“Oh, ” she said, looking down. No one ever called her beautiful before, not even Mike. Not even when he was at his nicest.

Chris looked away from her awkwardly. “So…anyway, come on. We’re up on the 4th floor, so there’s still some more walking to do.”

They walked up a dark and narrow set of stairs. Then, all of a sudden, she heard a new voice. “Chris!” the new, female voice said in surprise. “You’re back!”

And then a girl jumped on him,giving him a big hug. “Hey, Izzy,” he said, hugging her back. “Yeah, I’m back. This is my friend Rachel.”

“Hey, “she said, finally noticing Rachel. “I’m Izzy.”

“Hey,”Rachel replied, suddenly feeling a surge of jealousy. Who was this random girl who knew Chris well enough to jump on him like that? Were they going out? Oh, no she thought I never asked if he had a girlfriend. What if they are going out?

“Well, anyway, ” Chris said, grabbing his luggage.”We’ve gotta get up to my room before my arms give out.”

Suddenly, he didn’t seem so perfect.