#ALSO PLS DON'T FEEL PRESSURED TO MATCH! I JUST RAMBLED GETTING INTO HER HEAD FOR THE FIRST TIME

[petalshields]

closed starter for @hvpotheses​

When Hope found out that she was paired with someone, two trains of thought circled around her head. The first train was powered purely by the shock of her name being announced. Questions chugged through her mind, pushing a stiffness into her limbs as her body tensed. How did this happen? Who entered her name? Who's Pax? By contrast, embarrassment, stored like hot coals in her cheeks, fueled the second train. Hope isn’t known for anything on campus just yet, and she certainly would not be known for her sense of humor. She dislikes blind dates for the same reason she dislikes pop quizzes — she couldn’t prepare for something she couldn’t foresee. And she’d do anything for a bright yellow copy of “How To Let Someone Down Gently: For Dummies” in her hands to study before speaking this Pax. She tugs on her gloves, a nervous tick, hoping that her palms and ends of her fingers won’t sweat too much. Here she goes. “Hello,” she greets politely. So far, so good. “Pax? I’m Hope.” Her hand thrusts forward; it feels right to do, though they might be mid-handshake when she drops the bomb that there may have been a mix-up.