Even Top Students Fail

A Chill in the Air

William remained in his chuunibyou phase. Lilith had tempered his mood somewhat, but only towards her. He had little patience for others.

Twenty years from now, he might sympathize with a beautiful woman crying before him. But at eighteen, just past the "I like you so I'll tease you" stage, chivalry was out of the question.

His mind focused on two things: studying and Lilith. Both gave him headaches, killing brain cells daily. Now Angela was causing trouble too. William was about to snap.

So despite Angela's tears, William left without a backward glance. The women in his life rarely cried. Whether ladies or relatives, even Lilith always smiled sweetly. Tears only annoyed William more.

Seeing William walk away, Angela stood stunned, tears falling freely. Eventually, she wiped her eyes and returned to class. She wouldn't give up easily. So what if William liked Lilith? They were apart now; he'd forget her soon. Even if Lilith were here, Angela wasn't intimidated. She didn't consider Lilith real competition.

Lilith had no idea Angela was studying too. College life was rich and varied. MIT lived up to its top-tier reputation, with far better faculty than her previous university. There were even famous professors she'd only seen on TV before. Lilith was in her element. Besides regular classes, she joined club activities. Every corner of campus held something fascinating. She cherished this second chance, determined to enjoy every moment fully.

Time flew when you're having fun. In a blink, over half the semester had passed. The initial awkwardness between the four roommates had faded into harmony. Even the aloof Emma got along well with everyone. Though reserved, Emma would help if asked. They'd discovered Emma actually became chatty with people she knew well, only maintaining her ice queen persona around strangers.

Christmas approached, and a festive atmosphere permeated campus. Even the women's dorm saw heartfelt confessions. Though candles were passé, many guys still tried to win girls' hearts with romantic holiday gestures.

Cambridge winters were cold. Perhaps to enhance the holiday spirit, there had been a moderate snowfall recently. This made Lilith reluctant to go out. The study rooms and library had heating, but nothing compared to the dorm. Their room was usually quiet. Amy was always busy with her boyfriend, while Alice was occupied with class affairs until nightfall. Emma stayed in the dorm but kept to herself in her little space. Lilith could have done jumping jacks and no one would have minded.

She'd tried chatting with Emma, but Emma would monologue about topics she liked and barely respond to ones she didn't. After a few attempts, Lilith gave up and entertained herself.

The two sat quietly in the room when Amy returned, bringing a gust of cold air. Seeing them both there, she laughed, "You two will grow moss if you don't go out."

"Oh Amy, you're back. I should have asked you to bring food," Lilith said regretfully. It was too cold outside; she didn't want to freeze just for a meal. Other than classes, she rarely went out. When she did venture out, she'd stock up on supplies. Lilith had it all planned out - she'd fill the room with food during the three-day New Year's break so she wouldn't have to leave.

Hearing this, Emma gave her a wry look. "Bring food? You've been eating all afternoon, haven't you?" Lilith had indeed been snacking non-stop.

Amy seemed to be in a good mood. Hearing their exchange, she said, "You two haven't eaten? The boss should be back soon. Give her a call."

Call Alice? No thanks. Last time Lilith asked Alice to bring food back, she waited until 8 PM and nearly starved. So Lilith waved it off, saying, "Never mind, I'm not that hungry. But Amy, why are you back so early today?"

Since military training ended, Amy and Alice had rarely spent time in the dorm. Amy was especially busy lately, helping prepare for their department's New Year's party while dating. She usually didn't return until lights out.

"Don't ask. That jerk Ian kept arguing with me. I got tired of fighting and came back to the dorm," Amy said. Ian was Amy's second boyfriend since starting college. Her high school sweetheart from the beginning of freshman year was long gone.

This brings us to Amy's views on dating. Beautiful and popular, Amy had many suitors and changed boyfriends frequently. She enjoyed the hazy beauty of new love, but once the honeymoon phase ended and reality set in, she'd break up decisively. When she split with her high school boyfriend, she was ruthlessly firm, unmoved by his attempts to reconcile.

She'd been with Ian for two or three months now. Seeing how unbothered Amy was by their fight, Lilith felt like lighting a candle for the poor guy.

"Oh right, Lilith, Emma - Ian's dorm wants to have a mixer with us this weekend. Are you free?" The four girls in their room were all attractive, especially with the stunning Amy. Many boys' dorms wanted to socialize with them. But Lilith and Emma were total homebodies, and Alice was a workaholic, so Amy was their only hope. Amy had high standards though, and despite many requests, she'd never agreed before.

Even Ian had asked her several times. If Amy wasn't trying to cheer him up, and if the four guys in his dorm weren't such good catches, she wouldn't have suggested it.

"Whatever, I don't mind," Emma said. Though aloof, she never missed dorm group activities.

"I'd rather not. It's too cold to go out. Plus, the boss might not have time," Lilith demurred. She didn't want to go - eating with strangers seemed awkward and pointless.

"Lilith honey, Ian's mad at me. Whether I can cheer him up depends on you. You don't want me to break up, do you?" Amy pleaded. "Besides, what's the point of staying cooped up in the dorm? You're always in the library or study room, and when you're not, you're just here. It's such a waste of your youth. Don't worry about the boss, I'll handle her."

Actually, Ian's dorm wanted to meet up purely because someone had his eye on Lilith. Without her, what was the point?

At the start of the semester, people thought Lilith was pretty but not exceptionally so. After military training tanned her skin, she looked even more ordinary. But after three or four months, her complexion cleared up and she suddenly caught everyone's attention. Though the economics department had more men than women, quite a few guys were secretly interested in her.

Ian's roommate had seen her by chance and was smitten. That's why he begged Ian to set this up. But Lilith's roommates all knew she was taken. Amy wasn't trying to set her up, just make some friends. Of course, she'd be happy if Ian's roommate managed to win Lilith over.

Seeing Amy's determined look, Lilith felt a headache coming on. When senior Audrey had treated her to a few meals, William had gone from weekly check-ins to daily interrogations. She'd suffered greatly. Things had only recently calmed down because she'd been on good behavior. If he found out about this, she'd be in trouble again.

Lilith's obedience wasn't out of fear of William. She just wanted him to focus on studying for college entrance exams. Whether she was his girlfriend or not, she always wanted the best for him.

"What, afraid your William will get angry? He's not even your boyfriend, why are you so scared of him?" Amy teased. As roommates, of course she knew about William. She'd even spoken to him before.

"No way, you're talking nonsense. Fine, I'll go for the sake of your relationship, but only if the boss goes too." Of her three roommates, Lilith got along best with Alice, even better than with Emma or Amy. Of course, Alice was usually very busy, so Lilith hoped she wouldn't have time.

Unfortunately, Alice was also spontaneous. Hearing Amy's pitch, she readily agreed, not wanting to miss out on a good time.

With everyone in their room on board, the mixer was quickly scheduled. They set it for Christmas Eve. Usually a romantic night for couples, both Ian and Amy were making quite a sacrifice by choosing this date. From another perspective, someone had really gone all out for this mixer.