Not even ten minutes later, I found myself regretting it. Well, not regretting my choice to join Dance Sensasians, specifically. Definitely regretted dawdling around talking to Parker, getting lost between the chemistry and engineering buildings, and doing the walk of shame nearly twenty minutes late into my biology classroom.
My GSI, a short but severe-looking blonde with her hair pulled back in a tight bun, pinned me with one vicious glare over the tops of her glasses. "Now, I know this is only the second week of classes, but do try to be on time. Coming in late is disruptive." She said this to the class at large, but everyone was staring at me.
"Sorry," I mumbled. Because the universe was conspiring against me, my phone chose that moment to let out an audible ding!
"And no phones in class," Lacey added sternly.
I felt a flush creep over my face and plopped myself down in the only open seat in the back, praying that nothing else would happen to me, like the sky collapsing onto my head or something. Although, it felt like my world was already falling apart. Introduction to Biology was supposed to be a hard enough class even without being on the GSI's bad side.
As I silenced my phone, I couldn't resist sneaking a peek at the text that had sealed my grave.
Nancy: So how's your first day of classes at Brookings??
Her timing really couldn't have been worse. Swell, thx to u and ur horribly timed text!! I imagined writing back. Instead I pocketed my phone and did my best to push any lingering embarrassment to the back of my mind.
"How many of you in this class are pre-med?" The GSI, who told us to call her Lacey, asked. Almost every hand shot up into the air except mine. "Awesome. About two of you will still be pre-med by the end of this class." Her announcement was met by groans.
"I hate weeder classes," mumbled an Indian guy with thick black square-rimmed glasses from beside me.
As Lacey went over the syllabus, I tried to pay attention, but it was a lost cause. My mind started wandering somewhere in between Lacey's explanation of her grading scale and the university penalties for cheating.
I couldn't stop replaying the events of the day before. Wondering who the culprit could possibly be.
My gaze wandered around the room, assessing my classmates. Most of them looked exactly like doctors-in-the-making. Lots of Asians, which I'd been expecting from the science departments. My eyes landed on the back profile of one Asian boy in particular, sitting three rows directly in front of me. His profile looked familiar. Way too familiar.
My fears were confirmed when Lacey moved on to roll call. "Chris Ishikawa," she stated. The Asian boy raised his hand.
I bit back a groan. The sky hadn't fallen on me, but this was just as bad. Scratch that. Worse.
"...Amelia Xu."
Now it was Chris who was caught off guard. Jolting slightly in his seat, he turned around, slowly, as if resigning himself to a grotesque sight, maybe roadkill. We locked eyes--and glares. After the space of a heartbeat, Chris swiveled back around in his chair.
Fantastic. A GSI who hated me and a past hookup who insisted on popping up everywhere I went. I'd be lucky if I survived to see second semester.
Lacey set her clipboard on her desk, pushing her glasses up her nose, her expression turning grave. "With that, I would like to end class by having an open and honest discussion about the racially-charged incident that occurred last night at approximately seven P.M. in West Tower."
Her statement was followed, at last, by rapt attention. Twenty pairs of dozing heads snapped to alert.
"I know this is 'Introduction to Biology' and not 'Introduction to Humanity's Stupidity'," Lacey started, "but I think it's important that we have an open, honest conversation about what happened last night." She took a deep breath and pressed her hands together in her lap, leaning against her desk. "I've lived in this country for my entire life. And in that time, I have seen some shit."
"Did she just say 'shit' in class?" some guy whispered loudly from the front.
"Like I said, some real shit," Lacey emphasized, opening her eyes to reflect a fiery gaze. Daring us to make another comment about her swearing. "But for something this disgusting to happen in my first week of teaching? Unreal." Her cheeks and neck were turning redder with each word. "In this day and age, some of us still can't see that we are all made up of flesh and blood. Skin and bone. Head and heart. To label fellow human beings as terrorists simply for being from another country--how does that seem right?" When she finished, Lacey took a huge breath and slowed her breathing until her cheeks had turned back from a brilliant red to a pink-ish color. "Anyway, I just wanted to open the conversation with my impartial thoughts."
"Impartial?" someone muttered.
"Now I want to turn the discussion onto you guys."
At first, the class just looked around at each other, nobody wanting to be the first to follow up Lacey's rant. Then a red-haired girl in the front row slowly put her hand into the air.
Lacey clarified, "Feel free to just chime in. I'm not bothering with any of this name-calling stuff. This isn't high school."
There was a pause, and then the girl said in a small, uncertain voice, "It was a joke, right? Some sicko's idea of a joke?"
"Nobody could be that dense," the blonde-haired boy next to her argued. "These people clearly wanted to cause offense. I mean, they called those international students terrorists."
From the back came a quieter, slightly accented male voice. "I don't feel welcome here," the boy said. I turned around and matched the voice to a face: a chubby Asian guy with even swoopier hair than Parker Jeong. His voice was shaking slightly, and he flushed once he realized all eyes were on him. "I l-left Taiwan believing--believing America would be very accepting toward i-international student. But now...I am not so sure."
Silence hung thick and heavy in the classroom. Lacey had closed her eyes again and was nodding her head. She said softly, "You shouldn't feel that way. You are welcome here, even if some people choose not to believe it."
"So what's the university gonna do about this?" someone piped up. "Don't tell me they're just gonna sweep it under the rug?"
A chair scraped against the hardwood floor before Lacey could respond. I stared at the source of the noise, surprised to see that Chris Ishikawa had pushed his chair away from his desk and stood up.
"They won't be ignoring what happened. Not if I have a say in it."
Lacey just blinked at him. "Your, ahem, passion for this issue is admirable, but--who exactly are you?"
Exactly my thoughts. What could a man-child who went around stealing kisses from innocent girls possibly be able to do?"
"I'm Chris. Chris Ishikawa. Remember that name. I'm running for the freshman chair position on the Central Student Government," he announced boldly. Turning around to face his classmates, Chris kept his expression more serious than I'd ever seen it. "Vote for me in the elections next month, and I promise I'll work to promote social justice across campus."
Twenty pairs of wide eyes stared back at him. I wavered between remaining annoyed and feeling impressed. Settled for slight disinterest.
"Dude, you better promise better dessert options in the dining hall," some guy shouted out from the front row. When Chris fixed the speaker with his now trademarked I'm-running-for-student-government-don't-mess-with-me glare, the guy sunk lower into his seat and added feebly, "But also, yay for social justice."
Chris sat back down into his seat, leaving the class silent. I stared at his profile, wondering what was going on in his head. Since when had Chris, Mr. Pre-Med, expressed even an ounce of interest in our student government before?
Lacey nodded slowly, approval in her eyes. "You see that? Someone who gets involved immediately and puts himself behind a good cause. A man worthy of your vote, students."
Chris stood up straighter, practically inflating with pride right before our eyes. Great. An extra ego boost. Just the thing he didn't need.
I felt my frigid opinion of him melt just a smidgen, though. Chris couldn't be so bad if he cared so much about The West Tower Incident that he was running for student government.
*****
A/N - I love passionate guys hehe! Any guesses as to how Chris will approach his campaign? (Hint: Amelia will be roped into it one way or another, lmao)
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next update! :D