Savior 🔞

°30 *

Walking into the University, my nerves hit their peak. I keep my head lowered and enter the office to get my schedule. The older woman behind the desk has a friendly smile and it helps me to relax. I flash back to my first day, years ago, when that horrible secretary, Lisa, made me feel small. I give the older woman my information, and she prints out my paperwork. I stop myself from bowing, remembering that would look strange to her, and nod in thanks.

I take a seat on one of the benches near a small cafe in the student common building. I look over the class schedule, and smile a little when I see "Mr. O'Brien" listed on 4 out of my 6 classes. I check the time on my phone and realize I still have an hour before my first class. I head into the cafe to get a coffee and a snack, finding no line. "Hello there pretty lady! I've not seen you before. What would you like to order?" The excited man behind the counter startles me with his enthusiasm. I smile sheepishly and look anywhere but his eyes because he's staring unabashedly.

"Iced caramel macchiato and a blueberry muffin, please." I reach for my wallet, and he tells me the total. As I hand him my card, he smiles at me again. "What's your name?" He asks me causing me to pause and think... Sophia was on the tip of my tongue and I must look like I don't know my own name. "Uh... Ella." He chuckles at my strange behavior. "Ok. You can have a seat anywhere and I'll bring your order when it's ready."

I sit at a table near a window overlooking the indoor common area, and check my phone for any messages. The past few days have been difficult for me. After being sick for 3 days, where 'Justin' stayed home, he has been absent quite a bit to catch up with his work. I asked him 'what work', and he told me that he had expanded his office hours before the upcoming exam. Since he had not been available while I was home sick, he felt he needed to make sure everyone was feeling confident.

"Here you are, Ella!" The chipper voice causes me to jump. He sets my order on the table while apologizing. "It's alright... I wasn't paying attention. Thank you." I give him a genuine smile, while he sits across from me. "So, Ella... Are you just starting here?" I nod while sipping my drink. "Today's my first day. I'm a little nervous..." He pats my hand and I smile. "What's your name? You know mine." "I'm sorry. My name's Jake. I work here before and after classes. What courses are you taking?"

"Business mostly... With a couple writing courses also." I see his wide grin, as he just nods. "Do you have Mr. O'Brien?" Furrowing my brow in confusion, I tell him yes. "Well, then Ella, we'll be seeing each other in classes then. I'm a business major, and I'm in all of the classes he is teaching. I'm sure you'll love him. like all the other girls..." The last part was a whisper, but I heard it. So young Jake is not able to gain the girls attentions because of 'Mr. O'Brien'... Great...

"It'll be nice to have a familiar face then. Thanks again for the food. The drink is perfect." I tell him this with a smile on my face. I catch a disturbance out of the corner of my eye and turn to see 'Justin' walking with a very pretty girl. He has a big smile plastered on his face, and the girl is blushing for some reason. I watch with a sinking feeling in my stomach as he reaches out and tucks her hair behind her ear. His eyes are sparkling, and I suddenly feel sick. Jake doesn't miss where my eyes are focused and I hear a sigh. "That's Mr. O'Brien... And that girl, is his favorite... I think they're fucking to be frank."

I choke on the drink and he looks back at me with concern. "Oh... Are you alright? I'm sorry... I shouldn't say such crass things..." I wave my hand to signal I'm alright, but inside I'm breaking. Is Jungkook cheating on me? What could I do if he is? I glance back to watch the couple continue their direction, arms brushing against each other in familiarity. I look down at my phone and before I think too much about it, I send him a text.

<Hey! How's your morning. You left before I woke up. I missed my morning kisses. 🥺]

Looking up, I watch him take his phone out to check the notification. He slows his steps while reading the text, but my eyes get glossy and a lump forms in my throat when he just puts it back in his pocket to walk quickly and catch up with the other girl. I stand abruptly not really knowing what to do, and without saying anything more to the friendly boy, grab my bag and run out of the cafe.