Both Raylin and Gracie looked up at Jerome with quizzical eyes while Gracie replied, “Hear what?”

Stepping into the room so speaking to both was easier, “That the University students get a preview of the exhibit before it opens to the public tomorrow,” Jerome’s eyes were lit up with excitement as he spoke.

“Which, they have three opening tomorrow?” Gracie questioned as Raylin jumped up, rushing at him and interrupted with, “You’re kidding, so we could go in now and see it all?”  She was nearly jumping in place.

Jerome grabbed her arms gently to stop her from running him over in her excitement.  “The Eartheon and yes we can,” he laughed, though he was as excited as she was. “So calm yourself, RJ.  If you get any closer with that hopping of yours, you’ll break my toes.”  He tried to hold her still, but she was still dancing on her heels.

“Hardly, I’m not that heavy.”  She stopped her nervous hopping and turned back to Gracie, whose face was barely showing the excitement she felt in the news.  “I say we go now!”

Gracie giggled, “You would. What about that assignment you were working on?”  Though she was the calmest of the three and was more composed, she was just as excited as the two of them.  “When did you find that out?  I’d been trying to get tickets to the opening show all week long since they went on sale!”

Jerome straighten his green t-shirt and rested his hands on his hips, acting like he was about to state he was a super hero.  “I just happened to be waiting for the Dean when they gave him the news and was able to get the first tickets for the preview.”  He kept a straight face all the while till Raylin snorted.

“Right,” she teased, “more like you got in trouble with your coach again and he’d sent you to talk to your uncle.”  She’d walked over to him while talking and now tipped him onto the couch next to Gracie.  He fell awkwardly as he didn’t want to land on her and glared a fake hurtful look back at RJ.

“Why on earth would you think that?” he whined, fake injury to pride lacing his tone.  “I have never needed to see the Dean before.” Sarcastically he added, “I’m also on my best behavior at practice I’ll have you know.”

Gracie and Raylin laughed aloud at his speech.  “Hardly, you get into trouble at least once a month or more,” Raylin retorted, standing over him.  “So, what really happened?”

He straightened himself out, untwisting his shorts as he set his legs firmly on the floor. “I pulled a prank on the senior sprinter.” Gracie hit him playfully for that and he continued, “Really, it was totally harmless, but Coach wasn’t in a good mood and just pointed to the door muttering, ‘Dean.’ I walked out and up to his office.”

Here he was interrupted by Raylin who continued the story for him, guessing how it went. “Knowing you, you just walked right in, not bothering to knock.  Got a dirty look and told to take a sit while he finished his talk with the Curator.” She sighed, “Really, I don’t know how he puts up you.”  She dropped that quickly though as she got back to the real point, “There you heard about the preview and got the tickets from your uncle.”

“Pretty much,” he said, and then after an elbow from Gracie added, “Of course I got a lecture on prank playing by the Dean, before my uncle let me have them.”  Jerome pulled a face. “You think the guy didn’t know how to have fun, but then again, he can’t be too easy with me.  Think he’s harder on me then everyone else here.”

Raylin kicked his feet gently as she sighed unsympathetically down at him.  “Oh, life is so hard for ya.  Cry some more, then lets get moving.”  She stared at a nonexistent watch on her wrist, counted silently to ten, then reached down with both hands.  Grabbing his shirt, she pulled him up to standing, turned him to face the door and pushed lightly.  “Now, it’s time to go!”

Gracie laughed again and got to her feet.  “Grab your bag first, Rayn, with your notebook.” She walked to the closet to get her own.  “You know you’ll want it once we get there.”  She turned back to face them both.  “And you,” she stated firmly, pointing at Jerome, “need to get out of your workout clothes.”

Raylin sighed, she hated waiting when there was something fun coming.  “Yeah, I know.”  She followed Jerome to the door, pausing only long enough to grab her notebook off the floor where it had fallen and tossed it into her backpack that awaited her in the closet. “She’s right.  I don’t think I want to be with you that long while you reek of sweat.” Jerome made a face at her as he passed her out the door, she returned it. She took one quick look around the room, touched the light pad which turned all the power off to the place and closed the door behind her.

The walk to Jerome’s room was uneventful.  The halls were all the same, white with pictures of nature displaced on the viewing panels.  The women’s and men’s dorms were all part of the same building, just in opposite wings.  Both the girls and his were along the inner corridors so there were no windows during their walk.  Raylin was too busy thinking about all they were to see to talk and the other two were silent as well as they too were thinking about all that would be there waiting for them at the Eartheon Exhibit.