Read Online Double Digit by Annabel Monaghan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Annabel Monaghan
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cookies on the floor in front of him. Well, at least he stopped.
“Hi, Professor!” I scooped up my cookies and offered him a crumby hand. He accepted it reluctantly. “I loved your talk. I’ve read everything you’ve ever written. I mean, not your personal correspondence or anything, but . . . I’m really . . . I was wondering . . . I’m Digit Higgins.”
He narrowed his eyes with a little smile. “Ah, of course. The ambitious freshman who really wants that research job.”
“I’m your biggest fan.”
Bass made his way over to where we were standing to watch the show.
“So it seems. I had Sebastian here do a little research on you. It seems you were spotted riffling through my wastebasket. Campus Security thought I might have a stalker on my hands.”
Um, yeah. I may have gone too far.
“Stalker? I prefer science enthusiast.” I shot Bass a help-me look.
The corners of his mouth turned up in a nano-smile. But I saw it. Halsey asked, “Don’t you have something better to do on a Saturday night, something more fitting for a teenage girl?”
“My brother’s visiting, and I said I’d take him to a party. And I will, I swear. But I really just wanted to tell you, in person, how honored I would be if you considered my application for the job. I’d work really hard, and, as you can tell, I can get a little preoccupied with things I’m interested in.”
“She’s not easygoing, sir,” Bass added.
Professor Halsey sighed. “Get me a Sausalito cookie, and you can come see me at eight a.m. on Monday morning. No promises, but we’ll talk about it.”
“Really?!” I leaned in to hug him and grazed his cane with my left leg, nearly sending him to the ground, where my cookie crumbs still sat. He steadied himself against Bass’s arm and raised his free hand at me.
“Just get me the cookie.”
“Sure. Sorry.” I gave the professor a quick wave and caught Bass shaking his head like I was hopeless—which, at that moment, was the opposite of true.
I walked out into the vast expanse of Killian Court, victorious. Eight a.m. Monday morning! That job would be mine. I’d have access to all the nanotechnology research available at MIT. I’d dive into it. Swim in it. Add to it! I called Tiki, no answer. I called Danny, no answer. I’d tell them later—for the moment I was one giant leap closer to nanotechnology heaven.
Nerd-vana,
Danny might say.
I had a text from Bass:
Clumsy execution but congratulations. You got your dream date! Coffee 7:30 Monday?
Sure. Is it okay if I wear a T-shirt that doesn’t say anything?
I wouldn’t. But feel free to take your chances.
I stood in the middle of a perfect square. Three sides were giant white buildings, and the fourth was the Charles River. The three walls of buildings were numbered, not named, as if to remind me, unnecessarily, that this place was made for me. Building 10, wearing a huge dome for a hat, stood in front of me, flanked on either side by Buildings 1 through 8. These buildings stood like soldiers, perfectly symmetrical, with Buildings 7, 5, 3, and 1 to the left and 8, 6, 4, and 2 to the right. It was a standoff between an army of odd and an army of even. And although they were perfectly still, I could see how it would play out. Obviously the mighty even numbers adding up to 20 would topple the measly 16. But I admired those odd numbers for pairing up in such a way as to become even. The number 16 is balanced on two perfectly symmetrical 8s. Well done, Odd Army.
Killian Court is my happy place.
I turned back toward the Charles River and started walking home along Memorial Drive. But after three minutes, the euphoria wore off. It was nine o’clock and the sun had been down for over three hours. Streetlights projected shadows from the bare tree limbs like long crooked fingers. I suddenly had this creepy horror-movie feeling like there was a ghost in my underpants or someone was following me. I wondered if anyone
“Hi, Professor!” I scooped up my cookies and offered him a crumby hand. He accepted it reluctantly. “I loved your talk. I’ve read everything you’ve ever written. I mean, not your personal correspondence or anything, but . . . I’m really . . . I was wondering . . . I’m Digit Higgins.”
He narrowed his eyes with a little smile. “Ah, of course. The ambitious freshman who really wants that research job.”
“I’m your biggest fan.”
Bass made his way over to where we were standing to watch the show.
“So it seems. I had Sebastian here do a little research on you. It seems you were spotted riffling through my wastebasket. Campus Security thought I might have a stalker on my hands.”
Um, yeah. I may have gone too far.
“Stalker? I prefer science enthusiast.” I shot Bass a help-me look.
The corners of his mouth turned up in a nano-smile. But I saw it. Halsey asked, “Don’t you have something better to do on a Saturday night, something more fitting for a teenage girl?”
“My brother’s visiting, and I said I’d take him to a party. And I will, I swear. But I really just wanted to tell you, in person, how honored I would be if you considered my application for the job. I’d work really hard, and, as you can tell, I can get a little preoccupied with things I’m interested in.”
“She’s not easygoing, sir,” Bass added.
Professor Halsey sighed. “Get me a Sausalito cookie, and you can come see me at eight a.m. on Monday morning. No promises, but we’ll talk about it.”
“Really?!” I leaned in to hug him and grazed his cane with my left leg, nearly sending him to the ground, where my cookie crumbs still sat. He steadied himself against Bass’s arm and raised his free hand at me.
“Just get me the cookie.”
“Sure. Sorry.” I gave the professor a quick wave and caught Bass shaking his head like I was hopeless—which, at that moment, was the opposite of true.
I walked out into the vast expanse of Killian Court, victorious. Eight a.m. Monday morning! That job would be mine. I’d have access to all the nanotechnology research available at MIT. I’d dive into it. Swim in it. Add to it! I called Tiki, no answer. I called Danny, no answer. I’d tell them later—for the moment I was one giant leap closer to nanotechnology heaven.
Nerd-vana,
Danny might say.
I had a text from Bass:
Clumsy execution but congratulations. You got your dream date! Coffee 7:30 Monday?
Sure. Is it okay if I wear a T-shirt that doesn’t say anything?
I wouldn’t. But feel free to take your chances.
I stood in the middle of a perfect square. Three sides were giant white buildings, and the fourth was the Charles River. The three walls of buildings were numbered, not named, as if to remind me, unnecessarily, that this place was made for me. Building 10, wearing a huge dome for a hat, stood in front of me, flanked on either side by Buildings 1 through 8. These buildings stood like soldiers, perfectly symmetrical, with Buildings 7, 5, 3, and 1 to the left and 8, 6, 4, and 2 to the right. It was a standoff between an army of odd and an army of even. And although they were perfectly still, I could see how it would play out. Obviously the mighty even numbers adding up to 20 would topple the measly 16. But I admired those odd numbers for pairing up in such a way as to become even. The number 16 is balanced on two perfectly symmetrical 8s. Well done, Odd Army.
Killian Court is my happy place.
I turned back toward the Charles River and started walking home along Memorial Drive. But after three minutes, the euphoria wore off. It was nine o’clock and the sun had been down for over three hours. Streetlights projected shadows from the bare tree limbs like long crooked fingers. I suddenly had this creepy horror-movie feeling like there was a ghost in my underpants or someone was following me. I wondered if anyone
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