All packed up, Sonia was reluctant but ready to leave her hometown that she had lived in for 18 years. Sonia was accepted into UCLA, a place she had never dreamed of going, in a city that is 2000 miles away.
Unlike most college girls, Sonia liked to be alone. She is used to loneliness; besides, she liked the freedoms she can control.

It was her second year of college, her sophomore year, when things took a huge twist.
With her black backpack on, Sonia was walking to class with her head down, quietly counting her steps under the shades of those gigantic trees in the boulevard. Enjoying the breeze, she started humming her favorite song until she screamed when someone bumped into her. Sonia fell down onto the hard rock of the road. She frowned and closed her eyes to conceal the pain.
When Sonia opened her eyes, she saw a silhouetted man nervously looking through his bag for tissues. That was when she realized that her knee was bleeding really badly. When the man finally found a tissue, he handed it to her and then introduced himself as AJ.
AJ is about 4 inches taller than Sonia, brown head, and blue eyed. He seems like that type of guy that hits the gym everyday.
Sonia thanked AJ for his concern and told him that she is okay and that he should hurry up and get to class before getting late. But AJ insists on taking her to a doctor and not leaving her on the road alone with her knee bleeding.
The bell rang, but the two of them are still there – arguing. They finally stopped, but with no consensus.
They stare at each other without moving, it’s like they are in a painting.
A painting with trees and building in the background, Sonia and Aj in the foreground.
A painting that had never left Sonia’s mind ever since.