Chapter 5
Morgan
Dr. Wang finally enters with a few students trailing behind him. As they take their seats, I notice that out of the eleven students present, I am the only female.
I was hoping someone I knew would be in here. Someone I knew who was lacking testicles.
“Ah, good morning everyone,” Dr. Wang says as he sets down his coffee and opens his satchel.
The class mumbles a response and Dr. Wang laughs. His eyes smile when his mouth does. I think I’m going to like him.
“Too early? It’s okay. We will start simple and work our way to not simple.”
I giggle and catch Nate looking at me. Oops. Was that too loud? I’m sure no one else in here giggles. I clear my throat and slap on my serious face.
Nate snorts and I scowl. Is he laughing at me? It’s not like I can say anything to him right now since class is starting. Speaking of, where are all his things? Is he so smart he doesn’t need a textbook?
“Nate, here are my notes. Read over things and let me know if you have any questions,” Dr. Wang says as he hands Nate a folder.
“Thank you, Professor.”
“You are most welcome. Class, Nate will be joining us most days, but he is not enrolled in the course. He’s my assistant this year and is doing some work for me. He’s also doing an audit of sorts by joining us. He is writing a book and is hopeful this class will help him. But he doesn’t need the credit,” he pauses, before adding, “and I’m sure he’s not interested in paying for the credit.”
The class laughs, but I sit dumbfounded. Nate’s writing a book? Like a freaking real book? At age 21? The professor has started handing out the syllabus and talking about the coursework, but I can’t concentrate on his words. I’m stuck on Nate. On what real-life perfection looks like.
That’s it, right there, across the room from me. If I didn’t realize it before, I sure as hell do now. Men like that simply don’t exist. Or so I thought.
Lost in my head, I accidentally drop the lid to my water bottle and watch it as it rolls across the floor and hits Nate’s shoe. He bends down, picks it up, and looks at it. It’s red and matches the container I’m drinking out of. He’ll obviously know what it is.
Dr. Wang is now at the board writing something. I should probably write it down, but I’m staring at the lid in Nate’s hand. He holds it up in my direction, as if it’s a question. I nod.
He motions like he’s going to toss it and I shake my head vigorously, communicating a firm no. One, I can’t catch for shit. Two, what if Dr. Wang sees him throw something to me?
I don’t need my professor thinking I take part in juvenile behaviors, even though I do, indeed, take part in juvenile behaviors. But that’s my business.
Nate nods and makes the motion again, and I think he’s really going to throw it. In the middle of class. My eyes drift to Dr. Wang, who is still writing, then quickly back to Nate, who has a huge smile on his face. Why is he smiling? This isn’t funny. I sincerely hope he’s fucking with me.
“… and of the …” Wang continues with his back to the class.
Jesus. Is he not going to turn around? Because I would really like for him to turn around.
I try one more time to dissuade Captain Ballsy over there and make a slicing motion with my hand. He silently laughs and puts his palms up.
Does he not understand the karate chop motion? It means no! Or possibly that I will karate chop him. Which is kind of funny, I guess.
“So …” Wang says.
My attention moves back to Dr. Wang at the same time Nate tosses the lid. I hear Nate gasp and I turn back just in time to feel the lid hit my chest. I flinch and it falls down into the cleavage of my dress. It stops just above my belly button.
My cheeks redden. Dickhead just threw the lid, with perfect aim, and it’s now inside my dress. I can’t retrieve it. I’m going to have to sit here for the next 45 minutes, then wait for everyone to clear out, before going after it.
I glare at Nate. He’s covering his mouth with both hands, trying to hold in his laugh. I clench my fists, wishing I had something to throw back at him.
“I’m sorry,” he mouths.
I bite my lip so I don’t respond. My momma taught me that if I don’t have anything nice to say, I shouldn’t say anything at all.
So instead of saying anything, I flip him the bird. Does sign language count as not saying anything? Of course, this is when the good professor decides to turn around. Welcome to the Freak Show, Dr. Wang.
Nate
Uh oh. I start coughing into my fist so that Dr. Wang looks in my direction. I don’t want Morgan to get caught flipping me off. A couple of snickers come from the guys in the class.
“Are you okay, Nate?” Wang asks.
I clear my throat. “Oh, yes, Sir. Thank you.”
He nods and keeps going with his lecture. I half listen while I look at the front of Morgan’s dress, searching for signs of where the lid might be.
I didn’t mean to hit her like that. I thought she’d try to catch it.
She looked a little angry at first, but now one side of her mouth is twitching. I think she wants to laugh. I’ll apologize after class. I don’t want her to be pissed at me.
Wang talks for about twenty minutes more, then starts peppering the class with questions. Morgan looks a little panicked, like she doesn’t want to get called on.
Class sizes at Persimmon are small. She should be used to participating in discourse in a variety of subjects. Maybe she’s shy?
I keep my mouth shut during the discussion. I know a lot about Mao Zedong’s rise to power already, so I think I’ll let the rest of the students have this learning experience.
I assume most of them are taking the class to satisfy a graduation credit. I might be the only History major in the room.
“And, Miss Pottinger, what is your take on that?” Wang asks.
“Well,” she says as she shifts her weight and uncrosses her legs. She doesn’t get a chance to finish because the red lid rolls out from under her dress and drops to the floor.
Dr. Wang squints and looks at the lid, which has rolled to a stop, a couple of inches from his feet. He picks it up and places it on her desk, never saying a word.
This might be the single best moment of my academic career. I bite the inside of my cheek so I don’t lose it in front of everyone.
Dr. Wang checks his watch and frowns. “Oh, it looks like we are out of time. Please check the syllabus for your reading assignment and I’ll see you again on Wednesday.”
Everyone starts packing up to leave. Morgan’s skin is flushed. She’s furiously slamming things into her backpack. Shit. This is not good.
I nod at Dr. Wang as he leaves and then I stand, debating how to approach the female who’s not very happy with me. I don’t know her well enough to be confident in my approach to smooth this over.
We have hung out quite a few times, but Morgan’s usually quiet around me. I’ll use caution for the next few minutes.
I approach her as she slips on her backpack. I walk slowly and keep the table between us in case she wants to kick me in the nuts, which I may or may not deserve. But, honestly? It was totally worth it.
“Morgan?”
“No!” she yells through clenched teeth while making the same karate chop with her hand that she made earlier. Priceless.
“No?”
“Not a word. Not one. That was the single most embarrassing moment of my life, Nathaniel Stevenson.” She practically spits my name. It makes me want to kiss her.
“Really? Because I’ve done way worse shit before. You need to get out more.” I mean it as a joke but from the way her eyes are bulging, I’m guessing she’s not finding it amusing.
“I’m sorry, Morgan. I thought you’d catch it. I didn’t mean for it to go down your dress.”
“Really? Has your IQ gone down in the past few months? Do you not understand a negative head shake combined with a downward slash?”
She shakes her head hard and slices her hand through the air again to demonstrate. This chick’s hilarious. She’s my new favorite person.
“I apologize. I shouldn’t have done it. I thought it would be funny, and that you would catch it and we’d laugh about it after class. Then I’d walk you to the campus center and we’d eat lunch. Then we’d laugh some more about your Monday incident. It was going to be a great day that we could laugh about together for months.”
“Are you joking?” She looks confused, but at least some of her fury has disappeared.
“No,” I say. Because I’m not. That really was my thought process.
I tend to think out quite a few steps beyond each decision I make. It helps in chess. It also helps in planning battles, which is my emphasis of study here, Military History.
“I don’t even know how to respond to that. That’s so … not normal.”
“Yes, I can see how that might appear a bit peculiar to you.”
We stare at one another. I may not be able to read her very well, but I can tell she’s considering my words.
“So, lunch today?” I prompt.
“I—I can’t.”
“Okay. Then tomorrow?”
“We don’t have this class tomorrow.”
“So?”
I’m close to asking her over tonight for a beer. She’s amusing and has an innocent quality about her. I want to get to know her better. I suspect she’s an amazing person, and I could use a little amazing in my life. My instincts are rarely wrong.
Besides, I like looking at her. I want to touch her hair and see if it feels as soft as it looks. I also want to smell it. I won’t, though, because my girlfriend would have a conniption.
But I feel a connection to Morgan and if we can be friends, I think I’d like that very much. This is the best first day of classes I’ve ever had. And it’s all thanks to her.
“Um, why don’t we talk about it on Wednesday?” she says as she starts walking towards the door.
Disappointment hits me. I can tell she wants to get away from me right now. It’s adorable how uncomfortable she is.
“Sure. I’ll see you Wednesday,” I say.
“Okay. Well, bye.”
She gives a little wave and hurries out the door. I shake my head because I’m walking the same direction she is. I have a lovely view for the next ten minutes.