Disclaimer: None of it's mine, except the plot. Danielle belongs to herself.
"Don't argue with me, young lady!"
"But you're not-"
"I said don't-"
"Listen, Professor, I'm sure that I'm -"
"Ms. Torres!"
"-Right about this theory if you'd only -"
"Ms. Torres!"
"Let me explain!"
"MS. TORRES, get out of my office!!!"
Giving the professor a final death glare, 19 year-old B'Elanna Torres whirled around and stormed out of the room. She strode down the Academy halls, ignoring the stares of her fellow students as they scrambled to get out of her way. How dare that p'tahk of a professor! Just because his opinion was the generally accepted theory didn't mean that it was the only possibility! That was the problem with this so-called "enlightened" Starfleet Academy. Aside from its insane rules and strictures, the professors were unbelievably close-minded. B'Elanna had hoped to get away from that sort of thinking by coming here. Some escape!
In her rage, she didn't notice whom she was passing. The onlookers, however, noticed her.
Young Tom Paris, ace pilot, admiral's son, most-popular-guy- on-campus was one of them. His laughing, smiling group of friends stopped their conversation to watch the angry half- Klingon race by.
"Look at her go," one girl said. "Can we say 'freak?'" The rest laughed and added their own comments.
"Loser."
"There goes the ice queen."
"I wonder if the ridges prevent her from smiling."
"It's probably better this way. We don't have to look at her fangs."
As the conversation moved to more interesting topics, Tom stepped back from his friends and watched B'Elanna disappear around the corner. It was times like this that made him question his social circle. He hadn't participated in the jeering and didn't plan to. Just because that girl was different - what was so wrong with that? The group itself was a diverse combination of races and species ranging from the far reaches of the Federation. Tom supposed they made fun because the girl was always angry; he couldn't recall ever seeing her smile. But still...
Tom had never been an outcast from society. His family life was another matter. The only son of an admiral, he, unlike his sisters, never lived up to his father's lofty expectations. He determined to have a talk with the Klingon girl one of these days.
He got his chance that day in the mess hall. His friends were going to a pick-up soccer game, but Tom feigned a twisted ankle and instead headed for the lunch line. Tray in hand, he scanned the room and saw B'Elanna seated alone at a small table in the corner. Taking a deep breath (why was he so nervous?), he smiled and walked over.
B'Elanna sat alone, head down, forcing herself to concentrate on the padd in her hand, anything to take her mind off the morning's injustice. Gradually, she became aware of someone in front of her. She looked up until her eyes met a pair of blue ones - his blue ones. Why was Tom Paris looking at her?
"Is this seat taken?" he asked.
She shook her head dumbly as he sat down. As she quickly recovered from her shock, B'Elanna grew suspicious. She didn't exactly...mix well with his crowd, and though she entertained a mild crush on him, she still doubted his true motives. She glanced around. None of his friends were in sight. Hmm. Maybe he was going to humiliate her by himself.
Realizing that Tom was still staring at her, she shook herself out of her reverie and lifted her fork. Chewing silently, she looked at her classmates, her plate, the wall - anything besides him.
"B'Elanna, right?"
"Uh huh," she mumbled without meeting his gaze.
He cleared his throat. "I'm Tom. Listen, B'Elanna, I heard about what happened this morning."
B'Elanna froze in mid-bite. So this was his method of humiliation. She braced herself for the imminent jab.
"I just wanted to tell you I know how it feels to be ignored and assumed wrong." At this, B'Elanna's head shot up, and she studied his face for signs of treachery. If this was an attack, it was certainly an unusual one. She had to give him credit for creativity.
Realizing he was waiting for her to say something, she said the first thing that came to mind. "How could you know how it feels?"
To her surprise, he seemed hurt by her remark. Could he actually have been sincere? Taking a breath, he replied, "Fair question. I'm something of a black sheep in my family - at least, to my father." He shook his head and continued. "Anyway, no matter what the professor thinks, I hear you're really smart in Warp Core Dynamics class. That's my worst subject. Could you, maybe, tutor me?" His eyes met hers, and mesmerized by their bare honesty, she nodded. "Great! I'll see you later, then," he said, lifting his tray.
B'Elanna watched him go. Had she just agreed to tutor Tom Paris, Academy Golden Boy - and had they had a real, non- insulting conversation?
Her dream state ended when she heard the old-fashioned clock tower strike 1300. Quickly gathering her stuff, she got rid of her tray and ran off to class.
Tom walked confidently away from B'Elanna's table, waving to friends as he went. But inside, he breathed a sigh of relief. Short as it was, that was one of the most memorable conversations of his life. How come he'd never realized how gorgeous she was? And this girl - to whom he'd never before said two words - had somehow gotten him to talk about his family, something few of his friends had ever heard him do. The tutoring thing had come on a whim - no, a desire to see her again. And he did need help in that class. He couldn't wait for their first session.
B'Elanna rushed around her dorm room, arranging and rearranging things that never seemed quite right. God, she was nervous. Why am I so anxious? It's just a tutoring session. With Tom Paris. Oh, boy. She knew she was being silly, but she couldn't calm down. She felt like breaking something. As she looked around for something she wouldn't miss too much, the door chimed. B'Elanna froze. Then she took a deep breath, composed herself, and said, "Come in."
As Tom stepped into the room, her nervousness returned, full force. "Hi."
"Hey, B'Elanna. Wow, you've got a nice view. I love that bay. You know what I can see from my window? The building next door."
She gave a shaky laugh, glad that her roommate Danielle would be gone all afternoon. She'd much rather keep her embarrassment known to one person. There was an uncomfortable silence. Then she suggested, "Um, why don't we work on the couch over here?"
"Whatever you say." He sat down. She followed, but jumped right back up.
"Oh, wait, what am I thinking? Would you like anything to drink?"
"Some water would be nice." B'Elanna nodded, got two glasses of water, and walked back to the couch. In her nervousness, she didn't see the one item left on the floor, a shoe. She tripped and both she and the water went flying. Tom stood up and caught her before she could hit the floor. Catching her breath, she looked up at him and their eyes met. Suddenly realizing the awkward (in more than one way!) position in which he held her, they straightened up.
"Thanks," she said. Idiot, idiot, idiot! "Oh my god, your shirt's all wet! I'm so sorry." Frantically, she tried to wipe up the wet spot.
He caught her wrists. "B'Elanna, it's okay. It's just water. Why don't we get on with the tutoring?" She flushed and nodded, and they sat. As her nerves calmed, she was able to assume a more professional attitude.
"What specifically are you having trouble with?"
Two weeks later, Tom headed to B'Elanna's for a sixth session. He had been so nervous the first few times, afraid that someone as smart as B'Elanna would think he was a total idiot. But she hadn't. No, she had listened to his concerns and really helped him understand what was going on. His grade on the last test was much higher than on previous ones. He smiled, thinking of the delighted shock on her face when he gave her flowers as a thank you.
But warp cores weren't the only things they talked about. They discussed their classes, teachers; basically, their lives in general, although neither knew much about the other's background. Tom was planning to remedy that. Today he was going to ask B'Elanna out.
Turning the corner, he stepped up to her door. B'Elanna's roommate Danielle let him in - to a half-empty room. Looking around, he discovered that all of B'Elanna's things were gone. "Hi, Dani. Where's B'Elanna? What's going on here?"
"B'Elanna left."
"She what?"
"I just found out. She signed out of the Academy this morning and just...left."
Tom stood in shock. She was gone. The smartest, most beautiful girl he'd ever met had left...without even saying goodbye. Numbly, he smiled at Danielle, turned, and left the room.
As he slowly walked down the hall he began to come out of his daze. She was gone. There was nothing he could do about it. He had lost the girl he loved. Loved? Well, that was probably exaggerating it. Hell, he barely knew her. Still, his feelings for her were the strongest he'd ever had for someone he barely knew. Oh well. It was probably better this way. Right. It was only a silly crush.
As B'Elanna flew high above the Academy on her way to the stars, she couldn't help thinking about her ex-life down there. Most of it was a mélange of bad memories, but there was one good thing about it. Tom. What a coward she was. Too chicken to actually say goodbye, face to face, and tell him what really happened. Fingering his gift, the now- wilting bouquet, she pictured him in all his wonderfulness. What a - but no, she couldn't let herself think of him. That was her old life, now. She didn't know where she was going, but it certainly wasn't to Starfleet. It was a big galaxy. She'd make her way, and probably never see him again. B'Elanna put Tom out of her mind. No big deal. After all, it was only a silly crush.