Complications

Chapter 5: Neal and the Death Star

Was it any wonder Neal dreamed of Star Wars that night? He wished he could remember the details. Peter and El were in it, wearing Han and Leia costumes. Satchmo was Chewbacca. And everyone was using lightsabers to fight off stormtroopers.

Noelle would probably give the dream a deeper meaning. She'd say it indicated he'd been psyching himself out over being essentially flawed like Luke did when he discovered his father was Darth Vader. And she'd be right. This wasn't the first time. He'd freaked out when he discovered his dad was a dirty cop. As a result, he'd nearly drowned. Luckily this time, he had a crew of lightsaber-wielding supporters to back him up.

Neal smiled as he jogged downstairs. This was one dream he'd keep to himself, but he'd never look at Peter and El the same way. He'd dreaded this weekend all week, fearing the sample exams would reveal how deficient his knowledge was. Instead, thanks to them, he was starting to see glimmers of hope.

Even when Peter slipped into the breakfast conversation that the subject of the bonus round would be chemistry, Neal kept a confident smile on his face. The Death Star had met its match.

* * * * *

El was delighted by Neal's choice of Thai food for their evening meal, even if Peter did groan at the addition of marinated lemon-grass tofu. When Peter left to pick up the order, she and Neal stayed behind to set the table.

"There's no way I could have passed that test," Neal said. "Much as I appreciate being able to select the restaurant, I don't feel like I earned it."

"You should," she retorted. "The decision was unanimous. Yes, you made some mistakes on the written exam, but you dazzled us with the oral part. When you explained the importance of chemistry to understanding paint pigments, your score rocketed to the top."

Neal didn't blush often, but he did at her words. "Now if I can just get Columbia to feel that way."

"You will," she assured him. "The examining panel knows you're not applying to grad school in chemistry. When you speak about art, your passion shines through. That's what they want to hear."

Neal picked up the stack of napkins and sat at the table. "The written exams don't give you much leeway." He began folding the napkins into shapes. El didn't realize he knew origami. She sat down to watch as he made lotus flowers out of simple paper napkins.

"Then you'll just have to demonstrate your creativity in the orals. Luckily for you, each subject has an oral component." She picked up a napkin and tried to copy him. "Could you teach me how to make flowers like that? I'd love to do something similar for events."

He grinned. "Origami boot camp? I'd welcome it. I should have a lot of time on my hands after next week."

"Then I'll help you fill it up. I'd also like to bring my assistant Yvonne." Neal seemed excited about the idea. She knew she was. Hopefully it would also serve as a pleasant distraction from the wait to find out about the test results. She went to the silverware drawer. "Do you want silverware or chopsticks?"

"Chopsticks for me, please."

"For us, too?"

His eyes widened. "That's part of the prize?"

"Of course. You won fair and square."

"I expect Peter would rather not use chopsticks."

"And you'd rather not study chemistry," she countered. "I'll get out chopsticks for all of us."

She noticed his eyes drift to the textbooks. His time to study them had been limited since they'd focused on exam preparation. But Peter would take him back to June's after an early dinner. He'd have the evening to prepare for the first round of tests.