My Painless Addiction (#Wattys2017)

Chapter 8

"So lets see what we have to discuss this week. I was assuming that we could do an extensive discussion of Jane Austen's novel, '''Pride and Prejudice'''

I almost internally screamed as I closed my eyes in anticipation. No offense against the novel, well who was I to judge a classic, but the entire idea of having a discussion and expressing our personal opinions and stuck up reality to one of the portrayals in the boom was just plain idiocy.

But it was a part of education and there we go.

"So assuming that you have all read the novel....." the professor continued, and the crowd laughed.

A perfectly lame response to a perfectly lame question.

I rolled my eyes and drummed my fingers on my desk as I waited for the question he was going to pose us with.

"Why do you think Darcy-" he began but he was interrupted by a loud hit on the door and a girl stumbled in.

The girl had a mess of dark brown hair covering her face as she wore a light skirt and a dark blue blouse over it. I still couldn't see her face but the professor was annoyed by it.

When she got up, I saw that it was same girl whose car started to sound its alarm in early hours of the morning.

Great, the klutz just waltzed herself into the room. And now she was going to get a lecture about punctuality.

The professor sighed and said, "Just don't do this again."

He looked defeated over it. Well I couldn't understand his response. If I had been the one, I would have gotten a earful of how my poor time management was going to crush me in my life. But a girl comes stumbling and its all in the drain.

That partial fucker.

I shook my head and pinched the bridge of my nose as the girl smiled and nodded before she took her seat.

A few minutes of silence persisted as the class shifted uncomfortably in their positions and I rested my chin on my hand placing my elbow on my table.

The professor rather fazed by the events that just unfolded cleared his throat and began again, "So back to the question. Why do you think that Darcy and Elizabeth are both guilty of having prideful and prejudiced emotions towards each other? And how do you think that these emotions are the driving force of the entire story?"

He paused to create and dramatic pause effect and I rolled my eyes.

"Anyone is welcome to share opinions on this." He continued and a few hands shot up.

Of course, people loved to talk about the triumph of love over themselves and whatnot. People love that cliché aspect of the story.

A girl got up and began her interpretation. "Well I think that the reason why they were guilty of harboring pride within themselves and having prejudices directed at each other because they hadn't discovered that they were soulmates yet. But if they had, it would have proven to be a different situation. Their love would have consumed them and they wouldn't have even had the thought of igniting such hateful emotions in their heart."

She finished and say down in her seat, pleased with herself as the professor nodded.

I guess her passionate vocalizations of their all consuming love got something out in me and I found myself standing up and saying, "I beg to differ from your opinion."

The professor was a bit taken aback by my decision to participate and retorted, "Nice of you to consider, Mr. Mahfud. But would you care to elaborate."