Chapter Four

The room was empty when Zuria finally arrived. The quiet almost made the night before feel like a dream, out of place in this silent location. The only evidence that proved the events true was the condition of Pallania's bed: sheets tangled, pillows thrown onto the floor, and sexy lingerie discarded on top of said pillows. Shaking her head, Zuria dropped her things, entering her bathroom. She splashed her face with water several times, then reaching for a washcloth and drying the water away.

Leaving the bathroom, Zuria plopped down onto her bed. She closed her eyes momentarily before sitting up. Gazing down, she saw that Hamlet still lay on the floor. She sighed, picking up the book and setting it on her nightstand. She then reached into her bag, pulling out her Advanced Vulcan Studies textbook, flipping to chapter thirteen. Her eyes scanned the page briefly, giving her a hint as to what the reading assignment was about. She pulled her legs up to her chest, resting the textbook on her knees. Her mind wandered back to class that morning. She recalled the tone of Professor Spock's voice after she had made her point; it was empty, save for something that sounded a bit like hurt.

Uh-oh. She thought. What if I upset him? I mean, he IS Vulcan.

Smacking herself on the forehead, she set her textbook down, standing from her spot on the bed. It was so like her to get into these little messes when voicing her opinions.

Exiting her room, she moved quickly down the hallway and out of the dormitory building. So quickly, in fact, that she very nearly ran into Jim Kirk.

"Whoa, what's the rush?" He questioned, stopping so as to prevent a collision.

"I don't see how that's any of your business." She replied, attempting to move around him. He held his arm out, effectively blocking her.

"Can I at least apologize?"

Zuria paused, moving back several steps. "If you're apologizing because you're actually sorry, then yes. If you're apologizing only because Bones gave you hell, then no."

Jim laughed at that. "What, did he promise you that he'd chastise me?"

"Yes, he did."

"Well," Jim started, folding his arms casually across his chest. "I guess he kept that promise."

Zuria's lips began to curve upwards at his easy tone. "So, are you actually apologizing to me?" She asked.

"Yeah, I am. I'm sorry…?" He trailed off expectantly. Rolling her eyes and chuckling, she answered.

"Zuria."

"Okay, then. I'm sorry, Zuria." He apologized. Zuria took a moment, assessing his tone; it sounded genuine. He extended his hand to her, waiting.

"Apology accepted." She said, taking his hand and shaking it. It was only then that she began to move past him again.

"By the way," He called as she continued walking. "Call me Jim."

Turning her head around, she nodded. "Goodbye, Jim."

He waved to her once before continuing in the direction he was going. Zuria turned around, making her way to the professor's office building.

Once inside, she sought out Professor Spock's office. Upon finding it, she inhaled deeply, knocking on the door.

"Come in." She heard his voice. The door opened, and she stepped in.

Within seconds, she felt utterly tactless and stupid. Spock sat meditating, his eyes closed in careful concentration.

"I'm so sorry, professor. I didn't mean to disrupt your meditation."

Spock's eyes opened at her words. "There is no need to worry, cadet." He assured her. "My office is always open to students. Is there something that you wish to discuss?"

Swallowing hard, she nodded. "Yes sir. I came to apologize for my behavior in class today. I'm sorry if I offended you in any way." She said, clutching onto her left arm.

"You did not offend me, Cadet Nibiru. Truthfully, I found your digression to be most… interesting. Rarely are my students so engaged in thought about the subject which they are studying." He informed her.

"Oh…" She began, her eyebrows lifting as she accepted his words. "Thank you, sir."

"However," He continued, standing up and straightening his uniform. "I must ask you to save your thoughts for after class. If there is something that you desire to speak to me about, you are welcome to come here and do so." He offered.

"That sounds reasonable." She accepted, nodding. "I'm sorry for disrupting your class."

"As I've said, cadet, your apology is unneeded." He restated. "I will see you in class tomorrow."

"Yes, you certainly will." Zuria responded, a grin taking hold of her lips. She wasn't sure if relief was a strong enough word for what she felt at that moment, though she knew of no other name to call it by.

"Farwell, cadet." He said, escorting her to the door.

"Goodbye, professor." She returned, slipping from his office. Rolling her shoulders back, she returned to her room with renewed optimism.

Unfortunately, however, said optimism diminished when she arrived at her dormitory room. Loud music once again blared through the computer's sound system, and, while Zuria enjoyed the music itself, she did not enjoy the fact that her roommate was back home playing it.

Walking to the bedroom, her eyes fell upon Pallania, who was in the process of making her bed.

"No guys tonight, Pal?" She questioned, leaning casually against the door frame. Pallania lifted her head, turning to look at her roommate.

"No, Zuria. You just about killed Jim last night." She articulated in a tired voice.

"I didn't almost kill him," She amended, entering the room. "He came to me and apologized; we're cool now. It was you that I almost killed."

Pallania dropped the pillow she was holding, folding her arms across her chest. "Okay, I know that you get annoyed about getting kicked out of the room," She started, meeting the berating gaze of the other girl confidently. "But it's not my fault that you don't get any sex."

"What?" Zuria asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow. "You think this is about me not having sex with anyone?"

"Well, part of it has to be." She answered, picking up the pillow and hugging it to her chest. "I mean, why are you depriving yourself? It's not like you would have a hard time convincing a guy to sleep with you."

Sitting down on her bed, Zuria laid down on her side, propping her head up with her hand. "I told you, Pallania. I don't want to sleep with just anyone. I want it to be with someone that I love."

Pallania followed Zuria's actions, sitting down on her bed. "Tell me honestly: how long has it been since you've had sex?" She inquired. Zuria made no sound.

"C'mon, Zur. How long has it been? Six months? One year? Two years?" She prompted.

Heaving a sigh, Zuria responded: "Two and a half years."

"Are you insane?!" Pallania cried, slapping her hand to her forehead. "How could you go that long without getting any action?"

Shaking her head, Zuria rolled her eyes. "I don't know. I just don't really feel the need to screw every guy I can get my hands on." She replied truthfully.

"Whatever, Zuria. It's your loss." She said with a shrug, getting up and leaving the room.

Casting her eyes to the foot of her bed, Zuria saw her Advanced Vulcan Studies textbook. Exhaling, she pulled it up to her, delving into her reading assignment. It was the only thing she could think to do that would distract her from the uncleanly and embarrassing thoughts that Pallania had put into her head.

Hey guys!

Yay for a quick update! This chapter was quite easy to write for some reason. I'm glad I got it finished too, because it was killing my focus while trying to study for my calc exam. So, now I can study in peace, and you get a chapter. It's a win-win situation.

Unfortunately, this will probably be the last update until later this week, as I need to focus on exams.

Thank you for those that have reviewed thus far; I really appreciate your feedback. Anyone who wishes to review is welcome/encouraged to. Make my day, please, and do so.

Thanks,

-Harlequin