forum Bored and desperately need distractions from life

Started October 03, 2024 by @StarkSpangledMayflower_Mad_Elder

tune

Nell rolled her eyes at his behaviour and sat up straight at their professor's arrival. As the man spoke, she flipped through the pages in her notebook to look for topics that she had wanted to study further. The only thing that stuck out for her was the evolutionary aspects of plant adaptations. This was a fairly generic topic however she knew that if she focused on adding specifics about the relationship between plant toxins and animals in an ecosystem, it may just set her apart.

Focusing on this topic meant that Nell would need to spend a lot of time in the woods, set up her grandpa's hunting cameras, and do some lab work. Nell quickly jotted down her topic on a new page, Evolutionary Genetics of Plant Adaptation: Toxins and Their Relationships Within the Ecosystem. Underneath it, she began creating a list of things she would need to do. She set her rough notes to the side and pulled out her textbook and sticky tabs.

Using the index and the appendix proved to be more useful than simply staring at the table of contents to quickly mark pages to come back to. Nell marked the topics and pages she needed, then opened a new page on her laptop to jot down rough ideas. She didn't have any other classes today so she was planning on heading to the nearby woods to collect some samples and set up her cameras. Nell did have tutoring later tonight so she knew she could only spend a maximum of 3 hours out there until she had to go home to prepare for her student to come.

The professor's voice droned on, diving deep into the specifics of plant adaptations and ecological shifts, but Ezekiel was already tuning out. The endless talk of succession models and biodiversity metrics barely registered in his mind. He fought hard to suppress a yawn, his eyes flicking to his iPad as he absentmindedly tapped his stylus on the screen.

He wasn’t here to listen to another lecture that he could practically recite himself. No, his focus was elsewhere—on how he’d approach his final project. He’d need to hit the ground running, get out into those woods, and begin his fieldwork. But a nagging thought kept surfacing, one that he hated to entertain: what would she be doing?

Eleanor. For all the animosity he harbored toward her, he couldn't deny that she always seemed to come up with something clever. Whatever her study was, it would likely compete with his. It always did. Ezekiel clenched his jaw, the idea of coming second gnawing at him.

He'd worked tirelessly to secure his academic ranking. All those sleepless nights, the migraines from overthinking every single assignment—worth it. He’d sacrificed friendships, sleep, and any semblance of a social life just to be where he was. It was the only place he felt like he mattered, especially since his mother never gave him the praise he craved for his academic achievements. But the school did.

He wasn’t about to lose that validation. Not to her. Not to anyone. Even if it meant pushing himself further into exhaustion. Even if it meant venturing into the woods for hours every day, until his phone inevitably buzzed with the barrage of texts from his mother, demanding he return home. But he'd deal with that when the time came.

For now, the sooner he could get off campus and start working, the better.

The professor’s voice broke through his thoughts. “Alright, that’s it for today. Remember, this project is a significant portion of your grade, so don’t leave it until the last minute. I expect detailed proposals by the end of tomorrow.” Though he wouldn't wait until then to get started on this whole project.

Ezekiel watched as students began packing their things. Bags zipped, chairs scraped against the floor, and the low hum of conversation filled the room. He wasn’t in any rush, but he still slid his iPad into his bag and unplugged his phone from the outlet near the wall. Just as he was about to make his way out, his gaze caught Nell's.

He couldn’t resist. His lips curled into a knowing smirk as he leaned just close enough for her to hear, voice smooth but laced with venom as he glanced at her notes. “I suppose it doesn’t really matter what you do. It’s impressive how you manage to stay so confident with that runner-up mentality. Maybe one day you’ll actually catch up.”

As snarky as he was being right now, there was a bit of truth and fear to what he was saying. “But hey, someone’s got to make me look better.”