After the Leaves Fall by Baart Nicole

Author:Baart, Nicole [Baart, Nicole]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Novels
ISBN: 9781414328416
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Published: 2011-01-31T05:00:00+00:00

Assessment

I HAVE NEVER WORKED HARDER in my whole life than the week that Parker helped me prepare for the test. Romance had absolutely nothing to do with our frequent study dates, and a little of the old Parker—the harsh, demanding, brusque Parker—resurfaced to push me to the height of my potential. I didn’t even mind when he was hard on me because for some reason it made me feel like we were getting somewhere, like I couldn’t expect results without a little blood, sweat, and tears. No pain, no gain, right?

While I worked, Parker corrected papers and took periodic breaks to show me where I was going wrong or how one of my formulas was improperly used or off track. We usually studied in the library. Once, when someone I vaguely recognized as a statics classmate walked by, I froze almost guiltily—we had been spotted. I couldn’t help wondering if people would think I was trying to earn my grade some way other than deserving it. But as I caught my classmate’s eye, I realized his glance was condescending rather than accusatory, and I knew that no one viewed me as competition. They actually felt sorry for me. I was the poor, delusional little girl who needed the intervention of the TA himself just to pull off a passing grade. I studied harder.

We left study sessions as exhausted as if we had just run a 10K. Parker would squeeze my hand at the door of my building and give me a tired kiss on the cheek. I was always too numb to even register his touch, and I would wave good-bye and stumble to my room, where I crashed, utterly spent, on the bed. However, as I fell asleep, the thought would often cross my mind that these days with Parker had made me care for him more than dinner dates with getting-to-know-you conversation and my hair done just so.

The day of the test, Parker was behind the podium in the lecture hall giving stoic instructions. I tuned him out and went over the formulas that I had worked so intently to cram into my mind. Parker had sent an e-mail to the entire class earlier in the week outlining exactly what we could expect the test format to be, what we could take into the exam, and what would be required of us. I memorized the information as if it were a Bible verse from my youth and without every word in its proper place I would not receive the coveted gold star sticker. Needless to say, I felt the few minutes before Parker handed out the test were best spent mentally reviewing.

I was at the end of a row, and when he handed me a stack of tests to pass down, Parker gave me an almost imperceptible suggestion of a smile. I saw it. It was enough.

The test was one sheet with three problems on each side. Every problem contained a drawing of a different stationary system and arrows indicating where force was being applied at various points in each system.

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