For Research Purposes | ✔

CHAPTER THREE

    In all of Sam's life, he has never been on the receiving end of that look.

     He's never disappointed someone in a position of authority over him before. He likes to think he's never disappointed anyone, ever, but he once promised this girl Yasmeen that he'd take her to see a film in ninth grade and then he'd stood her up. It wasn't that he had wanted to stand her up. It just happened that one of his teachers was speaking at the local library and he much preferred going there instead.

     If Sam can help it, he prefers to live up to everyone's expectations of him. He prefers to exceed them. He's resigned himself to not being very likable. But he doesn't have to be liked if he's giving you everything you want.

     Which, evidently, is something he failed to do for Olekev, who's look is one of sheer disappointment. Yeah, he's going to have to cleanse his memory after this, so he'll never see that expression again. He wonders how other students can skip class and assignments and fail exams and bear this look from their professors.

     On the bright side, she's giving Sage the look, too, who's sitting beside him in her office. It's been a week since she emailed them their first assignment and a week since Sam had spoken to Sage.

      He intended to maintain the silent treatment all the way up to graduation and beyond that, too. Sage would be a blip in his memory. Years from now, at a class reunion, he'll show up and won't even recognize Sage. He'll say Sage who? when someone asks.

     That's the plan, at least, until Olekev poses a question and he can't see himself not answering, no matter how spiteful he wants to be towards Sage.

      But Sage beats him to it, saying, "Well, you see with the amount of research you were requesting, we felt we could get you that information more promptly if we divided and conquered."

      "I never gave you a deadline for that research, and for reason," Olekev responds. "It should have taken you weeks. It will take you weeks. You'll need to redo it. And you won't be able to accurately explore the second portion of your research without the first."

      Sam nods, unsure what to say, unaccustomed to being admonished by anyone who isn't his nənə. His mother wasn't very disciplinary but his grandmother wielded her words as strongly as she did her wooden spoon.

     Olekev says next, "If working together is going to be a problem, you need to let me know now as I'll need to reevaluate this whole project.

      Sam spares Sage a glance, who's already looking at him, waiting on him to say something. Olekev stares down the bridge of her nose, waiting expectantly. "It won't be," Sam says after a moment. "We mistook what you were looking for with this assignment. But we understand now and we'll provide you with the quality you're looking for on our next submission."

     "Excellent," Olekev says leaning away from the two. "That's not to say the work you both submitted wasn't exemplary. There's just a disconnect. Two very different perspectives. And I simply don't have the time to consolidate it. So send me whatever you two can get done by next week and we'll go from there, okay?"

❧

     Sam turns to Sage as soon as they're clear of Olekev's office and goes, "So this isn't going to work."

     Sage thinks no shit. He's wracked his brain all week and still hasn't come up with a valid reason as to why Sam stormed out of the library on him. He'll admit it was rude to show up late and he certainly felt bad about it. It wasn't like him. Ruthie had started talking about her future post-grad. She's been having a crisis of conscience over pursuing social media full time. In the last few years, she's made a fairly profitable career of it.