Atthe National University in country A,cla.s.ses had just begun.The NU was known to have the best students from all over the world and the mot compet.i.tive as well.The cla.s.ses had just begun last week and already the students were scrambling to submit thier projects.The unoversity ampus was full of energetic students from different courses as well as ethnicities.The finance department students had a separate wing of cla.s.ses which overlooked the gardens below.A professor was writing on a board while a slide played on the projector on the other side.The students were all struggling to take down thees notes.The professor looked over the cla.s.s and was satisfied to see all the heads bent down and copying the notes diligently.Since the cla.s.s was new and they were all freshmen,he did not know names of any students.But he observed the girl,sitting on the last bench staring outside.Frowning,he looked closely and realized that the girl had not even opened her notebook.Forget taking notes,she wasn"t even paying attention to what was being thought in cla.s.s.The professor was tempted to call her out and solve the next question but he controlled his impulse.There was no need.Every year there were such students in his cla.s.s.They usually enrolled through the back door.They thought that getting admission into this university was enough.But when the time came for them to meet up to the expectations and the caliber of the other top students,these slackers usually gve up.There was no point in trying to make the girl pay attention in cla.s.s.Let her day dream.She would face reality soon enough when he gave out the results of yesterday"s projects.the professor was very impressed with the freshmen students this year.Their projects were too outstanding for beginners.He had already kept aside the paper of the student he knew was going to be his favorite.There was also a paper where the student had written all rubbish.He was sure that the rubbish paper belonged to the last bencher.He kept the best and the worst paper for last.He wanted to remember the faces of these two students.
Finally,at the end of cla.s.s,he started calling out the names of the students to collect their projects.He announced the last two names together-Alicia Lu and Onita Dew.Onita Dew immediately went ahead and collected the paper and without glancint at it stffed it into her bad.Alicia Lu was slow to respond and realizing that she had been called ahead,clumsily walked towards the desk.The professor felt a smug smile blossom on his face as he handed her "F" graded paper to her.Deciding to teachher a lesson in front of the whole cla.s.s and warn off slackers,he lectured,"Miss,you are in a prestigious university now.This is not a place for you to day dreamand slack.The compet.i.tion is tough.Even if you were able to gain back door entry into the university,you should still work hard.Your paper is the worst I have ever seen in my career.Do you know,this girl,"he pointed at Onita Dew and continued,"look at her paper.The research is so perfect and to the point.That is how you write a paper.Go and beg her to help you out with your studies."As the professor continued,many students looked at Alicia disdainfully.She was still looking down at the paper in her hands apparently oblivious to the professor"s scolding.This made the professor even more angry but before he could open his mouth to scold her more in a calm voice she said,"Sir,this paper does not belong to me."
Angrily staring at her he s.n.a.t.c.hed the paper from her hands and said,"What do you mean does not belong to you?It has your name right here,Onita Dew!"Alicia pursed her lips at the arrogant professor and withouut saying a word,took off her ID card from around her neck and placed it on the professor"s table.The ID card said,Alicia Lu.Just then,the girl who had earlier stuffed her papers into her bag came ahead shame facedly and handing the top graded paper to Alicia took the F marked paper from the professor"s hands and scurried to her seat.Seeing that the professor had been so insulted the other students found it difficult to control their laughter.He had been scoldingand praising the top student of his cla.s.s.Just then a bell rang, indicating the end of the lecture.The professor went out in a huff while Alicia quietly returned to her seat to wait for the next lecture.All the boys in the cla.s.s could not help but glance bak at Alicia.Her beauty and the loneliness in her eyes was like a siren"s call to them.Most of them had been trying to approach her from the first day but did not know how.And today with the fiasco just now,they were even more curious abot this girl...