Chapter 2: Unexpected Friendship
1157 Words
The next morning, Hannah arrived at the library fifteen minutes early.
She wasn't sure why.
Maybe she wanted extra time to prepare.
Maybe she wanted to avoid Garrett showing up late again.
Or maybe, though she refused to admit it, she was beginning to enjoy their tutoring sessions.
The thought made her roll her eyes.
"Get a grip, Hannah," she muttered.
She opened her philosophy notebook and began reviewing today's lesson.
A few minutes later, someone dropped into the chair across from her.
"Good morning, Professor."
Hannah didn't need to look up.
"You're three minutes late."
"Only three?"
"Still late."
Garrett placed a coffee cup in front of her.
"Peace offering."
Hannah stared at it.
Then at him.
Then back at the coffee.
"You bought me coffee?"
"You make it sound like I donated a kidney."
She tried not to smile.
Failed.
Garrett noticed immediately.
"Was that a smile?"
"No."
"It definitely was."
"Nope."
"Wow. Witnessing history."
Hannah threw a pencil at him.
He caught it.
---
For the next hour, they worked through philosophy theories and practice questions.
To Hannah's surprise, Garrett was actually trying.
Really trying.
Whenever he didn't understand something, he asked questions instead of pretending he knew the answer.
By the end of the session, he had improved dramatically.
"See?" Hannah said.
"You're not stupid."
"Thank you."
"You're lazy."
Garrett pointed at her.
"That hurt more."
"It should."
---
After the session ended, they walked outside together.
The autumn air was cool.
Students hurried between classes while colorful leaves drifted across campus pathways.
"So," Garrett said.
"What?"
"What do music majors actually do?"
Hannah laughed.
"We study music."
"Very helpful."
"We compose, perform, analyze, and learn music theory."
"That sounds difficult."
"It is."
Garrett looked genuinely impressed.
"I always thought musicians just played instruments."
Hannah gasped dramatically.
"That's offensive."
"Sorry."
"You should be."
Garrett raised his hands in surrender.
"I admit my ignorance."
"Good choice."
For some reason, talking with him felt easier every day.
That realization was both comforting and slightly concerning.
---
That evening, Hannah attended her songwriting workshop.
Unfortunately, inspiration still refused to appear.
Blank pages stared back at her.
No lyrics.
No melody.
Nothing.
Her professor noticed.
"Having trouble?"
Hannah sighed.
"I've got ideas."
"But?"
"They don't feel right."
The professor nodded thoughtfully.
"Sometimes you're trying too hard."
"What does that mean?"
"It means great songs come from honest emotions."
Hannah frowned.
Honest emotions.
That sounded easier than it actually was.
---
Meanwhile, Garrett stood on the ice during hockey practice.
Normally, hockey helped clear his mind.
Today it wasn't working.
Because every few minutes he found himself thinking about Hannah.
The way she rolled her eyes.
The way she challenged him.
The way she never treated him differently because he was famous.
Most people either adored him or judged him.
Hannah did neither.
She simply saw him as Garrett.
And strangely enough, that meant more than he expected.
"Earth to Garrett!"
A puck slammed into the boards beside him.
His teammate Logan skated over.
"You planning to practice today?"
"Sorry."
Logan smirked.
"Thinking about the tutor?"
Garrett nearly dropped his stick.
"What?"
"The tutor."
"I wasn't thinking about her."
"You were smiling."
"No, I wasn't."
"You absolutely were."
Garrett groaned.
"I hate you."
Logan laughed.
"That's not a denial."
---
The following week brought good news.
Garrett received his latest philosophy quiz score.
A B+.
He stared at the paper in disbelief.
Then immediately texted Hannah.
Garrett: Guess who got a B+?
A minute later:
Hannah: The curve?
Garrett: Very funny.
Hannah: Congratulations.
Garrett: Couldn't have done it without you.
For some reason, Hannah smiled at the message.
---
That afternoon, Garrett found her sitting outside the music building.
Before she could say anything, he waved the quiz paper in the air.
"B-plus!"
Hannah laughed.
"Put that away before someone thinks you're celebrating winning the lottery."
"This basically is the lottery."
"You passed one quiz."
"I passed one quiz brilliantly."
"It was a B-plus."
"A masterpiece."
Hannah shook her head.
"You're impossible."
"And yet here you are."
Something about the way he said it made her heart beat a little faster.
Not that she'd ever admit it.
---
Days passed.
Their friendship continued growing.
Study sessions became routine.
Coffee became routine.
Walking across campus together became routine.
For the first time in a long time, Hannah felt herself relaxing around someone new.
One evening, after a particularly long study session, they sat outside watching the sunset.
The campus was unusually quiet.
Orange light painted the buildings.
For several minutes, neither spoke.
Then Garrett broke the silence.
"What do you want most?"
Hannah looked at him.
"What kind of question is that?"
"A normal one."
"It's not normal."
"Answer anyway."
She considered it.
Finally, she said, "I want stability."
Garrett seemed surprised.
"That's it?"
"That's a big thing."
He nodded slowly.
"I guess."
"What about you?"
Garrett looked toward the horizon.
"I want people to stop deciding who I am before they know me."
The honesty caught her off guard.
She hadn't expected that answer.
"You think people do that?"
"All the time."
"Because you're a hockey player?"
"Because they think that's all I am."
For a moment, Hannah felt guilty.
Because she'd done exactly the same thing.
---
A few days later, Hannah attended one of Garrett's hockey games.
She told herself it was purely academic.
A friend supporting another friend.
Nothing more.
Absolutely nothing more.
Unfortunately, Allie wasn't buying it.
"You like him."
"I don't."
"You came to a hockey game."
"So?"
"You hate hockey."
"I don't hate hockey."
"You once called it aggressive ice ballet."
"That was one time."
Allie smiled knowingly.
Hannah ignored her.
---
The game itself was intense.
The crowd cheered loudly.
Players raced across the ice.
Garrett seemed completely different during competition.
Focused.
Determined.
Confident.
When he scored the winning goal in the final minutes, the arena exploded with excitement.
The entire team rushed toward him.
Hannah found herself smiling.
She was proud of him.
The realization startled her.
---
After the game, Garrett spotted her near the exit.
His face immediately lit up.
"You came."
Hannah tried to act casual.
"I was curious."
"Sure."
"Don't make it weird."
"I'm making it weird."
He grinned.
For a moment they simply stood there.
Neither speaking.
Neither moving.
Something felt different.
Not uncomfortable.
Just... different.
Like they had quietly crossed some invisible line.
Not into romance.
Not yet.
But certainly beyond simple tutoring.
Beyond classmates.
Beyond acquaintances.
They were becoming important to each other.
Even if neither was ready to admit it.
As they walked back toward campus together, Hannah realized something surprisingly
For the first time since losing part of her scholarship, she wasn't constantly worried about the future.
And Garrett realized something too.
The happiest part of his day was no longer hockey.
It was spending time with Hannah Wells.
Neither understood what that meant.
But both were about to find out.
- Writer
