Passing Grade by Trisha Bradley

Author:Trisha Bradley [Bradley, Trisha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Will

This sucks. Nothing about this is fun. I can’t believe people actually pay for this.

I’ve been spoiled by Scarlet, I know it. She’s so fun, so full of life, and every moment I spend with her is like a dream come true. And knowing there’s an end date to our relationship just makes me covet those sweet moments even more.

I wonder what she’s doing right now… It has to be more entertaining than this psychology lecture.

It takes an embarrassing amount of effort to stay focused today. The seat is harder than it was last week, and no amount of fidgeting can relieve the tension curling up my spine.

“Dude, what is your problem?” Theo whispers harshly at me.

“Nothing,” I snap, and someone hisses for me to be quiet. I face forward, ignoring Theo as best as I can.

The professor’s voice is more nasal than usual, I swear. It sounds more like the annoying buzzing of a fly in my ear. And it doesn’t seem to matter what words he’s saying, because none of them hold any meaning, as far as my brain is concerned.

I grit my teeth and try my best to zero in on his lecture. “When you hear the name Charles Darwin, you tend to think about evolution and adaptation, natural selection, but another of his essays plays a very important part in the discussion of psychology. Published in 1872, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals discusses nonverbal communication, such as raising eyebrows and sneering in disgust.”

This can’t be happening right now.

“There are nine distinct kinds of nonverbal communication,” the professor continues. He presses a key on his laptop, and the PowerPoint slide changes to show a list. “We can tell a lot about a person by reading these social and physical cues.”

I can’t escape Scarlet, no matter where I turn. At least I know I’ll ace the prof’s next assignment.

The next hour is borderline torture. I finally give up on trying to listen to what he’s saying, and instead tune him out. It’s easier that way. I browse the internet on my laptop instead, trying to at least make it appear like I’m listening, nodding along and glancing up from time to time. Luckily it’s a huge lecture hall, so it’s not like the professor can single me out or anything. And at least I’m not drooling down my chin, like Theo, who’s nodded off.

“For your next assignment, I want you to do some people watching. Go somewhere busy—the food court at the mall, maybe—and just observe. Outline which of these cues you see in play. I would ideally like to see at least one example of each of the nine nonverbal behaviors. Two to five pages, double-spaced, twelve-point font. On my desk by Monday, please.”

A few members of the audience groan. An assignment over a weekend is unfair; most of the first-year students plan on hitting up a party on Friday night, with Saturday and Sunday designated as recovery days.

“Oh, come on,” the prof says.

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