CHAPTER FOUR
Willa stared at the question on the exam once again and dug deep into her memory. She knew the answer but she was second-guessing herself, which wasn’t normal for her.
“Two minutes,” said the professor.
She nodded to herself, checked the box and submitted her responses via the electronic portal. She took in a deep cleansing breath and smiled, closing her laptop.
She couldn’t wait to leave and get back to Finn. One more exam and she’d be permanently home and wouldn’t have to see the inside of the classroom again for a long time.
“Times up.”
Groans and moans indicated that not everyone was finished, nor were they happy with their responses. She heard the sounds of people clicking their send buttons and laptops closing.
“As with every other exam, you’ll get your results via electronic communication this evening. You all have one final exam and then you’ll know your graduation status and date. Good luck to you all.”
With that, they were effectively dismissed. The campus was relatively quiet given that Mardi Gras holiday started in a few days. Their small group exited the building together, breathing a sigh of relief.
“Anyone want to go for po’boys and beer?” asked one of the students.
Jeannie was about the same age as Willa but she was a talker, often to her detriment. The professor on more than one occasion asked her to keep it quiet. She seemed oblivious to the comments and wasn’t embarrassed at all.
“I could go for something,” said another student. Three more nodded and Willa suddenly felt pressured to say yes. “Willa? Are you coming?”
“I don’t know. We still have one more and I need to study,” she said frowning.
“It’s just lunch, Willa,” said Jeannie.
“Let me call my fiancé so he doesn’t worry,” she said smiling.
“You’re engaged?” asked Morris. “When did that happen?”
“It’s been a few days,” she smiled, blushing at the group.
“That’s amazing! Congratulations,” said Jeannie hugging her.
“Thank you. We’ve known one another our entire lives, so it seemed natural to take the next step.”
“You didn’t say you were dating anyone,” frowned Morris. She stared at him, unsure of the expression on his face.
“I didn’t know I had to tell you guys that I was dating anyone or engaged,” she smiled. “I’m a private person and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“I totally get it,” said Nicole. “I don’t want people up in my business. A woman has to keep some things to herself. Let’s eat and talk about this amazing man who snagged you.”
Agreeing on the location, Willa called Finn while she was driving.
“You don’t mind, do you?” she asked.
“No. Not at all, it’s just lunch. Right?” he asked.
“Yes. I mean…”
“What’s wrong?” he asked suddenly worried.
“I-I’m not sure. It was a weird vibe from one of my fellow students when I said I wanted to call my fiancé. He’s never really spoken to me before and today it all seemed out of context.”
“How about if I surprise you and meet you there?” he said smiling through the phone.
“Can you? I know that’s weird but I’d feel better,” she said.
“I’ll be there. Give me about twenty to thirty minutes.”
“Finn! You can’t speed all the way here,” she laughed.
“Sure I can if it’s for you. I’ll be there shortly.”
The call ended and suddenly Willa was feeling much better. Usually she wasn’t skittish about these things at all. But something about Morris’ demeanor really made her uneasy.
It ended up that eleven of the fifteen students showed for lunch. Willa felt more comfortable knowing that there was strength in numbers. She made sure to sit next to Jeannie at the end of the table so she could get out quickly if she needed to.
After ordering their food the door opened, right on time, to reveal Finn, River, and Quinn coming into the restaurant.
“Told you she was here,” smirked Finn. “Hey, babe.”
He bent down and kissed her, giving a nod to those at the table. It wasn’t hard to figure out which student was giving her the creeps. He looked at Finn with a death stare and he immediately graced him with one back.
“Hi,” she smiled excitedly. “Everyone, this is my fiancé, Finnegan and his brothers, Quinn and River.”
“Are you sure?” smirked Jeannie. “I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart.”
“I’m sure,” she laughed. “Let me introduce you guys to everyone.” She went around the table but the men noticed when she introduced Morris, he looked down at his sandwich without a word.
“Morris! You’re being rude,” said Jeannie.
“Sorry. I thought this was just us.”
“Our presence bother you, brother?” asked River. It was clear that Morris wasn’t used to being challenged. His face turned red and he shook his head. “Cool. I’ll order for us.”
Finn pulled a chair next to Willa, hugging her tightly to his side.
He listened as the group spoke about some of the challenging questions but noticed that Morris wasn’t interacting with the group at all.
Willa noticed as well, signing on the top of his thigh that Morris was acting weird and freaking her out.
“So, Morris, what made you go into nursing?” asked Finn.
“Why wouldn’t I?” he snapped. “I’m not gay if that’s what you’re asking.”
“That wasn’t what I was asking at all. I have a number of male friends who are nurses and some of the best I know. My brothers and I are trained medics. It was just a question.”
“Geez, Morris, what’s up with you?” asked Jeannie.
“Nothing. Nothing is up with me. I wanted to go into nursing because the pay is good and I can find work anywhere.”
“You don’t want to help people? Specialize in something?” asked Robin, one of the students.
“Oh, I-I didn’t think of that. Yeah, I suppose I do.”
“Brother, that’s the strangest answer I’ve ever heard,” laughed Quinn. “Any nurse I know, their normal response to that question is that they want to help people, not make money.”
“Well, we’re all different,” he said taking the last bite of his po’boy. “I’m gonna head out. I’ll see you guys Friday.” Without another word he left the group and headed outside. Only Finn and Willa noticed that River slowly followed him.
“God, he gets more strange by the day,” said Weil. Another male nursing student, he found Morris to be abrupt and a bit on the creepy side. He rarely communicated with the others and never joined in with the study circles. He just seemed out of place.
“He’s definitely got a problem with you having a fiancé,” said Jeannie.
“Well, that’s too bad,” said Willa. “He has no say in who I date, become engaged to, or marry. I barely know him.”
“None of us really knows him,” said Weil. “He just sort of appeared one day claiming he was a transfer student. I’m not so sure.”
“He does fairly well on the exams,” said Jeannie. “Not the best but also not the worst.”
Quinn and Finn took the entire conversation in, letting it record to their comms so they could ask AJ or Hiro to double-check on him when they returned. Willa tapped Finn’s leg and stood from her seat.
“Thank you guys for inviting me. I’ll see you Friday,” she said with a smile.
“See ‘ya, Willa,” they called back, slowly dispersing as well.
“I’ll drive you back,” said Finn helping her into her car. He stepped around to the trunk where River was waiting for him and frowned. “Well?”
“Fucker is weird as shit,” he frowned. “Acted like I was getting something out of our car and he yelled at me. Asked if I was following him. I started to walk toward him to have a conversation and he jumped in his car and drove away. I sent the plate to Hiro.”
“Following him? What the fuck is this guy’s problem?” River shook his head and then looked up at Finn.
“I’m not sure but I know he has one.”