Trying to get a hold of his own feelings at the same time as he was struggling to reject the incoming call, Uriel found himself in a daze.

He had always known this moment would come, but he didn't expect it to happen so fast. It just didn't feel real.

The worst part wasn't even the fact that he was now single again, but that he would be forced to attend to the same classes as his now ex girlfriend. Being a little slow on her studies, ever since Tina met Uriel she had been relying on him to get good grades, which is why she took as many of the same classes as she could even though she didn't have the slightest interest on archaeology. All she needed was a college degree for her father to consider her a worthy heir, it didn't matter what kind, just the proof that she was capable enough to get through college.

Uriel sighed before pushing the heavy classroom door, he knew that if it was closed it meant that he was really late, but his scholarship demanded him perfect attendance and he couldn't afford to lose it on a whim.

"Late again mister Uriel!? How many times have I told you, if you can't even get up from bed at a proper time don't bother taking my class."

Professor Panagiotis said with a scolding voice, but let him in anyway. As much as it pained him, Uriel was hands down the best student he ever had and if somehow Uriel managed to graduate, he could pull him into working on his projects with very little effort.

It took only a quick glance to notice that his usual spot was already covered by Tina's expensive handbag, leaving him with no choice but to sit in whatever spot he could find.

Being subject to the stare from all his classmates, the short walk up to the only spot available in the corner of the room felt like an odyssey, making it feel minutes long although it took no longer than fifteen seconds.

"Can we begin class now, mister Sage?"

Profesor Pangiotis snickered, triggering the combined laughter of all those present. After the prolonged laughter, the class calmed down allowing the professor to continue with his lecture.

Professor Pangiotis wasn't really a bad guy and Uriel knew it, just as he knew that even professors were subject to the pressure caused by the rich students and the only reason why the old man put him into shame was to ingratiate himself with those students.

Pangiotis grabbed his tablet and tapped a few times on the screen, then he dragged his finger along the glass surface and out of it, projecting its content in front of everyone.

It was a picture that presented a few utensils and earthenware on top of a small table, there was a small arched window behind that allowed to see a small dried tree in the background. Most students received a notification on their mobile devices, be it tablets or cellphones, allowing them to download the picture immediately for closer inspection.

But that wasn't the case for Uriel, who had a 'vintage' flip phone and he was limited to watch from afar. That was also the reason why he always preferred to sit in the front row. Being in the corner made it difficult for him to see the content of the picture, he leaned forward while squinting as hard as he could, but his eyesight wasn't that great either.

"Ouch! you're pulling my hair!"

A girl in the seat directly in front of Uriel complained.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to" Uriel apologized profusely, but the girl scoffed at him and turned back to see the picture.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"Now, who can tell me what's in this picture?"

Professor Pangiotis asked in a stern voice, he was renown as one of the more strict professors in the whole university and his class was actually one of the most difficult ones. The reason why so many people took the anthropology class with him was because he was the third most important professor in the whole university, his contributions ranged from anthropology to historic research. Passing his class, even with a low grade, meant success in any future career related to arts, society, linguistics, anything not related directly to science. Many students raised their hands in an attempt to be noticed by such an important person, after all, many years ago Pangeotis formed part of the world congress that got the people from every country to join hands and work together giving birth to the world government. Despite his contributions being minimal, he still benefited from the reputation boost that such position implied.

Most answers ranged from 'It's a set up for religious purposes' which was the known synonym of 'I don't have the slightest idea', to 'They set the table to eat'.

"Are you really on college level? how did you even get through highschool?"

All the answers made the professor frown in disgust. Uriel, who after many attempts of looking at the picture in front of everyone gave up and asked the guy right next to him to show him his tablet. It took a little convincing, but after Uriel offered his notes from today's lecture his classmate was more than happy to let him have a peek.

"It's an artwork!"

Uriel said raising his hand the second after looking at the picture.

"Who said that!?"

The professor asked in a loud tone of voice, everyone in the classroom went quiet. Fearing that he might have angered the professor, Uriel gulped down a lump of saliva, but he soldiered up and kept his hand raised.

"This idiot, and to think I was looking forward for his notes from this lecture." the classmate sitting next to him facepalmed. His words reached Uriel, making him blush even harder after realizing he had the attention of the entire class.

"You are correct, mister Sage. I'll forgive you for today's disrespect, but dare to come late to class once more and I'll kick you out myself, did you hear me?"

"Y-yes!"

Uriel heaved a sigh of relief, he wasn't accustomed to being in the spotlight. Most of the time he did his best to remain hidden in the crowd, but he just got excited after finding out the correct answer that no one seemed to know.

"Although this is obviously earthenware from the classical Greek era, this picture was taken in 1987 with the purpose of communicating an artistic message. If you're serious about your studies, you must at least be able to tell what serves an actual purpose from what is intended as a form of art."

"Uhm, professor..." The girl in front of Uriel lifted her hand calling out for the professor's attention. He, of course, was really annoyed by this as he didn't like answering to any questions during lectures, or after them for any case, but he wasn't so reckless as to purposely offending someone who might come from a rich family. The fate of his research funding, hence his whole career, could be at stake.

"Yes, miss..." He lingered for a couple seconds because he didn't know her name.

"Cassandra... Professor Pangiotis, why should we care if something is considered art or if it serves a purpose? I mean, what's the difference, really, that picture was taken many years ago and it's about a civilization that no longer exists."

"Well miss Cassandra, you shouldn't judge what's worth learning just by how useful you think it is. Anthropology was only studied to satisfy the curiosity of people from the old times, but in the end it gave birth to many useful branches of knowledge such as forensics. Not just that, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it played a major role in forming the world government itself."

Many students gasped by this revelation and, even though his own contributions were minor, he wasn't lying.

"Anthropology is the study of humans, we take interest in every aspect related to mankind, from religion to politics. It shouldn't come as a surprise to any of you. You may think that it's an easy subject since this course is offered to freshmen, but in reality is offered in your first year only because of its importance. Even mister Sage's remark pointing out that the picture I showed you was a piece of art could seem simple, but it takes a lot of studying and effort to get to the point where you can tell the difference in what can be considered useful from what only serves a communicative purpose."

As the lecture continued, many glares locked on to Uriel, giving him the chills and, just when the professor fell silent again to find the next picture, at the worst possible time, Uriel's phone started ringing with an old tune most people would consider obnoxious.

Embarrassed, he rejected the call again without even checking the caller ID, putting the phone back on his pocket.