He bobbed his head in understanding “Right. Well then you’ll have plenty college experiences. Were your first two years not interesting?” He asked, his name called right after hers and they sought a seat.
Lottie trailed after him as he moved to find a seat and sat down opposite. “My first two years had interesting points although actual studying is a bore most of the time. There were some pretty good parties and they really liven up a boring weekend between the preparation, the party and the hang over. I don’t have any stories are epic as the coke ad sadly, there was the day Susan Lande set fire to her hair while attempting to heat up some water for an experiment, that was pretty exciting at the time.”
“Are you in your first year?” He asked “That’s exciting, I remember going to university for the first time. Are you living on campus?” He asked, when he had flown the coop he’d been so excited to get out of being a child and to start being an adult – or, more appropriately, an old child who made poor decisions regarding schooling vs alcohol.
Lottie shook her head quickly at the questions. “No I’m going into my third year. I’ve just been away for pretty much all the summer, well just before summer officially started hence my issue with my professor.” Hearing her name she stepped forward to collect her coffee before returning to him. “I don’t live on campus, I’ve got an apartment about twenty minutes away so close enough to roll in but far enough away to be separate.”
He liked hearing her laugh, it sounded very pure. “Good, I need to know there’s people I can trust in my local cafes.” He chuckled “I would love to catch a pepsi – although how about I get my own and you repay me in your company?” he suggested “I’d like to hear more about your experiences – I’ve told you mine so you need to hare yours.” He asked with a smile
Lottie shrugged with a grin at the change of offer. “Your choice,” she said, stepping aside to let him order for himself. “You want to hear more about what experiences? You’ve already heard my university woes and the semester hasn’t really started.”
Nero chuckled with her and shook his head “Such is life- it’s all swings and roundabouts and sometimes you’re on the unpleasant end of a marketing campaign gone wrong.” He shrugged but he held the same amusement she was showing “Don’t tell anyone, I hope you can keep a secret.” He told her, lowering his voice conspiratorially “But I’ve always been a Pepsi guy.”
Lottie leaned in closer as he lowered her voice before letting out a loud laugh at his confession. “Your secret is safe with me,” she agreed, still chuckling. Reaching the front of the line she ordered her latte before turning to him, “Can I get you a Pepsi or a coffee for saving me a huge amount of hassle….and the great storytelling?” She patted her pocket where her student ID was now safely stored again and happy not to have to go through the headache of having to replace it.
He chuckled “Many times. The first few were in disbelief. Picture it.” He invited her “In class, he’s been going on about ads and the sanctity of brand recognition for 40 minutes already. He knows the ad is dropping and makes us do a countdown to the new coke ad release.” Nero rolled his eyes at the memory, as he had done at the time “The ad drops… and there’s silence. Not everyone in the room got the significance of how bad she’d just ruined her own image with the misplaced cultural reference. The professor is confused by it. We watch it three more times before he looks up who the girl is, to find her to be just a media influence and saw the backlash. His heart was crushed that coca cola would do this to him. The net ten watches he critiques every frame of the ad and on the eleventh watch he converts to Pepsi.”
Lottie’s laughter increased as she heard the rest of the story. “I have to admit to feeling a little sorry for your professor. To have all your hopes and excitement not only crushed but publicly in front of his whole class can’t have been easy. Especially if humiliation isn’t a turn on for him!” Shaking her head with amusement she looked up at the man, “And did you switch brands on the basis of that tragic advert too?”
Nero stayed still but saw how abruptly she turned- as if he’d been about to start swinging. But she plucked the card from his open hand relatively gently after. He grinned at her story “I know the type – I was in business school and I don’t think you get more dramatic than a marketing professor on the day a new coca cola ad drops and it had kendal jenner in it.” He joked “What do you study?”
Lottie let out a laugh at the example and let herself relax a bit more as the man clearly wasn’t after anything and wasn’t the Watch. “I’m a chemistry major – but let’s get back to your marketing professsor, just how many times did he make you watch the ad?”
Nero stood in the queue, waiting like a good rule-abiding citizen, keeping an eye on all the people that he was slowly recognising as regulars. The person directly in front of him he didn’t recognise and tried not to get involved in whatever debate she was having quite loudly to herself in a pubic area. But when she scrunched and unscrunched some paper, her movement dropped something out of her pocket and it tapped his boot. He bent to pick up up and tapped her elbow gently “You dropped this… everything alright?” He dared to ask.
Lottie jumped at the simple tap and turned fiercely, ready to shout but almost immediately say her student card and her expression immediately softened. “Thanks,” she replied, reaching out to take the card back and sighing dramatically at the question. “Just my professor throwing a tantrum, same old story really.”
Lottie's wild adventure 