Summer

Chapter three

Summer thought that she would be walking into a games night with cards set out or people playing on the PlayStation. Maybe even a movie on.

But rather she walked into people making out on the couch and other things she did not think she would ever see in person.

Summer side-eyed Tonia and Tonia met her wandering gaze.

The girl who invited them directed them to a vacant coach opposite the other coach where people were making out.

Summer decided to take in the rest of the room... and there were loads of white people. In fact, Tonia and Summer were the only black people at this 'games night'. Summer started to get slightly uncomfortable.

"I say after an hour, we leave." Summer said to Tonia and Tonia nodded her head in agreement.

Then a random boy came up to them and just sat next to Summer without even saying anything.

"Hi, what's your name?" Summer said to the boy. He briefly looked her up and down and replied with, "Watson."

"What are you studying?" Watson said to both of them. They replied stating their degrees and Watson's eyes bulged.

"No way. I would have guessed Nursing or something."

Of course, that was the degree he thought they were doing Summer thought to herself. Summer had decided that if she was going to make it through the rest of this game night, she was going to need a drink and a very strong one.

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Summer and Tonia had stolen the drinks that were at the games nights and went back to Summers's room.

They both decided to play a drinking game.

"Let's play, never have I ever." Summer said to Tonia as she poured herself a drink. "Okay, never have I ever kissed someone."

They both drank.

"Okay never have I ever... had a boyfriend." Tonia drank but Summer did not.

"No way Summer!"

Summer looked down in shame "I know it's bad, and I feel like I'll never get a boyfriend. No one has ever asked me out and no one has ever wanted to get to know me"

Tonia looked at Summer in disbelief that no one had ever asked Summer out. "You're way too beautiful Summer. Watch this school year and you'll find someone."

Summer hoped she would.

Tonia and Summer spent the rest of the night playing never have I ever and drinking more than they should.

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Walking into her first lecture of the school year, extremely hungover and irritated was not on Summers bucket list. Summer settled for a seat in the middle of the auditorium, she had made sure she got to the class early as the mere thought of walking in late frightened her, but she wished all she had done was sleep in.

After a few minutes, the small lecture hall started to fill up, Summer definitely stuck out like a sore thumb, so she just kept her head down and randomly pushed keys on her laptop.

Then their lecturer walked in and went straight to the blackboard and wrote: The Art of War Studies.

And he signed off his name: Tristan Ambrose. Then he turned around and Summer was shocked, he was definitely a lot younger than Summer would have imagined. He looked like he was in his mid to late twenties and he was extremely tall. Summer guessed he was about 6'3, he had dark rich hair with dull brown eyes to match. Summer thought that he was beautiful.

But Summer went back to focusing and started to type the date and title into her laptop. Whilst her new professor was a good distraction; Summer could not ignore the migraine that was slowly taking over.

"Hello everyone, I am the head of the history department here at Townhall and I will be covering this lecture today. Unfortunately, your war studies lecturer could not make it today... however you will have me for your history lectures, and I'll lead some of your seminars," Professor Ambrose said whilst addressing the lecture hall. "Hands up if anyone here has read The Art of War by Sun Tzu?"

Summer had slowly raised her hand but not high enough to draw attention to herself.

The professor had scanned the room nodding his head.

"That's not completely disappointing... but more people should have raised their hands therefore I am now going to set it as required reading. Everyone here will read the entire book from front to back and memorise it. This book is essential this year if you want to even think about passing this module as well as your other module."

"Firstly Tzu's book is merely theoretical and hypothetical therefore it must be taken literally. Secondly, the book emphasises knowledge of warfare and deceit in order to be tactful. Therefore, in these following weeks, we will build on that knowledge further in both these war studies lectures and our history lectures, which means you must attend every lecture in order to pass..."

Summer took down everything that the Professor was saying, he spoke really fast and Summer noticed that he would tend to get completely lost in what he was saying. He was really passionate about War studies despite the fact that he did not teach it.

Unbeknownst to Summer, Professor Ambrose had noticed Summer. He took in her dark eye bags which showed her formidable fatigue but despite this Ambrose thought she looked beautiful. He took in her beautiful long curly hair which framed her face and her beautiful bambi doe eyes. As well as beautiful puffy lips.

But he knew that it was unnatural for him to look at one of his students that way, so he went back to lecturing.

However, he was finding it difficult, as every time he surveyed the room, his eyes would always land back on Summer, and he knew that if his gaze lingered any longer he wouldn't stop staring.

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Authors note:

I used the website as a guideline when writing about the summary of the book. Also, I used the modules taught at KCL: War Studies and history as further inspiration. Everything else is purely the work of fiction.