Merry and I parted afterward, agreeing to meet at half past twelve for lunch. I walked toward the psychology school's building, looking curiously at the other students bustling about, each with their dreams, imagining the knowledge they gain there will help them get rich. Maybe it will.
"Nick, how are you doing? Is my princess here?"
None other than Leo, my best plump friend. He's lucky I'm not the type to forget old friends when I climb up the ranks. Ah, I'm too benevolent for my own good.
"I saw you staring at us and waiting for her to go, so no, she isn't here," I sighed and ignored his awkward chuckle. Did he really think he was hidden when he gazed at us from a tree's shade like some creepy stalker?
"Oh, come on, you seemed to be in a heartfelt conversation, I wouldn't want to interrupt such an important moment in your sibling connection," Leo retorted without thinking twice. He was righteous, righteous indeed.
"You're so considerate, buddy, I'm lucky to be your friend," I patted his back as we both entered class, one taught by Professor Zate, a white man in his late seventies. He was sexist, homophobic, and racist, but nobody held it against him due to his age. Those people get a pass for anything as long as they don't try to harm someone.
He was there, early as always, waiting with his book in his hands. All other lectures happened with presentations, but he remained loyal to the same book he had been using since the previous century.
"Hello class, let's talk about interactionism today, as developed in 1934."
The lesson passed slowly, with each of us trying our best to jot down everything he said. However, I did not care for all that, the woman I was waiting for did not show up.
"Hey, Leo, did you see Nyssa today before we met?" I asked my friend who sat right next to me. She also majored in Psychology, which gave me many opportunities to stare at her and imagine her saying yes when I asked her out.
"Yes, I saw her near the business building," He replied, making me raise an eyebrow. I knew why Leo was lurking near that area in the morning, a futile hope if I may say, but I couldn't see a reason for Nyssa to go there. Well, she and Merry were apparently friends, so maybe she just wanted to scold her for abandoning her alone with the guys last night.
"Anyway, you should be writing instead of thinking of stuff you can't achieve," my so-called friend 'encouraged' me to study. He himself was looking at the professor with a tired face. He was the type never to try yet always get B's, enjoying claiming he could easily score perfectly if he tried.
"Hey, you two, is my class too boring for you? Do you know it all?"
The two of us looked up, straight to the scolding of Professor Zate. Right, I forgot he tended to do that, he was quite vengeful when people made some noise.
"No Sir, we were discussing our Gender class about monogamy from earlier this week. We couldn't agree with our teacher," Leo's face turned so serious I almost believed that's truly what we discussed. He knew how to make Professor Zate flare.
"Hmph, this course didn't even exist when I started being a professor here. Imagine setting it as a mandatory course for finishing your studies?! They poison your minds with information that seems correct when they present it as the absolute truth, ignoring how in some cultures things work differently, and everyone is still perfectly happy!"
I stifled a laugh as we all listened to Professor Zate forget his subject and vent his anger on the injustice of progress. His face turned slightly red as he waved his fist at the idea of Gender studies.
"Do you know that in some countries, wealthy ones in fact, rich with resources and culture, such as Sodia and Baryn, men can marry multiple wives? Tell that to the professor of your Gender class, and she will let you know these women are all oppressed!"
It got too interesting, so nobody tried to make the man go back to his topic. After all, his "lecturing" was just reading from a book, and most of us could do it at home.
"They aren't? Can women there marry multiple men?" Leo asked innocently, singing the contents the old man hated.
"No, no, no! They are brainwashing you! Go and have a look, tell me if these women are always frowning. I bet the mental problems over there are fewer than in our country! The number of wives they have is adjusted to their wealth, meaning these women can usually enjoy high budgets!"
Just when we thought it was over, a wide smile spread on Zate's face, and we knew he came up with an idea he found clever.
"If by the end of the semester, any of you can claim to be dating two girls or two men at once, I will give you an A without taking the exam," He announced as though he won against the system. A quick glance around the room told me the students were already preparing to organize in trios.
"But, Professor, about the equality-"
---
After a tiresome discussion at the end of which everyone held the exact same opinions they had before it, the class was over, and I had two free hours I had to pass somehow. The original plan was to say 'bye' to Leo and hang out with Nyssa, but the girl didn't appear in class.
'Hold on, I got her phone number,' it dawned on me. Some may interpret this as too intense or needy, yet Nyssa didn't strike me as someone who criticizes sincere affection. Besides, I haven't been hounding her every waking moment.
"Who are you texting?" Leo asked me as I took out my phone and opened the chat app. "Wanna attend Miss Gizelle's next class? It's in the Philosophy department."
It was all part of his 'research' toward his goal of dating a rose. That class had nothing to do with us, he just wanted to be there to drool over the teacher.
"No, you go though, I'm texting Nyssa," I answered. There was no reason to hide my relationship with her from Leo. For starters, he'd eventually find out if I hung out with her, and I had absolutely no intention of avoiding hanging out with her as that'd be just dumb. Secondly, it was a good brag.
"You are TEXTING Nyssa?" He squealed and hurriedly grabbed my phone, "You can't TEXT her!" He lowered his voice, whispering urgently.
"Huh, why not?"
"Those girls have men hit on them face-to-face all the time. If you try to do it through texting, you'd have no chance at all! Where did you even get her phone number?!"
"You are misunderstanding something," I laughed at his professional dating tips, so knowledgeable yet still single, "I'm not hitting on her, I already did that yesterday, and we are an item now. She gave me her phone number, obviously."
His reactions were worth my nonchalant attitude about it. Masking my excitement, I kept typing as though it was normal, the only expected outcome of me asking the top rose out.
"You… you?" Seems like he lost his ability to speak.
"Me," I nodded in agreement.
"You dog! That's amazing! Wait, how come I didn't know of your plan? Why wasn't I there to watch?" Leo clapped his hands excitedly. Thanks to my honest personality, he did not question the truth of my words. Maybe I should change. It only took him a second to realize he missed the big moment.
"That's not that big of a deal, a handsome man like me can get anyone around here, you know," I bragged, "And I hit on her in a karaoke bar. Merry invited me to go with them, and I just said yes."
"Merry was there and you didn't invite me?!"
Yup, I should change and become a liar.
"There were other guys, you remember Steven, the idiot who hit on her yesterday? He and his friends were there," I explained, hinting that they'd probably beat him up if he tried flirting with Merry. It was not a lie, so I guess I'm still a pure and honest man.
"Oh, I wouldn't want to be there," He admitted in a depressed voice. "Fine, break the eleventh commandment, put your hoe before your bro. I will go watch Miss Gizelle by myself," he mumbled.
"Argh, come on, what can I do to make it up to you?" I asked, fully aware I was falling for his trap. There was one wish he always made.
"So you do have some conscience! Since you offered, you cannot go back on your word. Arrange for a double date. You, Nyssa, Merry, and me!" He counted the names carefully so I won't have any leeway in my interpretation of his request.
"Argh! Watch where- Oh, Steven."
It happened too often lately. This guy thought we were pushovers.