AllFreeNovel
Share Us
One of them spotted me, the blonde one. “Hey, you’re Sorina, right?”
“Yeah. You’re…?” I tried to remember.
“Theo,” she said, and signaled a thumb at her friend. “And this is Kenzie.”
“Hey.” Kenzie tapped the seat beside her. One of the only few available in the front. “Sit here with us.”
“Great. Thanks.” This could be very interesting. A woman dressed in a white blouse and beige pencil skirt with her dark hair pulled into a low bun strolled up to the center of the auditorium. She laid her book and planner down behind the podium and stood up straight, leaning on the pulpit with ease. She peered across the crowd, who started to quiet as her eyes scanned the room. As the room finally silenced, she asked to a pin-quiet audience, “What is psychology?”
Several hands flew up around us as though everyone in the first few rows got the memo to participate and kiss ass. She pointed to someone behind me, who said, “The study of human behavior.”
Dr. Feldman gave a look behind her black-rimmed glasses that said,I knew you would say that.She nodded. “Yes. That’s a very, as one would say, ‘basic answer.’” Some people laughed, and she did, too, before she nudged her chin to the audience. “Give me more. What are some of the variants that affect human behavior?”
“The brain,” someone answered.
“The five senses,” another person said.
“What else?” She pointed to me.
I clutched my pen, sitting up straighter in my chair. “Our memory and how we learn.”
She raised her brows in acknowledgement. “Sounds like some of you have already glanced at the syllabus before class.” She skimmed around the room. “Yes, these are some of the units we will delve into this semester, as well as the history, the pioneers of psychology, and their theories and perspectives.”
After class, we gathered our things, and Theo said, “If you have some time, we’re going to The Velvet Bean to grab a cup of coffee.”
“Sure.” I followed Theo and Kenzie out of the auditorium.
“Sorina, you’re on the cheer team?” Kenzie asked as we sat at a round table, drinking coffee.
“Yeah.”
“I guess we’ll see you cheering at the game Saturday,” Theo said as she shared how her boyfriend was Roman, and Nick was Kenzie’s. They spoke about how they roomed together last year in the dorms and were besties. Now, they were roommates again, since they both moved into the house with their boyfriends.
“You grew up with Dmitri?” Kenzie asked.
“Kind of. For the past few years. I moved here from Romania after my aunt died when I was fifteen. She was the only family I had left since my mom passed when I was a baby.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Kenzie lightly touched me on the arm.
I stared down at the sleeve of my cup. Accepting pity was never my forte, but she seemed sincere. “It’s fine, really, but thank you. Artynom Popov, Dmitri’s adoptive father, took me in because I was homeless, and long story short, here I am.” If it weren’t for a crowd of students at other tables filling in the noise, the place would’ve been silent.
I cleared my throat to break the awkwardness. “So, all of you live in the house?”
“Yeah, thank god it’s spacious.” Kenzie smiled into her coffee. “It can be overwhelming, but it’s actually quite homey. We’re like one big family.”
I nodded, not knowing what it meant to have a big family. I wondered how Dmitri handled it, since it’d always been he and Arty until I came along. I guess he handled it just fine. Even if he didn’t, one would never know because Dmitri only allowed you to see what he wanted you to see.
“The boys have been best friends since day one at Hillside,” Theo added. “They all have their own personalities. You know, Roman is intense…”
Kenzie snorted in her drink. Theo shook her head and continued. “Nick and Axel are the most personable, wouldn’t you agree?”
She eyed Kenzie, who had no complaints. “Nick is a sweetheart.”
“You’re biased,” Theo said sweetly.
“Yes, I am.”
Theo’s brows cinched together in thought at me. “However, Dmitri is still a mystery to me. Maybe you could give us some insight on him.”
