Page 46 of Fostering Chemistry
“The Column Courtyard. It’s behind the building,” Jayden supplied.
Mia studied the list as we headed that way. “We have to take a picture with a Doric column. Which one is that again?”
Some distant part of my brain remembered that there were three types of classical Greek columns, but not what they looked like. I pulled out my phone and looked it up.
Jayden led us on a winding path that eventually cut through a huge row of hedges. And then we were in a paved area with dozens of columns ranging from about four feet tall to nearly twenty.
“This is… weird,” Mia said, voicing my thoughts. Only a few of the columns were normal looking. Some were made of glass. Others had faces carved in them. One looked like Swiss cheese.
“Every graduating architecture class designs and builds a column to add to it,” Jayden explained. How the hell did he know that?
I scanned the courtyard and spotted a six-foot tall column that matched the image on my phone. “That one is Doric.”
Jayden and Tori positioned themselves in front of it, with Jayden putting his arm around Tori as she took a selfie. Then she frowned at the screen.
“I think we need to show the top of the column,” Jayden said.
She took another one and then it was our turn. Mia held out her camera, but only she and the column were in the shot. A bitawkwardly, I moved closer, putting my arm around her shoulder like Jayden had with Tori.
I caught a brief glimpse of the shot Mia took. Neither one of us were smiling.
“Did you upload it?” Tori asked. Each photo had to be uploaded to the scavenger hunt website where the powers that be—presumably some of Aaron’s student council buddies—were keeping track.
“The next one’s inside,” Jayden said.
He led us directly to a lounge area where an entire wall was made up of blueprints. According to the checklist, we needed to snap a photo in front of the one that showed the Langley observatory.
Mia and Tori took off, rapidly scanning the blueprints on the left of the wall, and Jayden and I tackled the right side with a bit less enthusiasm.
“So, you’re in grad school?” Jayden asked, sounding as if he was just being polite.
“Yes. I’m studying public health.” Okay, now it was my turn to make polite small talk. “How long have Tori and Mia known each other?” It couldn’t have been too long, given that this was Mia’s first semester here, but they sure acted like they’d known each other for years.
“Not that long. I met her first, at the coffee shop. It always pays to know the baristas.”
It was news to me that Mia worked at a coffee shop, but I tried not to show it. I made a mental note to find out where, for future reference.
“Found it,” Mia exclaimed, and she waved me over, whipping out her phone. This time, we went first, presumably because Mia had spotted the correct blueprint. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that she was smiling for this one. I liked her smile, even though I hadn’t seen it much. It was wide, open, and friendly.
At least when she was aiming it at people other than me.
There was one more checkpoint south of the building, and then Jayden declared that next we should hit the ones near the admin offices. As we hurried along the path, we saw other teams darting by. None seemed to be as sure of their destinations as Jayden was.
Another team came from behind and passed us, and we all instinctively moved faster.
After a few more checkpoints, Jayden finally came across one that had him stumped. “The president’s south view,” Mia read, looking at me with her eyebrows raised.
“Isn’t the president’s house near here?” The Langley university president had an official home on campus, though past presidents hadn’t always used it.
Jayden frowned. “I don’t know how we can get that pic.”
That problem was apparent after Jayden took us down a series of sidewalks, ending in a brick wall about ten feet tall. He gestured at the wall. “The southern view is right behind that.”
“Is there a gate we could get a picture through?” Mia asked.
Then Tori snapped her fingers, turning to Jayden. “Let me get on your shoulders.”
As if they’d choreographed it, Jayden knelt down, and Tori climbed on, her thighs on either side of his neck, her legs dangling down in front of him. He straightened up, hugging her legs to his chest, but it didn’t get Tori high enough to see over the wall.
