The rest of the weekend passed uneventfully. Blake spent the majority of her time drafting outlines for her two uninspired capstone topics. The further she got into each one, however, the more she understood Dean Caldwell's lack of excitement - they weren't exciting ideas. At least, not to her, and probably not to the graders tasked with reading a hundred similar reports.
Regardless, her carefully crafted schedule demanded a completed outline by the end of the weekend, so she completed an outline even though she didn't want to go much further than that. At this point, she was either falling behind or wasting her time, neither of which she wanted to do so early in the semester.
While struggling through that thankless work, her thoughts drifted to Yang often. The two of them hadn't spoken since the party, which she interpreted as evidence that the initial rush of excitement had already worn off.
Maybe Yang thought she was boring, a fair assessment considering their vastly different social lives. Or maybe Yang had many short, shallow friendships like this - someone to spend a few days with before moving on to someone new. That was one way to build a vast social network, which was undoubtedly important when it came to the realm of popularity.
Blake wasn't offended by the silence, but she was confused and even a little disappointed. They got along well. They had a lot to talk about. They laughed often, and it seemed like they both had a good time, but maybe Yang didn't feel the same way.
Whenever those thoughts cropped up, Blake reminded herself of how different their lives were. Yang was the center of her own universe, while Blake...well, she was more of a free-shooting star, not a member of any orbit. That fit her lifestyle better - she had too much work on her plate to worry about maintaining a social calendar on top of her academic one.
After she graduated - after she got the internship - she could worry about having a social life. Until then, she had Sun to hang out with.
Not that she saw Sun much anymore. He spent the entire weekend out of the apartment - at least, that was how it felt when Blake didn't see him even once. Based on his current interests, he and his friends were either out chasing girls or causing trouble.
Blake would find out exactly what he'd been up to when they met for lunch, but first she had to drop off a paper for Dean Caldwell. Even though he was well aware that his students had a massive undertaking to complete by the end of the semester, he had no problem assigning a research report to be completed within the first few days of class.
Her classmates had grumbled, but Blake tried to take it all in stride. They'd signed up for hard work, and they were working towards even more hard work. If they weren't willing to put in the effort now...well, that was probably why she led the class instead of them.
Upon entering the Dean's office, which was silent and still regardless of the students waiting, Blake straightened her posture and avoided eye contact. Instead, she looked at her bag and pulled out the paper she'd printed that morning.
A tray sat on the corner of the desk in the lobby. Near the tray was a small sign reading 'completed assignments here,' yet it was always as empty as the rest of the desk. Theoretically, Blake could leave her finished assignment there, but she wouldn't. Instead, she would wait for the Dean to finish his meeting and hand it over in person.
As a group, she and her classmates trusted each other so little that they refused to leave their completed assignments unattended in each other's presence. If one of them was so foolish, who knew what the other students in the lobby might do. Rip it up and throw it away?
"Have you picked your topic yet?"
After a few seconds of silence, Blake realized the question had been directed to her.
"Excuse me?"
"Have you picked your topic yet?" the boy repeated before nodding at the paper in her hands.
"Oh." Surprised that someone actually started a conversation, she looked at her report for a little longer than necessary before meeting his gaze. "This is our assignment, actually."
"Does that mean you haven't?" he pressed.
Blake frowned at his persistence. The rest of the room listened intently now, obvious from the way everyone's movements stilled in anticipation of her response.
"I have," she lied, glancing at the others out of the corner of her eye before attempting a smile. "Have you?"
"Already had my outline approved. I'm ten pages in."
At first, Blake wasn't sure how she wanted to respond. He was either bragging or trying to make her feel like she was falling behind. Regardless of which was correct, she had no interest in partaking in such a petty conversation.
"Good for you," she replied with a fake smile before, thankfully, noticing Dean Caldwell's door open. "If you'll excuse me."
Without waiting for his response, she walked over to the professor and extended her report. "Here you go, Professor," she said with a real smile as he accepted the pages from her.
"Ah, thank you, Blake." Holding the report in one hand, he casually tapped it against the palm of his other and gave her a thoughtful look. "Should I expect your final topic sometime soon?"
As soon as he asked the question, which the rest of the room undoubtedly overheard, Blake stiffened and felt her smile grow much more strained.
"I'll have it to you tomorrow," she promised even though she was nowhere close to making a decision. Accepting his nod as permission to go, she left the office with her eyes trained straight forward. She didn't need to look at her classmates to know that they had some measure of amusement or self-satisfaction on their faces.
She hadn't picked a subject - that didn't mean she didn't have ideas. She was just having a difficult time deciding which of those ideas to pursue. Her choice could determine the direction of her career. It was a big decision, not one to be taken lightly. Her classmates understood that but relished any moment when she, personally, took longer than the rest of the class.
Walking away from the scene of her most recent embarrassment, she shook her head and realized that she had to pick her topic tonight. No matter what, the subject of her capstone report would be finalized by the end of the day. She would stay in the library all night if she had to.
But first, Sun expected her to show up for lunch. Canceling and getting straight to work seemed like the obvious solution, but...she had to eat eventually. And, if she ate now, she could fulfill her friend duties at the same time.
So, rather than immediately sequester herself, she hurried to The Patio and discovered that the lunch rush had already begun. Fortunately, Sun was already there and had commandeered one of the small tables bordering the walkway.
"Hey," she said while sitting across from him.
"Hey!" His big smile suggested they hadn't seen each other in ages, but she was more interested in the tray he pushed to her. "Got your favorite."
Her 'favorite' being a tuna fish sandwich, which she accepted with a grateful smile.
"Thank you."
"No problem. The line's pretty long." He gestured towards the interior of the restaurant, where a long line of students waited to place their orders.
"Still," she replied while unwrapping the sandwich. "Thanks."
"You can thank me by telling me where you were all weekend," he replied while picking up the second half of his own sandwich. "Did you disappear into a book or something?"
"Me? You're the one who was gone all weekend -"
"But you were gone too," he pointed out.
"I was...busy."
"Uh huh...with what? Reorganizing your bookcase?"
While Sun laughed at his joke, Blake rolled her eyes and took a bite to eat. The one time she reorganized her bookcase, she made the mistake of telling him. Now, he refused to let her live it down. Today, however, she had an answer guaranteed to catch his attention.
"If you must know, I had plans with Yang."
That stopped him in his tracks.
"Wait -" Suddenly bursting with energy, he nearly jumped out of his seat. "No freaking way. Seriously? Are you lying? Are you lying to me right now?"
"I'm not." A tiny voice at the back of her mind added 'this time,' but she ignored it when Sun let out a loud 'whoop' of delight. "Don't get too excited," she quickly added. "It probably won't happen again."
"Right. Because normally you hook up with someone, make weekend plans with them, and then split up." He shook his head at the response, clearly not believing it even though it sounded plausible to her.
"She only needed company for an event," she explained, trying to convince herself just as much as Sun. "Her sister didn't want to go, and I happened to be free - it was an opportunity of convenience."
"You voluntarily went? Or she dragged you kicking and screaming from the apartment?"
When Blake gave Sun an unamused look, he laughed.
"I'm not that bad."
"Yeah, you are. Especially if there's a party involved - was it a party?"
Pursing her lips at the question, Blake knew she couldn't lie. Not that it mattered when Sun took her expression as an admission of the truth.
"That's even better!" he said with another delighted laugh. "You willingly went to a party with her - when's the wedding?"
"Sun."
"Just saying…"
Fortunately, he took a big bite of his sandwich rather than continue that train of thought. Not that he needed to say anything more. She was already well aware that she'd stepped outside of her customary boundaries for Yang. But, of all people, he understood that Yang was an exception. Of course, he only considered Yang to be an exception because she was 'hot,' while Blake was most drawn to Yang's sweet and endearing personality.
But Yang was a contradiction. Her words and actions with Blake felt genuine and sincere, yet there were several instances with others where she clearly put on a facade. Did those people not see it? Or did they not care so long as Yang did what they wanted?
"Oh my god - hot girls incoming."
Pulled from her thoughts, Blake easily spotted the group of girls walking out of the main class hall. Instead of moving out of the doorway like most normal, considerate people would do, they stood right in front of the door so everyone else had to go around them. Before Blake rolled her eyes, however, a glimpse of blonde hair drew her attention.
Yang always shone brighter than those around her, but today...today, Blake's heart clenched just seeing the glimmer of light nearby.
"There's your betrothed," Sun joked when the group finally moved away from the door.
"Shut up," Blake replied without glancing his way.
Yang must have sensed the attention because she caught Blake's gaze not a second later. Manners told Blake that she should turn away, but then Yang smiled and waved.
"Holy shit," Sun breathed out while Blake returned the wave. "Did she just wave at us? She just waved at us!"
"Sure, Sun. 'Us.'"
When one of the other girls caught Yang's attention, Blake forced herself back to her lunch and snuck glances at the group out of the corner of her eye. They still looked unapproachable, but she felt much differently about it today.
Watching Yang's interactions more closely, she found hints of the same friendliness and affable demeanor she'd come to adore so much. Yang was approachable, but the group was not. Blake had missed that before, but now she couldn't unsee it.
"You should go talk to her," Sun whispered, but she shook her head.
"She's obviously busy."
"And surrounded by the hottest girls in school," he added. "But you can talk to her - you have an in!"
"I don't think a wave is an 'in' with that group."
"What if it wasn't a wave?" he argued. "What if it was, like, motioning you over?" In an effort to prove his point, he tried to make a wave look as much like a beckon as possible. When it didn't even come close, he dropped his hands and shook his head. "You should still go talk to her! Obviously, she wants to talk to you."
"A wave isn't wanting to talk to someone. It's a gesture of acknowledgment."
"She acknowledged you!" he crowed, leaning all the way back in his seat in delight. "This is the best day ever." When he glanced over and noticed Yang break away from the group, he spun around with wide eyes. "Shh, she's coming over!"
After giving Sun an amused look, Blake locked eyes with Yang and felt her skin tingle with excitement. Yang was walking over - her path set and her gaze fixed on Blake while leaving the sorority girls behind.
Even the way Yang walked, with a slight sway in her hips, added to her charm and magnetism. Everything Blake wondered over the past day - about whether or not Yang wanted to see her again - flew out the window the closer they were to being together again. She nearly stood up just to meet Yang halfway, but somehow kept herself at the table and let Yang walk over instead.
"Hey Blake," Yang said with a warm smile that reflected in her eyes. If Blake hadn't already been smiling, she would have then as her heart filled with similar warmth.
"Hey," she replied, trying to remain calm and collected while also being extremely aware of Sun looking between them.
"I just wanted to say thanks again for coming with me this weekend. I had a really great time."
"Me too."
Sun was staring, but it was impossible to turn away from Yang's smile. Only when he subtly cleared his throat did Blake decide it was a little rude to completely ignore him.
"This is my roommate, Sun," she said while motioning at him. He threw on a huge smile when Yang looked his way.
"So you're the roommate," Yang replied while extending her hand. "It's nice to meet you."
"You know who I am?" was Sun's thrilled response as he shook Yang's hand and sent Blake an excited grin.
"Blake's mentioned you."
"In a good way, right?"
"Of course," Yang replied with a winning smile. "Your hair looks great, by the way."
Sun beamed at the compliment, and Yang sent Blake a wink that brought a smile to her lips. He would take even longer doing his hair now, all under the guise of 'but Yang said it looks great.' But Yang also just made his day, possibly his year, which was very sweet of her.
"What'd you get?" Yang asked, nodding to Blake's sandwich.
"Tuna fish." When Blake held up half of her sandwich for Yang to see, she noticed the way Yang nodded - not a dismissive, 'didn't really care' type of nod. More like a 'making a mental note' type of nod.
"I got the BLT," Sun piped in. That was when Blake got to see what Yang's 'not very interested' nod looked like.
"Their BLT's are good," Yang replied, though her eyes never left Blake while offering the comment. It still made Sun's day, as evidenced by the way he looked at his sandwich with pride.
"What about you?" Blake asked, realizing she had just as much interest in Yang's favorites as Yang had shown in hers. "What do you normally get?"
"Oh, I don't eat."
As soon as Yang nonchalantly waved her hand, Blake knew it was a joke. Sun, however, stared.
"You...don't...eat?"
"Naw. I just like to smell the food."
While Sun continued to stare in open-mouthed surprise, Blake laughed.
"A cheeseburger?" she guessed, and Yang snapped her fingers.
"Now you're speaking my language!"
When the two of them laughed, Sun finally caught on and added a chuckle of his own.
"But I normally get one of the turkey clubs or a salad," Yang added before tapping her chin. "And one of these days I want to try one of their milkshakes."
"Oh, the milkshakes are so good," Sun agreed. "If you get an extra large, they'll split it into two cups for you!"
"So you can share?"
"Uh, no...so you just...have two cups…"
For a second, Yang looked like she didn't know how to respond to that. Then she laughed, and Blake's heart fluttered.
"I'm going to do that someday," Yang said while gesturing at Sun. "I'm ordering an extra large and finishing it by myself."
"Sounds like a good goal," Blake added. When the comment drew Yang's attention again, her pulse stuttered at their close proximity. Part of her wished that Yang would sit down and join them, even though Sun was guaranteed to say something embarrassing.
That wish disappeared when the group of sorority girls walked across the patio. Many of them openly stared - or glared - while they passed, but one of them - the girl with dark, auburn curls that Blake had come to recognize as the leader - walked right over.
"Hey Yang." With a friendly smile and flirty voice, the girl seemed to be on good terms with Yang. At least, that was the implication made when she set her hand on Yang's arm and gently turned her away from the table. "Have lunch with me."
Blake instantly recognized the tone - this was the girl she overheard on the phone the other day, who just so happened to be the same girl always placing herself at Yang's side.
"Oh, uh -" When Yang glanced at Blake, the girl's attention also moved Blake's way. Her green eyes flashed with annoyance and her smile tilted with a frown, but the expression was gone just as fast as it appeared.
"You promised," she added, somehow maintaining that light, airy tone without her obvious frustration showing through. Adding to her implore, she grabbed Yang's hands and tried tugging her away from the conversation.
"Um, sure," Yang finally agreed, biting her lip and looking at the ground before finally meeting Blake's gaze. Still, she made no motion to walk away. Instead, she pulled her hands free and asked, "Blake, do you know Mel?"
"No, I don't believe we've ever met." Blake looked up at the girl and extended her hand. "Nice to meet you, Mel."
"Melissa," the girl corrected, forcing a fake smile and limply shaking Blake's hand. "Now if you'll excuse us..." She tugged at Yang's hand again, but Yang looked at Blake.
"I'll see you later," Blake said with a wave, realizing Yang wouldn't leave without permission. When disappointment flashed through Yang's eyes, however, she realized she misread the situation.
"Oh, ok, yeah. Talk to you later."
Yang gave one last smile before walking away with Melissa, but she pulled her hand free after only a couple steps. Blake, meanwhile, felt horrible and disappointed.
Had Yang wanted Blake to invite her to have lunch with them instead? Would Yang have agreed to that? Blake would have preferred it to this disappointed feeling, but did she really want to get into a game of tug-of-war with a sorority girl? That sounded horrible, and she hated the idea of treating Yang like some prize to be fought over.
"Ok, so that girl's like...a total bitch, but still really hot."
Blake rolled her eyes at Sun's comment, but at least she wasn't the only one who immediately saw through Melissa's front.
"I only agree with half of that," she muttered while wrapping up the uneaten part of her sandwich. Once done, she slipped it into her bag and glanced towards the cash register inside. The group of girls crowded near the front now, ordering or waiting for their food to be prepared. Melissa was still glued to Yang's elbow, which Blake found frustrating and aggravating in a deeply-rooted way.
"Yang's so into you though."
Abruptly pulled from her annoyance, Blake stared at him.
"What?"
"She's so into you!" Sun repeated. "Didn't you notice the way she looked at you?"
Blake couldn't say she had, but it was hard to notice much when she was so drawn into the rush of emotions Yang brought out in her.
"Why didn't you invite her to lunch or something?" Sun added, and she sighed.
"Do you want me to get into a fight with a sorority girl?" As soon as she asked, she shook her head and stood up. "Don't answer that."
"Uh, hell yes," he said while scrambling after her. "But a fight with words wouldn't be fair - you'd beat her for sure. How about a wrestling match? And don't mind me if I accidentally spill some pudding around the two of you."
"You're such a boy sometimes..." Blake muttered, but he just laughed and followed her away from The Patio.
"Just trying to live out my fantasies! Also, even though I'm not even in the same orbit as Yang, think you can convince her to make out with me?"
Rolling her eyes at the question, which she sincerely hoped was a joke, she lightly shoved him towards his classroom before walking the other way.
"I'm going to the library."
"At least think about it!" he called after her, but she waved over her shoulder and headed to her favorite library.
Lunch had been more eventful than expected but, now that the distraction was over, she had to buckle in and decide on a capstone topic. Her favorite chair should help, which she happily claimed before spreading out her materials to start working. Sun's parting comment, however, wouldn't leave her mind.
He said that he wasn't in Yang's orbit - a common colloquialism, but it stuck in Blake's thoughts. Maybe because it corresponded with her own feelings that Yang shone like the sun, along with everyone's insistence that she was hotter than the sun.
What if Yang was the sun? Not in a literal sense, but in a metaphorical sense.
Opening a notebook, Blake wrote Yang's name in the center of a blank page and circled it. Then she stared at the image while working through the idea forming in her mind.
Yang was the sun - why? Status, success, popularity. All of those reasons and more put her in the center of her social circle, where onlookers and hangers-on tripped over themselves trying to get closer to her.
Continuing with the galaxy theme, Yang's friends and family could be considered planets - part of her orbit - with different groups occupying different rings. Those closest to her held the highest status and, therefore, closest proximity to the sun's rays.
Around Yang's name, Blake drew concentric circles symbolizing another ring, level, or orbit. Once done, she leaned back and stared at what she'd created. It was an idea. Not just any idea - this one piqued her interest. It held her attention. And, best of all, she couldn't remember reading a single capstone touching on the subject.
Across the top of the page, she wrote 'what celebrities and suns have in common' before setting down her pen and thinking through the words. An analysis of popularity and social spheres. Celebrity and how it impacts those at the center as well as those at each level or ring. The benefits and drawbacks of proximity to a shining star. It was, essentially, a study on Yang's life and those who lived in it.
With Yang featuring heavily in her mind, Blake grabbed her pen and flipped the page. Now that she had a legitimate topic, the ideas flowed so fast she could hardly write them down before more appeared. An outline and organization could come later - right now, she wrote every thought she had and would see where it led her.
But she was excited. This was the type of idea she'd hoped for. It was the idea she'd searched for. Of course Yang inspired it.
Four pages of notes, observations, ideas, and potential arguments later, her attention was only drawn away when the library door opened and the sun walked inside. Her heart jumped at the sight of Yang, who quickly spotted her and walked over with a smile. Unlike the other day, Yang looked far more assured and confident when sitting across from Blake, though a hint of her hesitance remained.
"Hey," she said, her opening line soft but her smile growing when Blake smiled in return.
"Hey." Flipping her notebook shut and setting it aside, she gave Yang her full attention. "Wasn't expecting to see you here."
"I was hoping to see you here." The honest response set more butterflies free in Blake's chest. They flapped their wings harder when Yang blew a quick breath through her lips before continuing. "I'm sorry about Mel. She can be - uh, well, she can be a little…"
"Demanding?" Blake offered, though she didn't really see it that way. What that girl just showed was possession and jealousy of anything and everything that had to do with Yang.
"Yes," Yang agreed. "And...yeah, she's just...she's difficult. I had promised her lunch though, which I probably shouldn't do, but it's just...hard sometimes."
Already very familiar with Yang's people-pleasing personality and the situations it led to, Blake waved off the apology she hadn't needed to begin with.
"I don't mind. It's not as if we had plans."
The response was the truth but, for some reason, Yang cringed upon hearing it.
"Uh, yeah...I'm also sorry I didn't text you yesterday. I wanted to, but then I...uh…" For a moment, Yang grappled with the word she wanted to say next. Eventually, she shook her head and sighed.
"I over-thought it," she concluded, but hardly gave Blake an opportunity to absorb that admission before hurrying on. "But I wanted to ask something, and I know I could've just texted you, but I...thought in person was better. Plus, I just wanted to - um, yeah, in person is just better."
The adorable, heart-melting rambling was enough to make Blake smile, and that was before Yang partially admitted wanting to see her. It felt like that's what Yang almost said before changing her mind. Or maybe Blake was just projecting her own feelings.
"Ok," she said while sitting forward. Nerves appeared in her chest, but she nodded for Yang to continue.
"Are you busy tomorrow?"
Blake's butterflies doubled, as did her disbelief that Yang again sought her out. After the last time…she'd convinced herself that Yang wasn't interested anymore. But apparently Yang had wanted to text her, and wanted to see her...now wanted to spend time with her again?
"I'm not," Blake replied. "I have projects to work on," she elaborated while motioning to her notebook. "But those can wait."
She heard Sun's gasp in her head but shoved his surprise away in favor of enjoying Yang's relieved, excited expression.
"Ok, so there's this sorority fundraiser tomorrow..."
"Another event you don't want to attend?" Blake asked, and Yang smiled sheepishly.
"Yeah, kind of...but I was thinking - it'd be a lot more fun if you were there."
Even if Blake hadn't just thought of a capstone topic that had everything to do with Yang, she would have said 'yes.' Even if the invitation didn't sound like something out of Sun's fantasies, she would have said 'yes.'
"That doesn't sound like something I'd normally enjoy," she answered honestly, and immediately felt bad when disappointment flickered through Yang's eyes. Before Yang rescinded the invitation, however, Blake added, "But I'm sure it will be fun with you."
Yang's smile immediately rewarded the acceptance, and Blake was already looking forward to tomorrow. Who would have thought she'd ever look forward to a sorority fundraiser?
"I promise I'll make it fun. If not, I'll owe you big time."
"I don't mind the sound of that," Blake teased. For a second, Yang looked taken aback by the response, then she blushed and looked at the clock. Once she saw the time, she sighed.
"Shoot, I have to get to class." With an apologetic smile, Yang grabbed her bag and stood up. "Meet at eleven tomorrow in front of Kappa house?"
"I'll be there."
"Great. I can't wait."
Still smiling, Yang backed towards the door.
"Oh," Blake added before Yang left. "You can text me whenever you want, you know. I don't mind."
With blanket permission granted, Yang looked even happier and nodded before turning away. She hardly took two steps before turning right back, blessing Blake with several more seconds of that smile before finally leaving the library behind.
Even though Yang was gone just as quickly as she'd appeared, Blake stared at the door, unable to stop smiling. That short interaction erased any negative energy left over from lunch. Yang was just so...cute sometimes. There was no denying her blatant beauty, but she had a magnetic quality about her that was hard to put in words.
The only way Blake could think to term it at the moment - gravitational pull - sounded too academic. Attraction, maybe. Physical and emotional attraction. Whatever it was, she couldn't deny it. And she couldn't help wanting to spend as much time with Yang as possible.
Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.