Page 4 of Dragon's Unwanted Love
“Easy for you to say, he likes you,” Harry said. “He’s had it out for me since freshman year. I made one little mistake, but he’s never going to forget about it.”
“Harry, you blew up the science lab,” he said, shaking hishead. It took two weeks to clean up the mess. You’re lucky all he did was fail you.”
Harry had the good grace to look embarrassed. “That was freshman year. I’ve matured since then,” he said. “And I didn’t mean to blow up the lab, it was an accident.”
He just shook his head. “Accident or not, you’d better keep your nose clean this semester,” he said. “I’m not going down with you.”
“Thanks a lot, and here I thought we were friends,” Harry said, but there was a smile on his face. “I won’t cause any trouble. Those days are behind me.”
Just then, Professor Simmons came rushing through the door, “Oh, good, you’re all here,” he said, looking around the room before nodding at Dean Proctor. “We’re already way behind, so let’s get right to it. I’ve got the new class lists, and I will read them out loud. Come forward and get your new schedule when I call your name.”
“Well, there goes having biology together,” Harry said. “Bet you anything they split us up.”
***Abby***
Abby was so stunned by everything Yvonne was telling her that she didn’t hear Dr. Simmons call her name the first time. “Abagail Stewart,” he called again, looking around the room. “Does anyone know if she came back?”
Yvonne elbowed her in the ribs, pulling her out of the shock and surprise coursing through her. “I’m here,” she said, jumping to her feet and rushing to the front of the room. “I just…never mind.”
“You’re going to need to pay closer attention than that in my class, Ms. Stewart,” Dr. Simmons said, a frown on his face. “I suggest you start practicing now.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, grabbing her schedule and retreatingback to her seat next to Yvonne, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
Yvonne gave her a sympathetic look but kept her mouth closed as the rest of the names were read. She sat stewing over all the things her friend had told her, wondering if her career was over before it even started. The school's reputation was in tatters, most of the student body had transferred to different schools, and the teaching staff was down to only a few dedicated educators. Her chances of getting into a great medical school had suddenly plummeted.
Trying not to panic, she took several deep breaths to calm herself. This was just a little bump in the road, and she’d make it through like she always had. When Yvonne came back with her schedule, she saw the look on Abby’s face and leaned over to whisper to her when she sat down.
“I know that look, but this isn’t so bad, I promise,” Yvonne said. “Look on the bright side. We’ll get lots of personal attention from the professors.”
“Yeah, that worked out well for me a couple of minutes ago,” Abby said, but she was smiling. “Sorry, I’ve just worked so hard to get here that I guess this feels like a setback.”
“I know exactly what you’re thinking, and I think the selection committees will actually see this as a good thing. It shows that we’re dedicated and that we don’t just run away at the first sign of trouble.”
“That’s smart, I didn’t think about it that way,” Abby said, feeling better. “Maybe everything really will be okay.”
“It’s going to be great, I’ve thought about it a lot,” Yvonne said. “You know, you really should pay better attention to the world around you.”
“I knew something was going on, I just didn’t know it was…” she trailed off. “You’re probably right, but working two jobs doesn’t make it very easy.”
“Well, you won’t have to do that anymore,” Yvonne said, grinning at her. “Not after tonight.”
Before she could thank Yvonne again, Dr. Simmons interrupted them, “Now that you’ve all had a few minutes to look over your new schedules, get yourselves to class,” he said. “My students stay behind. We’re going to get started right away.”
Quickly turning over the page in front of her, she scanned it quickly, her heart sinking when she saw biology at the top. “Looks like I’m stuck here,” she said, looking over at Yvonne. “What’s yours say?”
“Uhhh, I’ve got ethics in medicine,” Yvonne moaned. “I’m going to have to drink a gallon of coffee to make it through that class first thing in the morning.”
“I’ll trade you,” she said, then noticed Dr. Simmons glowering at them from the front of the room. “You’d better go.”
Yvonne looked over at Dr. Simmons and jumped to her feet. “I think you’re right,” she said. “I’ll meet you out front after class.”
The room emptied out, leaving only ten of them sitting in the huge classroom. After stealing a quick glance around at her fellow classmates, a wave of disappointment washed over her. She was the only woman in the group, which meant she’d have to be constantly fighting to be treated equally. As if that wasn’t bad enough, three of them were frat boys and wouldn’t pull their own weight. That left her with six other classmates who could be counted on to do their share and work as a team.
“The ten of you will be working closely together for the next semester,” Dr. Simmons said. “Let’s start things off by moving you closer together. There is no sense in straining my neck if I don’t have to; these five tables here in the middle will be perfect. I’ve assigned you lab partners. When I call your names, choose a table and have a seat.”
Her name came up in the third pairing and she held her breath until Dr. Simmons uttered one of the names she’d been dreading, then let it out in a disappointed sigh. “Take that table there, you two,” Dr. Simmons said, waving his hand at them. “You’re lucky I paired you with Jackson, Ms. Stewart. He’s an excellent student, and hopefully it will rub off on you.”
Her cheeks burned with embarrassment and anger as she made her way across the room, wondering what she’d done to deserve Dr. Simmons's horrible treatment, then sank into a chair at the table he’d pointed to. She became aware of Jackson sitting next to her only a second later but refused to look over at him, afraid that she’d end up taking her anger out on him. Instead, she stared straight ahead, fighting for calm as the rest of the students took their seats, praying that the tears stinging her eyes stayed where they were.
