(Not me proofreading this when I have exams and final papers around the corner).

Year Three: Booze & Books & Brains

The Boiler Room - 20:13 PM

And like any other semester, exam season snuck up on them. They should've gotten some hint when it started snowing, but exams didn't register until the last official day of classes before the exam session was creeping in.

Daniel and James sit in The Boiler Room where a lot of their classmates are group studying, meaning whoever needs help in something would scream what they need and someone who knows will respond. All while drinking and playing pool or darts. For quantum mechanics, there was a trivia game happening at the bar. Some groups are privately studying in booths, huddled over textbooks, laptops, and calculators. Their screens reflecting on the blue hue of their glasses' lenses. They spot Keith leave a booth and approach them.

"People just needed some coding help," Keith says. "You guys ready for your exams?"

"I'd say so," Daniel responds.

"I just looked up my schedule this morning," James says. "We're a school of nerds, geniuses even. We'll be fine."

The three of them circle The Boiler Room, stopping at the trivia game since James wanted to win the bowl of pretzels for this next question.

"Help me out and we can share," James says to Keith and Daniel.

Keith scoffs. "Hell no."

James looks at Daniel. "Please?"

"Fine," Daniel responds.

"A particle of mass, m, is confined to an infinite square well potential of width of a," the cadet in charge of the game reads. "The particle is in the n equals 3 energy state. Assume all speeds are much less than the speed of light so that there is no need to worry about relativity. Solving the problem isn't necessary but explain your method."

"I thought we were in college," James says before putting up his hand as if he's in class. "Write down the energy of the particle. Quantum physics has basic models and the most common one is a particle in a box, the box, in this case, is a. Since the potential is infinite, no matter how much energy is associated, it will never escape." He nudges Daniel to say the rest.

"Oh sure…" Daniel grumble. "Give me the math." He clears his throat. "So the energy James was talking about is kinetic so you'd find the particle's momentum using the equation of E equals p-squared over 2m."

James hands him a whiteboard to show his work. Daniel pushes it back to James since showing work wasn't necessary but all his cadets are looking at him, wanting to see it for themselves. Daniel sighs as he starts writing across the board. The marker squeaks and his hands and sleeves are stained with ink as Keith looks over his shoulder and James munches on pretzels, their smiles growing once Daniel runs out of space on the board.

Daniel grunts in frustration as he writes the last line on the bar counter. Wouldn't be the first time that happened around here. Cadets circle, looking at his work and congratulating them.

"We deserve shots!" James chants. "I pre-gamed before we got here."

"You would've gotten that right even if you were sober," Keith tells him, frowning a little.

"That's why I made Daniel do the math."

Daniel looks at their empty pretzel bowl. "Where's my share?"

Daniel and Keith turn to face James but he disappeared. They search the whole Boiler Room for him and he's playing darts with a group of kids studying physics. Pretzels aren't important so they leave James there. Instead, their heads turn to a group studying organic chemistry.

"I got whisky on my study notes," a girl complains, wiping it off with her sleeve.

"Maybe if you drink it off your notes, you'll absorb the information," a boy mockingly responds.

"Genius." They're not sure if she's being serious.

"Be careful, too much information will try and enter your mind at once."

They laugh before returning to their textbooks and notes. Daniel and Keith glance at each other, unsure what to take out of that exchange but are glad they interfered. They walk to the side and make sure they're far enough before laughing.

"Prof Nine said that theory was important but never went over it because we ran out of time, but still had the nerve to say it's in the homework and on the final," another cadet complains.

James leans against their pool table and sighs. "That's Prof Nine for you. He probably hasn't even written your exam yet."

-o-

Somewhere Off-Campus - 1:52 AM

Angela didn't want to accompany Xavier, Ashton, or Brody to run some errands but it was nearly 2 AM and she had a hunch they would do something stupid. Xavier invited her and Ashton and Brody were tipsy. Angela found it weird that she was asked to come since she wasn't even the one driving, Xavier was. (As if anyone would let her behind the wheel. Ashton and Brody would hurl all over their car so maybe Xavier brought her here so she'd clean it up). Angela should've asked questions, especially when they arrived at a convenience store down the street from campus.

The four of them walked in and were the only ones in the store minus the cashier at the front desk, who didn't spare them a second glance when they walked in. Angela figures he's used to cadets roaming in here at odd hours of the day. While the boys wander in the small shop, Angela glances at the magazines. She leafs through one about vacation homes while keeping an eye on her boys to make sure they don't do anything that'll get them in trouble.

"I swear I'm sober … maybe that's the problem," Ashton says. "It's not my fault the beers are right night to the stationery."

"You're not sober," Xavier responds.

"Says you."

Xavier doesn't bother commenting. He glances at Angela hopelessly and that's when she realizes why he invited her. He didn't want to deal with this alone. Angela puts her magazine back on the rack and walks up to them just as Brody walks in from the next aisle with his arms full of chip bags.

"Bro-appetite," he says, getting a rise out of Ashton and Xavier.

"Wow," Angela states.

"Crikey!" Brody yells, dropping all his chip bags. "You were here the whole time? I thought you were some hallucination caused by potential alcohol poisoning."

"He's not drunk, he's pleasantly buzzed," Ashton mutters to Angela, putting his arm around her as if she was one of the bros.

Angela nods as she watches Brody pick up the chips. "Charming."

"I'm used to ignoring her," Xavier says to Brody, gesturing to Angela.

-o-

Operations Examination Room One - 10:02 AM

James, Orchid, and Ashton walk out of the exam room relieved that their exam on international aviation laws was over. Merida would normally be with them but she finished the exam early since she had to run across campus for her German midterm in the Communications sector. Besides, they assumed Merida would've finished early regardless of her other exam since she took a ten-minute power nap before handing it in and leaving. James, Orchid, and Ashton, and the majority of their class, stayed till the very last minute.

"I needed time to run out because my brain ran out," Ashton groans, leaning against the wall and sliding down.

"I would've cheated off the person in front of me but they wrote in such an ugly cursive that their writing could've been foreign," Orchid says.

"Were you the one drumming on the table with your pen? How did the proctor not stop you? I almost tore my exam in half because it was so irritating."

"I thought that was you."

James stifles a laugh. "I was pattering Morse code for SOS."

-o-

Communications Examination Room Three - 10:28 AM

Merida entered the exam building just in time. She sees her German classmates waiting outside their exam room waiting to be let in. A lot of them are reviewing irregular verb conjugations and vocabulary as she glances at heads for her silver-haired bitch friend. Merida pushes past them, apologizing in German when they cuss her out in German. She glances down the hallway and sees Victoria standing at a locker she rented. They lock eyes for a second as the doors to the exam room open. Merida doesn't walk in but watches as Victoria quickly sip a flask before striding over to her.

"Should've gotten some chasers for that," Merida says, "or at least shared. I could've used some after that stupid aviation law exam."

"Get ready to wonder what questions mean," Victoria whispers, grabbing Merida's arm as they walk inside. "How does one answer something they don't understand?"

"Bullshit, but in German," Merida responds.

"Exactly. Your answer could be absolute crap but good grammar is a hefty chunk of the grade. Or have good bullshit but bad grammar."

"Viel Glück, silver bitch."

"Viel Glück, red bitch."