Sensation (h.s)

Chapter Two

✺ K A T E ' S ✺ P O V ✺

To: h.styles@uchicago.edu
From: Kate Stevenson

Professor Styles-

Thanks for the heads up. I'll place the notebook in my bag in a few moments. I hope all can be resolved from this small spat between us. I truly do value the information you will teach in your class.

Sincerely,
Kate

-

The following morning when I enter class, I'm proudly carrying my spiral notebook in my arms. I feel almost giddy to be rubbing it in Mr. Styles face that I remembered the simple thing that was such a big deal yesterday afternoon.

As soon as I step into his room, he's siting as his desk, observing the students piling in. The second I step through the door he seems to be intrigued by staring at me. I give him a polite nod and subtly tap my finger on the back of the notebook, which earns another one of his famous close-lipped clearly-amused smirks.

As he teaches throughout the lecture, we make split-second eye contact every now and then. I alternate between taking notes on my computer and adding thoughts to my journal entry that he said he'll begin assigning us every morning at the beginning of class. He continues giving lessons about the topic of our journal entry and says that the point of the assignment is for us to write down our initial thoughts, then for him to analyze the things we cross out and restate once we've got another point of view on the topic. I find myself slightly intrigued despite my previous hatred for this major and for this class.

When we've got fifteen minutes left in the class period, he dismisses us to have a few minutes of free time to finish up our thoughts. Most students leave but I stick around and write out the rest of what I'm thinking on the already messy page of the journal.

A soft ding interrupts the sound of my music in my headphones and I'm drawn away from writing to look at me email. A message from Mr. Styles has popped up on the screen and when I look up at him in confusion, he sits stoic with his eyes glued to the screen of his own computer.

-
To: Kate Stevenson
From: h.styles@uchicago.edu

Ms. Stevenson-

I'm glad to see you're finding so much use in the notebook. If only you had known ahead of time to bring it maybe you could have enjoyed yesterday's assignment as well. Don't worry about it for the grade. I think you made it up to me yesterday afternoon with our conversation.

Professor Styles

P.S. Do you always speak to your authority figures with so much attitude? I analyzed it in my head all evening and wondered if I should have been more offended or not.
-

I read the email slowly and look through the words twice over, wondering if it's a joke. I figured yesterday when he emailed me it was to spite the fact that I had gotten off from the punishment easily. I didn't think it would turn into an ongoing personal message between us with him admitting he thought about talking to me even after he left school.

I type out a response anyways, choosing to play into his little game. If anything- we'll form a love hate relationship and I'll pass his class because he respects me for constantly speaking my mind, even though he likes to refer to himself as an authority figure.

-
To: h.styles@uchicago.edu
From: Kate Stevenson

Mr. Styles-

Please forgive me for my amount of attitude. I find there's a fine line between authority figures correcting someone on a mistake and talking down to them just because they can. I choose to not be a victim of that, no matter what your initial intentions were.