Just Off The Key Of Reason

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

Lauren wondered why all the waiting rooms she seemed to be in lately had fish tanks. Well, okay, only two, but still. Lauren 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. Lauren'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.

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

Now Lauren 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 Lauren distractedly as he headed to the exit.

Lauren 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 Lauren hoped he wouldn't come too close to her. But he took a deep breath and smiled and nodded to Lauren as he walked out the door. Lauren looked back at the starfish.

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

Lauren 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.

Lauren was calm, for the most part, as she sat in the chair across from Dr. Regan'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. Lauren wanted glasses like that.

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

Lauren took another deep breath. She remembered Dr. Madison and Camila telling her "words." Pictures and words. Lauren could do that. There was a grizzly bear in her mind when she met Dr. Regan'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. Regan said enthusiastically, pulling a stack of pamphlets out from under her desk. Lauren 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, Lauren. 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?"