I got the concept of the eureka moment when I reread An Abundance of Katherines.

Year Three: Eureka Moment

Sci-Tech Vibometry Room - 13:50 PM

James picked the worst day to go to class. He walked into the lecture room and saw a big letter P in the corner of the board. Everyone whose last names start with the letter P will be called on again. James slowly backs out of the class, wishing he took his mother's last name, before Daniel and Keith drag him back inside. It's not like the prof picks the letters in alphabetical order since the M names had a week straight.

"Pym," their prof calls.

"I did the reading!" James yells. He isn't sure if he did since he forgets which course this is.

The prof stares at him, stunned. Daniel and Keith, happy their last names start with B and L respectively, hold back laughter.

"That's good, Pym…" the confused prof responds. "I was actually about to say you picked the best day to show up."

James laughs a little before heading to his seat. He sits in the middle of Daniel and Keith as the lecture starts. James couldn't focus since he was antsy about being called on. The prof would look his way and James would think he'd hear his name, but it would be someone else nearby. He wishes Daniel would pay attention since James needed someone to tell him the answer if his bullshitting was bullshit, but Daniel was sketching punnet squares in the corner of his notepad to predict his future kids with Emily. James glances over at Keith who's too busy online shopping.

Some friends he has.

James looks at the slideshow presentation and accidentally locks eyes with his prof. His stomach drops since he knows this is the moment he'll hear his name. The one time he doesn't want to hear it. James is about to nudge Daniel as the prof opens his mouth, but instead of a Pym, it's the fire alarm.

It takes everyone a few seconds to process the fire alarm, but James screams for joy and is the first one out of the room.

-o-

"I bet James somehow pulled it," Daniel says loud enough for Keith to hear.

Despite the rule being to leave belongings and get out of the building, everyone was packing their laptops and taking their time. Daniel was glad that James never brings anything to class since he ran out the moment the alarm blared.

Before Keith could comment, the sprinklers go off. Everyone screams and rushes out of the class before water damages their computers.

"He did that too," Keith says. "I don't know how but he did."

"It's so we can't come back once everything is clear, if there's a real fire somewhere," Daniel jokes. "I'll head back to Edison if that's not burning down. What about you?"

Daniel looks at Keith for a response but his friend's gaze is elsewhere. Daniel turns around and doesn't see anything standing out, but his glasses are covered in water droplets like a window on a rainy day. Hell, Keith's are too.

"I'll catch you later," Keith says as he runs in the other way despite needing to evacuate.

"Sure," Daniel responds as he starts heading out.

-o-

Keith was packing his things when he looked back and saw her. She looked different but Keith knew it was her. The girl from Daniel and James' dorm, the one he waited for to return her boots but she came back when he wasn't there. Keith knew she was a classmate but he didn't think he had classes with her. He probably didn't recognize her when she walked in but that's because she looks different.

She wasn't in a similar outfit that she wore in The Boiler Room. Her jean jacket was now a darker shade of blue since it was dripping wet from the sprinklers. Dark locks of hair drape by her face, clinging to her cheeks as she throws her things in her bag. Everyone was leaving the room because the fire alarm was going off but she was standing by her seat, allowing people to pass her as she wiped her big round glasses on her wet sleeve.

And he was standing there because he couldn't believe he found her again.

"Eureka…" Keith mutters since he didn't expect this moment to happen.

Scientists always strive for this moment and this is Keith's. The thought of this girl in front of him is terrifying. A real girl who could love him back? Ridiculous. A real chance at romance? Fictional. Keith sees her and she's someone who deserves to be the love of someone's life. Maybe she already is.

The girl looks at him and her brows wrinkle in the middle. Her mouth moves and then he realizes that she's yelling at him.

"Are you okay?" She screams again.

"Uh, fine!" Keith responds.

"Then better get moving. The building might be on fire!"

She says that with a little laugh as she walks out at a pace that isn't too concerned with being burned alive. Keith watches her go before realizing that he better be moving.

To his luck, he lost her by the time he got outside. Did that exchange even happen? Keith looks around the crowds of students waiting outside. Instead, he sees Daniel standing to the side with James. By the number of students and profs outside and Daniel over there, Keith figures there was an Academy-wide fire incident. It could've been a drill but even the profs are confused.

"Dude, you okay?" James asks, still smiling from getting out of class.

Then, it hits Keith. The girl. "The girl who was in your dorm. Her photo was on our murder board!"

Daniel nods, recalling their little hacking adventure. "Huh, so she was."

"And we burned it on a beach because it could've been incriminating evidence!"

"Probably shouldn't say that aloud."

James looks at them. "Where was I during this?"

"Destroying Camp with seismic waves."

James nods, recalling his amazing time at Camp SHIELD. "This is why we're friends."

"Friends?" Keith questions. "As far as I'm concerned, you're my science experiment. But moving aside from that, we have a new variable to add since you brought her into the situation. This will be the story of how a lanky, pale, glasses-wearing nerd will get the girl."

"What about him?" James points at Daniel who narrows his eyes at him.

"Don't ruin my eureka moment."

-o-

Naomi wasn't sure where she would go since it was clear class wasn't happening any time soon. She saw her residence building from here and girls grouped outside so she couldn't head back there. Naomi walks around, trying to avoid bumping into other cadets but then she crashes into someone when trying to dodge someone else. Naomi looks up and readjusts her glasses because, of course, she had to get face-to-face with Angela freaking Rogers.

"Sorry," Angela says. Naomi swears she saw those blue eyes twinkle.

Angela Rogers is someone who doesn't wear that much makeup but still looks like a model in the commercials. Blonde and fresh-faced, healthy and drop-dead gorgeous. Angela is the girl who's so pretty that Naomi couldn't hate her. It helps that Angela is so, so, so ridiculously nice.

"Sorry," Naomi responds, wanting to shrivel and forget this moment happened.

"What happened to you?" Victoria, Naomi's roommate who intimidates her so much, asks ina depricating tone. The only tone she's heard her roommate use. Naomi was envious of Victoria but in the way that she aspires to be her.

Only Victoria Kovanova could work silver hair and navy blue lipstick, and still look amazing in the Academy-wide chaos. Even when she would return to her dorm in the middle of the night from an unplanned hook-up. Were they ever really planned? Naomi and Victoria were friendly because, well, they had to try since they were living together since the start of the year. It's worked so far because Naomi makes an effort to stay out of Victoria's way.

"Sprinklers went off in my building," Naomi responds.

"Same for mine!" Orchid exclaims. She, Angela, Victoria, and even Merida were the only ones who were bone-dry. "Jesus told me in a dream last night that it would rain so I brought an umbrella."

Orchid's beautiful too. A girl with a natural glow and humble ambiance about her. She's a girl anyone would want to be friends with.

"A fucking golf umbrella," Merida grumbles.

Merida, Victoria's new Operations friend who hung out at their dorm a lot. Naomi remembers when she first unofficially met Merida. Victoria and Merida came back from Concrete Beach drunk and passed on the floor of their dorm, on the day the two girls met for the first time. After that, Merida and Victoria would talk in Russian or butchered German when they would discuss things they didn't want Naomi hearing. She doesn't think they were talking about her since, well, what was there to talk about?

Merida's got bright red curls but scuffed-up boots and lots of piercings. If Naomi wore that look, she'd look like she was trying too hard to be tough.

"It was the only one I had and it kept ya'll dry!" Orchid yells back. "Y'all ain't grateful."

"I appreciated it," Victoria says, putting a hand on her heart for dramatic effect.

"So did I," Angela says, smiling as she links arms with Orchid.

"It poked me in the eye when you opened it!" Merida yells.

"You shouldn't have been standing there," Orchid responds.

"You opened it indoors! I hope you get bad luck for that."

Orchid shrugs, twirling her golf umbrella on its tip against the ground like a cane. "Jesus don't believe in bad luck but go off."

Merida narrows her eyes as Angela and Victoria laugh at her. Even Naomi cracks a smile. If the other girls weren't here, Naomi wouldn't have gotten rid of her smile if Merida looked her way in fear that Merida would kill her.

Naomi wants to be one of them so, so badly. To be in their sisterhood, knitted together with sparkling yarn. She heard from passing conversation that Angela and Merida have known each other since birth and were now Academy roommates. She's never had anything remotely close to the Academy sisterhood that Orchid and Victoria brought to the circle. Naomi can't believe she's still standing here with them as if she was always a part of their conversation. They're the same age but they're a different breed of twenty. The twenty they write about in books, the twenty everyone wants.

"So what do we do now?" Orchid asks.

It doesn't look like the sudden fire alarm fiasco was going away anytime soon.

"Have you guys eaten?" Angela asks. "Hudson's parking lot is close-by and I have my keys."

"I'm not hungry but let's go," Merida says.

"Come with us," Victoria adds.

It takes Naomi a moment to realize Victoria was talking, or better yet, ordering her. She willingly follows the girls to a nice white car in the parking lot. Angela unlocks the door and gets in the driver's seat. Merida sits shotgun and Orchid is in the middle of the back row with Victoria on one side and Naomi on the other. Angela maneuvers her way through the parking lot, extra careful not to hit anyone since there are more people outside now. Merida and Orchid cheer for her once they're on the main streets.

"I'd suggest fried food but someone is on a cleanse," Orchid says, kicking Angela's seat.

"Remind me why I chose to go on a cleanse," Angela mutters.

"Because you're insane," Merida responds. "It's expensive to eat healthily. Salads are pricey for plates of chopped lettuce."

Victoria rolls her eyes. "You and Orchid eat salad by drowning each piece of lettuce in dressing."

"I'm a pinnacle of health."

"It's not even good dressing."

"Isn't being vegan already a cleanse?" Orchid questions.

Angela sighs like a tired mom. "I'm not having this conversation again. Also, I feel rude but who's our new friend?"

Naomi realizes she's talking to her and she was just called a friend. A friend of Angela freaking Rogers. "Oh, I'm Naomi."

"My roommate," Victoria adds.

"I'm Angela, Merida's roommate," Angela says.

"Orchid," Orchid adds.

Merida glances back. "You already know me. I hope."

"I do…" Naomi mutters. She finds it cute they introduced themselves despite Naomi already knowing who they are, but now they know her.

For a moment, Naomi was scared she killed the conversation and felt forced to say something to fill the awkward silence, but Angela's phone rang and since it was connected to her car's entertainment system, it amplified. When they see James' name on the radio's screen, Naomi covers her ears as everyone cheers.

"Answer that!" Orchid yells, about to jump out of the middle seat.

"No," Victoria says, "I'll answer it with my best Brooklyn accent."

Merida hollers a laugh. "Oh, please, let that happen!"

"I don't have an accent!" Angela yells at Victoria. "Maybe compared to you and Orchid."

"Y'all New Yorkers speak weird," Orchid says. "Y'all emphasize weird vowels, forget your Rs, and talk as if you're rushing. Like, slow down, babes."

"Amen to that!" Victoria adds.

Angela and Merida's jaws drop, offended. Naomi keeps it to herself that she heard that when Angela apologized to her earlier.

"Your phone is still ringing…" Naomi reminds.

"Victoria, you answer it," Angela says.

Victoria leans forwards and clears her throat. She claps her lips. "Sorry if my English isn't the best."

"Nobody's English is good in Brooklyn," Merida says.

Angela doesn't disagree as she accepts the call.

"Hey, bay-bee!" Victoria says with her best Brooklyn accent before James starts talking. The other girls, even Angela, hold back their laughs. "My ladies and I barely made it out of dat flamin' buildin'. Now we're out gettin' cawhfee and salads. Yuh got me so fahr? Yuh want anythin'?"

James: … nah, I'm good. Have fun. Call me later.

James ends the call and everyone except Angela roars laughing.

"Did he believe that was me?" Angela screams.

"Sounded like yuh, bay-bee," Orchid says in her best Brooklyn accent.

"I disagree." Angela turns onto a new street.

"Hearing you and Xavier talk is always exciting. It's exactly what my mama warned me about when coming to Jersey."

Naomi smiles to herself as the girls continue chatting, jumping topics so fast without missing a beat. She was right, this is fun.

Naomi fangirling over the other girls is content we all needed.