Common Ground (The Common Ground Trilogy Book 1) (5 page)

“Of course,” Annie said happily. “I knew it was just some kind of misunderstanding. Zoe usually is in the wrong place at the wrong time anyway.”

The two of them shared a jolly laugh at my expense as I stood there, stunned at Annie’s oblivious attitude.

“Ah, well Zoe, it’s still a pleasure to meet you,” he said, extending a hand out. He took my reluctant hand and held it for an extra moment. Our eyes interlocked and then an odd feeling quickly swept over me. I remembered being angry about their joke, but yet any trace of anger that had been boiling diminished the moment our eyes met. The same eyes that had looked so frightening were suddenly much more mysterious. There was something going on behind his midnight-black eyes, but I couldn’t tell what it was.  I was stuck in a trance, unable to think of anything but what was in front of me.

“Yeah, pleasure,” I said in a daze. Slowly, we released our grip and the trance vanished.

“So, um, Annie,” he said, slowly turning towards her as our gaze lingered for an extra second, “I lost your email address. Do you have a number where I can call you? My fraternity has a lot of parties in the beginning of the year and we’d love to have you and Zoe stop by anytime.”

“Oh! Yeah! We’d love to!” she said. She excitedly opened her bag, looking for anything to write on.

“You can just tell me, I have a pretty solid memory,” Liam said, glaring back at me with an uncomfortable smile.

Annie told Liam her number, twice for good measure.

“We’ll be in touch, and I promise to keep all drinks inside their cups this time,” he laughed as he waved goodbye to us.

“I told you,” Annie said dreamily as she stared at him leaving.

“Told me what?”

“Hot.”

“Oh, yeah, a real class act,” I replied nastily.

“Wow, chill out. He said it was all a big misunderstanding. Just let it go.”

“But he didn’t even apologize!” I demanded.

“He already did yesterday! What, you want two apologies now?” she replied.

“I don’t know Ann, there’s just something odd going on there. I’m not sure I trust him.”

“Oh come on Zoe!” Annie moaned. “There is nothing wrong with him. He’s a hot, frat guy who just gave us an open invitation to their parties. What else do you want?”

I stood silent for a moment as she waited for a response. I still was reeling from the intense moment we had. His gaze had punctured straight through the anger I had built up from his and Annie’s joke. He seemed to be bring something out in me that wasn’t normally there.

“You’re right,” I exhaled slowly. “I’ll give him a chance but I still don’t trust him.”

“Fair enough,” she said uneasily. “Let’s get home, it’s been a long day and you look exhausted.”

**************************************

The rest of the week went by with few very problems as we finally reached the last day of orientation. Our week had been spent mostly meeting with professors and discussing what to expect from the class. Most of my meetings had gone pretty well, but none of the professors really sparked my interest for finding a potential major. Yoga seemed to be the class that would give me the most benefit for the semester because it was supposed to help me focus on relaxation and possibly help me sleep better. Everything else sounded too bland or not challenging enough. The only meeting I hadn’t had yet was with my Religious Studies professor.

Our meeting was scheduled for later in the morning after Perspectives class, which meant that Annie and I would have to get up early. We had spent the week developing a new schedule that would have her up early in the morning and split her free time in half between studying and partying. That Friday was the first test run for her new schedule.  Getting her up and out of bed so early appeared to be the biggest challenge I would face that day.

“Let’s go!” I yelled, pulling Annie’s sheets off of her. “The Pit closes for breakfast in thirty minutes!”

“Get… out…” she mumbled, tugging the pillow over her head.

“I’ll give you one last chance,” I said coolly, not really sure what to do. When no response came from under the pillow, I decided to take drastic measures. 

“Fine.”

A minute later, I came back into the room and gave her one final chance. “Get up, now,” I said warningly. “This is your last chance.”

I never thought I’d see Annie jump up so fast or hear her scream so loud. Since I had pulled her sheets off, the ice cold water in my glass had shocked her up and out of bed. It wasn’t nice, or pretty, but mission accomplished.

“What…the…hell…” Annie stammered slowly, from somewhere beneath the damp hair that covered her face.

“I just thought that since it was okay for Liam to get away with the same thing without apology, you’d be okay with me doing it too,” I said honestly, suppressing a giggle.

Annie stormed out of the room, slammed the bathroom door, and didn’t meet me at the front of the condo for another fifteen minutes. Not surprisingly, it was one of the more quiet walks we’d ever had. Luckily we made it to The Pit before they stopped serving breakfast and were able to sit down with Hope and Steph, who were sitting with a few unfamiliar faces. As we approached the table, Steph jumped up and gave Annie and me big hugs and introduced us to the four newbies sitting at the table. Emily and Sean were a cute couple, although their constant PDAs were a bit uncomfortable. Chase and Tyler were exactly as Hope had described them. Their voices were way too monotone, and they were physical specimens. They were extremely friendly and kind of cute as they held out our chairs to sit down and held the doors open for us when we left The Pit.

“So, what do you think of Vegas?” Tyler asked in a baritone voice. I actually had to look up at him to answer, which was bizarre for me.

“Um, it’s alright I guess.”

“That’s not very convincing,” he said cynically.

“Well, I’ve never been so hot in my life. This isn’t normal!” I joked. It was another gruelingly hot day already, having hit one hundred degrees by 10:00.

“Nah, it’s a dry heat. Trust me, you’ll get used to it,” he replied, putting on his shades. “So, where you guys from?”

“Born and raised in Seattle.”

“Ah, that explains it. What brought you guys down here then if you hate the heat so much?”

“Annie’s never been a fan of the rain really,” I shrugged. “And she’s my best friend, so I go where she goes.”

“She’s a smart girl, Vegas is awesome! Once you get used to it, you’ll never want to leave. I guarantee it.”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” I laughed. It was such an odd sensation. Someone was actually talking to me, wanting to know things about me. For the first time in a long while, I finally didn’t feel ignored.

As we walked, Chase and Annie were having an animated discussion about football, while Emily and Sean were holding hands and kissing as they walked. Steph and Hope had caught up to Tyler and me as we headed towards our own Perspectives classes.

“So, Zoe,” Steph started cautiously, looking somewhat frightened.

“Yeah?”

“Well, since the first week is over today, and the upperclassmen will be here soon, we wanted to know if you and Annie would be down for throwing a party at our places next weekend,” she asked. I looked at Hope who just smiled timidly, looking uncomfortable and out of place.

“Oh,” I gasped.

“Oh hell yeah we’re down,” Annie quickly shouted from in front of us. She shot me the most glaring warning look I’d ever gotten from her.

“Uh, I guess so,” I said nervously.

Steph’s face looked shocked at first. “Really? You sure?”

“Sure,” I replied hesitantly, holding back the millions of reservations that were building up inside.

“Wow, well thanks! It’s going to be a blast!” she said excitedly, turning to everyone else. “Next Friday it is!”

“PARTAY!!!” Chase and Tyler yelled as they ran down the sidewalk, yelling at the other freshmen walking by. Soon, they were out of sight, but their voices were still heard for another few seconds. The thoughts of a party, in our apartment, started wreaking havoc on my nerves. Instead of starting in the shallow end of the social pool, Annie and Steph were throwing me into the deep end. It was as though within that minute, the day which looked so promising had quickly taken a turn for the worse. Luckily, Perspectives and my last professor meeting were still ahead which made the party pill a little easier to swallow.

Class flew by quicker than any other class had during the week, and before I knew it, the Religious Studies building crept into view. I started to feel anxious. My religious studies professor was also my University advisor, which meant we’d have to talk about my four year plan. Since none of the other professors had piqued my interest in their subjects, I was extremely worried that he’d be expecting some ideas of what I wanted to do, and I’d have nothing. My only hope was that he’d just want to ask me a few questions, get to know the kind of student I was and then let me go. But I had a feeling that because he was my advisor, he’d probably want to talk a little more in depth.

As I entered his office, I had to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn’t dreaming again. It was absolutely magnificent. There were hundreds of framed awards, recognition letters and honorary degrees hanging all over. I also noticed tons of pictures hanging along the opposite wall showing all of his various travels around the world. Just from the appearance of his office, I could tell that he was one of those professors that President Goodwin talked about the first day.

“Hi, I’m Zoe Christensen and I have an appointment with Professor Woodard at eleven,” I told his secretary, as I approached her immaculate desk which was flanked by two huge fern plants.  She was a thicker set woman, more similar to Hope than any of the other people I’d met at school. She sat behind a massive computer monitor, and appeared quite happy.

“Ah, Zoe, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you!” she said in a very friendly voice. “Is there anything I can get you while you wait?”

“No, nothing, thank you,” I said as my palms started to sweat.

“My name is Annabelle if you need anything dear. He should be out in a few minutes, he’s finishing up a phone call,” she finished as she led me to a seat outside his door then returned to her desk.

Annabelle reminded me immediately of Marie, as she had a very distinct motherly charm and appearance. A thick set of reading glasses hung around her neck and rested softly on her chest, and shoulder length, silky brunette hair surrounded a face that lacked a lot of punch. A simple, yet antique-looking diamond wedding ring sat perfectly on her left hand. But, over everything, it was the sweet, kindly smile that was so comforting and welcoming. 

About five minutes had passed and my anxiety grew with each passing second.  The flawless office and the motherly secretary were far above anything any of my other professors had. I started to bite my nails, which led Annabelle to give me a very polite and reassuring smile. All of a sudden, her phone rang.

“Professor Woodward is ready to see you now,” she said, opening up the office door.

I walked in and was immediately greeted by a powerful scent of fine wood and old books. The reputable aura from the exterior was clearly evident inside. There was a time honored respect surrounding the interior, as though a rich and powerful history was behind it. It wasn’t very technologically advanced as there was only a simple telephone and no computer or TV anywhere. He had thousands of books stacked on bookshelves that covered every spare inch of wall space, with many more neatly piled up in the corners.  He had a beautiful mahogany desk, which gleamed as the sunlight bounced off of it. The top of the desk was the only messy, unorganized area of the office. There was a thin layer of papers strewn all over, which rested below what looked like old and fragile wooden artifacts. His desk was accompanied by an enormous brown oak, white clothed chair, which reminded me more of a throne, with its smooth scrolled arms and high back. His desk sat in front of a full window that covered the wall and faced out the opposite end of campus into the open desert, which reminded me fondly of the Johnson’s kitchen. I barely noticed that it was somewhat dark in there, with the only light coming in from outside. Finally, I noticed two more simple chairs on the other side of his desk that faced each other in an interview style format. It completed what was the most spectacular office I’d ever seen. As I looked up, a tall, thin, and surprisingly young man was coming around the corner of the desk with a huge ear-to-ear smile, showing a set of pearly white teeth. He was extending a large, but friendly hand out to greet me.

“Ah, Ms. Christensen,” he said politely, taking my hand. “It’s been a long time.”

Chapter 3: Change of Plans

The late morning sun shone brightly into the office, as the soft hum from the air conditioner filled the somewhat awkward silence that had developed. I was standing there, shaking hands with a complete stranger who seemed to believe we’d met before.

“Um, it’s a pleasure to meet you professor,” I said uncertainly after a moment’s hesitation.

“Please, come in and take a seat,” he chortled, looking amused and laid back.

“I’m sorry to be so straight forward, but have we met before?” I asked, unable to suppress my curiosity.

He just smiled wider and spread his arm out towards the two regular chairs on the opposite side of his desk. “Please, take a seat,” he said nonchalantly. “First, I’m interested to know how your orientation week has gone.”

“It’s been alright I guess,” I said somewhat frustrated, timidly taking a seat. “Nothing too special.”

It was difficult to focus on anything but his obvious assertion that we had met before. Any worries or nerves that had been building inside all morning had been replaced with pure wonder.

“Nothing too special,” he repeated to himself, taking a seat opposite me. “So, what have you been up to all week then?”

“Outside of Perspectives? Not too much.  Mostly I’ve been in the library doing research on the school.  I’ve been looking at the popular majors and studying a little bit about my professors,” I said sheepishly. “It’s probably a bit different than your other students, huh?”

“You could say that,” he grinned. “But it’s actually refreshing to meet a student who really does her homework before classes even begin. You’re a dying, but unique breed Zoe. You should embrace it!”  

Even with my mind spinning from his initial insinuation, I couldn’t help but marvel at his appearance. From all of his accomplishments, it would have been safe to assume he was in his fifties or sixties, but he looked much younger than that. He sported a shiny silver colored vest and tie over a long sleeved white shirt. His pitch black, crisp slacks blended perfectly with his spotless black loafers. The natural grey streaks in his wavy black hair made him look more distinguished than old. His smile showed very few wrinkles along his clean and smooth face. He appeared very fit with prominent cheekbones and a thin waistline. I couldn’t help but wonder how he stayed so trim when he was probably busy twenty-four, seven. In actuality, the only trace of age I could really see was a slightly receding hairline.

“I guess so,” I shrugged.

“And how about everything else?”

“What do you mean everything else?”  I asked, starting to feel uneasy.

“I mean how are you handling your newfound freedom here?”

“Oh, I haven’t had any problems really. It’s been a pretty easy transition for me.”

“That’s good,” he nodded.  “It’s just that I see a lot of students usually having a difficult time adjusting to the college lifestyle. Up until one or two in the morning studying, then needing to be on campus at nine for class. It can be quite tricky for students. I’m glad to hear that you haven’t had any issues.”

“Yeah, it’s been pretty smooth for the most part,” I lied. “I normally don’t go to bed late anyways, so it hasn’t been an issue for me.”

But, sleep had gotten worse than ever during my first week. My dreams and nightmares were happening on an almost nightly basis. There was no way I’d go that in depth with him though. It was hard enough to talk to the Johnsons about my problems, let alone a complete stranger.

“Well you look pretty good,” he chimed in. “At least more refreshed than most students I’ve seen this week.”

“Er, thanks,” I said uncomfortably. The conversation had gotten a little too personal and awkward for my taste. No teacher had ever been so curious about my lifestyle, even counselors in high school. My feet began to fidget as I waited for what was next. He seemed to notice my impatience as he turned and reached for some of the scattered papers on his desk.

“Okay then, let’s get down to business,” he coughed, pulling a pair of thin-framed glasses out of his vest pocket. He placed them over his gentle brown eyes and started shuffling through the small group of papers he had picked up. “Why Intro to Religion?”

Of course the one question I didn’t have a good answer to was the first question he asked.

“Well, professor,” I said anxiously, my palms beginning to sweat.

“Are you okay?” he asked with mild concern.

I nodded. “Just a little nervous.”

“You can relax,” he smiled. “There are no wrong answers. I’m just trying to find out a little about your academic interests. Take a few deep breaths and talk when you’re ready.”

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. My shoulders dropped comfortably as my shaking hands came to a slow and steady stop.

“To be honest, I hadn’t even opened a Religious book until I arrived here, when Professor Franklin assigned us some early readings. I suppose the main reason I’m taking the class is because I love to study subjects that I’ve never been exposed to before. It’s kind of a challenge that drives me. I’m fascinated with learning and religious studies seems be an interesting new topic,” I answered.

Professor Woodward sat there and jotted a few notes down as I spoke. At times he lifted his head, nodded with a smile once or twice, and then went back to writing. When I finished, he looked up with a curious expression on his face.

“So, you are looking for a challenge, and think Religious Studies can provide that for you?” he asked, as his smile faded into a more inquiring gaze.

“Sure,” I said. “It seems like an interesting enough topic.”

“What exactly makes it so interesting to you?”

I sat there in silence, my hands rested on my lap, not really sure how to proceed. I had already talked way too much.

“It’s alright Zoe, please, I’m really interested in your opinion,” he reassured.

It took me a moment to accept the fact that he actually wanted to hear my opinions. An unidentified sensation swept over me.  Nobody had ever really given me a chance to truly express my views. I closed my eyes for a moment in an effort to gather my thoughts as Professor Woodward sat there patiently.

“Mostly it’s how influential and powerful religion is to everyone. I mean, billions of people in the world follow some form of religion, right? You turn on the news everyday and it seems like it is always in the headlines. Somebody believes one thing and another person believes something else. I just assume there is something interesting and powerful enough behind religion that gets people so worked up.”

“Do you now?” he responded with a slight, but impressed grin. “And what do you think about all that?”

“I don’t really know,” I said honestly.  “On one hand, I understand how religion provides comfort, safety, peace and happiness to its followers. And without it, there would be a lot of lost people in the world.”

He nodded, implying I should continue.

“On the other hand, I find it horrible that people fight wars and kill each other over something as subjective as religious beliefs. Violence is definitely not the answer. I mean, I disagree with my best friend on a lot of things, but I don’t slap her across the face every time we argue.”

He let out a gentle chuckle, shaking his head. “No, no, I’m sure you don’t. But I’m curious, why do you think people get so passionate about their beliefs that they’re willing to resort to violence?”

“I think it’s because people are afraid of anything different,” I said quietly.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, it’s just that most people are raised by a certain set of beliefs or principles. They grow up having specific ideas jammed into their head so frequently; they forget that there are many different ways to look at the world.  If someone comes along with a different perspective, it’s hard for people to see the world through a different set of eyes.”

“Interesting,” he said, jotting a few more notes down on his pad. “Tell me then, why do you think violence is the result in most cases of disagreements?”

“I just think human nature is to turn violent when things get uncomfortable or challenging, especially when it comes to something as personal as someone’s beliefs. I’m not just talking about physical violence either; I also think people can say pretty nasty things to one another. As humans, we can get so set in our ways, that we forget a lot of the time that everyone is different. If people were just a little more open minded, and would realize that our differences are what makes us so unique, I think a lot of these violent resolutions would stop.”

He took off his glasses and placed them behind him on the desk. The brief moment of silence got me feeling guilty about being so direct. I may have offended him with being so direct in my opinions. Maybe he was disgusted that I came in and told him what made me so mad about his profession. Whatever it was, something didn’t feel right.

“Well Zoe, you’ve definitely impressed me,” he said happily, taking me completely off guard. “You are extremely well versed in your opinions, which are quite important when it comes to being successful in college. Have you put any thought into making Religious Studies a possible major?”

“Not really,” I said. “I haven’t put much thought into a major yet. Nothing has really grabbed my interest enough.

“If it means anything, I think you’d do well in it,” he said, folding his arms across his chest.

“What types of classes would I get to take if I chose it as a major?”

“You’d take a diverse, full set of courses that would expose you to numerous areas of the subject. Starting with Introduction to World Religions, you’d continue with a few religion specific courses such as Intro to the Old Testament or Middle Eastern Religions. There are quite a few electives too; Hebrew Prophets and Angels and Demons for example…” he stopped on the last class, and sported a rather inquiring look on his face.

“Angels and Demons?” I asked curiously.

All of a sudden, the phone rang, which startled me out of my chair. Our conversation had gotten so deep that I completely lost track of our surroundings.

“Yes?” Professor Woodward snapped into the phone.  He listened for a moment, frowned and then finally sighed. “Okay, thank you.”

“I’m so sorry Zoe,” he said, sounding defeated. “I hate to cut our meeting short, but I have an urgent meeting that just came up across campus.”

“Oh, okay,” I muttered. “Thanks for your time Professor.”

“My pleasure, Zoe. Is there anything else I can do for you?” he asked as we both stood up.

“Actually, I was going to ask about your earlier insinuation that we had met before,” I said hopefully.

He just smiled and said, “Unfortunately, that’s another conversation for another time.”

“But,” I started to say.

“I’m sorry Zoe, but I really do have to get going. But, I want to see you again after the first month, just to check in on your progress,” he said as he grabbed his jacket from the chair and escorted me to the office door.

“Okay, have a good day Professor,” I said, feeling a slight twinge of frustration at the abrupt ending to our meeting.

“You too Zoe,” he said as the office door closed behind me.

**************************************

“No way!” Annie exclaimed over the blaring TV. “So, he didn’t tell you anything?”

“Not really, but the way he continued to sidestep the issue, it seemed quite obvious,” I said, reenacting the earlier conversation with Professor Woodward.

“That’s so crazy, how could he know you before you came here?”

“I don’t know, but it’s really freaking me out.  I mean, the whole meeting was just odd. He asked a few personal questions, like how I was holding up and also checked to see if I was having any issues adjusting to college life. The only normal part of our discussion was the religion talk. But even that was strange, because nobody has ever wanted to hear my opinions so much. It was just a really bizarre meeting.”

“That is weird,” Annie said. “I wonder why he is so interested in you?”

“I don’t know, maybe he was just asking because he’s my advisor and wants to make sure things go smoothly?”

“My advisor didn’t ask me anything like that.”

My stomach took another downward spiral. “Really?”

“Nope, we just went over my schedule and then he sent me on my way,” she shrugged.

“He didn’t even want to have a follow up meeting with you?”

She shook her head and focused back on the TV.

“What should I do Ann? I don’t know if I can wait for a month until I can find out more!” I cried.

“Wait a minute,” she said unexpectedly. “What days do you have his class?”

“Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.”

“I think you should try and stay after class one of those days, see if he’ll answer your questions then. Don’t necessarily do it right away, give him some time to think you’ve forgotten all about it. I’d wait a week or two, then one day after class just ask him about it.”

“Okay, but what if he doesn’t give me a chance to ask? What do I do then?”

“Just be persistent. Men are easy to figure out. Have a little determination, you always get what you want,” she said with a diabolical smile.