It was a bright Saturday afternoon, and Tim was in the middle of his weekly battle, convincing himself to wash his laundry.
Just as he was about to lose the fight and lie back down, a text popped up on his phone. It was from the guy in the cap, the upperclassman he'd met during departmental registration.
His name, or at least his nickname, was Tea-Man. Maybe he liked tea. Maybe he liked girls whose bodies were "tea." Tim didn't know or care.
[Tea-Man: Hey Tim. You forgot about the Mr. Fresher practice?]
[Tim: Practice?]
[Tea-Man: Oh right, I never added you to the group chat. Come to the department, we're starting now.]
Unnecessary stress, Tim groaned internally. Wasting a perfectly good Saturday and his transport fare on this?
Still, he dragged himself out of bed, threw on a hoodie, and made his way to campus.
---
On his way to the department, he spotted Promise, with some guy he didn't recognize. He considered pretending not to see her, but she waved and walked over.
"Hey, Tim! Where are you off to?"
"My department.Got something to attend to," he said, then nodded toward her companion.
"What are you doing here on a Saturday? And who's the new guy?"
"Just chilling.He's a friend, he invited me over."
"Alright,I'll be on my way then." He bid her a quick goodbye, noting the guy's impatient expression.
---
At the Science Complex, he texted Tea-Man.
[Tim: I'm here.]
[Tea-Man: Come to the Geology section. We're at the old field.]
He sighed again and went to the spot.
When he got there, he saw Tea-Man with his cap as always, talking to a light-skinned girl who looked like she belonged in a skincare commercial. A few other students were scattered around, mostly girls.
"Hey, you made it!" Tea-Man said, spotting him. "Alright, I guess that's everyone."
Everyone? Tim looked around. Why am I the only guy here?
He quickly pulled out his phone and texted his friend Messi from class.
[Tim: Yo, Messi. Come to Geology, the abandoned field.]
[Messi: Why?]
[Tim: Mr and Ms.Freshman practice. You've got the face and height for it.]
[Messi: Not buying it. What's going on?]
[Tim: Fine. I'm the only guy here. Help me out, man.]
Messi responded with a series of crying-laughing emojis before finally promising to come.
---
"Tim, phones away," Tea-Man called out. "Let me introduce you to Kristi, our Director of Socials. She'll be running your Mr. and Ms. Freshman training."
Kristi smiled, confident and effortlessly cool.
"Hey everyone,I'm Kristi. Welcome to the Chemistry major, and thank you for signing up for this contest," she said with a teasing smile. "Even if most of you are just here for the prizes."
Everyone laughed, except Tim.
As Kristi launched into an explanation, Tea-Man walked off to take a phone call.
"The contest is all about three things," Kristi continued. "Confidence, fashion, and talent."
'Great. The three things I don't have', Tim thought.
Kristi demonstrated a catwalk stride. "Ladies first, let's see your walk."
The girls took turns trying to mimic her model strut, some more successfully than others. Tim stood off to the side, silently praying he wouldn't be asked to do the same.
That's when Messi finally arrived just as Tea-Man finished his call.
Messi, with his cool hair, tall, slender frame, and fair skin, immediately caught the attention of every girl there. Standing next to him at 5'9" with his chocolate skin, Tim felt utterly invisible.
"Hey, you here for the contest too?" Tea-Man asked him.
Messi glanced at Tim, who gave him the please-save-me look.
"Yeah," Messi said smoothly. "I'd like to join."
"Nice. You can pay and register later," Tea-Man said. "Just give me your name and number after."
Messi walked over to Tim and fist-bumped him.
Kristi turned back to the group. "Alright, one more time from the top, for our new guy."
As the girls reset, Tim noticed them sneaking glances at Messi. He couldn't blame them, Messi had that easy charm he himself could never fake.
Still, at least now, he wasn't the only guy in this circus.