Kirby said with a laugh.
Kevin rose from his chair. "Look, what Leslie and I had... it was just..."
"Pathetic." Kirby finished. "You know, Alec told me all about your night of passion and how he walked in on you."

"Well, at least I had a night of passion. What did you and Dale have? One lame date in college and that kiss at her cabin while her boyfriend was inside getting the camera? I mean, what the hell is that?" Kevin asked.

Kirby clenched his fist in anger. Damn Kevin for bringing up the greatest moment in Kirby's life.

All right, he admitted it. He was obsessed with Dale Bieberman. Who could blame him? She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen; long, wavy hair, gorgeous smile. Kirby realized that he'd been so engrossed in thoughts of her that he hadn't noticed that Kevin had left the room.

With a shrug, he returned his attention to the Georgetown University yearbook, flipping through the pages until he came to page 452. The page number was completely worn away from repeated reading. His eyes scanned the pictures of the Georgetown Senior class, stopping at the second picture, third row.

God she was beautiful...

His heart seemed to expand in his chest as he stared at her image. Tenderly he rubbed the picture with his thumb, as though doing so would magically bring it to life.

Kevin was right; he really was pathetic; pining away for a woman who only thought of him as an obsessed kid who was still light years away from becoming a lawyer. He and Dale were from completely different worlds that would never collide. She was a doctor, but what was he? A lovesick obsessed lawyer wanna-be who was stuck in a job as a waiter.

When he graduated from Georgetown last year, he had dreams. Big dreams. He was going to be a corporate lawyer with a beautiful wife and children, on his way to something even bigger.

But so far, he was barely making it through law school.

Graduating from Georgetown was supposed to mean freedom; the feeling that he had finally succeeded. Instead he'd ended up pretty much back where he started. Only this time, the classes were a lot harder, which only pushed his dreams further and further away.

He sighed, thinking about the mess he'd made of his life. Dale was probably better off without him.