Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story that are part of the show (such as Holly, Melinda, Jim, etc) but I do own any characters that are not a part of the show.

Thanks to all those reviewers out there, I really appreciate it, I love you guys and sorry for the lack of updating, I'll be updating more now once school starts and stuff as well, so enjoy :)

November 12, 2001 (10:00 am)-Well, in the span of the one hour that I've been home from class, I feel like I've accomplished a lot more than I did by going to class. I told Holly about my date with Jim last night while we walked home-complete with squeals, giggles (from both of us), and according to her, MAJOR swooning on my part, which I don't agree with . . . I didn't swoon!-, then I came home, put my books on my desk, showered, got dressed, made breakfast, and anticipated whether Jim is going to call me soon or not. That seems pretty productive to me.

Now I'm bored. I don't have to work for Dr. Deangelo today, it's my day off and the other secretary is coming in. Although, I may be called in to replace her like I sometimes am, she seems to have a lot of emergencies. Like three weeks ago, she claimed that she couldn't take calls and book appointments because she'd broken a nail and she needed to go and get a manicure quickly before (heaven forbid) people noticed. I know that the only reason Dr. Deangelo doesn't fire her is because he's head over heals for her, like she is for him. Although I really can't understand why. I mean, she uses so much God damn hairspray in that poodle on top of her head that one flick of a lighter would turn the thing into a ball of fire. And GOD! Her perfume smells like a mixture between an old guy's sweaty armpits and old musty moth balls. I don't even think it's perfume, I think it's just her natural odour that radiates off of her to make everyone suffer a little more when they walk past her. She's always giving me the evil eye, like she thinks that I'm going to make a move on Dr. Deangelo...not even if someone paid me.

No shift at the Hi-Fi either, though I might call in to offer to take on one if my afternoon gets dull enough. I tried working on this paper that's due in a few weeks that Kabasko assigned today, but I couldn't. I took one look at the empty page in front of me and almost fell asleep. I hate that he's the only prof. for that course...I had him last year-the last semester- and I have him this year, first semester. Back to back semesters with that prof. is enough to kill someone! Ahh! But at least, I'm done in April.

I mean, school's been weird for me. I mean, first, I went to the university in Hamilton with Alexis, then I dropped out. I just wanted to get away from everything so I moved away to Seattle, where no one knew me, and I could start fresh. I went to school there for one year , meeting Kyle my first day of classes. Then, after Kyle and I broke up, I couldn't bear to be at the same school with him, so luckily, my program offered a transfer to NYU. I immediately took this without hesitation. I didn't want my school in Seattle to turn into Hamilton University all over again in case Kyle told anyone. I mean, I'd left probably a million messages for Kyle but he never answered or called me back. So once I got to NYU, I met Holly and we've been best friends ever since. So at least I didn't have to restart my three year program from Seattle. I just had to finish my last two years here in New York. And maybe things will be better here I mean, I'm almost graduated...almost. Well in April I'll be done-YAY! No more school!

Things have seemed to look up for me at least a little since I've been here, I mean, I've got Holly and a few other close friends, and two really great jobs, and I'm happy. And there is Jim...Jim, God, I just love the way his name makes me smile, and how thinking about him makes my heart beat a kind of funny rhythm. I mean, I know we've only been on two dates, but I really feel happy when I'm around him. I mean like, it's been a long time since I've felt this way about someone...about a guy. It's strange. I mean, with Kyle, sure we had fun and we were together for a long time, but Jim and I...we have like this connection that I can't even begin to explain, or understand for that matter. And maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, like maybe Jim didn't feel anything, maybe I'm just setting my hopes too high, but maybe not. What if he did feel something? I hope so...God, I really hope so.

I know this sounds really sappy and I've never really known myself to be a very 'OH MY GOD, I HAVE A BOYFRIEND!!!!' type of girl, I mean, I've always thought of myself as very independent, not someone people want to be around. But maybe I'm wrong. I know that I'm not a very good at trusting people and I have my reasons for that but maybe I'm just so used to being around people who I don't trust and who I keep myself closed off from, that I've grown to believe that I have to be like that with everyone I meet. I didn't tell Kyle about my gift until we'd been dating for a year and that whole thing with Alexis just broke my ability to trust people for so long.

I was used to keeping to myself with people, to not let them in to much or else they might hurt me. But I remember the day I met Holly (It was the day that I was getting a tour of NYU) I'd asked her for directions to some place and then she'd been in a few of my classes too. I mean, I haven't really known her for that long, but it feels like I've known her forever. She's just so spontaneous and does whatever comes to her mind. She's so different from the people I'm used to being friends with. She's so outspoken and just insane half the time but I love her.

Oh, I just checked my answering machine and I have a message. I forgot that I have the ringer off. Maybe it's from Jim...fingers crossed!

. . .

The message was from Jim.

"Hey, Melinda...I hope this is the right Melinda...if it's not I'm sorry for bothering you, and even if it is the right Melinda, I'm sorry for how stupid this message sounds. I know you gave me your cell number but I lost it...I can never find anything, it's never where I remember putting it. Anyways, I had to look up your number in the phone book so that I could call you. Sorry for my constant rambling, sometimes I just don't know when to stop talking.

I had a really great time with you last night, and I hope that you can say the same. I've been thinking about you all day, and I know that that sound somewhat stalkerish, but I don't mean it in that sense. I'd really like to see you again today, if you're not busy. So, call me. My number's Mel."

I played the message twice, just because it was so sweet. And another thing I noticed about him was that occasionally he calls me 'Mel'. No one's called me Mel in a really long time, not even Holly, it's always Melinda. My dad used to call me Mel sometimes, that's why it feels weird when he calls me that. Not that it's weird in a bad way, it's just that I'm not used to it. I like that he calls me that, it's nice and I like the way it sounds when he says it. I'm gonna call him back, I miss him already.

...

Okay, what is wrong with me? I called Jim, and just like last night on our date, I got all shy and nervous and it was just talking on the phone! When I called him, his phone rang a few times, then he answered.

"Hello?" he said into the phone, finally picking up, even though the phone only rang like three times, it felt like forever to me.

"Hey, Jim. It's Melinda," I said in a kind of quiet voice.

"Oh, hey, you got my message?" he sounded kind of embarrassed.

"Yeah, sorry, I didn't realize that my phone ringer was off." I laughed nervously.

"Oh, it's no problem. So, you busy today?" he seemed eager.

"Nope, I'm free, I got out of class a while ago, and that's the only thing I had to do today." I replied, I wonder if he could tell that I was smiling through the phone.

"Good, so I'll pick you up, or what do you want to do?"

"Well, just give me your address and I'll drive over to your place. It's not fair that you should be the only one driving the half an hour distance so that we can go out." I said, feeling bad that last night he'd driven a half hour just to come and ask me out.

"Well, if you're sure..."

"I'm positive, it's no problem." I said.

Once he gave me his address, he said "So I'll see you soon?"

"I'll be there in like an hour...if that's okay, I take forever to get ready."

He laughed. "Yeah, that's fine. I'll see you then, bye Melinda,"

"Bye," I said, sad to have to stop talking to him.

We hung up and now I have to go and get ready or else he'll be waiting all day.

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