The Bolt from the Blue (Working Title)

Chapter 13- Adrianna

Chapter 13- Adrianna

The next day, Sam had a lecture with Professor Patten. At the start of the lesson, she watched him intently as he took his seat and then called him down to see her at the end of the hour.

"I marked the tests over the weekend, Mr. Handey." She was in the glare of the projector: half her face was lit up brilliantly while the other languished in shadow. "You did very well." She seemed very angry about this.

"Good." Said Sam; he would normally have thanked her- he wasn't really sure why- but he didn't feel like she deserved politeness from him.

"How much did you revise?" The question was pointed like a stiletto.

"Enough, clearly." Professor Patten had enhanced senses- if she could hear his heart beat, she would know when he lied.

"How many hours?" Accusation dripped from every syllable.

"I couldn't possibly say." He took a deep breath, trying to stay calm; he mustn't let her freak him out.

"Try."

"Why does it matter?"

"You have alcohol on your breath again: either you have a serious personal problem or you just don't take my course seriously."

Sam closed his eyes and tried to think about other things, "I'm not drunk."

Suddenly, her eyes narrowed. "What's your power?"

Sam had had enough. "That is not your business." He went to leave, but she blocked him.

"Did you cheat on my test?"

"No." Technically, this was true- but he wondered if his heartbeat thought the same.

Professor Patten's eyes bored into him, as though she might break him apart with her glare so she could analyse the pieces. "You're dismissed. And if you come into my class drunk again, you'll be dismissed permanently."

"I'm not drunk, I just had-"

"I don't care. Leave."

He went without another word and found Adrianna waiting for him outside.

"What was that about?" She asked.

"Apparently, I did too well on the test."

"Yeah, you've got to be careful about that," she said, looking at him funny. "What's really wrong?"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"Oh, thank God, other people are such a bore." She linked her arm in his and began to direct him towards the student union. "Coffee?"

They sat down and Adrianna immediately ate all the whipped cream off her hot chocolate. "I hate this place."

"You chose it." Sam sipped his cappuccino, wishing he'd gone for something sweeter.

"It's cheap," she explained. "But it reminds me that I'm still a student."

"You're not happy?"

"It's not that; I just want to skip ahead to where I get a job."

"Don't wish your life away." Sam chimed in, feeling like his mother.

"It's my life, I'll do what I want with it." She started spooning hot chocolate into her mouth, making Sam more and more envious by the second.

"What do you want to be?" He asked.

"An MP." She said very matter-of-factly. "And you?"

"I'm gonna win the lottery." It was his standard answer.