8. Hot Syllabus #2
Macklin shifts in his seat, running a hand through his hair.
It’s a little longer than he’s had it during training camp, and it’s getting a slight wave on top.
The color is also fairer than usual. He must have spent the break after camp outside because the roots of his hair are a light blond as opposed to his usual dark strawberry hue.
“What did I get myself into?” He exhales.
“That’s exactly what I was wondering.” Tucker shakes his head. “You could have taken any other class. Why you chose this one is beyond me. Maybe you like pain?”
Macklin’s response is something like, “Yeah, that must be it.” I’m not one hundred percent sure because he mutters it and the professor is still speaking.
“If you have any problems understanding the material, my office hours are listed at the end of the syllabus you just received. Do come to see me before you fail a pop quiz or turn in a poorly written essay. And when I say come and see me, I really mean Victor.”
The professor’s assistant steps forward. I remember him from last year, and I’ve seen him a couple of times at social events when he was dating my Zeta sister Fiona a couple of years ago.
“Victor is a grad student this year, so he’s capable of addressing most issues you might have with this course material.
If your issues are such that you need my assistance, Victor will escalate your request to me.
Don’t come to me without seeing him first. I’m very busy teaching one extra class this semester, and he’s going to devote his full attention to you. Any questions?”
Satisfied that there aren’t any questions, the professor offers us a brief introduction to this course's unique point of view.
“There are plenty of sources through which we can learn Ancient Roman history. The ancient Romans left us countless literary works that give us a remarkable insight into a complex, rich culture. Their extensive laws, both in the republican and imperial ages, have inspired the legislation of many countries in Europe and beyond. Even our own laws are often based on concepts first introduced in the legislation of Ancient Rome. So much so that we use the Latin language in our modern society. Think about expressions like habeas corpus (you shall have the body) or pro bono (for the good). But while the law books and the poems that survived the test of time give us an insight into the day-to-day life, art plays an important role in showing us how the Romans lived. This is what this class is about.”
Call me a nerd, but I love learning this kind of stuff. To me, history isn’t about remembering names and dates. Learning how people used to live, how our society evolved to today’s culture is what made me fall in love with history.
So while a lot of people around me voice their concerns about this class being harder than they anticipated the second the professor leaves the classroom, I’m excited.
“I’m gonna go to the dining hall before breakfast closes.” Tucker says as we all rise from our seats. “Wanna come with, sis?”
I shake my head. “Thanks for the invitation, but I had breakfast before coming to class.”
“Me too. But Coach kicked our asses today at practice, so I need more sustenance.” He pats his flat stomach.
“That’s a good idea. Count me in.” Colsen smiles.
When Macklin agrees to join them, a part of me regrets saying no. But what’s the point? My relationship with Macklin amounts to hellos, goodbyes, and general platitudes until someone either of us knows better takes over the conversation. Usually, he doesn’t even look at me.
I say “usually” because since we came to class today, I caught him looking at me more than once.
At first, I thought that maybe he was looking at someone behind me, but the row behind us was half empty.
When I put my laptop away, I snuck a quick look at my compact mirror to make sure I didn’t have food stuck in my teeth or something equally embarrassing.
Everything looked fine. I haven’t seen Macklin taking notes, so I bet that’s why he’s been looking at me. He probably wants a copy of my notes. That must be it.
Maybe I should just offer them to him and put him out of his misery.
“Earth to Talia.” Tucker chuckles as we reach the classroom door. “You were miles away just now.”
Heat rises to my face as I feel Macklin’s dark blue eyes on me again. “Sorry, I was just thinking about… the syllabus.”
My brother’s jaw hits the floor. “The syllabus? Are you for real?”
I fight the urge to squirm under Macklin’s gaze as he smiles, watching the interaction between me and Tucker. “What do you want? If you didn’t copy my notes while I was taking them, I can email you a copy and you can write them down from there.”
I’m about to offer Macklin a copy too, but that wasn’t what Tucker wanted.
“No, thanks. I got them. I was just asking you if I could drop you off anywhere on my way to the dining hall. Since you don’t have a car anymore.”
That’s sweet of him. Tucker can be a real pain when he wants to be, but I don’t have a doubt that when he oversteps he does it because he cares.
“No, you go carb load or protein load or whatever you do when you consume one weeks worth of calories in one sitting. My next class is in one hour, I might just go to the library and check out some of the books in this syllabus before they’re all out on loan. ”
“Can’t you do that online?” He asks.
“I could, but my next class is near the library. It’s a nice day, so I don’t mind the walk.”