Page 17 of Made of Steel (Made of Steel 1)

The sociology professor introduced himself, handed out a syllabus, and immediately dismissed us with a reading assignment.

Kins leaned on the arm rest and whispered, "I'm glad we sat in the front row for that riveting lecture."

"It'll be better next time." I put my blank notebook back into my backpack and zipped it closed.

"Mhm. My last class ends at 2. Want to meet on the Green and then we can find a perfect place for your services?"

"You do realize that makes it sound weird, right? I just want a normal job. Like at a coffee shop or something."

"Right, right. I guess we'll see what happens. I will see you at 2. Don't be late because I hate standing alone."

"I won't be late. Have fun sitting in the back row of your next class."

She smiled. "I absolutely will."

***

I was one of the first people to my Psych 101 class. I was relieved to see that it wasn't a huge lecture hall. There were only about 30 desks. I made my way to the front of the room and took the seat right in front of the chalkboard.

Most of the rooms I had walked past had whiteboards and projectors. This professor definitely liked it old school, which I preferred anyway. I pulled out my notebook and placed it on my desk. A chill ran down my spine and I glanced toward the door. It was just a group of students walking in. None of them were even glancing in my direction. But it felt like someone was watching me. I couldn't really explain it. I stared for another moment at the empty doorway and then looked down at my blank notebook. It was just in my head. I'm safe.

In a few minutes the room was abuzz.

The seats around me quickly filled up as the professor walked in. He was younger than the sociology professor and had a warm smile.

"Welcome to Intro to Psychology. I'm Professor Bryant." He pulled out a stack of papers and handed them to the girl at the end of my row.

"Take one syllabus and pass them on."

Great, another class about syllabi.

"One of the things we're going to be focusing on this semester is a group project. No, you don't get to choose your partners, I do. And no, you cannot change your partners. Before you all groan, an important part of psychology is learning how to work well with others."

I didn't mind a group project at all. The professor picking my partner was fine too. I didn't know anyone in the class so it would have been awkward finding my own partner anyway.

"The project is going to be about understanding why people do the things they do. Their underlying motivations. It's about looking underneath the surface. Which is why it's so great to have the perspective of someone you don't know."

I had a feeling I was going to love this class.

"You'll just have to choose a well known figure and analyze something that he or she has done recently. Like everything in psychology, it's simple yet complex." He lifted up a sheet off his desk. "To make things easy, we're just going to go in alphabetical order. When I call your name, raise your hand so that you can find your partner.

I tuned out the beginning of roll call as I looked down at the syllabus. The group project was worth half of our grade. Hopefully I'd get a good partner.

"Sadie Davis," the professor said.

I continued to read my syllabus.

"Sadie Davis?" he said a little louder.

Oh, shit. I raised my hand as fast as I could. How many times had he called my name? It felt like my heart was beating loud enough for everyone to hear.

But the professor didn't seem to notice. He just looked back down at his paper. "You will be partnered with Eli Hayes." His eyes darted to a spot in the back of the room.

I turned my head in the direction he was looking. It was the same Eli I had met the other night. The one with the boy-next-door smile. The one I had almost cried in front of.

I turned to face the front of the room. This school was huge. What were the odds that we'd have a class together? I was kind of hoping I'd never see him again. Maybe he didn't remember me. We had only talked for a few minutes. I glanced over my shoulder.

He smiled his boy-next-door smile at me.

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