Uriel sighed before pushing the heavy classroom door, he knew that if it was closed it meant that he was really late, but his scholarship demanded him perfect attendance and he couldn't afford to lose it on a whim.
"Late again mister Uriel!? How many times have I told you, if you can't even get up from bed at a proper time don't bother taking my class." Professor Panagiotis said with a scolding voice, but let him in anyway. As much as it pained him, Uriel was hands down the best student he ever had and if somehow Uriel managed to graduate, he could pull him into working on his projects with very little effort.
It took Uriel only a quick glance to notice that his usual spot was already taken by Tina's expensive handbag, leaving him with no choice but to sit in whatever spot he could find.
"Can we begin class now, mister Sage?" Profesor Pangiotis snickered, triggering the combined laughter of all those present. After the prolonged laughter, the class calmed down allowing the professor to continue with his lecture.
Pangiotis grabbed his tablet and tapped a few times on the screen, then he dragged his finger along the glass surface and out of it, projecting its content in front of everyone. It was a picture that presented a few utensils and earthenware on top of a small table, there was a small arched window behind that allowed to see a small dried tree in the background. Most students received a notification on their mobile devices, be it tablets or cellphones, allowing them to download the picture immediately for closer inspection.
Unfortunately for Uriel that wasn't his case, he had a 'vintage' flip phone and was limited to watch from afar. This was the reason why he always preferred to sit in the front row. Being in the corner made it difficult for him to see the content of the picture and he leaned forward while squinting as hard as he could, but his eyesight wasn't that great either.
"Ouch! you're pulling my hair!" A girl in the seat directly in front of Uriel complained.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to" Uriel apologized profusely, but the girl scoffed at him and turned back to see the picture.
"Now, who can tell me what's in this picture?" Professor Pangiotis asked in a stern voice, he was renowned as one of the more strict professors in the whole university and his class was actually one of the most difficult ones.
The reason why so many students took the anthropology class with him was because he was the third most important professor in the whole university, his contributions ranged from anthropology to historic research. Passing his class, even with a low grade, was the brand of success.
Many students raised their hands in an attempt to be noticed by such an important person, after all, many years ago Pangeotis formed part of the world congress that allowed all nations to join hands and work together giving birth to the world government. Although his contributions were minimal, he still benefited from the reputation boost that such position implied.
Most answers ranged from 'It's a set up for religious purposes' which was the known synonym of 'I don't have the slightest idea', to 'They set the table to eat'.
"Are you really on college level? how did you even get through highschool?" All the answers made the professor frown in disgust. Uriel, who after many attempts to look at the picture gave up and asked the guy right next to him to show him his tablet. It took a little convincing, but after Uriel offered his notes from today's lecture his classmate was more than happy to let him have a peek.
"It's an artwork!" Uriel said raising his hand the second after looking at the picture.
"Who said that!?" The strict professor asked and the classroom went quiet. Uriel gulped down a lump of saliva, but he soldiered up and kept his hand raised.
"This idiot," Kenny facepalmed. "and to think I was looking forward for his notes from this lecture."
"You are correct, mister Sage. I'll forgive you for today's disrespect, but dare to come late to class once more and I'll kick you out myself, did you hear me?"
"Y-yes!" Uriel heaved a sigh of relief, he wasn't accustomed to being in the spotlight. Most of the time he did his best to remain hidden in the crowd, but he just got excited after finding out the correct answer that no one seemed to know and couldn't help himself from answering.
"Although this is obviously earthenware from the classical Greek era, this picture was taken in 1987 with the purpose of communicating an artistic message. If you're serious about your studies, you must at least be able to tell what serves an actual purpose from what is intended as a form of art."
"Uhm, professor..." The mean girl in front of Uriel lifted her hand calling out for the professor's attention. He, of course, was really annoyed by this as he didn't like answering to any questions during lectures, or after them for any case, but he wasn't so reckless as to purposely offending someone who might come from a rich family. The fate of his research funding, hence his whole career, could be at stake.
"Yes, miss..." He lingered for a couple seconds because he didn't know her name.
"Cassandra... Professor Pangiotis, why should we care if something is considered art or if it serves a purpose? I mean, what's the difference, really, that picture was taken many years ago and it's about a civilization that no longer exists."
"Well miss Cassandra, you shouldn't judge what's worth learning just by how useful you think it is. Anthropology itself was only studied to satisfy the curiosity of people from the old times, but in the end it gave birth to many useful branches of knowledge such as forensics. Not just that, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it played a major role in forming the world government itself."
Many students gasped by this revelation and, even though his own contributions were minor, he wasn't lying. "Anthropology is the study of humans, we take interest in every aspect related to mankind, from religion to politics. It shouldn't come as a surprise to any of you. You may think that it's an easy subject since this course is offered to freshmen, but in reality is offered in your first year only because of its importance. Even mister Sage's remark pointing out that the picture I showed you was a piece of art could seem simple, but it takes a lot of studying and effort to get to the point where you can tell the difference in what can be considered useful from what only serves a communicative purpose."
When class finished, Uriel attempted to find an opportunity to talk things over with Tina, but she darted out of the classroom without giving him the chance. He followed her outside the faculty building, only to be stopped at the exit by Mark and his goons.
"Hey! you lost your chance already, leave her alone Urinal!" Mark said pushing Uriel without using too much force. He knew Uriel was a wimp and no matter how influential his father was, he could still get in trouble if he attacked another student out of the blue and the other resulted wounded.
"Leave me alone Mark, I'm not in the mood today." Uriel said trying to push past him, but it proved to be impossible.
"You just don't get it, do you? She's way out of your league, don't embarrass yourself any further. I'm just saying this cause I'm your friend. Now, get lost before I lose my patience!"
Clenching his fists with all his might and gritting his teeth was the only thing he could do to feel better, even if he had the strength to beat Mark, which he did not, it would only end up in getting expelled and that was something Uriel couldn't stand. Studying was the only way for him to climb out of poverty and maybe, just maybe, find out the truth about what happened to his parents.
The large clock tower on campus resounded signalling it was noon already and the students nearby hurried their pace to get to class. In a daze, Uriel let a couple minutes pass, all he could think about now was of Tina. When Uriel came back to his senses he rushed towards the gym, it was time for the mandatory physical training imposed by the army.