Fated From The Start

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Written

-Izzy-

I came home from the nightclub just an hour ago. I could not sleep right away, so here I am turning my Netflix on. I've been staring at the TV screen for long minutes now, yet my mind is not really paying attention to the show I am watching.

My mind was on my friend Jace. I felt sad for him. Of all the guy friends I have, he's the one closest to me. It is me who actually met him first during college. I sorta brought him into our group.

-Flashback-

I had just got out of my physical education class, which I hate by the way, when I saw this guy on an electric scooter. He looks like he's a student like me with his grey sweatpants on with a white shirt and a backpack on his back and earbuds in his ears. He was cruising fast on the bike lane when he didn't notice a football coming his way. The football was too close before he noticed that when he tried to avoid it by maneuvering the scooter, he lost his balance, and fell hard on the sidewalk. I could probably be hallucinating because I felt like I heard a cracking bone.

"God-...aww-chh..." I heard the guy groan in wrenching pain.

I called 911 right away, describing the situation to the dispatcher. I hurried to the guy's side. I saw small beads now forming on his forehead. When he moved with an agonizing groan, I could tell he is in a miserable state. The pain brought creases to his forehead that he shut his eyes firmly.

"Are you alright? Stay still. The medics should be here in a few." We now see the varsity football players coming our way. I heard the sirens from the background sounding nearer and nearer. We are starting to get attention as well from people.

I got up when I saw the ambulance. I raised my hands and waived to get their attention. The EMTs got off their engines. One EMT approached me with a clip board. He asked me to retell him about the accident. I noticed two more EMTs with their emergency kit kneeling beside the scooter guy, checking out his vitals. The other two EMTs were taking out the stretcher. Not too long later, the EMTs transferred the scooter guy onto the stretcher. Poor thing.

The second semester started last week and today is actually the first day we will meet our professor in this Architecture Design class. I saw a familiar guy sitting in the back corner with his left arm in a shoulder sling. He's the scooter guy. He looked up at me when I sat on the empty chair next to him. His expression tells me that he recognized me and then he smiled.

"That was you...thank you by the way," he awkwardly uttered.

"You're welcome. How's your arm?" I gestured to his arm in a shoulder sling.

"They will take it off after six weeks," he replied.

"I'm Isabelle. Just call me Izzy. It's spelled I-z-z-y on paper but to pronounce it, it is the letters E and Z. Weird huh." I lengthily explained in jest. He half laughed at my joke.

"That works. I'm Jace. Transferee," he said, extending his free hand. I shook his hand warmly.

"Cool. Oops, I think that's the professor coming this way," he glanced at the door.

"Uhm, Izzy, would you like to have coffee later? That is if you're free?" He inquired.

"Yeah, I'm free. Sure. We can take my car. I know you can't drive yet." I smiled. He gave me a thumbs up as we halted our conversation when the class began.

We went to the Coffee Beans coffee shop just outside the campus. To my surprise, we both liked a vanilla Frappuccino. He insisted on paying for it as a way of thanking me for helping him out last week.

As we sat down, he asked me, "So, what's your major of study?"

"I'm taking architecture. How about you?" I replied.

"Our courses are closely related. I'm taking Civil Engineering." He smiled as he took a sip.

"Oh cool. So where did you transfer from?" I prodded. I find the guy conversational. He is easy to get comfortable with.

"MIT. I had to move back to Cali to accompany my dad. My mom passed away when I was fifteen. Plus, I've always loved the California sun," he explained. Sadness was still evident in his eyes.

"Sorry about that." I hurried on to say.

"No worries. So, anyway, we are in the same class. I have an idea. I will take my architecture subjects on the same schedule as yours so we can be in the same class. I'm new here, you know," he said, beaming.

"Did you just 'voluntold' me to be your side kick? You gotta buy me more coffee for that, sir," I jokingly smirked at him. Our laughter echoed inside the shop. That's how our friendship started.

We talked more before we went back to campus. I learned that he lost his mom when he was 15 years old. He really was hurt from losing his mom at a young age. I know he misses his mom because he mentions her most of the time in our conversations. Most of his features, especially his blue eyes, I assume, are probably gathered from his mom, who was of Swedish and Irish descent. I asked him how he was related to Warner Brothers Productions, and I was surprised that he was actually related to them.

I also learned that they own a construction company here in Los Angeles. I joked that he should have gone to Hollywood because his distant relatives are mostly in show business, but he said he and his family are not interested in show business. They like to build buildings. That's where they are good at.

As we hang out more and more, it is evident to me that he truly has a great personality. With that added to his good looks, it made all the young women swoony when he is around. But I received the opposite reaction. The women would throw dagger stares at me when the two of us hung out around the campus. I know what they are thinking. They are thinking about why this hot-looking guy is hanging out with a buffalo. It wouldn't have bothered me if I hadn't gained trauma from my teenage years. I was bullied when I was in high school when I got close to this popular boy in school.

I introduced Jace to my group of friends to diffuse the growing animosity I get from the women on the campus. It was better that we are hanging out as a group because I noticed women were less catty once they saw that they could still have a chance with Jace, knowing that the rest of our group are couples. Their insecurity is laughable. Why would they even see me as a threat to their sleek bodies? I am not living in fantasy. I'm not Jace's type. That I am very sure of. The guy is not blind.

Jace proved to be a good friend, a generous one at that- that he insisted on me applying to their company when I needed a company to work for OJT. He said he wouldn't influence any decisions on my application and that it would be all because of my own merits. Because of my good experience working for their company, I decided to continue working for their company when I passed my Licensure exam. I have been with their company ever since. As the Principal Architect, I only get to see Jace when there's a renegotiation of contracts or I am needed to accompany him to inspect the construction sites. But we hang out with our friends regularly as a group.

-End of Flashback-

Jace Warner. Neat guy. I sighed.

I don't know how I would be of any help to him. I wish I could do more. Just for the reason that he is one of those that believed in me and gave me this opportunity to excel in my field.