Her eyes widened in recognition. "Oh! It's you!"
"Small world, huh?" James said, still surprised. He picked up his backpack from the seat beside him and set it on the floor.
The girl slid into the seat, setting her books down on the desk. "Mhmm, I guess."
The lecturer turned to the board and started her lecture, beginning with the course introduction and contents.
The girl squinted at the board. Her pen hovered over her notebook as she tried but couldn't quite make out what was being written.
James gave her a quick side glance before whispering. "I still don't know your name."
The girl paused what she was doing for a few seconds, then reached for one of her books, flipped it over, and slid it across the desk toward him.
James looked down. On the cover, written in a neat handwriting, was: Lucy Monroe.
He looked up at her. "Lucy."
She nodded. "Mmm-hmm."
He slid the book back to her. "I'm James."
She took the book back and set it down, then picked up her pen again. "Okay."
The lecturer continued writing on the board, occasionally turning around to explain complex terms to the class. She talked about communication theories, models, and the importance of effective messaging.
James paid vague attention to whatever the lecturer was saying.
Meanwhile Lucy was squinting at the board, trying her best to write as much as she could see. She paused frequently as she struggled to make out the words.
When the lecturer finally concluded the day's lecture, she capped her marker and turned to face the class. "Alright, before we wrap up, I've got the project details for you."
She flipped through her notes. "You're gonna be working in groups of three. Your job is to interview at least fifty students about how they feel about this school — whatever that means to you. Likes, dislikes, suggestions, whatever."
The whole class groaned.
"Frown all you like," the lecturer said, smirking. "That's seventy percent of your grade. The other thirty is your final exam. If i were you, I'd start looking for a group immediately."
Some students murmured curse words but ultimately folded. Many of them got up and started moving around, creating or joining groups.
James looked around at the people scrambling to find group members. Most of them already had friends they could team up with. A few students were standing alone, looking around awkwardly.
He sighed. Man, I hate this school.
He turned to Lucy who was already side-eyeing him expectantly.
"You wanna form a group with me?" he asked.
Lucy nodded. "Sure, why not."
"Great. All we need now is one last member," James said. He looked around again before turning to her. "Do you know anyone here you could invite?"
Lucy glanced around the room before shaking her head. "No, not really."
"Well, that makes things difficult," James said.
Lucy pointed over to the lecturer. "Why don't we go meet her? She'll come up with something."
James glanced at the lecturer, then back at Lucy. "Sounds good."
They both stood up and walked over to the front where the lecturer was already packing her notes together.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Rose," Lucy said.
The lecturer turned to them. "Yes, what is it?"
James spoke up. "We need one more member for our group."
She waved them off. "You should ask around. There are plenty of people still looking."
"But we don't really know a lot of people here," James said. "And most of the groups are already formed."
Mrs. Rose sighed, then turned to the class. "Alright, attention for a moment."
The room quieted down.
"Is there anyone who still needs a group?" she asked. "I have two people here looking for a third."
The class turned to them with varying degrees of curiosity, whispering amongst themselves, but nobody offered to join them.
Mrs. Rose raised an eyebrow. "Nobody?"
The murmurs continued, but nobody stepped forward.
She sighed and turned to James and Lucy. "You two should start your project work by yourselves for now." She picked up her notes and other belongings. "I'll find a third member for you when I have the time."
With that, she turned to the class. "You're all dismissed."
Then she turned and left.
The students began packing their stuff as soon as the lecturer left. Chairs scraped as everyone started to leave.
James and Lucy headed back to their seats.
Lucy began packing up her books."I guess that leaves us on our own for now."
James slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Hopefully we get our third member early."
He started walking toward the door, then stopped. "Anyways, I'll see you later then."
"Wait!" Lucy said, a little too quickly.
James turned. "Mhmm?"
Lucy pulled out her phone and held it out. Her fingers hovered over the screen like she wasn't sure if she should ask. "Your number... I need your number so I can contact you... you know, for the project."
"Oh, you're right." James took the phone, typed in his number, saved it under James, and handed it back.
Lucy took it back and looked at the screen for a beat too long, then slipped it into her bag without another look. "Okay."
"I'll see you later," he said.
Lucy nodded. She stared at him for a bit longer than usual, then look away. "Yeah... later."
James stepped out of the lecture hall and into the corridor. The building was quieter now that most of the students had already left. He walked down the stairs and pushed through the doors, stepping out onto the campus.
The afternoon sun was brighter and warmer than than in the morning. He walked along the path, hands in his pockets, passing a few stragglers headed to their next class.
Then he pulled out his phone to check for messages. There was a new notification from Debby, a reply to his earlier message:
Okay. Call me when you're ready.
James stared at the screen for a moment, then he tapped her name and pressed call.
The phone rang for a while before Debby picked up.
"Hello, Debby?" James said.
"Hey, how are you holding up?" she asked from the other end.
"Alright, I guess."
"Sooo..." Debby drawled. "Are you free right now?"
"Well, yeah, sort of." James shoved his free hand into his pocket as he walked. "I don't have any classes again today and I'm already heading back to the dorm."
"Great!" Debby said. "Come quick. I'm waiting outside your dorm room."
James's brow furrowed. "Wait, why are you there already?"
"Tasha kicked me out so she could fumigate the room," Debby said. "So I thought I'd come over and check if you were around."
James sighed. Tasha...
"I'll be there soon," he said, before cutting the call.