The end of the first term was fast approaching, and the thought of finals made Jay physically sick. He was thrilled that the tedious foundational science modules were almost over, but first, he had to get through the gauntlet of exams.
He and his housemates started the ritual of cramming, punctuated by desperate prayers for good grades. Jay, however, had a fundamental problem with the system. He hated learning "by the book," but most of his first-year lecturers were exactly that. They expected answers straight from the textbook.
To Jay, that wasn't learning. A university student should be taught to think critically, to build arguments with logic, and to support them with theory, not just regurgitate it. An exam shouldn't be about right or wrong, but about who could construct the most compelling, logical argument. If the answer had to be identical to the textbook, what was the point of even being here? They'd already had twelve years of that in primary and secondary school.
Most of his peers just went along with it. Their motivations were simple: get good grades, keep your scholarship, secure a good job. It was a shallow way of thinking, but Jay knew it was the system itself that was at fault. It took brilliant minds and trapped them in a box, forcing them to chase grades, degree classifications, and other bullshit metrics at the expense of real creativity. This was why Jay was always arguing with lecturers, with fellow students, with the pompous kids on the Students' Union.
"Jay, have you started revising for the Calc module?" Leo asked one evening.
"Nah, not really," Jay said, leaning back on the sofa. "Professor Amir is different. He wants us to use our logic. His questions won't have a single right or wrong answer. He'll reward the best argument, not the best memory. He's one of the few good ones."
"You think he's good?" Leo scoffed. "I can barely follow what he's saying. Why are so many of the professors here like that? They're so smart they can't explain anything simply."
"That's because you lot are all just chasing a First-class degree," Jay retorted, getting into his stride. "You only learn what's in the lecture notes. Knowledge evolves, mate. We're supposed to be part of that, not stuck memorizing theories from the last century. You can use old theories as a foundation, but we have to build something new ourselves. You all tune out because it's not on the exam, so you miss the whole point."
"This right here!" Finn exclaimed, pointing a finger at Jay. "This is why I love this guy's brain. I agree one hundred percent."
Finn leaned forward. "That's your secret, you know. You think differently from everyone else. That's why so many people are into you."
"So many people? Who? I haven't noticed."
"That's because your entire world revolves around Lina!" Finn said, exasperated. "Look around you, you muppet. People are drawn to you. Honestly, Jay, I try to be as open-minded and out-of-the-box as you, but I still bomb it with girls. You just have a weird thought and they flock to you. You lucky bastard."
"It's probably just luck," Jay said with a shrug, making everyone laugh.
He continued, the thoughts pouring out of him now. "But seriously, I've always felt our whole education system is broken. What's the point of ranking people? At least here, no one's competing for the highest GPA, we just focus on our own grades. But even then, I don't think a grade on a piece of paper reflects what someone is capable of. What about the people who cheat? And what about the brilliant people who never get the chance to come to a place like this? Their future is decided by a few days of A-Level exams. Three years of hard work in sixth form, all boiling down to a handful of tests. You must know people like that, right? Friends who were consistently top of the class but had a bad day during exams and missed out on their dream uni."
"Yeah," Leo said quietly. "That was me, Jay."
The room went silent.
"I was always first or second in my year," Leo continued. "I worked my arse off so I could get into my first choice, Cambridge. But I messed up one of my exams. So I ended up here, my second choice. And I wanted to study Politics, but now I'm stuck doing pure STEM. My brain feels like it's melting most days. I almost took a gap year to try again, but… my dad got really sick. I couldn't be a burden, you know? I had to just get on with it."
"The point is we should be grateful we're here," Sam added, his voice low and steady. "I have to chase every scholarship and bursary just to afford it. You all know my dad is just a fisherman, not some big-shot business owner. The only way I can get that funding is with good grades. I don't fully agree with the system either, but what choice do I have?"
Jay's argument was proven. The system trapped everyone, one way or another. Sam was one of the most brilliant people Jay had ever met, but his formal maths education had been patchy. His state school was underfunded and lacked specialist teachers for the more advanced A-Level modules. He was conceptually brilliant, but he had gaps. That's why Jay, who had coasted through his own maths A-Level at a better-resourced school, was tutoring him privately. It was the one area where Jay had a clear advantage, and helping Sam was the least he could do.
"So," Jay said, changing the mood with a grin. "Are we going to revise, or…?" He pulled out the PS3 he'd bought with the money he'd earned playing gigs with his band.
"FIFA or Pro Evo?" he asked Leo and Finn.
"Pro Evo," they replied in unison.
"Right then. Let's set up a league," Leo said.
"I'm picking Juventus," Finn declared. "So you have to pick someone else, you bastard. Go with Inter."
"Fine," Leo grumbled.
"I'll take Atlético Madrid, as usual," Jay announced.
"You arsehole," Finn laughed. "We're fighting over the big teams and you always pick some mid-tier squad. How do you always win?"
"It's called skill, you idiot," Jay shot back.
Sam, as usual, declined to join, preferring to lift his barbell.
Just as they were about to kick off the first match, there was a knock at the door. Jay went to get it, as the other two were already deep in team selection.
It was Lina.
The second he opened the door, she threw her arms around him and pulled him into a deep kiss, right there in the doorway. He was thrilled but also mortified. Luckily, the two idiots were engrossed in their game and Sam was upstairs.
"What are you doing here? This is a surprise," he whispered.
"I missed you," she murmured against his lips.
"Missed me, or…?"
"You, you idiot! I missed you!" she said, giving him a playful shove.
"Come on in," he said, leading her into the slightly messy living room. "Sorry about the state of this place. Exam stress is making us all lose our minds."
"Please," she said with a laugh. "You've seen my room."
"Shhh!" he said, quickly putting a finger to her lips. "Not so loud, the guys are here."
"You don't want them to know?" she asked, a flicker of disappointment in her eyes. "Why not?"
"It's complicated," he whispered back. "You know how they are. They think… differently."
"Fine," she said, her tone suddenly cool. "I'll wait in your room, then."
"What? Why? The guys are here, Lina."
"Why are you making everything so difficult?" she snapped.
"We're not even dating, Lina," he blurted out. It was a stupid thing to say, and he regretted it instantly.
"Do you need to be dating for a girl to come into your room?" she challenged.
"No, but—"
"Are you letting me into your room, or not?"
Jay sighed in defeat. "Fine. Whatever you want."
A small, triumphant smile touched her lips. She walked past him and headed straight for his bedroom, for the very first time. He never did anything in his own house; it was always too crowded, the atmosphere all wrong. But as he watched her disappear into his room, he had a feeling that was about to change. He stood there for a moment, his mind racing. He'd chosen this rundown student house over the luxury halls his father had offered him because he wanted the "real" experience. He wanted to understand the struggle, to stay grounded.
He had a sinking feeling that his carefully constructed, "real" world was about to get very, very complicated.