Someone to Love — Norma Fox Mazer

Nina always thought that if just one person would love her perfectly and completely, she'd never be alone again

Nina's the first person in her family to leave home and go to college. Maybe that's why she feels so isolated once she gets there, especially compared to some of the other students -- like her roommates, who have been friends for so long they can finish one another's sentences. But it seems like her narrow, small-town past hasn't prepared her for this life in which everyone else knows things about the world that she doesn't. Afraid of falling behind in her classes, all Nina does is study and wonder if she'll always be this lonely.
 
But then she meets Mitch. He introduces himself from the top of some scaffolding, taking a break from painting the house next door to hers. Their growing relationship frees Nina from her self-doubt -- finally, someone to love who loves her back! Their togetherness is perfect . . . but can it stay that way forever?