I breathed out, a weight lifting off my chest.“Okay.What’s the objective?”
“Overlay the GPS data with your video analysis and quantify Subject G’s efficiency.Prove that his ‘quiet’ movement is statistically superior to ‘active’ movement.”
“And if I do?”
“The Northeast Regional Symposium is in Boston in February,” Thorne said.“I plan on attending to present a paper on fluid dynamics.If your work is good—and I meanimpeccable, Lovell—I’ll consider submitting this as a co-authored finding.”
My stomach flipped.“Me?Presenting with you?”
“Don’t look so terrified.It’s not a done deal.It depends entirely on whether the math holds up against scrutiny.”She winked.“But it would look excellent on a grad school application.”
She pointed a manicured finger at me.
“But first, bring me the code.I want the preliminary script by next week.And Lovell?”
“Yes?”
“Do you have any conflicts of interest you need to disclose?”
“Yes, ma’am.Subject G is my roommate.We were thrown together this fall.”
“Do you get along with the subject?”
“We have a working relationship.As for being a roommate, he’s quiet and learning how to be organized.Though his math skills are subpar.”
She arched one of her eyebrows.“Don’t fall in love with your dataset,” she said, her voice dropping to a warning tone.“It compromises the objectivity.If you fudge numbers to make him look good, I will scrub your name from the program completely.”
I flushed, clutching the hard drive to my chest like gold bullion.“It’s just geometry, Professor.”
“Of course it is,” she said, turning back to her whiteboard.“Get out of my office.Go calculate.”
I walked out into the hallway, the hard drive heavy and cool in my hand.
I now had legitimate access to the video along with the GPS data.And who knows, maybe a potential ticket to Boston.At least Dr.Thorne hadn’t laughed me out of her office; that’s more than I had hoped for.
Now I just had to make sure the dataset didn’t break my heart.
Chapter 12
Academic Probation
Luke
The lecture hall for Business Psych 202 was clearing out.I shoved my notebook into my bag, wincing as the movement pulled at my shoulder.
“You okay, Carter?”
I looked up.Kayla was standing in the aisle, clutching a stack of flashcards.She looked tired—midterm season came for everyone—but her smile was sympathetic.
“Fine,” I lied.“Stiffness from lifting.”
“Right.Lifting.”She adjusted her backpack straps.“Devon said he heard you pacing at three a.m.last night.He was going to write you up for a noise violation, but then he realized you were walking in circles.”
Heat rose in my neck.“Sorry.Tell him I’ll buy him earplugs.”
“He’s an RA, Luke.He normally sleeps like the dead.But you look like you’re running on fumes.”She hesitated, then tapped my arm.“If you need the notes from last week, let me know.You were staring at the wall for most of the lecture.”
“I might take you up on that,” I said, genuinely grateful.
