The fast-paced lecture kept everyone’s attention. In a slimming business suit, Dr. Cox paced in front of the students. Her strong voice carried without a microphone.
As the instructor outlined the syllabus, Ari realized this class might end up being one of her favorites. Hard, yes, but fascinating. The workings and reasoning behind human behavior was complex and engrossing all at the same time. The class dismissed all too soon for Ari.
For lunch, Ari headed down to the student commons building in the middle of campus. Not feeling like a big meal, she ordered a vanilla meal shake from the automated window. It tasted like ice cream but contained the vitamins and nutrients of a complete meal. Ari’s mom hated the engineered food, but Ari could eat ice cream for the rest of her life. She grabbed a small apple, so she could tell her mom she did, and worked on the shake while reading about the circuitry of the human brain.
She read the same sentence several times, struggling to focus amid the noise of the cafeteria. It wasn’t until someone pushed a white napkin across the table did Ari realize she was no longer alone.
“Hey, Reed.” She studied the simple cartoon drawn on the napkin. A clown was sucking on a cigarette while making a balloon animal and getting ash on the large-eyed child waiting in line. A smile grew on her face which turned into a laugh. “I haven’t gotten one of these cartoons for quite a while.”
“You haven’t needed one for a while.”
She didn’t want to tell him she had kept every drawing he’d given her back at home. Reed used to sneak cartoons into Ari’s bags, or books, and even one into her breakfast box when she was younger, right after she lost her dad. They always cheered her up, no matter how bizarre. Maybe it was because they were so bizarre.
Looking up and meeting Reed’s gaze, the laughter slowly died. It wasn’t very often she found herself alone with Reed. And the last couple of times hadn’t been promising.
“Thanks.” Her thumb brushed over the cartoon. “I never thought I’d miss the old neighborhood.” She realized he was just taking care of her, like he had done when her dad abandoned her. He treated her like a younger sister, but unfortunately, Ari’s thoughts weren’t very sisterly.
“Just remember these rich kids are jealous. Their parents had to sell their vacation home to pay for this.”
“Not my roommate. She still has her vacation home and a couple others to spare.” It was hard for Ari not to be jealous of Tessa.
“Yeah, some are luckier than others, but that’s why we’re here. Right? To have more opportunity than our parents did.”
She reached for the spoon in her shake and swallowed a cold bite. The freezing lump hit her stomach and cleared her head. It was easy to forget about the worry of tomorrow with Reed nearby. “It’s totally over-rated.”
“What is?” He glanced up, meeting her eyes, and those eyes of a million colors shone back with curiosity. In the middle of a noisy cafeteria, a small bit of quiet spanned the distance between them.
She lowered her gaze, which made it easier to think. “The money. These people all spend it on a fake life, with plastic faces, and perfect bodies. Give me ice cream, fake or not, and I can die happy.”
Chapter Six
After missing Art Design the day before without any major consequences, Ari decided to skip her VR class. Better to take a demerit than freak out again, and it gave her one more day to figure out what to do. She completed homework during her VR class and then headed to her last class of the day.
“We missed your theatrics in class today.” Wake brushed by as she entered the classroom.
She glared at him while taking her seat. Why wouldn’t that creep just leave her alone?
Professor Mienka taught art design and dressed the part. She was a tall woman with a heavy accent. Long curly hair fell to the middle of her back, and she had a natural beauty that Ari guessed many men fought over. And the woman insisted everyone call her by her first name, Irina.
By the end of the day, Ari welcomed the homework; at least, the kind didn’t require trips to the VR. She studied until the words blurred together on her small interface screen and then passed out for the night.
The next day, she tried to become invisible as she found a seat in the back for her first class. She kept to herself and tried to focus on the lecture and not her upcoming class with Dr. Coleman. She couldn’t skip again and avoiding it wouldn’t help anything.
Her HUB vibrated with a message from Garrett.
Want to meet for lunch today?
Ari wondered if he was asking her on a date. She didn’t have much experience with dating. Most guys wanted to take girls on VR dates to foreign destinations. Ari had to admit Rome or Greece probably impressed girls more than a coffee shop.
Sure. Where?
I’ll meet you outside your dorm.
Thoughts of Garrett helped distract her as she finished class. As promised, Garrett stood outside her building, bag in one hand and drink carrier in the other. Instead of the lab uniform, he wore slimming jeans and a green shirt. His yellow hair had a cute, messy look, and his smile was infectious.
“You, me and some killer meatballs.”
She returned the smile. “Lead the way.”
He curved off into the fake manicured grass behind her dorm. A small lake bordered the north of campus. They strolled to a grouping of large boulders overlooking the water.
“Need some help?” he asked, nodding to the large boulder.
“No, I got it.” She climbed up easily and then grabbed the food, so he could climb up beside her.
“Just to warn you, these meatballs go beyond mere mortal food at our campus. Once tasted, your diet will never be the same again.”
Ari laughed. “Okay. I’ve been warned.”
With one bite, a
