The Unexpected Path

Chapter 4 - Olivia

I love astronomy.

I guess you could say I inherited my interest because my dad loves astronomy, just like his mother loved it. I guess when you're a West you're bound to be infatuated with the sky and every wonderful and unknown corner of it. But my father and I have a particular interest in stars and constellation.

I grew up hearing stories about what takes place in the night sky and the meaning behind each star in the galaxy. We'd lie outside in the backyard together every night and use his telescope to study different constellations. It's always been my favourite bonding activity with Dad. Something about the sky just fills me up with warmth and nostalgia so I was freaking ecstatic to learn Boston U offered an Astronomy class. I don't even care that it's an eight a.m. class. My passion outweighs anything that could make this a negative experience.

Until he walked in.

I was completely into Professor Warren's lecture when he stopped short and welcomed a new student. I just about choked on the tip of my pencil I was chewing when Lucas strutted in like he owned the place, pissed off and soaked to the bone. He was rude and snippy with our professor the same way he was with the students gawking at him. I get it on some level. Being stared at and whispered behind constantly gets irritating. But he didn't have to be such an asshole and when our eyes finally clashed, he mumbled something under his breath and sneered right at me. All I could do was think about how Zack mentioned Lucas is different now, full of hate and loathing. Then I realized Lucas has always been that way with me so it made no difference and I scoffed and looked away.

That was ten minutes ago and I can still feel his gaze burning holes in the back of my head. What the fuck is his problem?

"Can you believe Lucas Cage is in this class?" A girl in front of me whispers to her friend. She looks over her shoulder and up, where Lucas is at the very top of the lecture hall, before giggling and looking away. "God, he's hot. Like, the hottest guy on campus."

Oh, brother. I roll my eyes and tune them out. I'm no stranger to girls fawning over Lucas. He's always had his good looks and they only seem to be getting better. I'll admit it's been hard not to notice how much he's changed. He's insanely tall, I'd have to guess six foot three, and has buffed out over the last few years. His hair has taken on a wavier form that always seems to topple across his forehead and makes it look like he's not even trying. His jaw is more cut and rugged, his lips naturally full, and those intense greenish-blue eyes that you could easily lose yourself in. He's movie-star pretty but I know better than that. Inside there's nothing about him remotely appealing and that makes it a hell of a lot easier to not feel anything except hatred towards him.

"Although we've learned many things about the sky and all the mysteries of the galaxy, there are still several things we can't even begin to imagine," Professor Warren continues. "And there's no one area that tells us everything. We can learn about the planets, or the stars, or the many different galaxies. Does anyone here have a particular area of interest?"

Kudos to him for trying. This is a general course that starts at eight a.m. Half the class is sleeping and the other half aren't paying attention. Professor Warren scuffles nervously and I feel so bad for him that I'm raising my hand before I realize I've done it.

"Yes," He beams and points at me. Oh, well. What's done is done. I've never been the shy type anyway. Professor Warren looks over the attendance sheet for a moment. "Olivia West, is it?"

"Yes, sir," I nod. "My father is really passionate about stars and I grew up hearing all kinds of legends about constellations. I love stars and knowing the sky above us is alive with stories of the past."

"Well said," He grins. "Care to share a particular favourite?"

"Sure," I lean back in my seat. "The story of the chained lady — Andromeda. Her mother was extremely vain and obsessed with her beauty to the point where she considered herself the most beautiful woman to exist. Poseidon took great offence from this because he created the very beautiful sea nymphs, so he created a sea monster to attack Andromeda. She didn't do anything wrong but her mother was too proud to take back her words and was willing to let her daughter take the fall for her mistakes. I think there's a great lesson in this story — that sometimes the people who are supposed to love you and take care of you only care about themselves and they'd rather see you get hurt than admit to their shortcomings. At the end of the day, people disappoint and we can't change them."