Just Off The Key || Lizrei

Chapter 17: Walk a Little Walk, Smile, Talk Big Thoughts

Liz wondered why all the waiting rooms she seemed to be in lately had fish tanks. Well, okay, only two, but still. Liz didn't even have one fish tank. She should look into that. They definitely grabbed people's attention, especially if the fish were tropical or predatory or...jellyfish. Or octopus. And they were calming. Liz's nerves about meeting one of the advisors in NYU's admissions office were fading.

But they were still there. Just under the surface.

She focused on the starfish clinging to the glass instead of the college students in various states of distress sitting around her.

What were they there for? Failing exams. Dropping classes. Adding classes. Adding useless classes that have nothing to do with their majors. Trying to wheedle their way into filled-up chem labs.

Liz was early, which was surprising, considering she'd spent fifteen extra minutes kissing Rei when she woke up. And then ten catching Cornelius when he'd bolted out the front door and down the building's hallway. Rei had taken him from Liz, shaking her head fondly, and then gone back to bed after wishing Liz luck.

Now Liz stared at the starfish with a smile on her face.

"I'm gonna fail. I'm gonna fail. Fuck. Fuck. I'm fucked. There's no way. I'm gonna fail." A young guy exited the advisor's office, obviously in full-on finals freak-out mode. He rubbed at his face frantically and glanced at Liz distractedly as he headed to the exit.

Liz smiled at him. Calmly. Happily. It just looked like he needed that. A smile to let him know there were people and life outside of finals. He stopped rubbing his face, and dropped his hands and smiled back.

Kind of. He looked sort of like a crazed zombie, and Liz hoped he wouldn't come too close to her. But he took a deep breath and smiled and nodded to Liz as he walked out the door. Liz looked back at the starfish.

"Ms. Kim." The advisor called, leaning halfway out of her office door and waving Liz over. "You can come in now."

Liz took a deep breath and filled her mind with pictures of what she was here for. The zoo. She wanted to work with the zoo animals professionally. She wanted to study their behavior and contribute to their well-being.

She could handle college now. She hadn't been ready for Columbia, but she would make this happen for herself at NYU.

Liz was calm, for the most part, as she sat in the chair across from Dr. Im's desk. Her legs bounced up and down, but she sat up straight, ready to make a good impression.

The advisor looked like a Toucan. Or iguana. Some exotic animal with orange-framed glasses and bright eyes. Liz wanted glasses like that.

"Hello, Liz." Dr. Im greeted, folding her hands in front of her and giving Liz her full attention. "Thank you for expressing interest in NYU. What can we do for you today?"

Liz took another deep breath. She remembered Dr. Hong and Rei telling her "words." Pictures and words. Liz could do that. There was a grizzly bear in her mind when she met Dr. Im's eyes and held her gaze.

"I'm interested to know what kind of programs you offer in the field of animal sciences." She said steadily.

"Okay, that's great." Dr. Im said enthusiastically, pulling a stack of pamphlets out from under her desk. Liz wondered what else was under there. What if there was a trap door? What if this NYU advisor had sole access to Wonderland or Narnia?

No. No, Liz. Focus. Grizzly bear.

"We don't offer an animal sciences major, but most of our pre-vet students major in biology, and just tack on the classes that the vet schools require. Are you interested in pre-vet?"