Nathan

It's Monday already. I took a shower and put on my clothes quickly, I put the papers in my backpack and basically ran out of the dorm, I had called my supervisor telling him I have chosen my subject, he told me to write a review about it and bring it to him as soon as possible.

So here I was in my supervisor's office, he was reading the papers with his right brow raised, wearing a blank expression on his face, I swallowed the lump in my throat, and waited patiently for him to finish it. I didn't like to drag things very long but I also didn't want to leave a reader confused and without any understanding about what I've written.

So I had written two thousand words. My supervisor, Dr. William Harper, looked up from the papers after he finished reading and sighed.

He stared at me for a while and removed his glasses, holding them in his hands.

Doctor Harper was one of my favorite professors at the University of Florida, he was one of the best, not just because he was smart, he was so opposite of the dentist who extracted my tooth without anesthesia when I was a child. Dr. Harper is like another fatherly image for me.

So his opinion on the subject I've chosen and his decisions and thoughts about me really matters to me.

"This is great, Nathaniel!" Dr. Harper said, I smiled to myself and sighed from relief.

"Thank you!" I said, smiling warmly at my role model, Dr. Harper smiled back at me and put the papers on top of the many other papers on his desk.

"I like to keep those papers, don't forget to update me on your progress weakly, and you know where to find me if you need anything." He said. Putting his glasses in his pockets, he opened one of the drawers of his large desk, and pulled out something I didn't quite see.

He then walked towards me and handed me a key, I stared at the key for a while, before reaching out to it and taking it from his hands.

"What's ... this?" I asked, looking at the small key in my hands.

"It's the laboratory's key, make sure you use the lab and the materials well, while I'm away." Dr. Harper answered, amused my shocked reaction.

"B-but, this is..." I stuttered, not believing what I just heard, I didn't know what shocked me more, him going somewhere? (Because I freaking needed him at this point of my research, especially when my subject was very hard), or him giving me his key to the university's lab?

"You deserve more than this, I wish I could stay and help you out in other ways, but I have other businesses to attend to, I'm sorry." He said.

"I understand," I replied, nodding "This is more than enough, thank you very much!"

"You're welcome, son. You know you're my favorite student. Not because you're smart, but because you're a human, unlike others." He smiled and patted me on my shoulder, I grinned and put the key in my backpack, in a very secure place.

"Just make sure you lock the door, we don't want you to get into trouble." He said, I nodded my head and assured him I'll take care of the lab.

I grabbed my backpack and opened the door of Dr. Harper's office, when he suddenly called my name.

"And Nathaniel?"

I turned around holding the door's handle " Yes?"

"Good luck…" He said. I smiled and went out of his office, sighing in relief.

This will be good, I will make a great graduation research. With these thoughts on my mind, I went to the first class of that day, and was even more motivated than before.

Today is my lucky day, I thought.

And it was, I used the lab after Dr. Harper flied to Los Angeles, for whatever business he had, and I was taking very good care of it. I locked it whenever I finished my job. And took good care of the instruments and materials in it.

I broke two test tubes actually, but I bought new ones and put them back in their place, I had to be more careful from then on. It wasn't my fault actually, the heat broke the cold test tubes into pieces, but since I had promised I'll use the lab with care, it was only appropriate to buy them myself.

I was doing good with the research too. I had sent the finished parts and my lab results to Dr. Harper via email. And he was very happy with it. Which was very good news for me.

Two weeks had passed, when suddenly everything I had worked for those past days all crumbled down.

I was in the library, books spread out in front of me, busy with my research, the midterm exams were near too, so I was trying my best to be the top student this year too. Christmas was near, and I was actually planning to go home, but I reminded myself that I need to spend most of my time studying and doing research.

I told my parents about my condition; of staying home, studying, and only getting out on the New Year's Eve.

They agreed immediately and told me; it won't matter as long as they have me for this Christmas.

That's why I was working this hard, I was sure Rachel would not let me have a rest from her nonstop talking, I smiled to myself at the thought of my sister.

I missed her very much.

"Nathan?" I heard Dave whisper.

I looked up from my laptop to find Dave sitting beside me and staring at the laptop screen, he was having an apple in his hand, taking bites of it now and then.

"What?" I asked, feeling annoyed. He was almost finished with his research.

"Mrs. Hall was looking for you, she said it's urgent." Dave muttered, I furrowed my brows in confusion, and wondering what could she want from me. Mrs. Hall was our Dean's secretary, so this meant the Dean wants to speak with me.

This can't be good.

"Did she say what it is for?" I whisper-asked, Dave shrugged and leaned forward to read the last paragraph of what I've typed.

"What the hell are you looking at? Go do your own research!" I complained, making him grin at me innocently. I threw my pillow at him and got up to go to Mrs. Hall's office.

"I'll be right back." I said and left him with my laptop.

"Alright…" He muttered and sat down in my previous seat to read my incomplete research.

I smile at his craziness and stubbornness, then walk to Mrs. Hall's office. A thousand negative things going through my mind.

I knocked on the door and got in, Mrs. Hall was on the phone with someone she motioned for me to sit down, so I did. I waited for a while until she finished her phone call, and hung up.

"So.. Nathaniel Evans…" She muttered and stared at me, she is a woman in her thirties. I think I was the only guy who hasn't had a crush on her in University, my friends all thought she's gorgeous, but my thoughts were otherwise, well... my thoughts were the anatomy and dental anatomy subjects were more gorgeous than her.

"Yes, Mrs. Hall." I said unsure if she asked for my name or just called me, She stared at me with a look I didn’t recognize and sighed.

"The Dean wants to see you, he currently has a visitor, you can go in after he gets out, just be warned he's not in his best mood." she said and bit her lower lip.

Why do I have a bad feeling about all this?

"What's...the matter?" I asked. Mrs. Hall stared at me blankly, giving me that look which said: ‘Are you kidding me?’

She seemed unsure of what to say for a while, or maybe deciding whether to tell me or not. She finally opened her mouth and spoke.

"Why did you do it?" She asked, I raised my brow and stared at her in confusion, not getting whatever she was saying, she looked at me with a look of total disappointment and shook her head.

"I... do what?" I asked stupidly, because honestly I was unaware of whatever she was talking about, what could she possibly mean by that?

"We all expected more from you, you have no idea how much he's disappointed in you." She pointed at the door of the Dean's office with her pen, and sighed.

I shook my head furiously and breathed in, not being able to understand what's going on, whatever Mrs. Hall had in mind was not making any sense to me, what could I have done for all the people to be disappointed at me?

"I... I'm sorry Mrs. Hall, but I honestly have no idea what you mean, what have I done?" I asked her, Mrs. Hall sighed once more and stared at me from top to toe, as if saying; poor guy, look what you have done to yourself. Which made me gulp.

"Do I really have to say it for you to understand?" Mrs. Hall muttered under her breathe.

"What have I done?" I muttered and ran my hand through my hair, I could feel my throat going dry as I waited impatiently for Mrs. Hall to tell me what's wrong. I hadn't done anything bad as far as I could remember, I hadn’t even had a single fight all these years at university and I never broke rules, all my friends and professors know this.

But… what is this now?

Mrs. Hall stared at me for a few more seconds, and put her pen in her mouth, she seemed to be in deep thought for a while, then she cleared her throat and leaned a little closer to me.

"Why did you steal the filling materials?"