Page 26

“Yeah, I can tell.” He laughs. “So West Coast then?”
“Uh, yeah. Las Vegas. How did you know?” I make a face.
“It’s like a sixth sense.” He smiles. “Also, you have a bit of a valley girl accent to you.”
“I do not!” I bring my hand to my chest.
“No, you don’t. I was just teasing you. You’re cute when you get all flustered.” He chuckles as he turns and heads back to his desk, putting his headphones on and staring down at his phone.
I watch for a moment as he types away on it. My eyes refuse to peel away from him. That is until I hear a throat clear in front of me.
I turn toward Addy, and she is lit up like a Christmas tree. “What?” I whisper.
“He’s cute!” she says back excitedly, too low for him to hear, even with the headphones.
“Yeah, anyone in the vicinity of him can see that. So?” I murmur back with a flush.
“He likes you.” She grins.
I shake my head. “What? No. What are you even talking about?”
“It’s obvious.”
“Addy,” I groan. “No. He was coming over to be nice. Don’t be silly.”
She shrugs knowingly. “I know these things. Just, when I’m right, you’re going to owe me a night out at the bar.”
“Fine.” I purse my lips. “It’s on.”
“Good morning, everyone. I’m Professor Christie Pulter.” A plump older woman walks in and sits down near the door where we came in from.
Her voice echoes throughout the whole room.
“Welcome to your junior year studio, Architectural Design. Over the course of the semester, we will be diving into the relationships between various programmatic models, normative building types, and even exploring some technological themes with different contexts.”
Professor Pulter turns to the desk at the front and pulls out a stack of papers.
“This is your semester syllabus. Make sure you stay aware of the dates of when the projects are due and when the jury presentations are. These projects are your grade. There is no extra credit, there is no making it up.
“If you do not complete a project, it’s an instant fail. Did I mention part of this class is time management? Well, I guess I just did.” She raises a taunting brow.
I take the syllabus and skim through it. Our first project is due a month from now. We need to design a studio that connects to our neighbor’s and uses an element from their studio that flows through into their own from ours.
“Your first project will allow you to get to know your classmates. I want this project to be about you, but I also want you to incorporate one person to the right of your studio and one to the left of your studio. When we line these up, these will be an interconnected project. Get creative with the connections. Get to know your neighbors.
“I expect models. Oh, and instead of a presentation board, you will present your project on a twelve-by-twelve cube. Floor plans should line up. Elevations as well.” Professor Pulter smiles. “Well, let’s get to work!”
Quickly, those around us start to buzz with excitement with our first project. I pull up my computer and open my AutoCAD program. Reaching into my bag, I also pull out my sketchpad.
“So, can I be your neighbor?” I look up and see Damien hovering over me. Marine notes with cedarwood attack my sense of smell as he grins down at me.
“Uh, yeah. Sure.” I can feel the heat rush to my cheeks.
“I better be your other neighbor, woman.” I look over at Addy who is smiling like a fucking idiot over the fact that Damien came over to ask me.
It’s all over her face that she’s winning the bet.
Damnit.