cigarette ends | ✎

ix.

He let out a large breath, as if he was anxious. "I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking that."

I couldn't hold back my laugh. The image of Augustus on his knees, groveling, was something that I would never get over.

Something that I needed to see for myself.

"Good morning, everyone!" Dr. Brown tapped the microphone a couple times for good measure. "I hope the history exam did well for all of you and I'm excited to announce the aspect of the International College Fair that we'll be presenting next: a group competition.

"You will gather in your hexad's and choose any topic in history that adheres to the subject of breaking a barrier. That can mean anything you want: whether physically, or mentally. This topic must pertain to an event within the past 300 years, but it can take place anywhere in the world. You can look at the email sent out for more information.

"The rest of the day, you may gather in your groups and travel back to your hotels, or you may walk to the library next-door and continue to work. Today is Wednesday, April 19th. The finished project should be ready to be presented by this coming Monday, April 24th. If you have any questions, you may talk to me or any of the other advisors around. Thank you and have fun!"

Standing up, I met with the others, and we collectively decided to visit the library in order to start on our project.

I ended up walking next to Rohan on our way to the library. I admired his outfit choice – all black, with cargoes and a simple T-shirt. It fit him so well.

"Hi, Emmy," he said when he noticed me staring at him.

"Hi, Rohan. I love your outfit," I replied, smiling.

"Thank you." He toyed with the hem of his shirt. "It always takes me a while to choose one."

"Right? That's why I tend to do it the night before, so that I don't waste too much time in the morning.

"That's a good idea," he replied, nodding. "I'll try it next time."

We arrived at the library a short time later. We decided to sit at a large table, setting down our bags and getting out our laptops.

"Anyone want coffee?" Callum asked once we were mostly settled.

We all raised our hands, and he chuckled before getting orders from everyone and going downstairs to get Starbucks for us all.

Once he was back, Aurora rubbed her hands together. "Alright. I'm thinking we should do something about space – the first man in space, maybe? Or the first aircraft?"

"That's a good idea," I said, taking a sip of my coffee.

"We could also do something about a person who defied their government or social standards – such as Rosa Parks," Rohan suggested.

"Maybe Malala Yousafzai?" Augustus said. "She defied the Taliban by going to school and ended up getting shot."

"That's actually perfect," Aurora said. "She paved the way for others after her. Wasn't she an education activist?"

We ended up discussing Malala and how we could incorporate her into a project. Callum and I ended up having to walk to the arts and crafts store across the street in order to buy a poster board to go along with our presentation. Yes, we were that much extra. 

"This school is seriously next to a ton of great shops. Princeton is across from some eateries, but having a library at this proximity? It's amazing," Callum said.

"I agree. Harvard is the same way. We don't have nearly any libraries or good shops near us." I glanced around at all of the shops that lined the sides of the road, my smile widening when my eye caught the name of one sign. "There's even a nightclub."