A/N: I'd like to point out that this chapter has some mathematical
equations. I'm admitting it here and now- they are not correct! I made them
up to make it sound smart. Lol. So please don't try it on your calculators
cause I can almost guarantee it will be wrong. Unless there's been a
miracle. Hehe. Okay, you can read now.
Chapter Two- By Dani
"She won't answer! I've called her three times and she won't answer!" I cried in frustration, slamming the phone down on the receiver.
"Charlie. Charlie, she'll come around. She's just upset. She found out that she's moving over 1,000 miles away. How would you feel?" Doc reasoned.
"Illinois to Wisconsin is pretty far too, you know!" I knew that wasn't really a decent argument, since I never had any friends in Chicago and no one I was upset to leave behind besides my parents.
"But you chose to leave. You wanted to go to college. Claire is being ripped away from her home, all her friends, everything she's known for fourteen years. Now she has to say good bye to all that. You must feel some sympathy for her."
I looked down. "I do…I'm just upset. I'll be over it in a few days…I just can't believe she's going that far. I might never see her again."
He didn't answer. Probably out of comforting words.
I didn't know what to do. Once again I found myself mad at the world. Though I was fourteen years old and already in college, I'd never figure it out. I thought life would finally cut me a break, you know? But no. I guess I'll always be the depressed geek. Must nice guys always finish last?
"Thirteen years of my life with no friends, and I finally make some and my girlfriend moves away. Everything sucks." ((a/n: okay, okay I admit it. "Everything sucks" is a quote I stole from pay it forward. Please don't sue. Lol))
Dr. Krickstein shook his head. "I'm sorry about all this, Charlie. I really am. But I don't know what to tell you except that these things usually work out. Have some patience. But for right now, we've got some work to do if you want to get the electron delibulator ((a/n- what the hell am I talking about? What's a delibulator? Lol I don't even know. Just bear w/ me here.)) repaired in time for the experiment. Oh, and Dean Wallace has been looking for you."
I sighed. "Oh great. Did he say why?"
Doc shrugged. 'Something about Professor Collins's 'little girl' as he said. Why don't you go see what he wanted?"
"Okay."
I stuffed my hands in my pocket and stared down at the floor on my way through the lonely, echoy hallways to the Dean's office. Most of the reporters had gone by then, but some remained wandering through the hallways. They sighed when they saw me, noticing that I didn't really look like T.V. material right now. ((a/n- we all know Trev would look like TV material even when he hasn't showered for 8 weeks on Isla Sorna but we'll let it go. Lol))
After the long, sulking walk, I reached a large wooden door. DEAN was inscribed on the nameplate under the square window. I turned the knob, braced myself, and stepped inside.
Dean Wallace greeted me with his usual enthusiasm.
"Charlie Boyle! How's my golden boy doing today?"
"Fine," I muttered, trying to force a smile on.
"That's good because I have a job for you."
"Great. What is it?" I asked, returning the same false perkiness. Two could play at this game.
"Professor Collins, the music teacher, is having his younger daughter visit the college for a little while to spend some time with her. She's arriving today and Professor Collins requested that you show her around a little, make her feel welcome here at our wonderful establishment."
'Great,' I thought. 'First my girlfriend dumps me to go to New York and now I have to baby sit.'
Despite this, I kept the smile plastered on my face that I'm usually in the mood to wear and said "Sure! When?"
The dean glanced down at his watch. "Mmm…in about an hour. She'll be out at the front steps. She and her father will be waiting for you so try not to be late. Professor Collins isn't doing this himself, in case you were curious, because he has been asked to help judge a musical competition in another city and he can't be tardy. Speaking of tardy, I've got to run. I have some very important business to take care of." He winked at me. "After all, I am the dean." With that, he grabbed his briefcase and left.
I headed back to the lab. Inside, I shivered from the cold then heard Dr. Krickstein's voice. He was muttering to himself. ((a/n: here it comes.))
"'X' squared and 10 to the 4th power times 3.892 should be equivalent to the quantum ratio of the initial problem 'X' squared equals 32 times pi… everything's right, so why won't it work?"
"Beacause, Doc, 'X' squared equals 32 and 10 to the 4th times 3.8292 isn't equivilant to that. It should be 10 to the 4th times 3.294," I broke in. ((a/n: I repeat: I have no idea what any of that stuff means! I just needed something to sound all geniusy. lol. Don't flame me for it.))
"Uhhh…ooohhh, I see where I went wrong. Thanks, Charlie. I was just working on the delibulator."
I nodded.
"So, what did Dean Wallace want?"
"He just wants me to show Mr. Collin's daughter around when she gets here. Do you mind if I go up to my room for a while? I think I need a break."
"Yeah, sure. Go ahead. Just come back when you're done giving the girl the tour."
'No problem," I answered, then left for my dorm.
"Hey, Charlie," my room mate Mike greeted as I walked through the doors. "Odie called for you."
Mike and I were sworn enemies when I first came here, but after we helped each other out with a few things, we ended up becoming pretty good buds. He was like the older brother I never had.
"Thanks Mike."
"Uh- huh. Look, I've got to go to hockey practice. Catch you later, Boyle."
He grabbed his uniform and stick then left me alone in the room. I called Odie and told him everything that had happened with Claire. By the time I got done, an hour had passed and I needed to go meet Professor Collins's "younger daughter."
"I gotta go, Odie. I'll call you back."
"Later, Dude." We hung up. I walked out to the front steps of the college, shivering in the cool mid- April Wisconsin air.
Sure enough, there was Professor Collins, standing by a girl. I was shocked to see that she wasn't a little girl as I had expected. She looked about my age but was a little taller than me. Her thick, dark blonde hair was back in a braid and she had bluish green eyes. ((A/N: for anyone who read JP4, since that's what I, Dani, look like, that's also what Dana looks like. In case you wanted to know.))
"You're Charlie Boyle? As in, the genius who I've been hearing all about from my dad? And everywhere?" she asked.
I nodded. "That's me."
"I'm Delia. Delia Collins. I just want to tell you, I really appreciate everything you do here for science and all. It's pretty cool."
"Umm…thanks."
"I need to get going, kids. Have fun, Del. Bye. And take care of her, Charlie!" Professor Collins called as he got into his car.
Delia waved. "See ya later, Dad."
He drove away.
I turned to Delia. "Well, time for the tour."
******************************************************************
A/N: likin it? Review please! :-)
Chapter Two- By Dani
"She won't answer! I've called her three times and she won't answer!" I cried in frustration, slamming the phone down on the receiver.
"Charlie. Charlie, she'll come around. She's just upset. She found out that she's moving over 1,000 miles away. How would you feel?" Doc reasoned.
"Illinois to Wisconsin is pretty far too, you know!" I knew that wasn't really a decent argument, since I never had any friends in Chicago and no one I was upset to leave behind besides my parents.
"But you chose to leave. You wanted to go to college. Claire is being ripped away from her home, all her friends, everything she's known for fourteen years. Now she has to say good bye to all that. You must feel some sympathy for her."
I looked down. "I do…I'm just upset. I'll be over it in a few days…I just can't believe she's going that far. I might never see her again."
He didn't answer. Probably out of comforting words.
I didn't know what to do. Once again I found myself mad at the world. Though I was fourteen years old and already in college, I'd never figure it out. I thought life would finally cut me a break, you know? But no. I guess I'll always be the depressed geek. Must nice guys always finish last?
"Thirteen years of my life with no friends, and I finally make some and my girlfriend moves away. Everything sucks." ((a/n: okay, okay I admit it. "Everything sucks" is a quote I stole from pay it forward. Please don't sue. Lol))
Dr. Krickstein shook his head. "I'm sorry about all this, Charlie. I really am. But I don't know what to tell you except that these things usually work out. Have some patience. But for right now, we've got some work to do if you want to get the electron delibulator ((a/n- what the hell am I talking about? What's a delibulator? Lol I don't even know. Just bear w/ me here.)) repaired in time for the experiment. Oh, and Dean Wallace has been looking for you."
I sighed. "Oh great. Did he say why?"
Doc shrugged. 'Something about Professor Collins's 'little girl' as he said. Why don't you go see what he wanted?"
"Okay."
I stuffed my hands in my pocket and stared down at the floor on my way through the lonely, echoy hallways to the Dean's office. Most of the reporters had gone by then, but some remained wandering through the hallways. They sighed when they saw me, noticing that I didn't really look like T.V. material right now. ((a/n- we all know Trev would look like TV material even when he hasn't showered for 8 weeks on Isla Sorna but we'll let it go. Lol))
After the long, sulking walk, I reached a large wooden door. DEAN was inscribed on the nameplate under the square window. I turned the knob, braced myself, and stepped inside.
Dean Wallace greeted me with his usual enthusiasm.
"Charlie Boyle! How's my golden boy doing today?"
"Fine," I muttered, trying to force a smile on.
"That's good because I have a job for you."
"Great. What is it?" I asked, returning the same false perkiness. Two could play at this game.
"Professor Collins, the music teacher, is having his younger daughter visit the college for a little while to spend some time with her. She's arriving today and Professor Collins requested that you show her around a little, make her feel welcome here at our wonderful establishment."
'Great,' I thought. 'First my girlfriend dumps me to go to New York and now I have to baby sit.'
Despite this, I kept the smile plastered on my face that I'm usually in the mood to wear and said "Sure! When?"
The dean glanced down at his watch. "Mmm…in about an hour. She'll be out at the front steps. She and her father will be waiting for you so try not to be late. Professor Collins isn't doing this himself, in case you were curious, because he has been asked to help judge a musical competition in another city and he can't be tardy. Speaking of tardy, I've got to run. I have some very important business to take care of." He winked at me. "After all, I am the dean." With that, he grabbed his briefcase and left.
I headed back to the lab. Inside, I shivered from the cold then heard Dr. Krickstein's voice. He was muttering to himself. ((a/n: here it comes.))
"'X' squared and 10 to the 4th power times 3.892 should be equivalent to the quantum ratio of the initial problem 'X' squared equals 32 times pi… everything's right, so why won't it work?"
"Beacause, Doc, 'X' squared equals 32 and 10 to the 4th times 3.8292 isn't equivilant to that. It should be 10 to the 4th times 3.294," I broke in. ((a/n: I repeat: I have no idea what any of that stuff means! I just needed something to sound all geniusy. lol. Don't flame me for it.))
"Uhhh…ooohhh, I see where I went wrong. Thanks, Charlie. I was just working on the delibulator."
I nodded.
"So, what did Dean Wallace want?"
"He just wants me to show Mr. Collin's daughter around when she gets here. Do you mind if I go up to my room for a while? I think I need a break."
"Yeah, sure. Go ahead. Just come back when you're done giving the girl the tour."
'No problem," I answered, then left for my dorm.
"Hey, Charlie," my room mate Mike greeted as I walked through the doors. "Odie called for you."
Mike and I were sworn enemies when I first came here, but after we helped each other out with a few things, we ended up becoming pretty good buds. He was like the older brother I never had.
"Thanks Mike."
"Uh- huh. Look, I've got to go to hockey practice. Catch you later, Boyle."
He grabbed his uniform and stick then left me alone in the room. I called Odie and told him everything that had happened with Claire. By the time I got done, an hour had passed and I needed to go meet Professor Collins's "younger daughter."
"I gotta go, Odie. I'll call you back."
"Later, Dude." We hung up. I walked out to the front steps of the college, shivering in the cool mid- April Wisconsin air.
Sure enough, there was Professor Collins, standing by a girl. I was shocked to see that she wasn't a little girl as I had expected. She looked about my age but was a little taller than me. Her thick, dark blonde hair was back in a braid and she had bluish green eyes. ((A/N: for anyone who read JP4, since that's what I, Dani, look like, that's also what Dana looks like. In case you wanted to know.))
"You're Charlie Boyle? As in, the genius who I've been hearing all about from my dad? And everywhere?" she asked.
I nodded. "That's me."
"I'm Delia. Delia Collins. I just want to tell you, I really appreciate everything you do here for science and all. It's pretty cool."
"Umm…thanks."
"I need to get going, kids. Have fun, Del. Bye. And take care of her, Charlie!" Professor Collins called as he got into his car.
Delia waved. "See ya later, Dad."
He drove away.
I turned to Delia. "Well, time for the tour."
******************************************************************
A/N: likin it? Review please! :-)
