try. I was
actually looking forward to the next step on my quest for the Carlyle Fortune
when I walked into my first class of the semester, Psychology 1001.
I was just in time, and I spotted an empty
seat up in the small, stadium-style seating. Unfortunately, I didn’t even get
two minutes of peace before I realized that fate was going to be a prissy
little bitch after all.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I
grunted to myself when I glanced down and saw Clara a few rows below me,
tentatively awaiting the professor’s appearance.
What is it with this goddamn
girl?
Clara had been everywhere I’d turned since
the beginning of the weekend. Everything from the Marine banquet, to the bar
afterwards, to Father’s little family
get-together…
I realized the seat next to her was
available, and a sly smile crossed my lips.
Fine. Challenge accepted.
Narrowly, I squeezed into the seat before
some other guy could snag it. Clara quickly glanced up, her breath catching in
her throat.
“Hullo, love,” I grinned knowingly.
“What. The. Fuck. ” She trembled. “Are you, like, actually stalking me now? Why
can’t I fucking get away from you?”
“Yes, you’re absolutely right,” I conceded
mockingly. “I specifically called you in to work my banquet, trailed you to the
bar, hooked our parents up, and somehow got
your schedule and put myself in your class.”
“Ugh. Actually, that last one is me,” Clara
sighed. “I transferred into Psych at the last second. I wasn’t on the
attendance until this morning.”
“See? It’s destiny,” I told her.
“ Destiny? ”
She looked at me like I was crazy.
“Of course! Either you and I are the butt of
some cruel, cosmic joke… or something really wants us to give each other a chance. You can’t deny that this is pretty
bizarre.”
“The only bizarre thing about this is that our parents are dating,” she spat out in a hushed
tone.
“So you’re fine with us, then,” I countered
without skipping a beat. “It’s just our parents that are the problem. Good to
know.”
“No, that’s not what I said at all,” she
insisted.
“You said, and I quote, the only bizarre thing about this is that– ”
“I know what I said.”
I smiled, watching her grow more flustered by
the second. Clara shook her head at me, the very picture of exasperation;
valiantly, she tried and failed to hide a faint smile, hinted at the corner of
her lips.
At that moment, the profession stepped into
the room. A thin, gaunt figure with thick, snow-white hair and a matching,
magnificent beard, he set down his briefcase on the podium and glanced up at us
through thick, black-rimmed spectacles.
“Good morning, students, and welcome to
Psychology 1001. My name is Doctor Thaddeus Pritchard. You may call me Professor Pritchard or Doctor Pritchard ; either will do. Now
then, I’ll be guiding those of you here next week for the following several
months. Please pull out your textbooks and flip to page 108 while I call roll…”
“Shit,” Clara whispered. “I totally forgot to
pick one up.”
“No need,” I replied casually, pulling out a
thick, heavy copy of The Realm Inside: A
Beginner’s Psychology Guide . “We can share this for the moment.”
She bit her lip and raised an eyebrow, but
couldn’t overlook that this book was, used, still over a hundred bucks. “Just for today.”
“Oh, of course,” I shrugged. “Just today.
You’ll get your own copy after that, assuming you stick out the class, that
is.” I let my slight smile carry the tone as I challenged her. “I hear this
guy’s kind of tough, after all. You might not hack it.”
“Is that so?” Clara replied, slipping a few
strands of hair behind her ear. She was watching me with an eyebrow raised.
“We’re assuming, of course, that you won’t be intimidated by him
actually looking forward to the next step on my quest for the Carlyle Fortune
when I walked into my first class of the semester, Psychology 1001.
I was just in time, and I spotted an empty
seat up in the small, stadium-style seating. Unfortunately, I didn’t even get
two minutes of peace before I realized that fate was going to be a prissy
little bitch after all.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I
grunted to myself when I glanced down and saw Clara a few rows below me,
tentatively awaiting the professor’s appearance.
What is it with this goddamn
girl?
Clara had been everywhere I’d turned since
the beginning of the weekend. Everything from the Marine banquet, to the bar
afterwards, to Father’s little family
get-together…
I realized the seat next to her was
available, and a sly smile crossed my lips.
Fine. Challenge accepted.
Narrowly, I squeezed into the seat before
some other guy could snag it. Clara quickly glanced up, her breath catching in
her throat.
“Hullo, love,” I grinned knowingly.
“What. The. Fuck. ” She trembled. “Are you, like, actually stalking me now? Why
can’t I fucking get away from you?”
“Yes, you’re absolutely right,” I conceded
mockingly. “I specifically called you in to work my banquet, trailed you to the
bar, hooked our parents up, and somehow got
your schedule and put myself in your class.”
“Ugh. Actually, that last one is me,” Clara
sighed. “I transferred into Psych at the last second. I wasn’t on the
attendance until this morning.”
“See? It’s destiny,” I told her.
“ Destiny? ”
She looked at me like I was crazy.
“Of course! Either you and I are the butt of
some cruel, cosmic joke… or something really wants us to give each other a chance. You can’t deny that this is pretty
bizarre.”
“The only bizarre thing about this is that our parents are dating,” she spat out in a hushed
tone.
“So you’re fine with us, then,” I countered
without skipping a beat. “It’s just our parents that are the problem. Good to
know.”
“No, that’s not what I said at all,” she
insisted.
“You said, and I quote, the only bizarre thing about this is that– ”
“I know what I said.”
I smiled, watching her grow more flustered by
the second. Clara shook her head at me, the very picture of exasperation;
valiantly, she tried and failed to hide a faint smile, hinted at the corner of
her lips.
At that moment, the profession stepped into
the room. A thin, gaunt figure with thick, snow-white hair and a matching,
magnificent beard, he set down his briefcase on the podium and glanced up at us
through thick, black-rimmed spectacles.
“Good morning, students, and welcome to
Psychology 1001. My name is Doctor Thaddeus Pritchard. You may call me Professor Pritchard or Doctor Pritchard ; either will do. Now
then, I’ll be guiding those of you here next week for the following several
months. Please pull out your textbooks and flip to page 108 while I call roll…”
“Shit,” Clara whispered. “I totally forgot to
pick one up.”
“No need,” I replied casually, pulling out a
thick, heavy copy of The Realm Inside: A
Beginner’s Psychology Guide . “We can share this for the moment.”
She bit her lip and raised an eyebrow, but
couldn’t overlook that this book was, used, still over a hundred bucks. “Just for today.”
“Oh, of course,” I shrugged. “Just today.
You’ll get your own copy after that, assuming you stick out the class, that
is.” I let my slight smile carry the tone as I challenged her. “I hear this
guy’s kind of tough, after all. You might not hack it.”
“Is that so?” Clara replied, slipping a few
strands of hair behind her ear. She was watching me with an eyebrow raised.
“We’re assuming, of course, that you won’t be intimidated by him
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