Page 74 of Distortion
She frowns. ‘You’d rather go check your computer than hang with your new bestie?’
I shake my head, afraid she’s upset. ‘No, of course not. I just changed majors and ...’
‘Whoa, whoa, whoa!’ She puts up a hand to stop me talking. ‘I knew it. You’ve seen the light and you’re joining me on the stage.’
‘I’m afraid not,’ I laugh, happy that she doesn’t seem actually annoyed.
She sighs dramatically. ‘What then?’
‘Chemistry and Physics.’
‘Fuck me!’ She looks dubious. ‘That’sintense. Are you up for that, babe?’
I nod. ‘I have the credits from before I came here. John was the one who enrolled me in English Lit, and he pulled strings to do it, too. I barely had the classes to be a freshman, let alone a sophomore.’
‘So, you can do all that science stuff?’
I grin. ‘Let’s just say it’ll be a lot easier for me than Shakespeare!’
‘Well, okay. All the power to you, babe. Knock ’em dead!’
‘Applegate is having me work in a lab though, so my shifts might have to change a little. I’m sorry.’ I wince. ‘I hadn’t thought of that. I have no idea how much time I’ll need to spend there.’
‘The lab?’ Lu gives me a funny look.
‘Yeah, why? It’s okay, isn’t it? With Grinder, I mean?’
‘Yeah,’ she waves a hand. ‘Of course it is! Oh, that reminds me!’
‘This is for you.’
She proffers an envelope and my eyes widen.
She shakes her head. ‘It’s not a creepy note. I promise I’m not stalking you.’
I laugh as I take it and open it. There’s a wad of bills inside.
‘I thought you might not have a bank account yet, so I asked Bill to give you cash. I hope that’s okay with you.’
I close it up, relieved. ‘Yeah, I hadn’t thought of that either. I have a card, but I don’t know if I can put money on it. Thank you. That’s really helpful.’
‘No probs, but keep it to yourself, huh? Everyone else gets a check every couple weeks.’
‘Thanks, Lu.’
She gives me a wink. ‘Shut up and go check your emails, genius. I’ll see you in a half hour.’
I go back to the library and check my university email. I have two new messages. One from Applegate’s secretary, andone from Applegate himself telling me to come to the lab tonight, so they can start showing me the ropes. Applegate’s secretary has attached my class schedule and a list of the books I’ll need so, with my wad of Grinder cash, I make my way to the campus bookstore and find the textbooks I need.
The clerk tells me I can buy them cheaper second-hand, but almost all the pre-used ones are already gone since we’re three weeks into the semester already. The prices are steep for the new ones and I can only get half of the list. The guy at the register packs them into a plastic bag and I leave feeling a little anxious. These aren’t the kinds of books I’ll be able to find at the library, so hopefully I can share with people in class until I can afford the rest of them.
Staring up at the clock tower that looks over the quad, I see that I have just enough time to go to Lu’s and then get to the lab. I go to her building and press the buzzer for her floor.
The door opens and I go up the stairs just inside, finding myself in a very long corridor.
‘Hey!’
I find Lu waving at me from about halfway down. I hurry over and she waves me into a small, white-walled dorm room with a couple of windows and two twin beds on either side of the room. There are also two desks, two closets and a small fridge. As I look around, I can’t help but think that I prefer my room in the KIP house, even if the company does leave a lot to be desired. Lu shows me what she has and we pick a breastplate, and a battered looking foam sword. I forgo the helmet because hats always feel weird, and she says I don’t really need one anyway.
