Sydney raised an eyebrow. “He’s a good looking, older guy with amazing grades, a job, and a career path. What isn’t interesting about that?”
I didn’t realize that Devon had all of that going on. “Really? I’d kind of written him off as a slacker, goofball type.”
Sydney shook her head. “Henry wouldn’t hang around with someone like that. He’s actually really dedicated. Maybe you should get to know him better.”
Sydney said it with a bit of hopefulness in her voice. Though I wasn’t interested in anything romantic with Devon, it probably would bode well for me to get to know him a bit better. “Fine. I’ll get to know him.”
Sydney clapped her hands. “Yes! Just for that, I’m buying you lunch.”
I chuckled. “No, you aren’t. We both have meal plans.”
Sydney put a finger to my mouth. “Shh, just go with it.”
Not only did I have a class with Kai, but things were great with Sydney, and Devon’s advice seemed to be working. Maybe my freshman year of college was going to turn out okay, after all.
8
Devon
Only taking one class on my Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule seemed like a bad idea at first, but my Psychology of Emotion and Motivation course was clearly going to be a draining one. The professor of the course was notorious in my program for being difficult to work with, but he was the only one who led the course I needed, so I gave myself a heavier Tuesday-Thursday schedule so that I only had to deal with him coming off of or going into a weekend. It was a good choice, I realized, as I discovered that he was not only a stickler but a drone. His voice sounded like the adults from old cartoons, not to mention the fact that the course material seemed like it was going to be really tedious. If I wasn’t careful, I’d end up falling asleep in his course, for sure.
A four-hour-long lecture from ten o’clock to two in the afternoon was exhausting, and I had my first day of the Dean’s Club at four o’clock, so I didn’t dare risk heading back to the dorms for a nap. Instead, I made my way to the admin building, where the Dean’s Club met every single day after the latest courses ended. I was early, but when I arrived, there were a few students hanging around inside, along with the dean himself, Nikolao Keli’i.
When he noticed me, he smiled and held up a hand. “Hello!”
“Hi,” I said as I entered. The other students inside looked over at me and nodded. I nodded back to them. “Hello.”
Nikolao approached me and held out a hand. “I’m Dean Keli’i, or you can call me Nik.”
I took his hand, and he gave it a firm shake before letting go. “I’m Devon McMillian, sir. Nice to meet you, and thank you for this opportunity.”
“McMillian, of course. I was impressed with your reference letters. You’re well-liked by your professors. I always welcome students who go the extra mile. Welcome to the Dean’s Club.”
I grinned. “Thank you.”
Nik checked his watch. “Well, you’re a bit early, but feel free to join your peers or find a quiet spot of your own and do some first-day review.” He pointed to a table at the front of the meeting room we were in. “There will always be some sort of refreshment here for you. I like to mix it up. Sometimes cookies, sometimes donuts, sometimes fruit. There will always be water and a rotating selection of juice.”
Free food was always a good perk. “Cool. Thank you.”
“Once everyone has arrived, we’ll begin.”
I nodded. “Sounds good.”
“Typically, this isn’t so formal,” Nik continued, “but I like to wear my suit and tie on the first day.” He winked. “Do you—” He looked up and his face lit up. “Hey! There he is!” He tapped me on my shoulder. “Excuse me.”
I looked over my shoulder as Nik walked past me and approached a kid who’d just entered the meeting room. He looked almost exactly like Nik, and upon closer inspection, I could see it was none other than Kai, the dean’s son and the apple of Nina’s eye. I’d seen him at a distance a few times before, but now that he was standing in the same room as me, I could see that he was his father’s twin.
“Kai! How was your first day?” Nik tapped Kai’s back. “You look so grown up.”
It was adorable seeing the dean of students fawn over his son. It sent a jolt of jealousy running through my body. I imagined my parents doing the same to Dante. I’d never know that feeling.
“Dad, will you relax?” Kai grumbled. “It was fine. We’ll talk about it later.”
“Right, sorry.” Nik held up his hands and backed a few feet away. “Professional. We talked about this.”
I wondered if Kai had been admitted to the Dean’s Club simply because he was Nik’s son, or if he had to go through the same degrees of difficulty that I had to. I shook my head and found a chair around one of the round meeting tables. I pulled out a notebook with my notes from my first lecture and started to read them over and highlight what I thought was important, and a few seconds later, a backpack slid down into one of the chairs opposite me at the table.
I looked up, and Kai was standing there. “Hey. Sorry, man, but he says he wants me to sit with you. I won’t bother you.”
“It’s fine,” I replied, shaking my head and motioning to an open chair. It probably would be a good thing for me to get to know Kai better if I was going to be helping Nina make him fall for her. “I’m Devon.”
Kai reached a hand across the table, and I took and shook it. “Kai,” he replied.
I dropped his hand, and he settled into an open seat. He glanced over at my notes and then chuckled. “Ah. I see. Are you a psych major, too?”
“Oh, yeah. You’re in psych?”
Kai didn’t make any attempt to pull out any of his materials, leading me to think he’d been forced into the club by his dad. “Yeah. I mean, I’m in freshman GenEds right now, but I’ll be there, eventually. That’s probably why he wanted me to stick with you.”
“Well, I’m not some great tutor or anything,” I replied, “but if there’s anything I can do to help you out, just let me know.”
He grinned. “Thanks, man.”
I looked Kai up and down. I suppose I could see where someone might find him attractive. I imagined Nina and her bright smile and dorky antics and thought that he seemed a little too bland for her. I wasn’t sure who I would imagine for her, but this guy honestly didn’t seem like a good match. Still, if he was who she wanted, there had to be a reason. I wasn’t in any position to question her choices. So as long as I could help her, I would.
The high pitched tones of a phone screamed out from Kai’s backpack, and he let out a long, frustrated sigh. He unzipped the front pocket with a bit of aggression and raked his phone out. He tapped the screen and then put the phone to his ear. “Hey, babe.”
I turned my attention back to my notebook but kept my ears perked. It must have been Kai’s girlfriend. Nina had mentioned her, but from what she described of her own relationship with Kai, it seemed like he definitely liked her. Was it just a social thing that made him keep a girlfriend, even when he had feelings for Nina, or was he just a player?