Page 27 of Beautiful Beginning

She snickered. “With a book. Like what was going on around you wasn’t entertaining enough.”

“Not my type of entertainment.”

I leaned in closer to her face. Felt her lips rise when she began to speak again.

“Got it.”

“Are you upset?” I could hear the slight change in her tone. It went from a promising chipper to a tainted despair. “Does it bother you that I can’t sit out there with your friends?”

“No.” Although she said it, it didn’t resonate. “I understand. I’ve always understood. We are two different people.” I felt her hand along the side of my arm, then her palm as it rested on my face. “I like that we aren’t one and the same. And I get it. You need a quiet space.”

“I do,” I whispered. “But when you finish here, come to me.” My lips crashed into hers, and I allow the quiet of the room to drown out any thoughts I had before meeting her there. The only thing louder than the room was my beating heart. And when I pulled away from her, I rested my head on hers. I could have stayed the night in that room, but we both needed to study.

Her breath warmed my neck as she spoke. “Well, shit,” she huffed. “Let me cram this material then.” A soft laugh escaped her mouth.

“Yes, please.” I tapped her ass and opened the door behind her. “I’ll see you soon.”

All eyes were on us when we returned to the group. Nia stared me down hard as I collected my books, picked up my bag. The others returned to their above-a-hush conversations. I heard Nia ask Journey a question, but I didn’t stand around to wait on her response. I walked out of the library into the night, and to my car. I had to get to my apartment and get in as much study time before my exam the next morning.

Professor Chapman was one of those professors who found joy in throwing us off on the test. She liked toread between the linesof our provided text. Although she didn’t provide context clues during her lectures. In short, her ranking on Rate My Professor was below sea level. But she was the only professor available that aligned with my schedule.

It was that mindset that found me on the couch, books open in my lap. Notebooks scattered across the coffee table. A half-eaten bag of chips beside me. I would stay up all night, go to her class on zero sleep, and show her how determined I was to pass the test.

And the sentence I read on repeat in the library. It only took once for it to sink into my mind in the quiet. I moved on from that one and to many others in the few hours since being home. But the more I read, the heavier my eyes became. I wasn’t foreign to all-nighters. In my four years of college, they’d become my thing. Not only for professors like Dr. Chapman, but for professors who made it their business toteach us.The ones who didn’t require much studying to be able to ace a test. It was always my thing though. Studying until I was confident I had it.

So, the droopy eyes and many wide-mouthed yawns caught me off guard. By complete surprise. I wasn’t expecting to fight a spirit of sleepiness. For it to come over me like a wave of water, ready to take me under as soon as I stopped wrestling it.

I stood. Stretched my arms over my head, then bent over and touched my toes. Pulled my knees to my chest and stood firm on the ground again. Walked to the window and stared out at the streetlights until I regained my energy.

It only lasted a little while though. The yawns and droopy eyes returned shortly after. “Fuck,” I mumbled as my head started to drift toward the back of the couch. “Okay, five minutes.” I promised myself. “Only five…”

My eyes shut, and the waves of sleepiness won.

The waves rocked me back and forth, back and forth, and someone shouted my name from shore. “Chaz, Chaz. Wake your ass up.”

I stretched my eyes open and saw Marcus leaned over me. His hand shaking my shoulder.

“Damn. What happened?”

He didn’t need to tell me that I fucked up. The light shining through the window did that. The phone I fumbled for, and missed calls, assured me of my mistake. The time written across my screen shouted how bad it was.

“Bruh, you fell asleep out here,” Marcus said anyway. A winner of the most obvious award. “Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”

“All this extra shit has me off my game.” I stood, stuffed my books in my bag and placed my hand on the front door. “I’m late,” I yelled as I ran out. I dared every yellow light to stay a little longer, and prayed the red ones wouldn’t last long. By the time I parked, and made it to Dr. Chapman’s class, it was a bold move to walk through the door. One she didn’t scold me on, at first. So, I found a seat and cleared my desk.

She placed a stapled stack of papers in front of me with a stern look in her eyes. Behind the stare, I could only imagine satisfaction gripped her. She knew I’d be no better prepared to take the test if I walked in on time.

I looked at the first question and closed my eyes.Dammit.The rest of the questions went in a similar fashion. I raked my brain for answers nowhere in sight. Not in the notes I studied the night before, not in the book that laid open when I fell asleep. Certainly not in my memory of her lectures.

It’d been years since I considered Christmas Treeing a test. But the thought crossed my mind after reading and failing to find the answer to the tenth question on the test.

I thought I’d never understand why the ex-president and his VP sold stolen tests and papers. Couldn’t understand the risk anyone would take using anything from them. But as I sat staring at the answers on my sheet, I understood.

“Turn in what you have,” Dr. Chapman announced to the few of us remaining in class. I heard people leaving over the length of the test but didn’t realize it was only me and a handful of people left.

I stood and took my walk of shame to her desk. Placed the test face down as if she could recognize at a glance how horrible I did.

“Mr. Brown.” Her arms crossed over her chest. A smug look on her face. Although that was customary in her classroom. “I expect the SGA president not be late to class.” Her eyebrows peaked. “I suspect your test results will make up for your tardiness.”

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