“Tim, my brother!  Long time no see!”

“Hey Patrick!” I said, giving my friend a quick bro hug.  “How was winter break?”

“Boring.  Got some cool stuff for Christmas, but otherwise it was super dull.  You?”

“About the same,” I answered.  It took me a couple attempts to remember the combination to my mailbox, but eventually I got it open.  “Part of the reason I went off to college was to get away from my family.  I love them, but spending five weeks back in my parents’ house was...rough.”

“I hear you, man.  Did you ever think you’d be counting down the days until school started again?”

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far.  Have you seen my schedule?  It’s murder!”  I closed up my mailbox, tossing the junk in a nearby trashcan.  “Especially this class I’m headed to now: Differential Equations.  Ugh, I did not major in engineering because of my love for math.  And I hear that the professor is a real hard-ass.”

“Oh snap...do you have Dr. Jankowszki?  I’m a social science major and even I’ve heard of his reputation.”

“That’s the one.  He’s going to eat my soul.”

“Welp, good luck with that,” Patrick said as he gathered his things.  “Meanwhile, I’m going to my easiest class of the semester: it’s all about the sociology of Bruce Springsteen!”

“I hate you so, so much right now.  I’m not even kidding,” I said, shaking my head.  “Anyway, I’ve got to go.  I just got an email that class has been moved to Keller Hall, which is way over on the integrated campus.  I’m definitely taking the monorail if I’m going to be on time.”

Fortunately, the monorail was running on schedule today.  It was a good five minute ride to get from the Student Center to Keller Hall.  If I had decided to use the walkways and go on foot, it would have taken me at least twenty minutes.  The monorail was well worth the 25 cents.  As I sat there comfortably, I looked out the window and watched the Magnian students trudging through the snow in their heavy coats and boats trying to get to class.  I was not envious.  This was definitely one of the perks of being Parvian.  

The campus was divided into three zones: one for Parvians, one for Magnians, and one that was integrated for both.  The Magnian zone was definitely the majority of campus, for obvious reasons.  They needed multiple buildings, dormitories, cafeterias, and gymnasiums to accommodate their students.  The Parvian zone was just one building: Linden Hall.  Linden, though, was one of the most spectacular buildings on campus.  It was the size of any of the other buildings on campus, but it housed everything that Parvians needed.  If any Magnian students were allowed to take a peek inside, they would have been very jealous.  Everything about it was better: the dorm rooms, the gyms, the classrooms--I think even the food was better.  There was really no reason for us to ever leave Linden, except when we needed to go to the integrated zone for the occasional class or social gathering.  

That’s where I was headed: Keller Hall.  The Parvian students did not really like going to Keller unless they needed to.  We had nothing against it or the Magnians at all.  It was just inconvenient compared to Linden. Keller wasn’t rundown by any means, but it also wasn’t as clean or updated as Linden.  It was an older brick building that was retrofitted to make it Parvian accessible.  While all of us were used to living in a Magnian world, especially when we went off campus, it was really nice to be in Linden where everything was sized appropriately for us.  (The Wi-Fi in Linden was much faster, too.)

I exited the monorail car and made my way up the stairs to main hallway.  It was bustling with people.  Students, professors, administrators, and staff were making their way to classes and meetings for the afternoon.  From the Parvian walkways, which stood at the average Magnians’ shoulder height, one could see the numerous giant heads passing by, their faces downward as they focused on their mobile devices as they walked.  It was a similar scene within the walkways, as Parvians were even more addicted to their technology.

Outside of the classroom, I ran into a couple of guys I was in classes with last semester. I was going to chat with them a little, but they quickly rushed inside and urged me to follow.

“Get in!  It’s 1:01!  Class started a minute ago!”

Sure enough, as we walked in, the professor was already lecturing.  The other students who had arrived on time were typing away at their notes.  The lecture hall was full.  I mean this in the sense that there were only a few seats left available, when in fact, very little of the enormous room was actually occupied.  The Parvian students and the professor (also a Parvian) were on a platform that resembled a large table pushed against one wall.  There were presently no Magnians, but had there been any in the class, there were a few places for them to pull up a chair.

Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, I took a seat in one of the desks near the back.  I was afraid to draw attention to myself.  Dr. Jankowski was feared for his short temper and strict discipline.  If anyone interrupted him, they would be immediately ridiculed and possibly expelled from the class.  I believed myself to be safe for the moment, as he continued discussing the syllabus in detail.  However, one of my classmates was not nearly as fortunate…

Dr. Jankowski stopped mid-sentence and put his dry erase marker down, turning to the large open door.  “Well, class, look who has decided to show up: Ms. Morgan!”

A young Magnian woman was hurriedly making her way to the lecture table.  Her parka was covered in snow, which shed and softly fell to the ground as she ran.  Taking off her hood exposed a tangle of blonde curls, which she swept to the side as she apologized profusely.  “I’m so sorry!  The winter weather is terrible out there.  It took me forever to find parking and I--”

“That’s enough, Ms. Morgan.  Have a seat,” the professor said, sighing.  “I’m sure I’m not the only one here who was hoping that you wouldn’t show!  I was just about to tell the class that we would be relocating to Linden Hall on Wednesday, as our only Magnian student had dropped.”  

“Nope, I’m here!” she said, feigning a smile.  She took a seat at the table, setting her backpack on the ground by her feet.”

“Marvelous,” the professor snidely remarked.  He then turned to the Parvian students and said, “Sorry if this disappoints some of you.  But don’t worry.  I highly doubt that she will endure through the rest of the semester.”

“Excuse me?!  What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, don’t take it personally,” the professor said with a casual wave of his hand.  “It’s just statistical probability.  I’ve never had a Magnian pass one of my classes.  I have no reason to think that you’ll be the first.”

The young woman was unable to respond, her brow furrowed and her mouth slightly ajar.  Without saying anything, she just shook her head, shrugged it off, and continued to get settled for the class.  She took out her notebook and set it before her on the table.  (Half the class could have fit comfortably on it.)  She unzipped her parka and draped it behind her in the chair, revealing a modest turtleneck sweater that hugged her slim frame snuggly.  She was a pretty sight, which was nice as even sitting down, she loomed over the rest of us.  She even smelled nice.  I found myself looking at her a little too long, but quickly snapped myself back to the lecture.

Just as Ms. Morgan finished settling into position, she paused as she remembered something.  Burrowing through her backpack, she retrieved a bag of Harvest Cheddar SunChips.  Despite her efforts to open it quietly, the wrinkling and crackling resounded through the lecture hall.  The smell of powdered cheddar and fried multigrain filled the air.  

Once again, Dr. Jankowski stopped his lecture just as a loud crunch resounded through the air.  “Ms. Morgan.  What on earth do you think you’re doing?”

She stopped and looked at him, the next chip in her hand.  “Umm...eating a snack?  I didn’t have time for lunch.”  She slowly put the chip in her mouth and started munching.

“If you were here for the beginning of class when I was going through the syllabus, you would know that I absolutely prohibit food and drink in my class.  Especially Magnians!  How do you expect me to talk over the sound of your chewing?  It’s deafening!”

“I’m sorry...” she said sheepishly, putting the chips back in her bag, trying to quietly finish chewing the one chip.  It was still a quite audible crunching.  I will admit that for us Parvians, it really would have been distracting.

The professor shook his head and continued, turning his back to us and writing a set of equations on the whiteboard.  It was a “smart board” that took whatever he wrote and digitally mirrored it on the back wall of the lecture hall so that any Magnians students could actually see what he was writing without leaning over us and squinting.  Apparently, the inventors were alumni of the college and had generously donated them to all of the classrooms in Keller Hall.  This was not unusual.  Many graduates went on to be respected and successful innovators in the technology field.  It was why so many people tried to get into this school, but so few succeeded.  To be accepted to such as prestigious and competitive program was a great achievement, and I certainly consider so personally.  To actually endure the four years and graduate, though, was something even fewer people accomplished.

I looked at my watch.  Class was halfway over but it seemed like the professor’s lecture was still beginning.  Time was dragging to a standstill.  If this was any indicator of how the rest of the semester was going to be, I was not enthusiastic.  Everyone else was furiously writing notes, but I wasn’t even sure what I should be writing down.  Already I was feeling behind.  I glanced over at the Magnian girl and she, too, was scribbling away.

Rrrrggggrrrrrrrrgggggg.  A low gurgling rumble filled the air several minutes later.  Being in the back, I was close to the source and could almost feel the vibrations in my seat.

Dr. Jankowski was halfway through writing an equation, but stopped and put his marker down.  All of the students looked up from their notes to see what was stopping him.  Once again, he was interrupted by a loud rumbling peal, which resounded even longer than the first.  All of us stared at our Magnian classmate.  It was obvious that the source was Ms. Morgan, whose face was beet red with embarrassment.  The professor glared at her through squinted eyes.

“I...I told you I was hungry,” she said, clutching her famished stomach.

Dr. Jankowski methodically took off his glasses, folded them, and set them on his lectern.  He composed his words and spoke them clearly: “I hate teaching Magnians.”

The class stirred uncomfortably at this.  Ms. Morgan, upon hearing his words, could hardly believe it--and quite frankly, neither could any of us.  

“W-what?” she asked in a tone that conveyed that she was all the same time confused, upset, and offended.

“I hate teaching Magnians!” he said again for emphasis.  “I thought I was going to have a good semester until you joined the class last week.  I find it impossible to teach in such conditions.  If I had not already achieved tenure when this institution was integrated, I never would have joined the faculty here.  ‘Integration’--bah!  Magnian students are a waste of my time!”

I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing here.  We all had seen and experienced sizism from both ends of the spectrum, but never so blatant, especially from an academic figure.  I was dumbfounded and I know I wasn’t alone.  No one else was saying anything.  They just sat there in uncomfortable silence, fidgeting in their seats.  Still, something within me had to speak up, half certain that I would regret it later.  “Sir, surely you can’t mean what you’re saying…”

“Of course I mean what I’m saying!  Otherwise I would not have said it!  Magnians are a waste of my time.  They are not as intelligent as Parvians.  I don’t mean that on a subjective level.  Every technological innovation of the last century has been accomplished by Parvians.  Those smartphones you all obsessive over?  Invented by Parvians.  The Internet that it connects to?  All thanks to Tim Berners-Lee, a Parvian.  The microchip?  That one goes without saying: thank a Parvian.  The television.  The radio.  The goddamn video game!  All of it comes from Parvians.  It’s how we ever stood a chance against the titanic brutes to begin with.  Our technology has always been superior ever since they were dwelling in caves and we were under rocks.  Meanwhile, for millennia, they have contributed nothing!”  

He turned to Ms. Morgan, whose angry fingers were firmly pressed into the surface of the platform. “You will not pass this class.  Just drop it already.  Don’t waste my time or yours.”

At this, she spoke up.  If I were her, I would have been yelling, but she was still relatively composed, though obviously upset.  (Our Parvian eardrums were glad that she wasn’t shouting.)  “You may be a professor, but you don’t know what you’re talking about.  You don’t know me.  You know nothing about me!  I was valedictorian of my graduating class.  I got a perfect score on my ACTs.  I am here on a full scholarship.  And none of that was easy.  I busted my ‘big dumb Magnian’ ass to get into this program and I am going to bust my ass to get through it, whether you like it or not!”

I wanted to applaud.  The professor appeared unphased.  

“Being valedictorian of a Magnian high school in some rural backwater town doesn’t impress me.  But whatever.  I don’t care what you do.  Attend the class or drop the class.  Legally, I can’t do anything.  I am required by law to treat you just the same as a Parvian, and I will do that.”  Dr. Jankowski put his glasses back on and picked up the marker.  “But, if you do decide on continuing to attend...please be sure to fill that garage of stomach with food before you come!”

~+~+~

After class, I went to the library, since I was already in the integrated part of campus.  It was the building right next to Keller, so I decided to use my legs, taking the skyway.  It was a covered walkway that connected the second floors of each building.  My next class wasn’t for three hours, so I wasn’t in a hurry.  The exercise wouldn’t hurt me, either.

The library was fairly busy during the afternoon, though not as much as it was in the evenings.  The main floor was a commons area with computers, couches, and a cafe area with a Starbucks.  Oh, and there were books, of course, but they were mostly on the other floors.  They were Magnian in size, too, so those floors weren’t even Parvian accessible.  We had our own library in Linden.  The other areas that I mentioned before were all integrated and one of the few places on campus that were specifically designed for Magnian and Parvian students to mingle and interact.  For many students, it was a place to hangout with friends, do homework, meet with study groups, find tutoring, and of course, browse social media.

Walking in, I immediately found a group of my classmates from Dr. Jankowski’s class standing around and talking.  I had an idea what the topic of discussion was just from everyone’s posture and hand gestures.  Getting closer, I entered into the circle and listened in on the conversation.

“What...an...asshole!”

“Yeah, I’m thinking about dropping the class myself.  I’m not going to spend the next few months listening to that man.”

“He’s a really good math teacher, though.  He’s brilliant.  Just a terrible human being.  I think I’m going to stick it out.”

I chimed in with a question.  “Has anyone talked to that girl?  What was her name...Morgan?”

“Oh, you mean, Ashley?” one girl answered.  “Yeah, no.  I thought I saw her headed this way, though, so she might be in here somewhere.  I can’t imagine how she’s feeling right now.  She’s really nice, actually.  We were in a study group last semester.”

Upon hearing this, I looked around to see if I could find her myself.  I didn’t know what I would say to her, but I wanted to let her know that she was supported.  As the circle dispersed as the mutual venting session ended, I went on a search to find Ashley.  I had a hunch that I knew where to find her.  I was correct.  She was in line at the Starbucks cafe.  I made my way to the counter next to her where the Parvian line was formed, next to the Magnian one.  I tried to time my entry in the line to match with her position in her own line.  Soon we were both at the front.

“Hey!” I shouted at her, trying to get her attention.  She looked around.  The Magnian barista pointed down at me.  “Hi!  I’d like to buy for you today.  Get whatever you want.”

“That’s sweet of you,” she said with a polite smile.  “But you don’t have to do that.  Besides, I’m getting more than just a drink.”

I flashed my student ID card.  “I’ve got Campus Cash.  It’s the beginning of the semester and I still have a lot of it.  Let my tuition pay for your meal!”

She laughed.  “Sure.  Thanks.  That means a lot.”

I order a simple latte for myself then had the Parvian cashier pull up her order so that I could pay for both.  Though her order was orders of magnitude greater than mine in size and mass, our shared economies made it so that it mostly evened out in the currency exchange rate.  Otherwise, I would have been out a couple hundred dollars…

“My name’s Tim,” I said as we stood waiting for our food and caffeination.

“Ashley,” she said with a quick smile and a wave.

“You probably didn’t notice, but we’re in the same math class.”

Her countenance fell as I mentioned it.  “Ugh, I’m sorry…”

“Don’t apologize!  Jankowski’s an ass.”

“No, I’m sorry that you’re in that class, too.”

“Oh.  Yeah.  That class totally sucks and it’s only been the first day.  It’s going to be a long semester.”

“Tim!” called the barista.  “Your order is ready.  Would you like a tray?”

“Sure.”

“Here, I’ll carry it,” Ashley said, stating the obvious, as there was no way I could carry her gargantuan croissant sandwich and her caramel macchiato, which was one hundred times the size of my little latte.  I even got a venti size!  I did the math in my head.  If mine was 20 ounces, hers would have been 2000 ounces, or over 15 gallons!  “Why don’t you hop on board?”

I complied, picking up my drink from the floor of the platform-like tray.  I stood on the side opposite her drink, as the last thing I wanted was to be doused in Starbucks if some of it accidentally spilled on the way to a table.  Fortunately, she had a steady hand and we didn’t have to go very far before finding a place to sit down.  We found a relatively quiet booth in the corner of the cafe.

After being set down on the table, I quickly made my way up a spiral staircase leading to an upper deck with Parvian sized furnishings.  This was more conducive to good conversation as we were elevated closer to the Magnians’ faces and further from their plates of food.  I pulled a chair away from a table and sat down near the railing so I could talk with my classmate.

“You know, I don't think I ever went to Starbucks before going to college, but now I'm a daily regular.”

“I know, right?!” she said, warming her hands around her drink between sips. “I usually just get black coffee. But today I needed something extra….”

“You drink yours black?  Really?”

“I like my coffee like I like my Death Stars: gigantic, on the dark side, and powerful enough to destroy planets.”

I had seen that on the Internet before, but I still laughed at the reference.  “Well, you've definitely got the ‘gigantic’ part down!”

In response she giddily took a long sip of her macchiato, savored it in her mouth, then gulped it down with a satisfied mmmm.  

“So…” I said, changing the subject. “How are you not super pissed off right now? I mean, honestly, if I were you, I'd still be fuming mad after what Dr. Jank did earlier.”

“Would it help?” she asked. “Don't get me wrong: I'm upset. But it's not surprising.”

“How so?”

“I'm a female engineering major. Even if I wasn't at an integrated school, I'd been in the minority. But here, I've especially got the cards stacked against me. I'm going to have to work harder than everyone else. But I'm going to do it. Getting angry and complaining about it will only slow me down and distract me.”

“That makes sense.  I admire that.”

“Thanks. But I'm not trying to impress anyone. I'm just trying to survive.”

“Aren't we all?” I mused. “But you’re not alone. That's why I came up to you and what I wanted to tell you. You may feel like the odds are against you, but you're not alone. You've got support. Most of the Parvian students hated what happened to you this morning. We've all experienced sizism.  It's never right, no matter which direction it goes.”

“I...really appreciate that.  To be honest, I was wondering a little what the others students were thinking.  I know that you had to move to Keller because of me and that was an inconvenience.  Then I caused a disruption on my first day.”

“Uhh, do you think you’re the only one who rushed to class without eating lunch?  I heard a couple other stomachs rumbling.  Yours just happened to be the loudest.”

Rrrrggggrrrrrrrrgggggg.  Ashley’s stomach responded as if on cue.  Once again, I saw her face turn a shade of red.

“Ok, I’m sorry.  I swear I’ve been been listening, but I’ve also been staring at this sandwich this whole time and I’m going to have to eat it immediately,” she said, hastily grabbing the turkey and cheese croissant from the tray.  A small flurry of flakes fell from the croissant and onto her plate as her hands lifted it up toward her mouth.  Another shower of crumbs fell from her mouth as she made a sizeable bite into her lunch.

“Oh, go ahead!” I said with a laugh, “Please, I know you’re starving.”

Ashley said nothing until after she had taken a few more bites.  Before long, half of the sandwich had been consumed.  Meanwhile, I sat drinking my latte and checked a few notifications on my phone, trying not to stare at her as she ate.  Watching Magnians eat was always an impressive sight.  Even a young college girl like her could wolf down a semi-truck sized sandwich as if it were nothing.  

“So I was thinking,” I said, “this class is going to be super tough.  And like I said, we’re not alone.  I don’t know about you, but I could use a study buddy.  What do you think?”

Ashley paused, wiping her mouth with a napkin and swallowing her last bite.  She then nodded.  “Yeah.  That’s a really good idea.  Did you look at the syllabus yet?  Our first exam is in three weeks!  And we’ve got four of them this semester!  Each exam is worth 15% of our grade.”

“You’re kidding me,” I said in shock.  “I hate exams.  I hate, hate, hate them!”

“You’re not alone,” she replied with a wink.  “Want to meet up this weekend?  We can review each other’s notes from the week.”

“Let’s do it.”

Ashley and I exchanged each other’s phone numbers and planned our first study session for Saturday.  I knew this was going to be a tough semester, but I was glad to have a new friend with whom I could at least commiserate.  I liked her.  Our conversation flowed naturally.  This early on, I wasn’t anticipating being anything other than platonic study partners, but I could see the possibility of a good friendship forming between us.  Perhaps we could be even more than that?  I didn’t know.  I wasn’t even going to let my mind wander there at this point.  But just from our first conversation with together, I was feeling more confident about life.  It would be a tough semester, yeah...but I had a good feeling that it was going to be a good semester.