The Darings

“Can anyone tell me,” Professor Anders said, pacing in front of the auditorium that he used for his Ancient Greek History class, “What hamartia is and what it’s function was, in the ancient Greek world? Anyone? No one at all? Miss Wattz, what about you?” Finn’s green eyes flicked upward from the doodling she was doing on the side of her paper. “Or is your doodling distracting you from my class?”

“Hamartia” she articulated very carefully and with pointed attitude. The girls on each side of her tensed, straightening noticeably as she spoke, smirks covering their faces as she narrowed her green eyes in annoyance. “is a hero’s tragic flaw, and is roughly translated into ‘sin’ in the Greek language. Hamartia was used to describe all heroes downfalls in Greek tragedies, because most heroes had great deeds but had tragic endings.

“Thank you-“

But Finn continued, unbreaking in her steely eyed stare towards the teacher who had spoken to her as if she were an incompetent student, “The biggest example of hamartia is Oedipus from the play, Oedipus the King written by Sophocles. Oedipus’ tragic flaw was maintained within is ignorance of his true parentage, which was the root of his undoing and the main source of irony in the play.”

When Finn stopped speaking, a few snickers peppered the room before someone in the back- probably one of the boys who was always being chided by Professor Anders- began clapping, many others in the class joining him in order to embarrass their often pretentious teacher.

Neither a smirk nor a smile graced Finn’s features. She tapped her pen at a steady beat against the notepad in front of her, green eyes yet to remove themselves from staring at the man who had just annoyed her. She did not enjoy embarrassing him, but if it was one thing that got her proper pissed, it was people mistaking her silence for ignorance.

A woman of few words. That was one way to describe Finn. She had always been the kind of girl to only say something when something needed to be said, and she enjoyed that she did not fill time with pointless commentary.

But everything came with a price.

With silence and watchful eyes, people sometimes made the mistake of thinking that Finn was stupid. But she was anything but stupid. In fact, she thought herself quite educated and well learned. So when people like her professor made digs at her, she could not hold the rage that often slipped through to her words.

“Was that sufficient for you, Professor Anders?”

People were still snickering as the professor glared at her. It was clear that he was not enjoying being spoken to in the manner that Finn was using. Who would? Finn certainly did not when he had used that tone on her. “Yes, Miss Wattz. In fact, that was so elaborate that I wish all my students had that answer. Therefore, next Thursday in class, I want an essay on my desk about hamartia, it’s function and examples other than Miss Wattz’s. Two thousand words, single spaced.” An audible groan went through the class, but no one dared throw a glare at Finnley Wattz. “Class is dismissed.”

Though it was thirty minutes before the regular class time got out, no one argued, all throwing nasty glares at the professor. It was not the first time he had punished a rude comment in class with an essay or another length assignment. Finn was hardly worried about it.

Greek history was something she was truly interested in, especially the mythological aspects of it. She wasn’t sure what it was about the legends and the heroics, but she found it beautiful and tragic all at the same time. But if she had known what an absolute git the professor was, she would have never taken the class.

Slipping in her iPod as she walked across campus, making her way towards Starbucks, the sound of Hey by Red Hot Chili Peppers filled her ear, washing away the bitter taste that the professor had left with her. Pretentious asshole. The world was abhorrently filled with them.

In line, she patiently waited, taking only a single ear bud out when she opened her mouth to order. But the boy taking the order cut her off with a nervous smile, “Venti, iced caramel macchiato. You get it every day.”

She cocked her head to the side. “I do.”

He shrugged and told her the price. She handed him the money as he opened the register. “Have you ever had anything else on the menu?”

She took the change. “Yes.”

Without elaborating, she moved to the counter and waiting, popping the other ear bud back in without comment again. She enjoyed that he took notice in what she ordered every day. But she did not want to invite him into an entire conversation about it, when she knew she couldn’t uphold it with interest. So instead, she let him think that she was a bitch.

It was easier to let people think you’re a bitch than let them feel bad about themselves if they couldn’t maintain your attention. Finn Wattz’s biggest secret was that she hated when people felt bad about themselves, especially if it was because of her. So instead, she let them think that she was just rude.

Taking her drink, she exited the coffee shop, but not without noticing that the boy threw her a wave, undeterred. She just barely glanced at him before pulling glasses down on her face, walking back into the school yard, drinking the coffee and hoping that it would give her the energy not to fall asleep when she went home.

As she walked onto the floor of the dorm, she saw that there were her usual group of girls in the hall. They were all dressed for the pool, and upon seeing her waved her over excitedly.

Removing her headphones so she could hear them, she just caught Tera saying, “We’ve been waiting for you! Everyone is going to the pool and we didn’t want to leave without you!”

More like didn’t want to risk it. Finn glanced above them to see Ash just walking into her room, casting a single glance at the group of girls, but not directly at Finn. Even in the split second that Ash was looking at them, Finn could see longing. “I’m not going.”

“What?” Tera asked, sounded astounded. The rest of the girls mimicked the sound, as Finn pushed through them. They parted like the red sea. “Why not?”

“Because Ash is coming across the way for lunch today, aren’t you, Ashley?”

Finn turned to see Ash look up, eyes going wide like a deer in headlights. Finn’s lips twitched in a bit of a smirk, as every single one of the girls behind her looked at Ash with a new sense of wonder. They always saw Ash, Finn knew. But they never really saw her.”

“Um- yes,” Ash answered, nodding her head. Her hand was still on her door knob, glancing at the girls standing behind Finn. She had no idea what Finn was talking about, but she was good at picking it up and running with it. Finn was grateful- not for the first time- that Ash was smart. “I was just putting my things in my room and then you were making us…”

“Sandwiches,” Finn supplied, turning around to face the girls, who look extremely put out. First she had gone to the Shots Around The World party without them, and now she was inviting someone to have lunch in her room. No one got invited to lunch in Finn’s room. Except Niall. “So we can gossip and catch up. Have fun with the typical pool scene.”

Everyone was hushed behind her as they watched Finn unlock her door, holding it open and nodding towards the inside of her room for Ash to walk into. The girl did, ducking her head quickly into the room. Finn shut the door behind them, flicking on the light.

The rooms that were given in the dorms were very small. They always had been, especially because it was an old university. Luckily, the particular dorms that Ash and Finn lived in, were the newer ones, and the offered a tiny kitchen big enough for a fridge, stove, sink and cupboard that was opened with the bedroom, an area for a desk against a window and a closet. Bathroom were community between four rooms each, which they did not share.

“Feel free to sit on the bed,” Finn said to Ash, who was looking around at the small place. The light coming through the window was very bright, but she noticed that when Finn turned on the lights, the lights were Christmas lights clustered over the bed and the desk. “Not like there is a couch or anything in these bloody dorms.”

“Yeah,” Ash said absently, sitting delicately on the edge of Finn’s white sheets. The entire apartment was done in teal and white. “This is pretty.”

Finn shrugged a shoulder. The apartment was decorate with Polaroid pictures, hand drawn pieces by Finn’s brothers, vinyl’s and books stacked neatly in any corner that was available. “It’s home, I guess. For now. I don’t know, I want to get a flat next year, I think.” Finn pulled out contents for lunch. “What about you? Do you fancy yourself living in these halls again?”

“I don’t know,” Ash admitted, and though Finn’s back was to her, she could imagine the girl shrugging, still looking at the things that were on the walls. People always had their attention caught by wall decorations. “Beside the noise, it’s not really all that terrible, don’t you think?”

“And the girls that line the halls with catty comments and their prying eyes.” Ash did not reply. “They are not mean to you, are they?”

“Tera? And those girls? No, not at all. Should they be?”

Finn shook her head. “I just wanted to ask. Those girls can be very bitchy. I should know, I’m one of them.”

“I don’t think you’re a bitch.”

Finn paused, looking up at the cabinets. “You weren’t at Starbucks today.”

“Pardon?”

Finn was silent, pursing her lips slightly before she shook her head. “Would you like something to drink? Water? Tea?”

“Tea is fine.”

Finn nodded. For a moment there, she had almost told Ash about the boy at Starbucks, and how rude she had been to him. But then Finn thought better of it, shaking her mane of red hair as if to expel the thoughts. Silly thoughts.

“So, I sat with Niall and Harry in class today,” Ash continued, her voice striking a note of excitement. Finn raised her brows as she handed Ash her glass of cold tea. When Finn said nothing, Ash continued, “We came up with this idea, of a point system…”

That made Finn pause, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms. Her sea-green eyes fixed on Ash, who raised the glass to her lips, watching Finn with excitement and apprehension over the lip of the glass. Finn’s lip twitched into that coy smile of her. “Do tell, Ashley.”