This is the first Chapter of what I'm hoping will be a series. I'm planning for more chapters, but would like to have some feedback in the meanwhile.
----------
Jonah Dawson droned on. Professor Dawson was everything you'd expect from a brilliant psychology professor, complete with an eccentric nature and a monotonous voice. He had an excellent mind and a quick wit, but sadly none of the delivery required to hold the rapt attention of his students. His Psych 101 class was having a hard time keeping up, or staying up; some students were blatantly sprawled over their desks.
"The human mind is an amazing thing, so complex and wonderful. Yet, when we examine human actions and reactions, we find that 90% of all action is involuntary. Only 10% is actually done after careful consideration. The rest of the time, we act on impulse, as if guided by our inner animal."
Scanning the class, he frowned, wondering why no one seemed to be interested in his lecture. A handful of students seemed to be looking in his general direction, the rest were buried in their cell phones and in the spines of their books.
Well this will get their attention, he mused. "There will be a pop quiz tomorrow." He allowed a brief smile when five heads suddenly snapped up and Drew Carter, football jock extraordinaire, fell out of his chair in the process. Immediately, murmurs of discontent rippled through the class. One day to prepare for a test that no one understood anything about?
"As I was saying, I have a few audio CDs of the course material that you
will
need to know for this test. If you want one, you can collect them on the way out."
"Who'd be interested to listen to more of you?" Drew was finally awake and off the floor. The class burst into muted laughter, swiftly silenced by the scowl on Professor Dawson's face.
"Seeing as how this will be 25% of your grade, it might be prudent to be interested, Mister Carter. But since I noticed how engrossed you were in your textbook, I think you're probably more than amply prepared."
Drew Carter stood up to snarl back a retort, but was cut off by the bell. What was previously a scene of dopey-eyed students was now bustling with life as everyone leapt out of their chairs and headed for the door. A few students paused by the professor's table to grab a CD.
Janine rolled her eyes. This class was a tough one, not because it was boring material, but it was hard to absorb. Her first year in college was proving to be a sizeable leap from the relative ease of high school. She would definitely need to get a CD to prepare for the quiz.
Janine Tyler wasn't tall, wasn't leggy, wasn't overly athletic, wasn't disproportionately endowed, wasn't a head-turner by many accounts. She had wavy hair always done up in a strict ponytail, brown eyes hidden behind spectacles and her 5'5" frame always modestly covered. She wasn't the type of girl to get much attention at all. She wasn't ugly though, there just weren't that many guys interested in the mousy look she championed.
Making her way to the front, she watched as the last CD was snatched up by the reluctant Drew Carter. Drew wasn't happy that he had to take one, but he knew that without it he'd have little chance in passing. That left Janine without a copy.
"Looks like you're without a copy, Miss Tyler." Professor Dawson noted. "I believe I still have another copy in my office." Janine meekly nodded and followed him out.
She was expecting his office to be an utter mess and was truly surprised to see that it was almost immaculate. Books and papers were neatly stacked and filed, and apart from a coffee cup in the middle of his desk, nothing looked out of place at all. The professor shuffled into the room and started rummaging behind the desk.
"It looks like I am all out of copies..."
Janine was getting flustered when continued. "Well you can take my original copy." He offered her a nondescript disc in a green plastic case. "I
will
want this back." He stressed the 'will' and she stammered her gratitude and made her way out.
"Janine!" She turned at the sound of Natasha Partridge, her friend from high school. "What did Dawson want?"
Natasha was blonde and leggy and Drew's girlfriend. She wasn't a cheerleader, and Drew seemed concerned that she would join and made her promise never to be one, saying he didn't want all the other guys to see her that way. Sounded like he wanted her all to himself.
"He didn't want anything; I needed a copy of this CD for the test tomorrow."
"Hmm, Drew was just going on about that! Said he wouldn't be able to meet up tonight since he had to listen to that disc. I highly doubt he'd listen, but he said he needed the night off. Are you still on for the mall after school tomorrow?"
Janine considered it a while. "Sure, I should be done listening to this tonight. I won't be able to stay late though, the test is ..."
"Great!" Natasha bounded off, leaving Janine mid-sentence.
"Great." Janine repeated, turning the CD case over in her hands.
----------
Her parents were never home. Ever since her mother took that patent infringement case and her father started longer hours at the workshop, Janine frequently returned to an empty house. Her older brother Damien had moved to another state for college, and since finding a girlfriend, hardly ever came home. Reaching her room, she tossed her bag into the corner, and plopped into bed, exhausted for no reason at all. Professor Dawson came to mind, nagging her about the 25 marks she would stand to lose and her eyes flew open. Dammit.
Loading her CD player, she put her earphones on and tried to focus on the many theories being thrown at her. Between Piaget and some other French philosopher, she succumbed to her fatigue.
----------
