Aberrant: The Long March - The Possibilities

[Jeremy]

Calvin yawned as he flipped through the textbook, more out of boredom than any need for work. He had finished all the assignments and studying here in the university library, and so had little to do for the next 20 minutes until class. Like his father, excessive idleness was killer.

Sighing, he started to scribble some thoughts on the results of Kaiser Wilhelm's being accidental shot by Annie Oakley at the World Fair in the 1880's.

[Mr Fox]

He was three or four paragraphs into his thought experiment when the phone rang. He almost let it continue to ring since the idea of what would have happened had caught hold of his mind and it was racing ahead faster than he could right the ideas down. He made the mistake of glancing at the ID and saw that it was his father.

He knew in his bones that it wouldn't be a pleasant call, but it wouldn't due to alienate the man that paid the bills. Answering the phone his father didn't wait on pleasantries to start the argument, "Son, it's not too late."

Calvin knew where this was going and just kept silent.

"You've still got one semester left. You've taken all the History courses and indulged your hobby long enough. You graduate in less than a year and then you'll be going out into the work force. Maybe you'd be happy as a history teacher or something, but you won't have much of a life that way. Think of it like this. Which would you rather have, a good high paying job that gives you the luxury to travel and visit all the places you read about or a low paying unappreciated job where all you can do is read because you can't afford to go anywhere? Think about that."

Calvin couldn't sit quitely any longer. His father had a good point, but it just irked him to be pushed, "But..."

That was all he got out before his father drove right over the unspoken thought, "No buts. You listen to me. I'm paying for your education and this is the way it's going to be. I've indulged you too long. You've taken all the history courses you need to become a school teacher or historian already. Tomorrow morning you are going to march down to the head of the department and request to change majors to Business. It will take you an extra summer semester to get your degree, but you'll graduate with a business degree and a minor in history. That's respectable. That will get you in the door with many more companies than a History degree. Then when you graduate, you can do what you choose. If you want to be poor be a teacher, but if you want to be rich, then come work with me, but either way you'll do it with a Business degree. Understand?"

[Jeremy]

Calvin opened his mouth to respond, but the words never came. What did come was a sign of pained defeat. "Alright. The department head, tomorrow morning. "

[Mr Fox]

Calvin could almost hear the satisfied nod from his father on the other end of the phone, it was an favorite gesture of his. He'd seen it a thousand times over the years when his father got his way in something he felt strongly about. What really was there left to do but accede to the old man's wishes. He knew the old man well enough to know he would follow through on his threat to cut off funding, and this was an expensive school. Besides, the old man was right in one thing, it didn't matter what was listed on the degree, with the minor in History he could still teach if he really wanted.

Just when he was feeling at his absolute lowest...

*knock, knock*

Calvin didn't want to answer the door but whoever it was seemed pretty insistent. Standing in the dorm hallway was one of the prettiest girls Calvin had ever seen. He recognized her, how could he not? She was wearing a cheer-leading outfit and there was only one girl with that blond hair at this college that looked like that on the cheer-leading squad. Mandi Marshall, the schools one and only nova.

As the door opened she looked a little distracted as she talked on her cellphone, but her expression suddenly became puzzled as she looked at Calvin. "Um... you're not Brad." Being a nova apprently made her a master of the obvious. She looked at the number on the door and then back at Calvin, room 14, this is Brad's room right?" Calvin had a vague notion that there was a Brad on the floor above, a very rude guy too, stomped around at all hours of the night not giving any thought to the people he might be waking up in the room below.

[Jeremy]

Calvin shook his head in annoyance, both at the interruption, and at the fact that the girl had some interest in that guy. "Room above mine, I think. Not sure why you'd be seeing him though. Real obnoxious guy."

[Mr Fox]

Whatever response she was expecting, Calvin's opinion was not it. She seemed on the verge of saying something but then stopped and pursed her lips in consideration while she looked closely at the man who was not the person she had expected. She looked incredibly attractive with that thoughtful expression on her face. Not that she ever looked anything but drop dead gorgeous, but there was just something indefinably deep and alluring about her, or perhaps it was just her nova mojo at work.

"Hmm..., I am very good reading people and I can tell you are being honest, you are also not having the best day. I was supposed to meet Brad, and go to a party with him, but if you'd like you could come in his place." Perhaps men were interchangeable to her given her looks and nova attractiveness, but she did seem to have a caring look and seemed genuinely concerned for Calvin's mood.