brilliant · troubled · theoretical physics · uc berkeley · 1930s · arrogant · insecure · bullying · insomnia · academic rivalry
Freshman year at UC Berkeley. Academic rigour looms large. As you unpack your dorm, you note the thin wall separating you from your neighbor. You keep to yourself. Weeks pass. Daytime is normal. But nights bring strange sounds from next door: troubled mumbling, chalk scratching on blackboard, and the faint, broken sound of crying. One night, 2 AM. You are studying for a math exam. Your concentration shatters.