by Daphne Slade
Now, I’m headed to my first class.
Usually, I’m filled with the excitement and anticipation of a fresh, new semester of school. Today, I slog across the beautifully landscaped campus toward Seeley Hall where the science departments are.
What was I thinking adding Immunology to my course schedule? Students are supposed to coast senior year and I don’t even like biology courses.
“You know why, Grace,” I breathe out with a sigh.
Professor Kardos, who I had for biology, was one of my med school references, more importantly, a Harvard alumnus. Dad was the one to suggest I do a follow-up course with him to get the extra edge. Professor Kardos is known for coaching students through the medical school interview process which is coming up.
In retrospect, I suspect taking an unnecessary class with him might do more harm than good. I do okay in the sciences by virtue of being a good student, but I’m hardly passionate about them, despite wanting to become a doctor.
I just want to do good and help people when I graduate. Why does that have to involve the periodic table or DNA sequencing or whatever?
Despite being pre-med, I still chose to major in literature, which is where my heart really lies. My parents were worried until I reassured them it wouldn’t hurt my chances at med school, and may even help.
I feel my momentum drain even more as I walk through the door of the classroom and my eyes land on Jenny Tanner of all people. As if this class couldn’t be any more daunting. It isn’t just the ruined grade curve, it would be the constant reminder of Noah Donahue. My lips tingle and my cheeks burn in remembrance of last night’s kiss.
But it’s all just pretend. Which he made abundantly clear. He probably can’t wait to get back to the Den of Iniquity to pick up where he and Heidi left off with their “strictly professional” relationship once this ruse is done and I’m back with Matt.
Not that I care.
It’s the first day, plenty of time to drop this class and pick up another.
No, I can’t give up before I’ve even begun. That would set a bad precedent for the school year, allowing me to just drop anything I don’t particularly like. That’s not how I was raised.
I sigh and plod into the class.
“Hey, Grace,” Jenny says, finally noticing me. An overly bright smile comes to her face. At first, it seems forced, but I recall the same smile from that weekend at Evan’s, making her look as devastatingly gorgeous as she does now. Is it any wonder Noah wanted to spend an entire long weekend with her?
“Hey, Jenny,” I reply with a smile of my own. I take the seat next to her since she’s acknowledged me. We’re friendly enough with one another, having taken so many classes together, so it would be rude not to.
“So, the final stretch, huh?” she says, filled with all the enthusiasm I seem to be lacking so far this semester.
“Yeah, almost done!” I say, forcing a lively voice.
“How was your summer?”
I can’t even feign cheerfulness in response to that one. “Fine, how about yours?”
She shrugs and waves it off. “The usual. Dad spent it trying to convince me to reconsider Johns Hopkins for med school. Why do parents always want their kids to turn into clones of themselves? As if I’d give up the chance to spend four years in New York City at Columbia.”
“Johns Hopkins is one of the best med schools in the country,” I reply, surprised that she of all people wouldn’t want the best.
“More importantly, Dad’s alma mater,” she says in a dry tone rolling her eyes. “It was bad enough that I caved, coming here instead of Berkeley. At this point, I’m done catering to their wishes.”
Her comments make me wonder just how much of my own ambitions are mine and not my parents, which is a road I’d rather not go down this early in the school year. Or this early in the morning. It was bad enough with them helicopter parenting me all summer about my medical school applications.
I watch Jenny as she scans the syllabus she’s printed out. I know what’s eating me up, even beyond that detour into existentialism. Hell, I might as well get it out of the way.
“So, you remember that weekend at Evan’s lake house last year?”
Her eyes pop up to meet mine, wide with surprise. Her cheeks color, which sends an instant ripple of irritation through my nerves. Obviously, Noah was an amazing enough weekend tryst to have even the most desirable girl on campus blushing.
I’m officially back to hating him.
Just don’t ask me exactly why.
“Yeah?” she says in a hesitant tone.
“Right,” I say, swallowing. “So, you and Noah, were you two—were you actually…dating him?”
Her eyes roll up to the side and an enigmatic smile appears on her face. “That depends on your definition of dating.”
“I mean were you two—?”
“I’m just kidding,” she says, laughing as she brings those bright blue eyes back down to me. “It was just a weekend of fun. You remember how hot it was that month. Ugh! How could I pass up a free trip to the lake, beer, swimming? And Noah wasn’t half bad either.” She stops suddenly, giving me confused look. “Wait a second, are you interested in Noah? I thought you were dating Matt Parks?”
“We’re on a break,” I say dully. “Exploring our options, as he put it.”
“Oh…I’m so sorry.” She gives me an uncomfortable but sympathetic look.
“Not your fault,” I say with a half-smile.
She cocks half a smile. “Well, to answer your question, Noah was a weekend thing only, not that I would have been opposed to something more, of course. I mean, just look at the guy. Plus, the things he did with his mouth and hands and…well, just about everything else. I mean if you’re looking for a rebound?” She suggests, a teasing smile coming to her face.
I blink in surprise.
“Definitely not,” I say, quickly recovering from that bit of exposition.
She laughs. “Well, if so, he’s definitely worth it.”
Duly noted.
I keep that thought to myself.
So, Immunology sucks.
Even the prospect of my after-lunch class works only so much to lift my spirits. It’s one of those clickbait seminars that make parents wonder what exactly they are spending thousands on tuition for, my own included. It’s titled Modern Day Mores As Reflected in Fan Fiction.
Mind candy at its finest.
I’m going to love it.
My phone rings and I shift my tote bag to grab it from inside. It’s my father, which is a surprise.
“Hey, Dad?” I answer in a curious tone.
“Grace, I hope your first day is going well.”
Did he call just to wish me well? That’s a first. “It is. Is everything okay?”
“Fine, fine, a father can’t call just to check in on his daughter?”
I manage a soft, surprised laugh, followed by a glow of pleasure that warms my insides. “You usually don’t call unless something serious is going on.”
“I wanted to make sure you didn’t hound Gregory Kardos too soon about that interview prep. We professors hate it when students pounce just as the semester gets going. Give it about a week for him to get into the routine, then make your move.”
“Got it,” I say, my face falling. So this is a medical school check-up. Dad is a professor in the chemistry department at Harvard, so he’d be the expert on academics.
“But don’t wait too long after that, otherwise you won’t get priority. Use every advantage, Grace. We don’t want whatever it is that kept you out of Harvard the first time around to happen again.” He chuckles as though that’s some light-hearted jab I shouldn’t take offense to.
I close my eyes and count to three, forcing the anger and hurt away.
“No, we don’t, Dad,” I manage to grit out in a chipper tone.
“I just wanted to make sure you were on top of things. Your mother said she noted a lack of enthusiasm this summer at the hospital. Not a good
look, Grace.”
“I was just overwhelmed with trying to get my medical school applications in order.”
“If you’re going to be a doctor, you’re going to have to learn how to juggle a lot of important things at once. Best you learn now before you eventually have patients. A malpractice suit is no laughing matter.”
“Got it,” I say in a clipped tone.
I hear him sigh on the other end. “You know, we only want what’s best for you, Grace. That’s why your mother and I pushed you and your sisters so hard. Devington University is not a complete failure on your part, it’s a very fine school. But there’s no reason for you not to aim higher.”
“Got it,” I repeat in a monotone voice.
“Okay then,” he says, then pauses. “I suppose we’ll see you and Matt Thanksgiving once again?”
My heart stutters a beat. I saw no reason to tell my parents this summer that Matt and I were “on a break.” I fully expected it to be a thing of the past by now.
Yet another failing of the problematic middle child.
Vanessa, my older sister, is in her fourth year of Harvard Medical School, seriously dating a Harvard Law School grad who is clerking for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
My younger sister, Eliza, is a freshman in Harvard undergrad, which means she now has her pick of respectable suiters, being that they all meet that minimum threshold.
Matt’s parents are attorneys, which sat well with my own parents. Combine that with a future doctor who was also aiming for Harvard Medical School, and I was golden as far as they were concerned. After all, if you’re going to expand the Arlington family tree, it might as well be with an overly accomplished genius.
I have no idea if Matt will be by my side this Thanksgiving. Still, no sense in prematurely sounding the alarm.
“Unless maybe his parents want him to come home,” I offer as a hedge. I know that his parents take a vacation for the Thanksgiving holiday, leaving Matt to make his own plans, which is why he was always able to join me with my family.
“Well, we look forward to seeing you either way,” he says, in a perfunctory tone. “At any rate, good luck in your senior year. Now is not the time to start slacking just because you’re almost done. Professors pay attention to that sort of thing.”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Good, then.” That’s his usual sign off so I’m not surprised when the line goes dead after that. Frankly, it’s a relief.
Happy first day of classes.
Chapter Fourteen
Noah
I’m blessed with a double surprise in my Seminar in Modern Art. I’m doing fairly well as an Economics major, but this course fulfills one of the graduation requirements outside of my major. Plus, it seemed interesting and easy enough as a subject.
If I’d known who I was going to share the class with, I would have picked differently. It doesn’t help that it’s situated in a small classroom around a table that probably doesn’t even seat twenty.
Jenny Tanner is already here, staring down at the course syllabus she’s printed out. There’s one other guy there who I somewhat recognize as a fellow senior, but he’s situated on the other side of the table across from her further down. That doesn’t stop him from casting the occasional surreptitious glance her way without her seeing him.
I can’t blame him. Jenny is by all definitions hot. But hot and I have never been on the same wavelength. I’ve always preferred something that beats to a different and far more unique drum.
Jenny lifts her head just as I’m thinking about taking a seat well away from her.
The same brief panic seems to flicker in her eyes when they connect with mine, but she quickly dismisses it in favor of a smile. “Don’t worry, I don’t bite, or drudge up old history.”
I cough out a laugh. Now, I remember how easy-going she was, just one of the reasons I invited her up to Evan’s lake house.
“You satisfying the last of those pesky graduation requirements as well?” she asks as I take the seat next to her.
“Yeah, I heard this class is at least interesting and easy.”
“Mmm,” she agrees, considering me. Her eyes squint as though she wants to bring up something else, but she dismisses it, offering a flash of a smile instead then returning to her syllabus.
I relax, assuming she was going to talk about our time at Evan’s lake house just before summer. We both had a good time, but I have my own alternate reasons for not wanting to think about that weekend.
I go tense once again when I see who walks in once the table is half-full: Heidi from the Den of Iniquity.
You’ve gotta be kidding me.
I’m particularly cognizant of the fact that one of the remaining empty seats is on the other side of me.
Heidi flashes a dazzling smile, which fades slightly when she sees the occupant of the seat on the other side of me. Fortunately, Jenny is still emerged in jotting down notes on her syllabus.
Undaunted, Heidi bounces right over to plop down into the empty seat next to me.
Why do I suddenly feel like I’m getting it from all sides? It’s as though the god of relationships is testing me; not so much with temptation—I still consider Grace to be the ultimate prize—but with conflict. The guy who was first sitting here when I arrived, is now practically slackjawed as he stares at our little trio.
And I thought this would be an easy class. At the very least, I was right in my other assessment, it will be interesting.
“Hey, Noah!” I thought that bubbly affect was strictly for the bar, but it’s apparently Heidi’s default personality.
“Heidi,” I reply pleasantly enough.
“I can’t believe I’ve never had a class with you before. I mean we’re both seniors!”
“Well, it’s a big campus.”
“Yeah, but I’ve heard this class is good.”
“Me too.”
“So, are you excited about going into the NHL next year?”
I groan inwardly.
On the other side of me, Jenny silently laughs as she stays focused on her syllabus, obviously finding this hilarious.
“If I make it,” I reply, hoping that puts an end to it.
“Of course you will!” she practically squeals. “You’re, like, the best player on the team. You’d have your pick.”
“Appreciate the vote of confidence.”
She laughs as though I’ve made a joke. “So, if you could join any team, where would you go?”
“I guess whichever team’ll have me. “ I’m not liking where this is going.
“Yeah but—”
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Jenny says, leaning around me to give Heidi an apologetic smile. She diverts her attention back to me. “For our date on Friday, did you want to just meet there or should I stop by your place?”
At first, I blink with alarm, but it takes me two seconds to catch on, mostly from her encouraging smile. “There is fine.”
“Great, I’m looking forward to it!”
She settles back into her seat staring down at her papers with an enigmatic smile
On the other side of me, Heidi has gone quiet, suddenly interested in pulling out her laptop.
The guy who was first in the room has a perfect view of this from the end of the table where he’s situated. A cynical smile comes to his face as he shakes his head in wonder before he returns to focusing on his screen.
I wish I could tell him it’s a blessing and a curse.
After class, I stop Jenny before she can take off.
“So, all that back there about the date. I appreciate what you were trying to do, but, uh—”
She laughs. “Don’t worry, I know we’re not really going out.” She tilts her head to the side to consider me. “Unless…?”
I grab the back of my neck. “It’s probably not going to work out between us. That weekend at Evan’s lake house was great but—”
She laughs again. “You can just say no, you know.” Her eyelids lower with cun
ning amusement. “Grace Arlington was asking about you Monday in Immunology class. Is that thing working out?”
“It’s, well…”
“Never mind,” she says, waving it off. “None of my business. And you’re welcome.”
She gives me one last smile and walks off before I can tell her not to reveal her assumptions about Grace and me to anyone. Still, that was an easy segue out of an awkward conversation, being that we spent the weekend together once upon a time.
Then again, a girl like Jenny won’t be lonely for long.
“Noah!”
I wince as I hear Heidi’s perky voice behind me, mostly wondering how much she heard. Still, she seems like a sweet girl so I plaster a smile on my face as I turn around to catch her exiting the classroom.
“Heidi.”
“I can’t wait to watch the Ice Breaker tournament. So cool that we made it! I wish I could watch it live. I already know it’s going to be the busiest night of the year at the Den of Iniquity. It’s at Notre Dame, yeah?”
“Yep.”
“So, um, I was wondering—”
She’s interrupted as she tries to corner me but inadvertently bumps into the guy who was in the room when I arrived. The bag he had gathered up into his arms falls to the floor.
“Oh Josh, I’m so sorry!” she exclaims, immediately kneeling to the floor at the same time as him to help him pick up the contents.
“You…uh, know my name?” he asks, pushing his glasses up.
“Well, yeah we had Intro to Computer Science together sophomore year. You were so nice to me that first day.” She looks up, handing him his notebook and presenting a slightly embarrassed smile. “Besides, remembering names is the bare minimum requirement at my job. That, and holding ten shot glasses in one hand.”
“I guess we all have our talents,” he mutters, flashing a brief, perfunctory smile.
She seems to find that funny and laughs. It’s enough to have the poor guy blushing in surprise.
I take advantage of the momentary distraction and leave before she can finish whatever she was “wondering” about before this little detour.
