Aleksandr followed her gaze to the ceiling and then looked at Sylvia, "I'm sure there are other books, but if you want to pick a different subject, go ahead,"  she wasn't acting like she was keen on the subject, which was fine--he convinced himself quickly.  He fiddled with his fingers a bit, shifting his position in the plastic chair.

Covering Nikole Tesla was a bad idea, obviously. He was dumb for bringing it up.  The immense feeling of being dumb kept reminding him of things he really didn't want to think about.  He didn't want to show it.  It was whatever Sylvia wanted.  Sylvia knew more about how to make good grades than he did.  He barely got through high school, after all.  Why did he even make a suggestion in the first place?  Who was he trying to impress? [@Arista]