By now, you’ve probably heard their story. “Vikings Fan and Mystery Girl,” better known as Reed Bjork and Abby Diamond have stolen the hearts of this campus, along with the rest of the country with their rom-com type Snapchat love story. If you somehow have managed to not see this story, you can watch it here.
Hometown:
Reed: Rochester, MN
Abby: Middleton, WI
Majors:
Reed: Biomedical Engineering and has his sights set on medical school for emergency medicine.
Abby: Animal Biology and Conservation Biology. Her after graduation plans are up in the air, but she is currently looking for a job. She is hoping to either stay close to home, or move to Florida near her family’s second home and work in an animal hospital or clinic around the gulf.
Years in School:
R: Fifth year and will graduate in Fall 2016
A: Senior
Did you know each other before this all happened?
R: Not at all. People think that we did, because it was so forward and happened so quickly but we can promise you have never met prior to this.
Abby, why did you make the first move?
I was one hundred percent not expecting it to be posted. None of my snaps are ever posted to the story, but this one was. I did it for my own entertainment. I thought it would be funny to watch for a few hours and then delete it, but then he responded. It was definitely a one-in-a-million chance. People say I look really young and because of that I thought he wouldn’t respond. It just worked out so well, and what made it even better is we have the same interests and just get along super well.
What was it like meeting for the first time?
R: It was crazy. This whole thing and especially during that initial meeting it didn’t feel real. Since we had been Snapchatting via the campus story prior to meeting, it felt like we already knew each other. It was definitely not as awkward as I expected.
A: There was so much leading up to that first meeting that it wasn’t awkward at all. I had to run back in through the exit door, because all of the doors were locked, and I actually tripped running back in to meet him. This definitely isn’t the type of thing I do. I’m not one to go up to someone and just get their number or spark a conversation, but it worked out in the end. Because of this whole story I am becoming more outgoing having to do all of these interviews.
How did it feel knowing the entire campus was watching your story?
R: It was really cool to see all of the support. It’s hard to believe, even now, that the whole campus saw it. It was definitely harder to actually go meet Abby because of all of the suspense, but it was so worth it.
A: At first, when I was getting ready to go out, I thought it was cool. But then as the views were going up on the story I started freaking out because I hate being the center of attention. This whole experience has been exciting but still really nerve-wracking. I’m opening myself up to a whole realm of judgment. I’m not poised like people in the spotlight usually, I stumble over my words, I’m human. How quickly I’m being emerged into this “fame” is terrifying.
How have your lives changed since last week? Has the fame changed you?
R: Studying for finals is a lot harder. My phone is going off nonstop. I’m getting texts from so many people that it’s hard to find the time to catch up with everything. Previous to this, I had deleted all of my social media apps, and I had to re-download all of them to keep up with everything. We are noticed everywhere. People are constantly taking pictures; it’s hard to just be normal.
A: Internet famous and actual famous are totally different. I feel like “mystery girl” is famous, not Abby Diamond. It was nice that we had time to let this whole thing sink in a little bit before it gained speed. It still doesn’t feel like it’s me. Reading through articles and listening to interviews, it just doesn’t feel like it’s me. If the whole thing didn’t go viral, I’m not sure if it would have worked out or not. This way it’s a lot more forced since it is such a big story. Having this relationship in my life is so new and uncharted territory that it’s hard, but having Reed with me having to go through it all too is fun. The hard part is having to make all of these decisions I wouldn’t have had to if this didn’t happen. I still have classes and am looking for a job, but because of this everything has been put on the backburner. The crazy thing part is Ashton Kutcher and Ashley Tisdale have posted our story on their social media.
How does it feel having the entire country know about this?
R: It’s unreal. I still haven’t fully comprehended it. We have both had friends from different states text us saying that it’s on their local live Snapstory.
A: We’ve been contacted by so many different shows and news sources asking for interviews. Who would have thought that sending a snap into the campus story would gain so much publicity? It’s crazy.
Rumor has it that you will be on Steve Harvey next week, any truth to this?
R: Yes, we will be on Steve Harvey. They have contacted us saying a black car service will be coming to get us on Tuesday to go to Chicago for a few days. They are planning on having us on his show and sending us on a date along with his camera crew. It’s so surreal.
During the interview for Her Campus Wisconsin, they were contacted by ABC’s Nightline, wanting an interview.
Are you going to continue seeing each other after graduation?
We are both staying over the summer, so yeah probably.
If you could describe this experience in a few words, what would that be?
A: I’d have to say adventure. It’s definitely been an adventure.
R: It’s been overwhelming.
Have you looked into the KK naming a drink after this whole thing?
A: The KK messaged me to figured something out about giving us free drinks, but there are still more details to be worked out. We just met the owner last week.
R: The weirdest thing is being contacted by clubs that they want to pay us to make appearances. We probably aren’t going to do it, but it’s just odd.
Do you have a couple name? i.e. Brangelina
A: No, we haven’t had a lot of time to just sit down and talk. We have so much going on right now. Reed called me the other day and was like “what’s your favorite color? What’s your favorite kind of bread?” It was so random, but we are slowly starting to get to know each other. The root of us hanging out right now is planning out “okay we have this interview this day, and this radio show this day, etc.” It feels like we are more like business partners right now than anything else. Thankfully, we get along really well, so it’s still fun.
Abby, do you really like the Vikings?
I don’t really follow sports, and I’m not really a football fan. If I was, I’d be a Packer fan, sorry Reed. Luckily, it’s not a deal breaker.
Abby, do you have any advice for finding our own Vikings fan?
To be honest, how this has played out was totally unintentional. This whole situation wasn’t supposed to be an empowering message to girls to make the first move, but I guess you just need to put yourself out there and take a chance. I know it’s super cliché, but it’s the easiest way to describe it. All I did was take a chance, put myself out there, and it paid off.
What would be your best first date? Have you gone on your first date yet?
R: We actually haven’t had time to go on a real date yet. It’s just been too crazy to find the time to go. We have been studying together, and seeing each other a lot though. As for first dates, it’d definitely be something low-key. Maybe the driving range?
A: Really?
R: Yeah, wouldn’t it be fun? Wait, no! Let’s go to that trampoline place!
A: That’d be a lot of fun! See, I’ve never really dated anyone, so thinking of this stuff is so difficult.
R: I haven’t dated anyone in college, but I’ve gone on dates. I’ve got it! For our first date, let’s go hiking at Devil’s Lake.
Have you met any of the other people that were in the Snapstory?
A: Yes! I met the girl talking about how she’s going to tell “baby Badgers” that you don’t find love at College Library, you find it on the Wisconsin Snapstory. We were basically fangirling over each other in the bathroom. Everyone thought we were crazy. We follow each other on social media now, it’s pretty great. We also knew the guy in the grey sweater that was at the KK, Alec. He is friends with Reed. They knew each other before all of this, but are a lot closer because of it.
We are all dying to know, are you guys officially together?
A: Not officially, it’s still too early to be official. For now, we are just keeping it casual, we haven’t even had time to talk about it all officially yet. At this point, we are just spending a lot of time together, but it’s way too early to define the relationship.
Anything else you’d like to say to your fans and peers?
A: Just to set the record straight: we were not hired by Snapchat. People are very determined to believe we are hired actors, but we’re just students. I had the courage in the moment to be a lot more forward than girls usually are, which could be why this rumor started, but it wasn’t staged.
R: I’d just like to say that we see you all taking pictures of us. It’s not discrete. We’d both really appreciate you all to stop staring, if you want to talk just come up and say hi or ask for a picture or whatever, but it’s honestly so weird with all the not-so-discrete photos and pointing. We’re students here just like everyone else. Come say hi!
You may recognize Reed and Abby as “Vikings Fan and Mystery Girl,” but they are just Reed and Abby. They are students here at the UW just like you and I. I mean, yes not everyone finds romance over the campus story, but they are honestly just two very genuine people. If you happen to see them around campus, go say hi! They are just trying to get through school just like the rest of us.