Page 14 of Under His Protection
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It’s noon, and my chem lab isn’t until one o’clock. I have an entire hour to kill, so I go outside and end up sitting at an open picnic table on the green. It’s a beautiful day, and I end up reading on my tablet. Occasionally, I’ll shift my attention to a small group of students kicking a soccer ball back and forth. I definitely could get used to this.
A few minutes before one, I walk into my chem lab classroom. The lab classes are much smaller than the lecture halls, more like what I’m used to. Half the class is already in here and seated at the tall tables that each accommodate two students. I sit at an open table.
“Is this seat taken?” asks a guy who gestures to the empty stool beside mine.
I smile at a dark-haired, dark-eyed, clean-shaven guy. “No. Help yourself.”
After he sets his lab manual and tablet on the table and takes a seat, he offers me his hand. “Mark Hoffman. I saw you in the chemistry lecture hall this morning.”
I stare at his hand, not exactly wanting to shake it, but he persists until it becomes awkward, so I do. “Haley Donovan.”
He holds my hand tightly in his. “It’s a pleasure, Haley. So, is this your first year?” When I nod, he asks, “Which dorm are you in?”
I’m not comfortable sharing personal information with a complete stranger. Thankfully I’m saved from answering when the instructor walks into the room. Everyone gets quiet and faces the desk at the front of the room.
The instructor introduces herself as Ms. Davis and tells us to introduce ourselves to the person sitting next to us. “He, or she, will be your lab partner for the entire term. Be nice and make friends.”
While everyone in the class is introducing themselves to their table mates, mine says, “So, Haley, tell me about yourself.”
I keep my reply simple and tell him I’m majoring in political science and history.
He tells me he’s in his second year, and that he’s a finance major. He says his father owns a private equity firm in Chicago. “I’ll be joining my dad’s firm when I graduate. I’m taking this class to fulfill my science requirement.”
“Same.”
“So, which dorm are you in?” he asks again. “I didn’t catch it the first time.”
That’s because I didn’t answer him.
But, he’s nothing if not persistent as he waits for me to answer.
“Faulkner Hall,” I finally reply.
He smiles. “What a coincidence. So am I. What floor on you on?”
“The third floor.”
“I’m on the fourth, right above you.”
I don’t know how to respond to that, but fortunately, I don’t have to because Ms. Davis turns on the projector, dims the lights, and begins class. “Let’s go over the ground rules first, shall we?”
For the rest of the period, I focus on the instructor and take copious, detailed notes, mostly to keep myself busy. I keep my eyes on the projector screen in front of the room and on my tablet. More than once, I feel Mark’s eyes on me instead of where they should be.
As expected, we’ll be completing lab assignments in pairs, and it looks like I’m stuck with this guy for the rest of the term.
When class is over, the lights come back up, and the instructor turns off the projector. Then she starts passing out a packet of papers. “Here’s your first lab assignment. Read it over and be prepared to conduct the experiments listed in our next class. Your lab partners are counting on you, so do your part.Participation is forty percent of your grade, so don’t think you can blow this off.”
Ms. Davis hands two packets to Mark.
As Mark hands one to me, his fingers intentionally brush mine. “How about we go get a coffee somewhere and review the lab assignment so we’re prepared for the next class?”
“Sorry, I can’t. I’m busy.”Doing homework.
“Too bad.” He smiles, but it seems forced. “Another time, then. I guess I’ll see you in class Wednesday, unless I see you sooner. Since we’re in the same dorm building, we’ll probably cross paths a lot.”
As I’m packing up my stuff, a dark-haired, petite curvy girl sitting at the table in front of ours turns back to me and smiles. As she stands, she accidentally knocks her notebook onto the floor. I pick it up and hand it to her.
