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Frink looked at all the notebooks he had set out before him. What happened this year? He was actually getting behind. There was a possibility of getting A minuses as opposed to his usual A pluses. Like all students, finals had come way too soon for him. He was loaded down to the breaking point with classes. As much as he hated it, he'd have to cut time down with Caroline if he wanted to keep up his grades. Finals were in three weeks and this kind of cramming was ridiculous. Like wise Caroline and Owen were experiencing similar stress. Owen realized he needed to ease off on his pursuit of the woman he loved and concentrate on his studies. He accepted his defeat this semester, and locked himself in his room with his books. He was still the best and he would not let his grades slump. Caroline ran her fingers through her hair. This was just too much. How would she remember all this stuff?? She needed more time. Studying would have to become her entire world for the next three weeks. She met with John one last time that semester. Both were silent a while and just walked together without saying a word. It was as if they both knew.
"So, can you believe finals are approaching?" asked Caroline.
"No, it happened so fast. This year breezed by faster than the last. Zoi!"
"Yeah."
"Um, Caroline? Listen I've been thinking. I have a lot of really hard classes this time around."
"I do too. It's not going to be easy."
"No it won't. He stopped and lifted her chin gently. "I've had lots of fun with you, but I think if we both want to do well on our exams we…"
"…need to take time to study. I know. I was going to say the same thing." She said finishing his sentence for him.
"Yeah. Oh I'm so glad you understand."
"Of course I understand. You know me better than that." She said punching him softly in the arm.
"Great. We both really need to study. Well in that case, it's good-bye for now. I shall see you next semester, Caroline."
"Absolutely." She said smiling at him. The two parted ways ready to show the school what they were made of.

The three put hours into their work, and spent many a sleepless and caffeinated night memorizing scores of formulas and definitions. They took top scores in their separate classes. Courses they shared they were in direct competition with each other. Electronics and Magnetism was the only class the three shared with Frink taking the highest score while Caroline and Owen tied with a 99.8%. After that Frink had three more exams. Three more and it was over. He finally wrote down the last answer on his last exam. He walked down the corridor and handed in his test to his professor. Once outside he looked back on the area of campus he'd spent so much time on. Two weeks of winter break. It was wonderful and he needed the vacation. Frink got home and plopped down on a big easy chair. It felt good to relax and not think so much. He'd registered ahead of time for the coming year and did not have to worry about fighting over classes with other students. The room was dark and silent as he sat there resting. A few minutes later he stirred. Something wasn't right. He stood and went to his window. His thoughts turned to Caroline and how nice it had been to…
"Oh Dear!" He said as his eyes went wide. What an idiot he had been. He'd been concentrating so much on finals that he completely forgot to get her phone number. He had no way to contact her. He didn't know where she lived since they only met on campus. No, how could this have happened???
"Ok Frink, don't panic." He said to himself. "If I can't get a hold of her now, surely I'll see her in a few weeks. We've got to have SOME classes together. I hope." He said unsure. That turned out to be the roughest winter break he'd ever had.

At last a fresh new year came. Frink found himself running back to campus. He had missed school so much, and he had missed Caroline more. But first he had to get classes and schedules squared away during the hectic first week of drops and adds. He couldn't be late, or he'd be dropped from the class on the first day. Not all classes started on Mondays so he had to be on time to all of that week. Once again he'd loaded himself down with as many as he could. At this rate he'd be in grad school by the next year hopefully doing research at last. Each class he went to he scanned all the students hoping Caroline would be there. No such luck. As the end of the week drew to a close things were looking really bad. No Caroline in sight and he had two courses with Owen. It was as if fate was always against him. One physics course and one chemistry lab he would have to endure with his rival. When Friday finally rolled around he knew he would not share his classes with her. Frink hung his head low saddened. More new feelings came over him, those of loss and loneliness. He hoped he'd run into her somewhere on campus. He hoped.

She sat at her desk in her room and looked around. How could she have been so foolish as to not have gotten his number? Caroline sighed. She missed Frink. From her ceiling hung her little brown ornithopter. She took it off its hooks and held it gently in her hands, remembering the first time she played with it, and how happy she was when Frink had given it to her. She touched the point of its beak with the tip of her finger and looked it over, following the contour lines. If they weren't together in school why couldn't they be together out of it? Between classes she'd go out to their favorite spot by the stream. She'd play with her mechanical bird and wait under the tree watching the ducks, but he never came. Day after day, she sat on the bank waiting, the warm grass under her. Nothing. Everyday she hoped he would come. What the two didn't know was that they had perfectly opposing schedules. He'd gotten mostly Monday Wednesday and Friday classes. She'd picked out Tuesday and Thursday. The days they were on campus together, he was in class while she was not and then she'd go into hers when he was coming out of his. It truly was as though a greater force wanted to keep them apart. At least that annoying Owen wasn't in any of her classes and she was very grateful about that. All they could do was concentrate on their work, but not a moment went by when they didn't think of each other.

Focus on his work is what Frink would do. He missed Caroline deeply, but at least he still had his studies and that had always been his escape. He made his way up the stairs to the chemistry lab. He'd worked out the equations the night before, had memorized the procedure and was ready to begin his experiment as soon as he got his equipment form the supply window. The tray they gave him was filled with all sorts of glassware, tubes, pipes and powdered substance to be measured out and used this period. Owen walked into the room sending a look of disgust Frink's way as he watched him rig together his glass and tube set up. He picked up his own tray of supplies and went to work on the opposite end of the lab, but always keeping an eye on Frink, who paid him no mind. Frink was too busy putting the finishing touches on his rigging. He opened his notebook and looked at his calculations. He had all the measurements worked out from the night before. He wouldn't need the two hours allotted for him to finish the experiment. He poured a grey powder into a graduated cylinder and mixed it into a beaker with some blue stuff he'd measured out a few moments ago. He continued to do this for the different sets of containers he had out. Frink reached into his tray for a large graduated cylinder to measure out a good amount of liquid and found that the supplier had forgotten to give him one.
"Silly person, I'll just have to get one from the stock room now." He said to himself. Owen watched him leave and his left eyebrow went up. He then looked over at the teaching assistant who was at his desk reading a book, most likely cramming for his own classes. "Pathetic." Thought Owen. Since the class was so long, the students were free to take a five-minute break whenever they felt like. Owen picked up his pen and notebook and started for the door. He went past Frink's station and paused to look over what he had written. A quick glance around the room, and he saw that the TA still had his nose in his book and Frink was nowhere in site. He pulled out a pencil and erased where Frink had written squared and made it cubed. He then informed the TA he would take his break and return in five minutes. Once outside the door, Owen loosened his tie and walked across the grass to the next building. He didn't plan to return in five minutes. In fact he didn't plan to return at all.

Soon Frink returned to his station and looked to see how much liquid he had to measure out. He scrutinized his notes adjusting the glasses on his face.
"This is odd. It seems like an extraordinary amount to pour out, still if that's what it says then so be it." He measured it out to the 3rd power instead of the 2nd. He mixed everything together and set it over the Bunsen burner. A purple substance began to bubble up rapidly…too rapidly in fact. Frink reached to turn down the flame, but before he reached the lever the container erupted violently sending shards of glass flying in all directions and shattering windows everywhere. He ducked behind the counter as kids yelled and were hit by scalding purple gobs. Glass shards rained down all around. The TA jumped out with a fire extinguisher and sprayed it all over the counter that had now caught fire. Nasty vapors lifted from the goop that continued to grow from the heat of the fire that had just been.
"Frink, you idiot! What did you do?" yelled the TA.
"I didn't do anything. I was just measuring out to the cubed….oh…"
"We'll talk later, EVERYONE OUT!!" he yelled as the building was evacuated.

Across the way on the second floor of the neighboring build Owen watched as the windows blew out. He was bent over the railing laughing so hard that his sides hurt. He had the best seat in the house to witness that little disaster.
"No, on second thought, Frink had the best seat in the house." He said to himself still laughing hysterically. "Oh man, I wish I could have seen the look on his face. I wonder if he got hurt?" He continued to laugh. At least he wouldn't have to turn in this lab. No one would and it would be scrapped because of student error. Frink sighed. It never got any easier, but here was another mistake that could be added to his stupidity list.

The next day Caroline heard about the explosion in the chemistry building. She lit up with excitement. She knew that HAD to have been Frink's doing. But when it occurred she had class with Dr. Oppenmeyer. He was one of the most dreaded professors at the university. He went out of his way to make his classes difficult for the students. He would berate them, single out mistakes, and point out people that came in tardy, even in large classes of 250 people. So far Caroline was doing all right, and he seemed to like her. She was lucky, but she knew that it would all be blown if she were late or absent. There was no way she could take time off of class to go see who attended that lab. Perhaps it was meant to be that she'd never see him again. She missed him.

The year had been a rough one on Frink, he spent most of it trying to stay out of Owen's way, but the good thing was he was now preparing to enter into graduate school. He could finally start his research! He would look into chemistry for the first part then engineering. This way he would be well rounded in all the hard sciences. Frink too had taken a course with Dr. Oppenmeyer and it was hardly smooth sailing. Dr. Oppenmeyer was the only one that did graduate research in chemistry at the time and he would have to mentor under him. Frink took a deep breath and knocked on Dr. Oppenmeyer's door.
"Yes what do you want?" Came a creaky voice.
"Greetings, Sir. I'm John Frink. I was in one of your chem. classes a few semesters back and I've just been accepted into grad school, bwuh hey. I'd like to continue studying chemistry and was wondering…"
"If you could join my department. I know. What makes you think you're good enough to be chemist?" Asked the Doctor.
"Uh, well, I did very well in your class, and I've had quite a bit of experience with…"
"John Frink did you say?"
"Uh…yes, Sir."
"Aren't you the one that blew up the lab?"
"Um, no." he said blushing. The doctor looked through his records and found Frink's name.
"Ah here you are. Well well, you did do well in my class. That's odd. I remember you now. You're that kid with the funny voice." Frink frowned when he heard that but said nothing and watched as Oppenmeyer continued to look at his record. "Hum, spotless record. Always top of your class, eh Frinky?"
"I try, Sir."
"And since I'm the only one in the Chemistry Department you have no choice but to come to me?"
"Well I suppose."
"And you really want your degree?"
"Of course I do, Sir."
"And you'd do anything for it?"
"Yes, but…"
"Good! Alright then Frink. I'll take you under my wing as my student. Give me your idea for your project, then meet me in the lab and I'll assign you your duties. My assistant will be there to help you if need be. I'll see you in an hour." He said as he shoved him out of his office and slammed the door on his face. Frink looked at his watch, and having nothing better to do at the moment went to wait outside the lab until his professor came to unlock it. An hour and a half later he showed up and let him in.
"So, what will I be doing, Sir?" Asked Frink excitedly. "Will I be sorting chemicals? Weighing them? Helping out the undergrads? Making…"
"None of that. You're in charge of washing glassware."
"What? Oh glayvin! But, Sir…"
"No buts. There's a whole stash over there that needs to be washed. Get to it honor boy."
"But Sir. I'm capable of so much more. At least just let me prepare buffer solutions."
"No! Now start washing or find another mentor!"
"Blab." Said Frink sadly and headed toward the sink. Everyday was the same thing. Was this what he would be doing the rest of his life, cleaning lab equipment? That Dr. Oppenmeyer was as horrible as everyone had made him out to be. And he was supposed to have help. Frink had never even seen his assistant or anyone else here for that matter. He was probably some lazy guy that was "teacher's pet" and came in when he pleased.

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