bag with his laptop and papers. “I told Dr. Pak it was a mistake to let you into our program,” he said without looking up. “Would you like to know why?”
“I can’t wait,” she muttered under her breath.
He glanced up at her, gray eyes frosted over. Hatton wasn’t completely horrible-looking but the post-grunge look was dead as far as Lizzie was concerned.
“You’re too smart, Miss Sellers.” He started up the steps. “It’s too easy for you. You spend most of your time daydreaming and trying not to nap when there is a waiting list of students who would work their asses off to be in your place.”
She started to protest but he stopped right in front of her.
“There are men who spend their entire careers trying to work through equations you can do in your head but what do you do? You yawn. You doodle. You daydream. You make it clear to everyone around you that you think you’re slumming.”
Lizzie shook her head. “No.”
“And then you take off for a week—”
“I had a family thing.”
“Family thing?” He smirked and pushed his rectangle glasses up. “A wedding you mean? Tell me, did you catch the bouquet? Is that why you’re even more distracted than usual? At least before your week back to the swamp you made the attempt to look as though you were interested but since you’ve been back…well, you didn’t come back. Did you leave your brain at home dreaming of wedding dresses and flowers?”
She flinched because he wasn’t completely wrong. It wasn’t the wedding that had her distracted. It was Nic.
“Maybe I’m right and math isn’t your thing. You should consider fashion merchandising or journalism? Maybe you’d—”
“I get it,” she snapped.
Lizzie’s arms tightened around the notebook and computer she clamped to her chest. She blinked back tears refusing to cry.
“You’re a cruel joke on the entire mathematics community. How is anyone supposed to take you seriously when you look like you just walked off the Good Ship Lollipop ?” He waved his hand at her hair.
Lizzie’s jaw dropped at his verbal attack. She’d never had anyone be so openly vicious to her face.
“Are you going to cry?” He raised his eyebrows at her.
She shook her head. Her skin burned with humiliation and something else she hadn’t expected. A cruel joke on the entire mathematics community?
Who did he think he was?
“Is that what you want? To make me cry?”
He laughed, turning away from her. “Oh, no. I want to make you leave. In fact, I have an opening for TA next year. I think I’ll put in a request for you.”
“What?” She gasped, anger getting the best of her. “There’s no way. Dr. Pak—”
“Dr. Pak, what? Promised you a position on his team? That’s too bad.”
Anger sputtered out of her without warning. “Why would you even want me on your team when you think I’m such a joke?”
His smile was cruel. “Because you’ll need my approval to make it through your second year, and if you continue like this you’re never going to get it.
Lizzie opened her mouth to tell him exactly where he could go, but he shook his head.
“Grow up, Miss Sellers. And if you show up this fall, be ready to work your ass off.”
She nodded, unable to even come up with a defense. “Okay.”
His head snapped back when she didn’t argue.
“You’re right,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
His body language completely changed and she had the distinct impression she’d surprised him. “You have a gift, Sellers,” he spoke in a much more reasonable tone. “Whatever has you so distracted has got to go. You have more important things to do.”
She nodded again, because he might have the facts wrong, but he was absolutely right.
Sunshine blinded her when she stepped outside, but she kept walking until she found an empty bench. She sucked in a breath, blinking back burning tears. She covered her face with her hands. This was not who she was.
This was not how things were supposed
“I can’t wait,” she muttered under her breath.
He glanced up at her, gray eyes frosted over. Hatton wasn’t completely horrible-looking but the post-grunge look was dead as far as Lizzie was concerned.
“You’re too smart, Miss Sellers.” He started up the steps. “It’s too easy for you. You spend most of your time daydreaming and trying not to nap when there is a waiting list of students who would work their asses off to be in your place.”
She started to protest but he stopped right in front of her.
“There are men who spend their entire careers trying to work through equations you can do in your head but what do you do? You yawn. You doodle. You daydream. You make it clear to everyone around you that you think you’re slumming.”
Lizzie shook her head. “No.”
“And then you take off for a week—”
“I had a family thing.”
“Family thing?” He smirked and pushed his rectangle glasses up. “A wedding you mean? Tell me, did you catch the bouquet? Is that why you’re even more distracted than usual? At least before your week back to the swamp you made the attempt to look as though you were interested but since you’ve been back…well, you didn’t come back. Did you leave your brain at home dreaming of wedding dresses and flowers?”
She flinched because he wasn’t completely wrong. It wasn’t the wedding that had her distracted. It was Nic.
“Maybe I’m right and math isn’t your thing. You should consider fashion merchandising or journalism? Maybe you’d—”
“I get it,” she snapped.
Lizzie’s arms tightened around the notebook and computer she clamped to her chest. She blinked back tears refusing to cry.
“You’re a cruel joke on the entire mathematics community. How is anyone supposed to take you seriously when you look like you just walked off the Good Ship Lollipop ?” He waved his hand at her hair.
Lizzie’s jaw dropped at his verbal attack. She’d never had anyone be so openly vicious to her face.
“Are you going to cry?” He raised his eyebrows at her.
She shook her head. Her skin burned with humiliation and something else she hadn’t expected. A cruel joke on the entire mathematics community?
Who did he think he was?
“Is that what you want? To make me cry?”
He laughed, turning away from her. “Oh, no. I want to make you leave. In fact, I have an opening for TA next year. I think I’ll put in a request for you.”
“What?” She gasped, anger getting the best of her. “There’s no way. Dr. Pak—”
“Dr. Pak, what? Promised you a position on his team? That’s too bad.”
Anger sputtered out of her without warning. “Why would you even want me on your team when you think I’m such a joke?”
His smile was cruel. “Because you’ll need my approval to make it through your second year, and if you continue like this you’re never going to get it.
Lizzie opened her mouth to tell him exactly where he could go, but he shook his head.
“Grow up, Miss Sellers. And if you show up this fall, be ready to work your ass off.”
She nodded, unable to even come up with a defense. “Okay.”
His head snapped back when she didn’t argue.
“You’re right,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
His body language completely changed and she had the distinct impression she’d surprised him. “You have a gift, Sellers,” he spoke in a much more reasonable tone. “Whatever has you so distracted has got to go. You have more important things to do.”
She nodded again, because he might have the facts wrong, but he was absolutely right.
Sunshine blinded her when she stepped outside, but she kept walking until she found an empty bench. She sucked in a breath, blinking back burning tears. She covered her face with her hands. This was not who she was.
This was not how things were supposed
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