L.O.V.E.

Chapter 5 - Nerissa

By the time the morning classes end, she finally calms her nerves and returns to her normal self. She's almost forgotten about those crystal eyes piercing through her soul, and unravelling her deepest secret.

Virology, not only that is her favorite subject, but she excels at every project she gets assigned to. She couldn't get any happier for the progress she has made, and that Dr Shah has finally recognized her efforts, and praised the great results of her research. Nerissa would gladly give up an arm and a leg to be chosen as part of his team. He is the head of the Biological Science Division, the only branch entitled to work on a vaccine.

Ever since her parents had been taken away, she promised herself to do everything in her power to find a cure, to do whatever it takes to stop the banishments. So many families have been dismantled or completely erased from history, because their beloved ones got infected and exiled. She has dedicated her life to the cause and nothing will make her change her mind.

While she puts her books away, a familiar voice stretches the smile on her face even more.

'To what do I owe this good mood today', Ilya's voice utters as she opens the adjacent locker.

She starts throwing her things in, without paying too much attention to what she's really doing.

'Good to see you, too', Nerissa mocks her from behind the metallic door, then pushing it gently, she waits for the closing beep. 'Dr Shah just told us he discovered a new viable path. If this turns to be a success, his team can move to the next stage...' Her eyes gleam with admiration for her idol.

Ilya looks at her for a second, really amused, only to burst into a hilarious snort-laugh. The few students, close enough to hear her, are trying in vain to restrain their grins.

'Only you could find that so exciting. You're such a dork!' She responds through muffled snorts and rolls her eyes at her.

Her looping hair-locks move as one, creating a bouncing mass of hair between the stiff bodies passing by. Then, she casually places her hand on Nerissa's crooked arm, letting the rushing torrent of hungry students carry them to the last floor.

'Excuse me, for hoping they are right this time. You don't know how important this is!' Nerissa barks back, and shoves her shoulder at her. She grins frustrated, wishing her friend would stop being such a doofus sometimes.

Some of the words come out muffled, engulfed by the deep breaths she needs to take from time to time. Endurance is not one of her talents and she definitely lacks in stamina. All these stairs are making her speech hard to follow and her point has definitely lost its weight.

'Yeah, yeah.' Ilya waves her hand in the air, sinking the whole issue into oblivion. Then, on a less critical tone, she adds. 'Let's get some food before they run out.'

Speechless and annoyed, Nerissa can only shake her head. Her flattened lips are barely holding the words that are battling to get out. She knows Ilya too well. She's a master of changing subjects, especially when boys are not involved. By the time, her inner self agrees that she needs to let it go and loosen up, the starving current has left them staring at the animate table in front of the window-wall.

'Hello, biceps!' Ilya hisses through her teeth, her lecherous eyes devouring the newcomers sitting at the back table. She scans them thoroughly, completely ignoring the girls in the group.

Nerissa's frozen body doesn't seem to bother her at all. Their loud display has absorbed everybody's curiosity, rendering a whole network of fabricated stories, some more absurd than the others. The rigid normality is broken by casual laughs and jokes, their closeness gathering fervent criticism. Physical contact between opposite sex is not illegal, but everyone is reluctant to it, especially in public. Better to be safe than sorry.