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“I’m Dr. Michael Avery, head of the astrophysics lab. I’ll be your advisor for Level Two. My offices are on the third floor; feel free to drop by if you ever need anything. And you’re Alexa Kepler, right?”
I nodded. “Lexie.”
“Very pretty name. Now, let’s go around the table. Everyone, introduce yourself.” He gave the room a once-over, paying special attention to several of the pretty girls who sat near the head of the table. Ewww.
There were only twenty-five of them, but it felt like a hundred as they said their names, challenging me to remember, to be good enough to join them. Asher winked as he introduced himself, and I had to look away, hoping he wouldn’t see my cheeks turn pink.
We were almost through the introductions when a girl darted into the room, her long blonde hair swinging behind her. “Sorry I’m late,” she called. “Overslept. Still on Japan time.” She shoved Asher’s legs off the chair beside him and grinned. “Thanks for saving me a seat.”
He reconfigured his slouch so his legs now stretched out in front of him under the table. “Didn’t think you were getting back until tomorrow.”
“Mom cut the trip short. She didn’t want me to miss the first week of school. You know how she is.” Her eyes ran up and down his lean frame. “Looks like you got some sun this summer. Looks good on you.”
At the front of the room, Dr. Avery cleared his throat. I expected him to be annoyed, but he looked as enthralled as the rest of the male population in the room. “Miss Green? We’re just introducing ourselves to Dr. Kepler’s daughter.”
She turned, her eyes widening as she spotted me across the table. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Amy Green. Nice to meet you.”
Her words seemed genuine enough, and I forced my own smile to mirror hers. “Lexie Kepler.”
Dr. Avery picked up his tablet and flipped through several screens. “Now that we’re done with introductions, I’m emailing your groups and project assignments right now. Please break into your teams, and we’ll get started.”
Twenty-five tablets dinged as we all got Dr. Avery’s email. I tapped the screen and opened my account. My lips parted in dismay at the names of my group-mates: Max Von Neumann. Zella Wheeler. Asher Rosen. Amy Green.
Oh, this was going to be fun.
I looked up to find Asher smirking at me, and I quickly dropped my gaze back to my tablet. As I read Dr. Avery’s email, I tried to fight the sinking feeling of dread.
Project group: Ultraviolet Catastrophe.
Task: Recreate Planck and Einstein’s experiments to discover why blackbody radiation does not cause an ultraviolet catastrophe. Please discuss the Boltzmann constant, Planck’s constant, and the average probability of finding ultraviolet photons in the spectrum range of electromagnetic energy for a specific temperature and wavelength.
Yeah. The words were there, but they made no sense. I’d taken an introductory physics class last year as a freshman, but we’d learned about the basics of velocity and the fundamental laws. My fingers tightened on my tablet. This was all my parents’ fault. If they hadn’t tried to keep my intelligence secret, I wouldn’t be in this situation. I’d have known these kids since I was little. I’d already fit in.
I’d already know who the hell Planck was.
My tablet trembled in my hands, and Max leaned over. I caught a whiff of the same laundry detergent Mom usually used, and a pang of homesickness shot through me.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I snapped, then immediately felt guilty. Max was the only person who’d been nice to me so far today. I smiled at him weakly. “Sorry. I’m just a little stressed out. First day and all.”
He nodded. “I’m sure. But I’m glad we’re in the same group. I’ll help you out as much as I can.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
He leaned in, bumping his shoulder into mine. “Anything for the new girl.”
Amy pulled her chair around to our side of the table and winked at Max. “You move fast, my friend.”
Red stained his cheeks, and he deliberately stared down at his tablet. “It’s her first day. I’m just trying to be nice.”
“And I’m so glad,” I said impulsively. I knew Amy was just joking with him, but I didn’t want him to feel bad.
Zella sniffed and looked past me like I wasn’t even there. “Um, we have a project to work on — can we get started already? Or did you want to flirt with the new girl some more, Max?”
He glared at her, and the tension between them hummed so loudly I thought Zella was going to leap out of her chair at him. Asher waved a hand between them and plopped down in the last empty seat.
“Calm down, children. Let’s not fight.” He leaned back and crossed his arms. “Where do we start with this project?”
Zella ignored everyone but Asher. “I think we should first start with the historical explanation of the ultraviolet catastrophe and then move into the scientific formulas for disproving it after we create a frame for the discussion.”
“Divide and conquer then?” he asked, arching his eyebrow. “And how do you propose splitting up the group?”
I might not have been up on my physics terms yet, but I had some mad research skills. “I can get started on the research if you want.”
Zella still refused to look at me and instead tapped some notes into her tablets. “That would probably be best. Dr. Kepler’s daughter shouldn’t tax her public-school brain too much.”
Max’s head snapped up, and he glared at her again. “Zella, stop acting like a bitch. It’s not Lexie’s fault she just started at QT this year. I’m sure Dr. Kepler had a good reason for not enrolling her.”
I could practically see the flames coming from Zella’s ears. “And it’s not my fault I got stuck in a group with someone who won’t be able to pull her own weight. I refuse to let her affect my grade.”
My jaw dropped, and it took me exactly three seconds to decide I was not going to put up with her shit.
I clenched my hands and tried to keep the tremble out of my voice. “I’m not the freaking invisible man. I’m sitting right here. And you know what? I’m about as happy as you are that we’re in the same group, so knock it off. I’ll do my best, but it’s going to take me a while to get used to how you do things here.”
She shrugged, nose still in the air. “If I don’t get top grades, I’m blaming it on you, and I have no problem making sure everyone knows it. From what I hear, you’re only here on probation anyway. Dr. Danvers will kick you out if you can’t handle it — Kepler or not.”
