My first year of college was rough in many ways. The classes were harder than I expected, the freedom was more difficult to manage, and the relationships too hard to maintain. I had kept a long distance relationship with my high school sweetheart, but it died near the end of classes. I was very depressed that summer and very lonely. I worked ridiculous overtime at two different restaurants to make money for school and I had no time for carousing with friends or looking for dates.nnIt was a chance encounter that changed my romantic prospects in a hurry. My mother had asked me to run to the mall to return a pair of shoes, I think, and I was tired from working late the previous night. I stomped through the mall, barely looking up as I passed the teeming throngs of people. When I did look up, I wished I hadn’t.nnI recognized immediately a guy from my high school, Kyle. He wasn’t my friend, but was close to a few of my other friends, so we knew each other. He was completely annoying. I hate to label myself as a homophobe or even as being prejudiced against homosexuals, but he just gave me the creeps. He wasn’t just gay, he was Broadway showgirl gay, loud and sassy and all about being gay. It just bugged me to be around him and I had no desire to chat with the guy here in the mall.nnI averted my gaze quickly and tried to ignore him as we passed, but I was recognized by the person walking with him. In my haste to ignore Kyle I had not noticed that he was walking with someone. A hand caught my shirt and my eyes swung up to see Jane, a girl I knew from school.nnJane had been a year behind me in school though she was only a few months younger than me. She was a pretty little thing with a bright, joyful smile and infections good nature.