Page 32 of Brighter Shades of Light
“I want you all to know that if I ever move too fast through the material, you can ask questions. I’m seeing quite a few confused faces today. Sometimes I don’t realize how confusing something can be because I’ve lived and breathed it for over fifteen years. Let me know, so I can help you all better understand.”
There were smiles among them, and after a second or so, a girl tentatively raised her hand.
“Yes, Ms. Lopez?”
“Can you explain the difference between covalent and hydrogen bonds again?” she asked, going red in the face. “I can’t get it straight in my head, and the book doesn’t give many examples.”
Some students looked relieved at her question.
“Of course,” I said, offering a kind smile. “People often confuse the two because of their vague definitions. So allow me to explain.”
I described each type of bond in terms I hoped they grasped better. The students got braver at asking questions to clarify certain terminology or asking me to provide examples. It was amazing how the atmosphere in the room shifted after that. They seemed more at ease and not nearly as terrified.
Cody might’ve learned a lot from me over the past month, but I’d learned from him, too.
With the buzzing of my watch, I ended class and stayed at the front of the room for a few minutes just in case anyone wanted to talk before leaving. Two students approached, asking about the assigned reading and online work I’d given with it. After the room cleared, I packed up my things and left. I had an hour for lunch before I needed to be in my office from one to three. Then I’d go to the lab on campus and research from three-thirty to five.
Every part of my day was scheduled. Without it, my life would more than likely be utter chaos. Well, more than it already was.
Unintentionally, I hoped Cody would come to my office today. As I sat at my desk, I found myself perking up at the sound of footsteps down the hall. Listening. Waiting. But then it’d be one of the faculty or a student on their way to another instructor’s office.
One time it was Vance.
“Hey, Sebby boy!” He strolled into my office, slipping his thumbs beneath his red suspenders. He tended to dress flashy sometimes, and I wondered if it was to take focus away from his balding head.
“Sebastian, if you please.”
“Oh, right. Right. Sebastian.” Vance swiped a finger along the top of the shelf in the corner and examined it. “Wow, you keep things spotless, don’t you? Hey, I was wondering if you gave any more thought to grabbing a drink with me. Just two guys hanging out at the bar and maybe talking to some sexy ladies.”
“Thank you, but no.”
“Come on, Sebastian.” He gave me a wide smile and approached my desk, arching a fuzzy eyebrow. “It’s Friday. Surely evenyouget out every once in a while.”
“Actually, I don’t.”
“Really?” Vance scratched at his jaw. “Kind of sad if you think about it. You keep to yourself too much. You’ll eventually forget how to talk to people.”
I barely know how to talk to them now.
His words sparked something, however, and made me think of what Emily said about being alone forever and regretting it. Where I used to feel as though she was being ridiculous, I felt differently now. Hadn’t I just thought this morning that it’d be nice to watch the sunrise with someone?
I wouldn’t meet that person if I never left my bubble.
“One drink is all I’m asking,” Vance continued. “And after that, if you want to leave, you can.”
I had a feeling he’d keep asking until the day we both died. I took off my glasses and pinched the bridge of my nose, defeated.
“All right,” I said, putting my glasses back on. “One drink.”
Vance gave me the address of a bar on Main Street that supposedly had well-priced liquor and good chicken wings. Not that I cared about either. He told me to meet him there at nine and left.
The rest of the day passed according to plan, and around five-fifteen, I went home. I didn’t see why we couldn’t just go to the bar around six, so I could get home at a reasonable hour. Apparently, that’s not how things were done, though. And so, I read the latest issues ofThe Journal of Chemical ThermodynamicsandBellstein Journal of Nanotechnologyfor a few hours before taking a quick shower and sorting through my closet for something more casual to wear.
I had nothing but vests, button-up shirts, and sweaters. The only casual T-shirts I had were the ones I slept in, when I remembered to actually change into my nightclothes. And a suit would be too fancy for a bar.
“I’m utterly hopeless,” I muttered, going through the shirts in the closet again in hopes that I’d magically find appropriate bar-wear.
I ended up grabbing a navy blue button-up shirt, rolling up the sleeves to my elbows, and pairing it with the only jeans I had. Emily had bought them for me years ago, and I’d only worn them once. She’d had an attraction to men who wore skinny jeans, but I’d thought they made my long legs look strange, so I’d put them as far back in my closet as I could.
