I don't care what they say

 Her name was Cheri, and Darry had 101 psychology with her. Needless to say, she was the only reason he showed up for the morning class. 

Perhaps it was a daydream that he'd get to know her. He didn't want to. He had a plan. And that plan was with Kat. It felt solid for a good long while now. She was the goal. And it made him feel he could get through college so they could be together one day. But Cheri messed that up.

Her grin always had a wink when she looked at him. He tried to ignore it, but after all, he was giddy as they came, thinking she had better plans for him.

Of course, she usually came to class in her plaid pajama bottoms. She didn't dress up much for the occasion. After all, she was a Midwestern girl, and they usually dressed this way, all slouchy, sipping on a coffee.

But there was that one time when he saw her in safari shorts. Yeah, she really did have beautiful legs; that was the first week at college. Since then, she didn't seem to give a damn. Somehow, this left Darry with a chuckle. She made him think of Kat. Yeah, he knew Kat didn't think of herself as a fashionista. 

Yet, those thoughts drifted the more he saw Cheri smile. He thought he might lose his shit altogether if he spoke to her, but he soon found she listened well.

They got together at the Campus Coffee Shop in the afternoon. Sometimes, they'd share a square of coffee cake that was at half price and talk about movies, usually comic book hero movies. Honestly, he was so happy around her, but the sadness remained that he'd let someone down. Maybe it was himself all along.