Days as a Freshman: 76
Mood: Amused

Daniel B sat down at the table across from me, setting a giant coffee cup in front of him and dropping some heavy books on the table.

“So, what page are those problems on that you wanted to take a look at?”

Just like Daniel, wasting no time getting down to business. Idle chatter made him uncomfortable. He could talk for hours about numbers and equations, but ask him about the weather or his favorite food and he’d tense up; his hands turning into fists and his adam’s apple sliding up and down in a constant rhythm.

I wondered if he had friends who he could relax with. I wondered if he had any friends at all.

“The ones on 154 and 159. I’ve been trying to do them on my own, but I don’t know if I’m getting the right answer.” Pushing my tea of the way, I set my own book on the small café table. I liked coming to the cafe at night. Even though it was inside the student center, it was mostly quiet after nine, and ever since that uncomfortable incident with Sasha and his “buddies”, I hadn’t seen a single person I recognized at any of the tables.

“These?” Daniel B. ran his finger down the page, pushing his glasses up with his other hand. “These are easy. You shouldn’t be having a problem.”

Another thing about Daniel B., he rarely filtered his thoughts from his mouth. Whatever he thought, he said. Even if it could be construed as insulting.

“Well, I must be stupid then.”

I smiled, meaning it as a joke, but Daniel’s head snapped up and his face crinkled in worry. “Oh. I didn’t mean…sorry.”

“I was joking”, I tried to make my smile wider, to show him just how much I wasn’t serious. “You’re right. I should be able to get those problems. I guess my head isn’t made for math.”

“Not everyone’s is.” Flicking his eyes back down to his books, Daniel B’s hand instinctively went to smooth his puffy hair, a sure sign that he was uncomfortable. “Besides, I’ve heard your stuff in our Freshman Seminar. You’re a great writer.”

“Hey, thanks!” I said to his hair, since his eyes were still locked on the pages on the table. “I hate reading my stuff out loud. But Professor Warren won’t let me say no.”

“Yeah…well…” Daniel B swallowed, cracked his knuckles, and then looked up, his squinty gaze resting right above my head. “Where’s the guy you always study with? He coming tonight?”

“I don’t know.” It was my turn to look down. “I thought he was coming…”

Truthfully, I had no idea where Sasha was. Earlier today he had caught me after class and asked what time our study session was. I had told him and he had nodded, looking a little distracted and running off without saying goodbye.

Our Halloween talk had been the last time Sasha had seemed relaxed around me. Ever since then he’s kept a strange distance, always smiling in a distant, preoccupied way.

Which was totally stupid. Because it’s not like I brought up the conversation or even said much during the whole thing. If he was uncomfortable, it was his own stupid fault.

“Grace?”

“What?” Shaking my head, I came out of my thoughts and refocused on Daniel B’s bespeckled gaze, which for once, was aimed at my eyes.

“Should we start without him?”

“Oh…uh…sure.” I reached one hand into my bag and pulled out a pen. “He’s sort of unreliable sometimes.”

“Yeah. I can see that.” Daniel B. picked up his calculator and spoke to it. “Definitely not the coolest kid I’ve ever met.”

“What?”

“What?”

He looked back up at me, seeming confused that I had heard him. I decided to let it go. “So tell me what I’m doing wrong on number 27…”

As Daniel B. leaned over his book, I realized he was wearing cologne. I also realized that it had never occurred to me anyone could dislike Sasha…but Daniel did.