Sisters: Butterflies at Graduation [book two]

Chapter Eight

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Chapter Eight

Being the daughter of a physics professor at Ohio State University has its perks.

"You're not allowed in lectures or into anyone's dormitory, understood?" Dad says, eyebrows raised.

Chelsea, Zac and I exchange smiles. "Yes, Dad," I say. "I promise we'll be good."

Dad parks himself in his leather chair and opens the top drawer of his desk. "Wear these," he says, and he hands us visitors' badges. "I have a lecture in twenty minutes and I'm not free until lunchtime. After that I have a department meeting and then a bunch of lectures after that. Ok?"

There's a knock on the door and we all turn our heads. A student stands in the threshold, leaning against the frame of the door.

"Hello sir," he says.

"Hey Joe, what I can do for you?" Dad says.

Joe brushes passed me to my dad's desk, his toes pointed slightly inwards. He says, "I was wondering whether you recieved the accompanying document alongside my paper?"

"Yeah, I did," Dad says. "But I haven't marked it yet, I was planning on doing it today."

"No worries, thanks sir."

"Do you have a lecture today?"

"Forty-thirty."

His accent is thick. I recognise it. Boston, I think.

"Would you mind showing these guys around the university?" Dad says. "At least until lunchtime."

Joe's eyes land on the three of us. I know what he's thinking. High school students. Ugh.

"This is my daughter, Haley," Dad says, pointing at me, "And her two friends."

My heart accelerates in my chest. He's tall, pale, with stubble on his chin and black hair flopping over his forehead. "Sure," he says.

"Thanks Mr Holland!" Chelsea says.

"Yeah, thanks!" Zac echoes, then we leave his office. The hallway is empty except for a few students and professors strolling up and down the corridors.

"Where shall we go first?" Chelsea says.

Zac peers through the window in one of the doors. "There's a lecture going on," he says.

"Yeah, Maths," Joe says, crossing his arms across his chest.

I hang back. "We can't go in," I say.

"I know. But look," Zac says. "They look so much older."

"They do as well," Chelsea says, grinning. "They make high school look like kindergarten."

I look over at Joe and he's smirking. Of course he is. He's a college student and we're seniors in high school. We're the kids in the equation and he's the teenager-almost-adult.

We walk down the corridor and keep walking until we hit the double doors at the end. We walk down the front steps of the building. The sky is overcast and threatens to rain. "I'll show you guys my dorm," Joe says. "And any buildings along the way. I was going to watch Netflix all day."