NaNoWriMo Day 3 (belated)

Word Count: 1466
Total Words: 4062

I wrote my day 3 entry and then got so side tracked with voting and celebrating Barack Obama’s Victory as well as talking to friends, that I forgot to post it. I’m now two days behind and I need to write the new Descendants too. I’m going to try and keep going.

The book was a little piece of commonality that made me think there might just be some hope. I gave her what I hoped was a casual smile in return. We were too far away from one another to actually talk, but there’s something to be said about non-verbal communication.

 

It felt like forever before there bus finally slowed to a stop at Brooklyn Heights, a short walk from Oakspire University where I and presumably she went to school.

 

“Molecular Physics with Professor Caldwell, huh?” I asked, coming off the bus behind her.

 

She stopped walking, stowing the book in an inner pocket of her jean jacket. It was still raining, but she didn’t seem to even notice. “Yeah… you’re not in my class.” She observed with a hint of suspicion. Guys must have sued the old ‘hey, I think I have a class with you’ line on her one too many times.

 

I shook my head and opened my umbrella. “No, but I was in the same class last year, recognized the book.”

 

Nodding in apparent approval, she started walking again. I thought she’d decided to leave me standing there until she continued talking to me. “So did you drop, or are you one of the ‘only a special three’ he said managed to get into this third year class?”

 

“One of the three.” I said, falling into step. I tried to angle the umbrella, but she brushed it back in my direction.

 

“No thanks, I like feeling the rain.” Was the only explanation offered for jilting my offer.

 

“Actually,” I decided not to comment on her preference for the cold and the wet, “I’m also his teaching aide this year. Not that I’ve been call on much.”

 

“He seems pretty preoccupied.” She agreed, “He’s been my advisor since I changed my major to engineering and last year he had nothing but time for me. This year…”

 

“I know the feeling.” I said. It was more so for me because the Prof was a friend of my family and I kind of missed him coming over and telling embarrassing stories about my dad in war time on Labor Day and the Fourth of July before that. But she didn’t have to hear that. In fact, she’d probably think I was lying. Instead, I said, “Any idea what it is that’s got his attention?”

 

She shrugged, which made her wet, unruly hair do interesting things. “No idea, but I guess it has something to do with his research. He couldn’t stop talking about nanobot behaviors, even in engineering class.”

 

“So…” I struggled for more to say. Give me a break, it’s hard to think on your feet with water flying in your face, okay? “Are you going for physics or engineering or… something else?”

 

“I said I switched my major to Engineering last year.” She replied, a little irritated because I apparently hadn’t been listening. I had, of course, but being in college for three years made ‘dur, what’s your major?’ a reflex response to having absolutely nothing to say.”

 

To my credit, I recovered quickly. “I know. But seeing as you’re in your second year of MolPhy, I thought you might be thinking of changing. It’s a pretty heavy class just to take for fun.”

 

“Maybe it’s fun because it’s heavy.” She smiled enigmatically.

 

Internally, I was now wondering if she was the scariest woman I’d ever met, or the most amazing. Molecular Physics was something I was seriously considering making the focus of my life – and even I wouldn’t consider the general study of it my idea of a good time.

 

“I wouldn’t say that. I shrugged, “This early in the year, and especially with the Prof playing hooky all the time, I bet you guys haven’t even gotten a chance to play with any ‘bots.”

 

“True.” She said, “But the theory is amazing and Professor Caldwell’s insights about how we can use molecular physics to make them functionally aware… you can’t tell me that it’s not exciting to think about what can be done if it works.”

 

There was no questioning that. But by the end of second year, you sort of started to realize how much of it was just theory. Nanites don’t behave properly in colonies, despite what Hollywood and Vancouver would have you believe. And the primary problem was that a machine that small didn’t have room for too many smarts.

 

For once, I managed to keep my cynicism in check. “If it works, it’d change the world.” I said like the wide eyed scientist in those movies who always dies messily at the end of Act 1. “It’s just that… well most people don’t see that kind of thing when they see the big clump of numbers.”

 

“I used to be a math major.” She informed me by way of explanation.

 

“And what did they call you when you were a Math major?” That just fell out my mouth. It was a bad line from an infinite succession of old, cheesy romance movies all the way back to the first romance movies our caveman ancestors watched. For a second, all I could think of was the silent horror going on in my own head at just how lame that line.

 

But much like everything else, that didn’t phase this girl. It was like she just couldn’t sense things that might bother her.

 

“Janine.” She said, flashing me that pretty smile. “Last name Kazhdan. And what do they call you?” Okay, she was totally making fun of me now. But in a good way.

 

“I am known by many names.” I gave her a cheesy grin. “But in the high and lofty academic circles of Oakspire University, I am called by the name Alan of the clan Roschard.”

 

“Weird name.” She noted.

 

“I like to think they made my may times great grandfather pick it out of a hat at Staten Island. For that matter, what kind of name is Kazhdan?”

 

“Jewish.” She shrugged with a tone that said I should have known that. Some people are blind to race, I’m just ignorant of it.

 

“Oh.” I said, having no idea what else to day.

 

“Don’t sweat it.” She said. Yup, nothing annoyed her. “Hey, what are you doing for lunch?”

 

I’m not one of those guys. You know the type, the macho men with their chest hair and their impressive, manly swagger, and their better hair and cars than me who have a problem with a woman taking the lead. In fact, the less work I have to do in the whole courtship dance thing, the better. But a boy’s got to play hard to get just a little, you know?

 

“Haven’t made any hard and fast plans.” I said coolly, resting the umbrella against my shoulder. “Do you?”

 

She smirked. It was very cute. “I was thinking of meeting this guy at the sandwich shop across from the street from Hudson Hall.”

 

“Really?” I cocked my head like I was shocked, “Any particular time?” Frankly, I was amazed that she was willing to play my stupid little game, but she fell into it so quickly that I hadn’t even had time to regret it.

 

“I get out of Philosophy at eleven.”

 

Philosophy. Somehow, I wasn’t surprised. Eleven though, there was something going on around… Son of a bitch. Overall, I’d consider myself lucky; I’d got supportive parents, an older brother and sister I don’t have to talk to, just enough money and scholarships to shoot for the career I want and a good enough mind not to suck at it.

 

And in those times that I sit back and think about my good fortune, Fate remembers to make me Her chew-toy. I was due to take the freshmen on their tour at eleven.

 

Good one, Fate.

 

Stopping short, I tried to come up with an excuse. Then I realized I had an excuse. Then I realized that it looked like I was trying to come up with an excuse. I said something that made her raise her eyebrows. “Eleven…” I said quickly, as if that would erase the expletive I’d uttered. “Eleven, jeez. I’m supposed to be giving the newlings a tour of the AppSci labs at eleven. I don’t suppose you’d be around at, say, twelve-thirty?”

 

A frown creased her face. I would have rather had her slap me. “No, I’ve.. I’ve got Intro to World Religion at noon.”

 

“Maybe tomorrow then?” I tried.

 

“Maybe. I don’t know. Hey, you go home on the bus at six, right? We can talk then.” With that, she slipped form my side and headed toward the administration building.

 

“Yeah.” I called after her. “We can talk then!” I’m not sure if she heard me over the sound of falling rain.

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