Sylvia finished with a statement that was probably supposed to be impactful, but Megs didn’t hear it. The ringing in her ears prevented her from hearing the door close or her mother’s footsteps down the hall.
Ten
On Wednesday,Gideon discovered that Megs did not, in fact, understand his grading decisions. His first clue was a flash of green as she burst through the door wearing a bomber jacket and scarf, then marched to the front of the class and took the seat next to Erik. A far cry from her entrance on Monday.
"Hey, Erik," she said a little too loudly. “I missed a lot last week, can you help me catch up?"
"Of course.” Erik straightened and his mouth twisted into what Gideon could only assume was a smile. "I'll send you my notes and we can go over anything you're not sure about later."
"Thanks. I’m so glad someone here is willing to help me fill in the gaps. The notes online weren’t easy to navigate.” Her eyes flicked up to meet his, then dropped to her bag as she pulled out her laptop.
Gideon’s blood heated, but before he could open his mouth, Erik was already talking.
“Professor Adams is excellent at explaining details, but I agree, his notes aren’t the most thorough.”
Gideon’s jaw nearly hit the table.Weren’t thorough?He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. What exactly was missing in the notes?”
Erik turned, and with his mussed white hair and wide eyes, he looked like the older brother of that actor on Third Rock from the Sun. “No, Professor, I simply meant that there are some things that can’t be translated. Your lectures aren’t replaceable by diagrams and paragraphs.”
Gideon nodded once and refused to look at Megs, though he was fully aware of how she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. He made a note to go through his notes for the first two weeks of class and see if there were areas needing improvement.
The clock announced it was time for him to begin. Based on the submissions he’d received, he’d adjusted the class to delve deeper into Digital Audio Workstations, but now was regretting his decision. He struggled to share his personal music with anyone, let alone someone who was hostile.
“Would anyone be open to having their submission used as an example for today’s class?” he asked, then regretted the question when a hand shot up.
He nodded. “Thank you, Jennifer.” She beamed back at him, squeezing her arms to her side and boosting her already noticeable cleavage. Megs leaned over and whispered something to Erik. He exhaled sharply in what Gideon guessed was his version of a laugh.
This was torture. He’d spent one night with this girl, and she’d hijacked every pathway to his frontal cortex. Gideon focused on his screen and found Jennifer’s submission, then dropped it into Logic Pro. He planned to walk through at least three DAWs in class, but this was the workstation he used most frequently.
He straightened and addressed the class. “I want you to listen as I play this sample, and then we’re going to play with some settings.” Jennifer’s submission was ukulele. He’d helped her and a friend recordit last week during his open hours, and she hadn’t been half bad.
Megs stared at the projection on the whiteboard with a stony expression. Gideon pressed on through the lecture, and diving into the music helped pull him out of his head. When he finally opened things up for questions and discussion, he could almost convince himself it was a typical Wednesday.
His stomach jumped into his throat when a hand raised in the air, and this time it was Megs. Gideon nodded.
“I was just wondering if you had late submission policies for assignments. I couldn’t find the information when I searched through the course information.”
Gideon’s jaw tensed. “I don’t typically deduct points. I figure if you’re willing to do the assignments anytime, you should be given credit.”
“Very generous of you.” She flashed a smile that, even after only spending one night together, he could tell wasn’t genuine. “I’m not sure if you know, but I only added this class at the end of last week.”
He nodded. Was that how they were going to play this? That they didn’t know each other? “Well, welcome. You’ll have plenty of time to catch up.”
Gideon closed his laptop and thanked everyone for attending, then pretended to busy himself with packing up his things even though it only took him a few seconds to unplug his laptop cord and slide it into his bag.
“You’re in a hurry,” Erik noted.
Megs sighed. “Yeah. I’m trying to catch someone in the admin office before I head home. Only have twenty minutes before they close.”
“What for?”
“Nothing regarding this class, just another course I was enrolled in.”
Gideon glanced up to find Erik standing next to Megs. Erik put his hands on his hips. “I’d be happy to help you anytime. I could wait in the atrium and we could go over notes after your meeting.”
Megs tensed, and Gideon had to hold back a smile. She’d been bluffing, but she didn’t know Erik well yet. He was as literal as they came, and no excuse was going to convince him they couldn’t make a study session work.
“I had a shift at work this morning, so—”
