I did give Oli the pamplet on Monday when he came round for our weekly Netflix marathon. He sat on my bed and flicked through the latest issue of Batman. I held the flyer out and he accepted it, somewhat tentatively.

"What's this?" He asked, nervously.

"It's a flyer for the art show in two weeks time." I replied, grinning.

He glanced back at the flyer, then looked at me. He turned it over and bit his lip in thought. I could see the nerves playing out on his features.

"Where did you get this?" He enquired, despite the nerves.

"Hannah gave it to me to give to you," I laughed then. "You two are hopeless. She likes you too."

At my words, Oli's head shot up and his eyes filled with hope. He looked like he wanted to ask if I was joking, but I kept my expression neutral and he soon realised I was telling the truth.

"And she invited me?" He folded the flyer in two and pocketed it.

"Yeah, but she was too afraid to ask." I sat down in my chair, spinning from side to side.

"Awesome," He chuckled.

"So you'll go?" I really didn't want him to chicken out. It would disappoint Hannah and it seemed to mean a lot to her.

"Yeah, for definite." He said, in a tone that exuded confidence.

I couldn't help but smile wider. Hannah would be so happy. I sat on the bed and flicked through Netflix.

"No horror movies this week." I grumbled.

"Did someone have nightmares?" He laughed, but stopped when I hit his arm.

"No, I'm totally brave." I continued to scroll through, stopping at Clueless. "Just for that comment, we're watching Clueless."

I ignored Oli's loud groan of disapproval and selected the film. It loaded and we watched the film.

*************

"The EKG and various other tests are used to detect illness in patients. There are other tests, these include lung function, blood tests and cell counting," Sue paused, glnacing round the room. "This year we will be focusing on a lot of practical work to prepare you for work in a laboratory."

She leafed through some papers on the desk and began passing them round. I got mine and flicked through the two papers. One was about EKGs and another was about blood tests.

I sighed and stored them in my folder, glancing round the room. Half term was finally over. September had arrived in a hurry, reminding us that Autumn was coming and the time for slacking off was over.

It didn't seem that long ago that it was the end of July. The past few weeks had been very exciting. Oli had gone to the art show and although he and Hannah had spoke, they were not officially together. They were taking things slowly.

Jake and I were still meeting up and texted each other all the time. I never asked whether that girl we saw outside the cafe had texted him. It wasn't my business.

"Dakota?" Sue's voice made me look round. She was smiling and I sighed. i had been zoning out. A few people laughed. I caught Bret looking at me. He was trying not to laugh.

"Sorry I was just thinking." I mumbled, lowering my head a little.

"Well, all right. I hope you were thinking about how exciting it will be to study in an actual lab this year," She smirked. "Here's a quiz for you since you were day dreaming. All of you best take part so I know who's paying attention."

Everyone sat up straight and she smiled. Sue was a good lecturer. She was never rude or horrible. She appreciated all her students equally, but enjoyed testing us with things from previous modules to see who was listening.

"Dakota, tell me, what are the side effects of cytotoxic medication and why must they be discussed?"

My mind went blank for a minute. Cytotoxic? That was from the beginning of last year when we studied drugs and the side effects. Luckily, I remembered in the nick of time.

"The side effects of cytotoxic medicines are tiredness, vomiting and reversible alopecia. This medicine must be discussed with cancer patients as it can effect fertility in males and females." I stumbled a little, but Sue seemed happy.

"Excellent answer, Dakota," She beamed. "Right, Derek, what are the side effects of anti-psychotic medication? Please finish texting your friend first. I'm sure it's very important."

Derek Jones grinned before pocketing his phone. Sue quirked a brow at him, looking mildly amused by him.

"They can cause restlessness, vomiting and in some cases, seizures." He eventually said.

"They can indeed, but seizures are usually dose related. It is very important to make sure the right dose is given to the right patient. What works for one may not work for all." Sue smiled.

The first week of lectures went well. I barely had time to think and was thankful that everything seemed to be shifting back into normalcy.

The following Tuesday I was heading down to lunch when my phone buzzed. I set my bag down and dug around in it. I managed to retrieve my phone and my eyes widened when I saw the text.

Finished early today. Fancy meeting for lunch ;)

Jake seemed to like the winky face icon. It spoke voulmes for his personality. He was very flirty and liked to taunt me. I suspected he was like that with most people though.

One more class after lunch. You can come to the uni canteen if you like.

He probably wouldn't want to hang around a group of uni students, but I kind of hoped he would. I liked seeing him and I especially liked hugging him. I liked when he hugged me. I felt small and safe, plus Shay wanted to meet him.

Sure, sounds like a blast ;p

I texted back that I'd meet him out front. I raced down the stairs and found my friends sitting in the far corner. It was our usual haunt. Shay was eating chips covered in cheese. It was her favourite food. She pretty much had chips all the time.

Oli was eating a salad and Hannah was sat next to him. Her sketchpad was thrown open and she was showing him some of her work. Hannah had taken to joining us at lunch now. I dumped my bag on a chair, making Shay jump.

"Hey, bitch, where you off to in such a rush?" She grinned.

"Jake's meeting me for lunch." I hadn't meant to sound so frantic. Shay's eyes widened in pure glee.

"My god, seriously?" She turned to Oli and Hannah. "This moment will live in infamy. We are meeting Kota's boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend." I snapped.

"Well he should be. She spends every Sunday with him." Shay grinned. Hannah smirked too, joining in with Shay and her antics.

I didn't have time to argue with them. I rushed down the hall, narrowly avoiding people as I passed. I got outside just in time. Jake had just arrived. I stepped towards him and he hugged me. I smiled and cherished the moment. It ended too soon.

We walked up the steps towards the canteen again. I was struck with nervousness. What would my friends think of him? What would he think of them?

I could see Shay as we approached the table. She looked jubulent and was grinning. She turned to whisper something to Hannah, who peeked over. Oli looked round too and smiled. You could pratically see what they were thinking.

"They look happy." Jake chuckled.

"They're excited to meet you." I mumbled, feeling slightly worried.

We got to the table and Shay was the first up. She was all smiles.

"Hi, I'm Shaylene," Even using her full name. "Dakota's best girlfriend."

"I'm Jake. It's great to meet you," Jake shook her hand, but didn't hug her. This made me very happy.

Oli stayed sat down, but shook Jake's hand too, introducing himself and Hannah too. Hannah was more reserved, but very polite. She refrained from asking any embarrassing questions.
Shay waited for Jake to sit down before bombarding him with questions.

"So, you and Kota spend a lot of time together?" She grinned, enjoying the moment.

"Yeah, Kota's cool." Jake replied, not giving her too much information. Shay didn't need too much information to make her giddy with joy.

She fired quite a few questions at him, until Oli asked Jake if he wanted to get some food. The two of them got up and headed across to the queue.

"I like him," Shay watched them go before turning to me. "I think you and Jake are adorable."

Hannah nodded her agreement. She had stayed mostly quiet during the whole ordeal. Thank goodness, really. Shay talked enough for five people.

"We're just friends, Shay." I cut her off before she could start again.

"Yeah, for now." She giggled.

When the guys came back, Shay decided to drop a bombshell and I wanted to murder her. She directed her attention to Jake again.

"Next month we're going out for Halloween," She beamed. "Kota WILL be joining us and I'd like to know if you will too."

I didn't know I'd agreed to this and shot her a look. She merely grinned in that evil way of hers.

"Yeah, sure. Sounds fun." Jake looked at me. "Will you be dressing up, Kota?"

Before I could answer, Shay jumped in again, grinning like a chesire cat.

"You bet your ass she will and she will look fucking sexy." She glanced at me, shooting me a death glare, silencing my protests.

"Can't wait." He smirked.

Lunch ended normally, thank god. Shay walked me back to class, taking great delight when Jake and I hugged.

"He didn't hug me or Hannah, only you." She gushed. "Did you see his face when I said you'd be dressing up. He wants you so bad."

I squeaked nervously at the thought. She caught it and turned to me, placing her hands gently on my shoulders. I smiled despite how I felt.

"Don't freak out. Be confident and awesome, like how I know you are." Shay pulled me into a hug. "You're sexy and awesome, girl."

"But Shay, I'm not," I murmured, pulling back. "I'm awkward and weird."

"He seems to like that." She said, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

I couldn't help but laugh and she gave me one last hug before leaving me. I sighed and entered the lecture hall. There were a few others in there. Sue was already at the desk.

She smiled at me when I entered, "I've left a name on your desk, Dakota. For this module you'll need a lab partner."

I climbed the stairs and lifted the piece of paper. I smiled when I saw the name. An arm went round my shoulder.

"Looks like we're a team." I grinned at Bret.

"Yeah, looks like it." He chuckled. "Team awesome."

We high-fived and sat down. Bret looked serious for a moment and I frowned. Was he angry about something?

"I saw your boyfriend earlier." He said, simply.

"He's not my boyfriend." I shot back, and he smiled.

"He soon will be though," He cleared his throat. "Look, Kota. I don't care what happens as long as he makes you happy. If you're happy then I'm happy."

I couldn't help but feel touched by the sentiment. The rest of the class arrived and we began our second lecture.

Notes