Chapter 07.02

“Where’ve you been?” Dave asked as I slipped into my afternoon class just in time.

“Walking in the park,” I said. “I didn’t know it was that big.

“Yeah, it connects all the universities. It’s easy to get lost,” Dave said.

“How many universities does it connect?” I asked.

“Let’s see...” my roommate thought for a moment. ”There’s us, the med school, the law school, the teachers’ college, the culinary institute, and some kind of arts academy that’s supposed to be tiny and super elite. The park’s a great place to meet people,” he added with a grin.

“Yeah,” I nodded. ”I saw someone there today too. But I didn’t have the nerve to say anything,” I laughed.

—

I kept up my habit from last year—reading through the day’s material every evening—so it wasn’t overwhelming. I knew I had a class with Uncle Steve midweek, but I was still surprised when I came back from swimming and found my roommates studying like mad.

“Did I miss something?” I asked. ”It’s only the first week.”

“Yeah,” Dave said. ”But tomorrow we’ve got class with Dr. Wenword.”

I didn’t quite get why that mattered, so I didn’t pay much attention. Instead, I went to grab something to eat.

Uncle Steve’s class wasn’t early in the morning—we were already close to lunchtime when we filed into the lecture hall. I sat in the back left, where my roommates had settled. If it were up to me, I would’ve sat in the front row.

“You didn’t study last night, man,” Dave said. ”Dr. Wenword’s going to notice.”

“Your whole semester could be decided today,” Phil added.

“Heads up, he’s coming,” Tom warned as the door opened.

A soft murmur started in the front rows and rippled backward as two girls appeared in the doorway and slowly walked in. Oh, hell.

One was a young woman, older than me, wearing glasses. The other was a petite blonde who, to me, was the most beautiful woman in the world. She was wearing pants, and even those looked perfect on her.

“Isn’t that the model girl?” Phil asked.

Tom just nodded.

For the first time in my life, I hated being tall and noticeable. Jenny couldn’t spot me.

“Dave,” I whispered, ”can I borrow your baseball cap?”

“Sure,” he said, handing it over. I pulled it low over my face and tried to slump down behind the thin guy sitting in front of me, practically lying on the desk.

“You okay?” Dave asked, watching me struggle.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I muttered.

The taller girl cleared her throat. Jenny sat silently in one of the instructor’s chairs.

“Good morning, everyone,” the tall girl began, waiting for the chatter to die down. Jenny remained quiet.

“Due to some sudden personal matters, Dr. Wenword couldn’t make it today. He sent me in his place. My name is Ms. Karen Smith, and I’m Dr. Benson’s teaching assistant.” A low buzz of whispers followed, but she waited patiently. ”As most of you know, today is placement test day, as it is at the start of every semester. I’ll be administering it in his stead.”

“What is she talking about?” I whispered to Dave.

“That’s why we studied last night, man,” he whispered back.

Hands shot up across the room, but Karen didn’t acknowledge them.

“Please save your questions for Dr. Wenword next week,” she said. ”Unfortunately, I’ll have to leave you early today, so please hand your completed tests to Miss Wenword at the end of class.” She gestured toward Jenny, who gave a modest wave but didn’t stand up. She simply pulled out a book and began reading. Karen gathered the test papers from the desk.

“Would all new students please raise their hands?” Karen asked.

I ducked under the desk, slipped off my watch, and raised my hand. The guys looked at me like I’d lost my mind.

“Welcome to our university,” Karen said. ”Today’s test will be the same for everyone. Please inform any absentees that they’ve automatically been placed in the most advanced group.”

I slipped out from under the desk. Jenny was scanning the room, watching people—but since she wasn’t looking for me, she didn’t find me. Thankfully, I was sitting too high up to be easily noticed.

Karen handed the test papers to the students in the front row. Each person took one and passed the rest to the students sitting behind them.