Asylum (Asylum, #1)(14)
He liked Professor Reyes right away, particularly after a student raised his hand and she responded with a gentle, “No, we will not be discussing Brookline Sanatorium, but thank you for asking. If you’d like to do your own study on the subject for extra credit, that will be fine.”
The hand went down immediately.
The two hours flew by, and the few times Dan’s mind did wander it was to consider what Abby and Jordan might be up to in their drawing class. He sort of hoped Abby was keeping their late-night chat to herself. It’s not that he cared if Jordan knew about his nightmares or Abby’s parental problems, he simply liked the idea of that conversation remaining something they alone shared.
No harsh, loud bell rang to signal the end of class. Instead, the college’s chapel chimes sounded once at a quarter to the hour, and that was the professor’s signal to wrap things up. It was a refreshing change. Dan packed his folders away. Buying the textbooks for the classes was not mandatory, and most of the material came in the form of printed-off packets, slide shows, and documentaries. Right on Yi’s heels, Dan was quick out the door—then he remembered that this wasn’t high school, and he wasn’t going to get in trouble if he was late for lunch.
The college had provided everyone with a map, but consulting it made him feel like such a tourist. Outside, the weather had shifted from the slight dewiness of morning to the full heat of a summer afternoon.
Professor Reyes was already out in the courtyard taking a smoke break. He remembered what she had said about a possible extra-credit project and approached.
Professor Reyes smiled at him, finishing her cigarette and flicking it into a nearby metal bucket for stubs.
“Darren, right?” she asked.
“Dan,” he corrected, sticking his hands into his pockets. “Daniel Crawford?”
She stared at him for a long moment, then said, “Ah. Got it. I won’t forget.”
“I was wondering about that extra-credit project?”
“Oh, Dan, I was kidding. You know there are no grades here, right?” The professor laughed softly. “So are you looking for a recommendation, or just sucking up?”
“Well, I—” Dan didn’t quite know what to say, embarrassed that she was already thinking badly of him. “This is just sort of my main interest. . . . Psychiatry and history, I mean. So the extra credit sounded cool. I was thinking I might try to do some interviews around town, get a local perspective.”
“Good luck with that.” Professor Reyes adjusted the briefcase slung over her shoulder.
“I’m sorry?”
“The townsfolk are, shall we say, superstitious? And that’s putting it mildly. . . . They’ve been petitioning to get Brookline leveled for years, but they can’t. One, because it’s a historical site and deserves to stay put. Two, because there’s no reason to tear it down. The foundation is sketchy, sure, but the college is paying to have it redone soon enough.” She rummaged in her briefcase until she found her cigarette pack. She lit one, gesturing with it. “So you might come up against some, well, resistance. They’ll talk about Brookline, sure—they’ll talk your ear off about it—but only about how much they want it gone.”
“That’s too bad,” Dan said, meaning it. “I thought it might make a good paper.”
“It would, and you should try for it.” Professor Reyes leaned closer, giving him a conspiratorial grin. “Actually, I’ve gotten permission to do a senior seminar in the old closed-off parts of the dorm. We’ll be archiving some of the stuff in there and finally getting it off the school’s hands at the same time. Any chance you’re coming here next year?”
“I wish,” Dan said. “I’m just starting my senior year of high school.” Truthfully, Dan hadn’t really considered coming to college here. But if he liked all his classes this summer, why not? “Hey, maybe if my interviews go well, you could use the paper for your seminar.”
“Sure,” she said. “We’ll see.”
Dan left, giving her a tiny wave as he went. He wasn’t sure if the idea of digging deeper into Brookline’s history made him excited or afraid, but having it as a kind of class assignment—even an unofficial, extra-fake-credit assignment—at least gave it some validity. Now he could tell Jordan and Abby about what he’d learned without sounding all psycho.
And speaking of Jordan and Abby, they were probably waiting for him at lunch now. He remembered the moment last night when he thought Abby was about to kiss him. Would she remember it the same way? Was she still thinking about him, too?
It took Dan four days to get up the courage to ask Abby out on a date.
To be fair, it was an amazing four days in which he, Abby, and Jordan basically became inseparable. They ate together, sat next to one another in class, and hung out at night. Of course, this made Dan even more anxious about asking Abby out. His mind went round and round in circles. Should he ask her out? What if she said no? Could they still be friends? How would Jordan feel about it? What would it do to the three of them? What if she said yes? What if . . . ?
He was so broody that even Felix noticed something was going on.
“You seem distracted, Daniel,” Felix said one day after lunch when Dan had come into the room, flopped down on his bed, and sighed loudly. “Want to talk it over?”