Chatoyant College Book 7: Upon What Soil

Chapter 1: Get Our Blood Moving

Sunday, October 26

"But it doesn't make sense!" Dawn complained, gesturing violently at her physics homework. She was sitting in Rico's bed, curled up with her shoulders leaning against his chest. They were both looking at the textbook open on the mattress and the marked-up assignment she was doing her best not to wrinkle in her annoyance.

"Of course it does," Rico said soothingly. He flipped a page in the textbook and pointed at a line of text. "See, the vector—"

"It doesn't make sense to me," she interrupted, throwing the paper down with a sigh. "I should never have taken physics. Maybe if I had it in a semester with a bunch of easy classes and could devote more brainpower to it..."

Rico brushed a lock of brown hair that had fallen out of place back behind her ear and kissed her cheek. "You're just an overachiever. And that's one of the many things I love about you."

She laughed, smiling despite herself. "Thank you, sweetheart. I'm wondering if it's too late to just drop physics."

"I don't think it is. But it's not like you're failing or anything."

"Yeah, thanks to you."

"How many credits would you have if you dropped physics?"

"Um... thirteen."

"Well, I think if you really want to, you could do it. But you'd still have to take a science class eventually."

"Corrie isn't having this much trouble with biology. I could take that."

"Are you sure she isn't having just as much trouble, but doesn't hold herself to as high a standard as you do?"

Dawn sighed and looked up at Rico, upside-down due to the way she was leaning against him. "I guess that's possible."

"See, you just need to stop stressing about it. I'm sure you can manage that. And I'll always be here to help you. Look." He took her hand and guided it back to the textbook. She looked down reluctantly as he explained how the line about vectors applied to the incorrect homework problem she'd been stressing over for the last hour. She shifted so she could write, leaning on the textbook. It seemed to her that Rico was doing most of the work, but he seemed happy with her progress.

"You're not even taking physics," she complained when she'd finished. "How do you know this stuff?"

"I took it in high school. Now, look, the next one is about kinetic energy, right?"

Dawn shook her head and slammed the textbook shut on the homework paper. "My brain is tired of physics. Time for a break."

She felt Rico bend down behind her, his body coming closer. "I'm okay with that, too." He kissed her neck, making her giggle and squirm. His hand snaked around her waist and was coming up the side of her body when they heard the sound of a key in a lock. They both sat up quickly and managed to get themselves separated before Duncan came in.

"Hey, guys," he said, barely giving them a glance and tossing his backpack onto his bed. Apparently he hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. "Homework?"

"Physics is evil," Dawn told him.

"Right," Duncan said. "I don't think Father Martin would agree, but I can understand your sentiment."

"How was church?" Rico asked.

Duncan shrugged. "Fine. I still miss La Annunciada."

"Yeah. Well, Thanksgiving break isn't too far away." Rico pushed himself toward the edge of his bed and stood up, then held his hand out to Dawn. "Come on, let's go outside."

Dawn stared at him, then out the window. "In this weather?" It had been raining steadily since she'd woken up that morning. The leaves left on the trees were getting pushed off by the weight of the water, dropping to the ground, and not moving from that spot unless a rivulet of water happened to sweep past it. She couldn't think of much weather she was less interested in going out in, except for the dense fog that prohibited vision and that she was fairly certain was supernatural in origin. "I don't think so."

He kept his hand there. "You wanted to take a break before the next problem. Moving around is good for that, right?"

Dawn shook her head but took his hand and allowed him to help her up. "Then let's go down to the common room or something. Getting soaked is not going to make me any more inclined to do physics."

"Fine." He scooped up her book. "Common room, then."

"Have fun," said Duncan. Dawn had to look back to make sure he wasn't laughing. But then, he rarely even smiled.

Once they were out of the room, she poked Rico in the side. "Just making excuses?"

"Well," he said, grinning at her, "if we couldn't get our blood moving in the way I originally had in mind, walking around is second best."

Dawn rolled her eyes and took back her physics textbook.