It was Kate’s turn to smile. “We were doing some role-playing after Robert explained cognitive dissonance and normalization bias.”
I had only a vague idea what she was talking about, but nodded as though it was old news to me. “Oh, sure.”
“You know about those already?” Kate asked, not letting me off the hook easily.
I sat down across from her. “Anything I don’t, I’m sure I’ll know after you explain it.”
Robert gave me a short summary, and then Kate got to her feet. “I need to go back to the dorm before my next class. You coming?” she asked me.
“I kind of need to copy Robert’s notes,” I said, earning a dark look from her.
“Shouldn’t take too long,” Robert said.
Kate glanced at her watch and then at Robert. She beamed a smile at him and batted her eyes so hard I could practically feel the breeze. “Thanks for explaining everything so clearly, Robert. The way you describe things, they make a lot more sense than from the book.”
“That’s my job,” he said, returning the smile.
Kate lingered for another minute, taking in the idyllic scene by the river while affording Robert ample opportunity to appreciate her voluptuous curves, and then sashayed off, her hips swinging a little more than usual. If Robert noticed, he gave no indication and returned his attention to me when she disappeared over the rise.
“So you were working late? Where do you work?” he asked.
“I’m doing work study with the catering group. We were on the movie set till almost one.”
He nodded. “I heard about that yesterday. That’s got to be quite a thrill.”
I averted my eyes. “Not as much as you’d think.”
Robert frowned. “Didn’t go well?”
“It was a long night,” I said, my tone making it clear I didn’t want to discuss it.
“Ah. Okay. So, back to the class. I had the students tell each other a short summary about themselves, which I always find interesting.” He paused expectantly and raised an eyebrow. “Well?”
I sighed. It could have been worse. At least I didn’t have to do this in front of the rest of the group.
“You already know my name,” I said. “I just turned eighteen, and I’m from a little town in rural Pennsylvania that time forgot. Here on an academic scholarship.”
Robert nodded encouragement, and I couldn’t help but notice that his green eyes sparkled in the sunlight. I remembered Kate’s insistence that he was a handsome specimen, and had to give her props for being right about that.
“I’m interested in psychology, which is why I’m taking this class,” I continued. “My dad, um, passed away a couple of years ago; mom, my stepmom, is still alive. She’s Ridley alumni, so it was really important to her for me to come here,” I explained. “My high school…well, it was really small. Didn’t do much to prepare me for anything more than a minimum-wage job.”
Robert’s expression didn’t change. “Sorry about your father.”
“Thanks,” I said, glad he hadn’t asked about my birth mother.
“Any brothers or sisters at home?”
I shook my head, careful not to do so too hard lest my hair expose my neck. “Nope.” I eyed him. “What about you? Did you do the capsule summary about yourself, too?”
That got a reaction, and he smiled. “I’m twenty-two. From Delaware. Working on my doctorate at the university. I got lucky when I was a sophomore and created an app that did pretty well. So I took a year off, started a company to develop it, and sold it when I figured out I wasn’t enjoying myself. Now I’m keeping a promise I made to my mother to finish school. That’s about it.”
“Brothers or sisters?” I asked.
His expression darkened, and his hand moved to a silver bracelet on his left wrist. “One. A year older.” He paused. “We couldn’t be more different. He’s the black sheep of the family.”
“So you’re the good son? What would your parents say?”
“Nothing. They’ve both passed away.” He sighed. “I wouldn’t say I’m the good one, but I’m probably the better one.” His tone brightened. “You only have a few more minutes to copy my notes or you’re going to be late for your next class. Better get to it,” he said, and passed me his notebook.
I scrawled as fast as I could, and had most of the highlights jotted down by the time he stood. I handed back the notebook and rose, and fidgeted for a moment.
“Thanks,” I said.
“No problem. Just try not to miss any more classes or I’m going to have to ding you.” He smiled to soften the warning. “Now I have to get moving, or I’m going to be late for my next one, too.”
“Thanks again. I really appreciate it,” I said, relieved both for not having gotten into more trouble this early in the term, and for not having been forced to explain more about my background. Facts I was comfortable giving people; feelings, not so much.
We went our separate ways, Robert toward the administrative buildings and I to my English class, my fatigue weighing heavily as I rushed to make it before the bell sounded. I decided to take a nap before tonight’s catering stint, and resolved in addition to avoid thinking about Jared anymore – a decision I knew in my heart I would violate by noon, if not before.
Chapter 9
By the time classes were over, I was ready to drop, and it was all I could do to make it to the dorm and crawl into bed, using Jared’s jacket as a blanket.
I drifted into a troubled sleep, and soon was dreaming. I was standing on a frost-covered hill, staring into a valley blanketed in fog about an hour before the sun’s first glow would spread across the sky. I looked down at my
