Page 19 of Fall From Grace
“I know who I want in my group,” Logan whispers, obviously talking about me. I don’t dignify that with a response, and he shifts the way he sits so that his elbow purposefully intrudes in my space.
Ugh. This is going to be a long semester.
He talks about his office hours next. “Now, my email is on the syllabus, but my office is in the old psych building right next to the student union, room 303. I’ll be there every Monday and Thursday afternoon, between three and five, but if you can’t make it either of those days at those times, just send me an email and we can get something sorted out. I have no life, so really, I’m available whenever you need me.”
I must be losing my mind, because I swear he stares at me when he says that last part.
Professor Scott goes to the podium and grabs what must be the test he wants us to take today. These papers he hands out row by row, starting at the bottom and heading up, counting the number of tests he hands to the student at the end by how many are sitting in that row.
“Now, this test is really just for fun. It’s all multiple choice. Answer every question to the best of your ability—I want to see where you’re at. If you pay special attention, you’ll see some of these questions again on other exams throughout the semester. Obviously, these are topics we will cover in class.”
Beside me, Logan mumbles as he takes one of the tests and hands me the stack, “This is bullshit.”
I can only roll my eyes at him, take a test, and pass it along to my right. I bet he thinks every test in every subject, regardless of the day, is bull. He doesn’t strike me as someone who ever takes things like tests seriously, which is the very opposite of myself. I give myself gray hairs when it’s time to study, and cheating has never once crossed my mind.
“It’s a test for you,” Professor Scott is busy saying, “but think of it as a test for me, too. If I’m good at my job, you’ll know more and more of the answers as the semester goes on.” He finishes passing them out and walks back to the podium. “This is the last thing we’re going to do today, so after you hand in your test, you can go.”
Now, that sets everyone’s mood higher.
“Oh, and obviously, be a good sport and don’t cheat.”
With his final warning, it’s now time to take the test. A quick glance at the test shows it has one hundred questions, so it isn’t something you can flip through that fast. Still, I like to think I’m a good test-taker, and multiple-choice tests, even with one hundred questions, are easy for me. I mean, the answer is in front of you. Most teachers give you two clearly wrong answers, and then one that looks like it might be right, and then the correct one. If you don’t know the answer right away, you can use your head to at least narrow it down.
Professor Scott must be grading these by hand since there’s no bubble sheet. All we have to do is circle the correct answer.
I may or may not have spent the last week looking over some of my textbooks, so I know a lot of the answers, and the ones I don’t know I’m able to guess. That’s what I like about multiple choice tests. I zip through it quickly—I’m also a speed reader, so my eyes can scan over the questions in seconds. All in all, it takes me just under half an hour to get through the entire thing.
If it was a normal test, I would go back and double-check my answers, but since this is an automatic full-credit thing, there’s no point in wasting my time. Plus, the longer I’m here, the more likely Logan will finish his test at the same time, and I wouldn’t put it past him to try to walk out with me.
So I pack up my things, sling my bag over my shoulder, and walk to the podium, where Professor Scott is sitting. I’m the first one up, and I’m so fast with it I can hear some whispers behind me.
“Wow,” he says gently, not quiet enough to be a full whisper, but soft enough that his voice doesn’t carry in the large room. “That was fast. Thank you…” He takes the test from me, and his blue eyes fall to the paper, where he sees my name. “Wren.”
When he says my name, something invisible tugs at me, but I do my best to ignore it. I ignore it, and I turn right back around and hurry up the steps, pushing out into the hall moments later.
The hall is cooler than the auditorium was, and completely empty. My legs pause, and I let out a long sigh. I’d say that class would be my highlight of the semester—a good-looking professor? Yes, please—but that’d be a lie since I have the feeling Logan is going to be stuck to me like glue.
Why? Just why? Someone like him would never actually be interested in someone like me, and I wouldn’t want him to be. Hopefully he’ll get bored and turn his attention somewhere else. Anywhere else. He might be gung ho about me now, but after a week or two at the most, he’ll have to realize he won’t get anywhere with me and put his so-called charm to use elsewhere.
A girl can hope.
With a shake of my head, I resume walking. This was my last class for the day, so I can head home and try to relax. Don’t know how much relaxing I’ll do, but at least if I’m shut away in my bedroom, there’s no chance of running into Logan.
I wouldn’t mind running into Professor Scott again, though. He seems nice, easygoing. If I was someone else, a few years older, not in the middle of the worst time of my life, I wouldn’t mind dating someone like that.
I mean, the man has dimples. Enough said.
I make it to the stairwell on the far side of the hall, and I head downstairs. The ground floor level of the stairs lets out into the main hall of the building, right next to the eastern exit. It’s a quick right turn and then I’m outside, under the sun, with not a care in the world. At least, that’s what I’m telling myself.
The truth? The truth is I’m barely hanging on.
I’m about thirty feet down the sidewalk when I hear someone jogging over to me. “Damn, nerd, you move fast.”
Turning my head, I shoot a glare at his direction as I keep walking. No way Logan finished his test that quickly. “Don’t you have a test to go finish?”
“I could say the same to you.”
“I finished it. There’s no way you did.”
