Ocean Breeze Page 2

  He grinned at her. She was doing it again. She made him feel better already and they hadn’t even cracked a book yet. They reached the hidden table deep in the back of the library. Jamie hung her coat on a chair and began unpacking her backpack.

  “What did Dr. White say to you?” she asked, biting her lower lip.

  “Oh, he’s a swell guy,” he answered sarcastically. “He accused me of taking two weeks off to go surfing and said I had no business attending college if I wasn’t going to be a serious student. He’s giving me two weeks to get caught up. If I’m not caught up by next Friday, he’s going to drop me from the course.”

  Jamie stared at him with a look of complete and utter astonishment. “He had absolutely no right to say that to you! Why would he accuse you of cutting class to go surfing?”

  “Look at me. It is kind of obvious I’m a surfer.”

  “What you look like doesn’t have anything to do with your missing classes! How dare he? It is none of his business why you missed class! How dare he make false accusations?”

  She was really mad. She defended his missing classes even though she didn’t know the reason. Jay suspected she wasn’t going to ask him either. Unlike Dr. White, Jamie respected him as a student. Her reasons for helping him were noble after all. She really didn’t know who he was. She didn’t understand why Dr. White would accuse him of surfing instead of attending class. Unlike Jamie, Dr. White knew Jay was fairly well known around the area for his surfing abilities. At school, he was usually able to maintain a certain amount of anonymity. Unfortunately, out of all his instructors, Dr. White had to be the one who recognized him.

  “That man needs to retire. He has no business teaching. We should really go to the dean and register a complaint,” Jamie ranted.

  Jay shook his head. “I don’t want to make trouble.”

  Jamie stopped ranting and took a deep breath. “You’re probably right.” She looked at him. “What do you want to do? Do you want to try to salvage the semester or do you want to try again next fall?”

  “I’ll give it a shot,” he said with more conviction than he felt.

  She smiled. “Then we’d better get to work. Show me all the work you need to do for all four of your classes.”

  Jay spread all of his assignments out in four piles on the long table.

  “I think we’d better make a list of priorities,” Jamie suggested, pulling out a sheet of paper and a pen. “Economics is your top priority since you only have a week and a half to get caught up,” she said bitterly. “He’s giving you a test next Friday on all the material you missed and he wants four summaries on current economics related articles.” She neatly jotted down some notes on her list. “I can help you out with this. I took his class last semester and I saved everything. I’m sure the notes are the same. I’ll give you my old notebook. The tests will be different, but they’ll be based on the same concepts. If you use my old tests to help you study, I think you’ll be in good shape. I can help you with the article summaries too. I did so many of them last semester, I can practically do them in my sleep,” she chuckled.

  Jay stopped her. “Jamie, this is a lot of work. I can’t ask you to help me with all this.”

  She touched his arm reassuringly and smiled. “You didn’t ask. I offered.” She paused. “Dr. White gave me a hard time last semester too. I know how you feel and I want to help.”

  He grinned.

  “Now, what other classes are you taking?”

  “Calculus, but that’s not a problem. I’ve always been strong in math. I can easily catch up in that class.”

  “Well, that is a very good thing, because I wouldn’t be able to help you much there. Math is not my best subject,” she laughed.

  Oh, he really enjoyed spending time with her. Her smile and her laugh were so encouraging he couldn’t help but feel optimistic.

  “I think you can put sociology on the back burner for now,” she advised. “Just keep up with the lecture notes. Don’t worry about the reading assignments. I have to do them anyway, so I’ll make a copy of any notes I take on them for you. What’s your fourth class?”

  “Psychology.”

  “I’ve taken a couple of psychology classes. I can help you there too.”

  “That would be great,” he said with relief, “because I have a lot of reading to catch up on and I have an essay on Erickson’s Stages of Development due a week from tomorrow. Fortunately, my instructor gave me a copy of her lecture notes.”

  Jamie jotted this information down on her list of priorities and came up with a plan of attack. “I know economics is our priority at this point, but we’re kind of at a standstill with it right now, since we don’t have my lecture notes here. Why don’t we work on psychology?”

  “That’s fine with me.”

  They applied the same approach they had on Monday with sociology, spending the rest of their break knee deep in Jay’s psychology books. Afterward, Jay walked Jamie to the Kinder College.

  “I have a two-hour break on Tuesdays and Thursdays also. I always spend it in the library. We can work together again tomorrow if you’re available,” Jamie offered.

  “What time?”

  “Ten-thirty.”

  “That’s perfect. I have a break then too. I’ll meet you at our table.”

  They had arrived in front of the Kinder College. Jamie left his side and walked toward the front doors calling, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Jamie, wait,” he called after her.

  She stopped and turned around.

  “Thank you.”

  She smiled warmly at him and walked inside the building.

  When they met in the library on Thursday, Jamie handed Jay all of her old economics materials. She had everything neatly paperclipped together for him. They spent the next two hours going over her old notes.

  As they were repacking their backpacks, Jamie said, “I’m worried about your essay on Erickson that’s due next Thursday. We didn’t have any time to work on psychology today. Working in the library together is great, but it just isn‘t enough time for all the work you have to do.”

  “That’s okay. I’ll just have to work on it this weekend.”

  Jamie had an idea. “If we put our heads together, it’ll go much quicker. We can exchange phone numbers if you want and work on it together over the weekend.”

  “I can’t ask you to spend your weekend helping me with my essay,” Jay said, shaking his head.

  “I don’t mind. If we work on it together, you’ll get it done faster and then you’ll have more time to study for your economics test on Friday.”

  “All right,” he conceded with a smile. They exchanged phones and each programmed their number into the others.

  As they exited the library, Jamie headed toward the narrow path leading to the Kinder College.

  “You work at the Kinder College on Tuesdays and Thursdays also?” Jay asked in surprise.

  “I work there Monday through Friday.”

  “Wow! What exactly is the Kinder College?” he asked as they walked along the path together.

  Jamie smiled. “It’s a pre-school and daycare center for children who are between the ages of three and five. It’s available to students who attend this college and the people who work here. Students have to pay for the service, but it’s free to the instructors. My nutrition professor’s son is a student there.” She paused. “Do you want to hear something funny?”

  “Sure.”

  “The Dean of Students has twin boys enrolled at the Kinder College. Their behavior is horrible. They are constantly getting into trouble. It’s obvious they get away with everything at home.”

  Jay laughed. Apparently the discipline practices the Dean of Students’ imposed on the student body did not carry over to his own children.

  They said their good-byes and went their separate ways, promising to see each other in class the next morning.

  THREE


  The Test

  "

  For the next week, Jamie and Jay worked very hard to get Jay caught up in all of his classes. They spent the majority of their time working on economics, as Dr. White had only given Jay until Friday to get caught up in his class. Over the weekend, however, they concentrated their efforts on Jay’s psychology essay. Jamie’s idea worked. They called and texted each other many times. Jay would frequently read Jamie a paragraph he had written and then she would give him suggestions about what to add or delete. They finished the essay in record time, allowing Jay to get some economics work done as well.

  On Monday morning, while they were working at their table in the library, Jamie handed Jay two article summaries for his economics class. Both were neatly typed, with his name on top.

  “I can’t accept these,” he protested.

  “Why not?” she asked in a hurt tone.

  He reached across the table and placed his hand over hers. “I appreciate all the work you’ve done, but it wouldn’t be fair for me to hand these in. They aren’t mine.”

  She looked at him sternly. “What Dr. White is doing to you isn’t fair. I don’t know why, but he obviously has something against you. He’s pushed you into a corner and he’s hoping you can’t get out. It wouldn’t be humanly possible for one person to do all the work he’s given you in such a short amount of time. He doesn’t want you to succeed. He wants to be able to drop you from his course.”

  “Jamie, I…”

  She grabbed his arm and cut him off. “These are only insignificant little article summaries. He doesn’t even grade them. I honestly doubt he even reads them, although he’ll probably read yours since he seems to have it in for you. Please take them, Jay,” she urged. “It’s not like I’m taking the test for you.”

  He thought for a moment. “Okay,” he agreed.

  Jamie smiled at him in relief as she handed him the summaries again. “I’ve attached a copy of the articles to the summaries. It would probably be a good idea for you to read them before you hand them in, just in case he asks you some questions about them. I know you have four due on Friday. I’ll have the other two ready for you by Wednesday.”

  He smiled his thanks at her, giving her hand a squeeze.

  Friday morning came sooner than they wanted. It was two a.m. and Jay was still awake, questioning his ability to pass Dr. White’s test, to make it through the semester and wondering for the umpteenth time why exactly he was torturing himself like this. His phone suddenly rang, startling him.

  “Jamie?” he asked in surprise.

  “You weren’t sleeping were you?” she asked worriedly.

  “Are you kidding?” he laughed. “There is no sleep in my future.”

  “I figured you’d be burning the midnight oil.”

  “What are you doing awake at this hour?” he asked.

  “I was up studying for a nutrition exam I have tomorrow and I thought you could probably use some encouragement right about now.”

  There was a long pause.

  “Jay? Jay, are you there?” Jamie asked.

  “Yeah,” his voice caught in his throat. “Yeah, I’m here. I’m glad you called.”

  “How’s it going?”

  “I’m starting to see double,” he answered with a yawn. “By the way, I like all the doodles you drew in your notebook,” he teased.

  “Oh, I forgot about them,” she replied sheepishly.

  “They’re all houses. Why houses?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. I guess you could say I’m a dreamer.”

  “You dream of houses?”

  “I like to think about my dream house. I’m tired of living in apartments. I miss living in a house,” she answered sadly.

  “Oh.”

  “How about if I quiz you?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “You don’t have to do that. You should get some sleep.”

  “I want to. Now, what is supply-side economics?” she asked, refusing to take no for an answer.

  Jay grinned and began reciting everything he knew about supply-side economics. Jamie quizzed him for the next hour, making him repeat anything she felt he was unsure of. When they were both convinced Jay was as ready as he’d ever be for the test, they finally closed the economics books.

  “Now, what about you?” Jay asked.

  “What about me?”

  “Jamie, I’m really sorry you had to stay up so late studying for your own test. You’ve been helping me so much with all my work you haven’t had time to do your own.”

  “It’s okay. I don’t mind,” she assured him. “This isn’t my first all-nighter and it certainly won’t be my last,” she laughed.

  “How about if I quiz you?” he offered.

  “Okay, if you don’t mind hearing about amino acids and polypeptides,” she said cheerfully.

  “That fun, huh?”

  “I don’t care for this class too much. It’s boring and kind of hard.”

  Jay felt bad. He had been so wrapped up in his own classes for the past two weeks; he had forgotten Jamie was taking four classes of her own. He didn’t even know the names of all the courses she was taking. She never did her own work in the library. She always helped him with his. He hoped her grades weren’t suffering as a result.

  Although he was exhausted, he spent the next hour listening to her recite everything she knew about the material that was supposed to be covered on her test. He paid close attention to everything she said and even asked her a few questions along the way. They finally hung up at five, hoping to catch a little sleep before class at eight. When they met in sociology, they both had dark circles under their red eyes.

  “Did you get any sleep?” Jay wanted to know.

  “A little. Someone had me up all night studying with him,” Jamie teased.

  He threw her a mischievous grin.

  After class, Jamie wished Jay good luck before he headed to Dr. White’s office to take his economics exam. He turned and watched as she walked toward the library in the opposite direction, feeling a knot the size of a baseball in the pit of his stomach and wanting more than anything to spend the next hour studying with her in the library rather than being tortured in Dr. White’s office. As if she read his mind, Jamie looked back over her shoulder and gave him a reassuring wink.

  Jay grinned. He took a deep breath and set off again for Dr. White’s office.

  The next hour was pure torture for Jay. Not only was the exam ridiculously hard, but Dr. White scowled at him throughout its duration. Jay figured it would be nothing short of a miracle if he somehow managed to pass. He felt terrible for having taken so much of Jamie’s time when it was now clear to him he never had a chance of succeeding. When his time was up and Dr. White took out his infamous red pen, Jay considered dropping the class right then and there rather than face further humiliation by standing there watching him deface his paper. Still, he stood there quietly and watched as the pen that held his destiny sailed swiftly across his exam. He figured he owed it to Jamie to at least find out how he did before dropping out.

  Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a flash of long blond hair. He quickly turned toward the door, but there was no one there. Dr. White capped his pen of doom, thrust his exam back at him and scowled again. The halls were suddenly filled with students making their way to their next classes. Dr. White quickly grabbed his briefcase and exited the classroom without even so much as a good-bye.

  Jay looked down at the exam clutched in his hand. Dumbfounded, he grabbed his coat and backpack and headed out into the crowded hallway where he walked briefly in a sort of haze until a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him into an empty classroom nearby. He smiled in surprise.

  “Well, how’d you do?” Jamie asked anxiously.

  Jay hung his head.

  “Oh, no!” she exclaimed.

  “I got a 92!” he yelled happily, waving his test in the air and hugging her tightly. br />
  She screamed in excitement as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him back. The thrill of getting a 92 didn’t hold a candle to the thrill Jay felt holding Jamie in his arms. He was pretty sure she felt it too, because she looked at him in a way she had never looked at him before. There was something in her eyes; he couldn’t quite tell what it was.

  “You did it! I am so proud of you!” she exclaimed.

  “No, we did it,” he corrected. “I couldn’t have done this without you,” he said, tightening his embrace. “Come on,” he invited. “I’ll treat you to breakfast. I know the campus cafeteria isn’t the best, but unfortunately it’s all we have time for today.” Jay slung his arm around her shoulders and they walked to the cafeteria.

  The campus cafeteria was large and open. Bright sunlight streamed inside from narrow floor to ceiling windows spaced throughout three of the four walls. The deep blue walls boasted large murals created for the college by students from various graduating classes enrolled in the art program. The fourth wall of the cafeteria was filled with the serving buffet. It was crowded. The weather was cold outside and this was a good place to hang out and stay warm.

  The minute they stepped foot in the cafeteria, many of the students acknowledged Jay‘s presence in some way. Several said hi, some shook his hand or gave him a fist bump, some nodded in his direction, and others nudged their friends and pointed. A few students were even bold enough to grab a quick selfie.

  Jay and Jamie selected sausage, egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches and coffee. Finding a table was particularly challenging, because Jay was stopped every few feet by someone who wanted to greet him. They wove between tables and chairs until they finally found an empty table for two.

  “Wow! You sure are popular!” Jamie exclaimed as she unwrapped her breakfast sandwich. “Why are so many people staring at you?” she asked, looking around.

  “Just my good looks, I guess,” he joked, brushing it off.

  Jamie smiled.

  The campus cafeteria was one of the places he usually tried to avoid. He was so elated with his 92, he had forgotten he wasn’t as anonymous here as he liked to be. He generally tried to avoid large, open, crowded places. He tried his best to ignore the stares and looked at Jamie. He noticed she had already finished half of her sandwich.