Page 82 of Learning Curve

Professor Winslow laughs. “Oh, so you guys are a fan of that plan?”

More voices in the lecture hall shout out their agreement.

“Okay,” he says and stands. He walks over to Doug’s small desk in the corner and grabs the stack of midterms off his desk. And then he strides over to his trash can and drops them in with a loud thud. “Happy holidays.”

The entire room erupts into cheers and applause and Professor Winslow lets it go on for a good minute, basking in everyone’s happiness, before he holds up his hand to quiet the room.

“Now, even though you don’t have a midterm, you do have a semester project to turn in to me today,” he updates. “This final part of your project’s point value will be double to replace your midterm grade, so I’m hoping you all put the team in teamwork and created a final thesis on The Winter’s Tale that will blow my figurative load.”

Girls squeal, guys high-five, and I shake my head. Yeah, he’s still a fucking douche.

“Get together with your group one final time, and I’ll come around the room to chat with you.”

Everyone starts the process of relocating to their group, and I gird my loins to do the same. All the work on The Winter’s Tale project for the last three weeks has been done by splitting it up or collaborating through email, and Scottie hasn’t once tried to change that. There haven’t been any in-person pleas or texts or calls, and I’ve tried not to let that get to me.

It has, of course, because for all the stupid shit I’m angry at her for, there’s at least one other part of me that loves her. But I’ve tried.

Scottie’s on the other side of the room, in keeping with her bid to avoid me entirely, staring down at her notebook in concentration as she jots something down. Shockingly, normally self-involved, makes-everyone-come-to-her Nadine is magnanimously on her way over to Scottie, so I grab my backpack to do the same.

I slump down into the empty seat beside her on one side, and Nadine takes the one on the other, but she doesn’t look up at either one of us.

Again, I’m not surprised.

“Tell me someone printed off our final thesis,” Nadine comments on a sigh, her beleaguered body melting into the seat like she just finished climbing Everest. “Dane had me up all night, if you know what I mean, and I didn’t have time to head to McKinley before I came to class.”

I’m not sure if Nadine thinks her mention of Dane makes Scottie jealous, but if it’s possible at this point, I think she cares about Nadine and Dane’s TMI even less than she cares about me. Her face, her body, her voice—they’re all unfazed.

“I did,” Scottie and I both say in unison. Scottie’s eyes just barely meet mine, but they’re quick to glance back down at her desk.

“Well, look at you two,” Nadine purrs. “You’re like the cutest little nerds. I love it.”

I roll my eyes and pull out our printed fifty-page thesis from my backpack, and Scottie does the same thing.

“Uh-oh, which one are we going to turn in?” Nadine questions sarcastically, her evil little giggle making my ears bleed. “What a dilemma.”

“Why don’t we write Scottie’s name on hers and my name on mine and turn our project in like that?” I offer, so annoyed with Nadine’s never-ending shit I can’t bite my tongue.

A stifled laugh falls from Scottie’s lips. I hate how much I enjoy it.

“Don’t be an asshole, Finn,” Nadine scoffs. “I was just teasing you guys.”

“Teasing. Right.” Fuck, this chick is a waste of oxygen. She barely even responded to our emails about this stupid thing, let alone did her fair share of the work.

“So, Scottie,” Nadine says, changing the conversation completely. “Any big plans for winter break?”

“No, not really,” Scottie answers.

“You’re not going home to spend time with your mom and dad?”

“I’m going home on Christmas Eve, but I’ll come back to campus on Christmas Day. My dad and sister are supposed to be working anyway.”

“What about your mom?” Nadine questions in surprise. “Surely she wants you to stay home for longer than a freaking night for Christmas.”

Scottie shifts in her seat, clearly uncomfortable with Nadine’s prying, but Professor Winslow stops in front of us and cuts off the conversation entirely.

It’s the first time I’ve felt thankful to the guy. Because as much as I’d love to know more about Scottie’s family dynamic, I’m all too familiar with being the one who doesn’t want anyone to know.

“Are we ready to turn in our thesis?” Ty asks with a grin on his face. A Santa hat is now on his head, and he’s switched out his normal gray tie for a red one.

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