Competitive Streak

Freshman year, when Sara was in a particularly competitive class, she turned on one of our good friends who she saw as competition. Behind Eliza’s back, my roommate made snide comments about how she didn’t want to study with our floormate because she didn’t want to give Eliza an edge in the course. This attitude really rubbed me the wrong way; perhaps because I’m not as competitive… but also because it was a 400 person course! One person is not going to affect your class standing.

Either way, after seeing Sara’s conniving side last year, I wanted to avoid the same course track. Neither of us had shared our registration with each other until the day before the semester started… and unfortunately, we wound up in the same class. A month into the course, we have a massive reading assignment, except that the book I ordered online still hasn’t arrived yet.

“Hey, Sara, since your discussion is later on in the week, and mine is on Tuesday, could I borrow your book until after my discussion?” I asked her.

“Ummm, maybe your copy will come in the mail today,” Sara replied without meeting my eyes.

“But, erm, haven’t you already done the reading?”

“Yeah, but I think I’m gonna need the book all week.”

“Okay, that’s cool,” I tried to respond nonchalantly.

You’d think that after I went out of my way to buy her an extra copy of another book we had to read last week and giving her my notes from the lecture she missed, Sara would be in a more reciprocative mood. I guess her competitive nature only compounds the one-way relationship we already have going on.

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