Cruel World [Professor Kylo Ren AU]

Chapter Five

(Warnings:   This chapter sets up some necessary backstory for the rest of the fic to flow so expect a more slow-paced/less action chapter. Mentions of alcoholism/drinking. There's some brief spiciness at the end of the chapter that involves you and someone who isn't Kylo. If that's not your thing, feel free to skip around that part and if you'd rather have me summarize it for you, you can message me <3 enjoy!)

Sitting in the front row of a classroom was never your first choice.

Usually, you'd be sitting near the back and near the aisle if it were up to you. You liked to choose whatever spot would be the easiest to leave from. In a perfect world, you wouldn't have anyone sitting beside you either unless they were a close friend.

But that was far from the case in Professor Ren's class.

Everyone had chosen their seats the first day of class and stuck with those. Unfortunately for you, that meant that you were going to have to keep your seat in the very front and the middle, right in front of Kylo's desk.

"There is no right or wrong when it comes to poetry. Not in my opinion anyway," Professor Ren spoke to the class, pacing around the front of the lecture hall as he usually did. He hardly ever planned his lectures. His notes consisted of broad topics. He preferred ranting and hoping that he could make his point that way instead of following an outline.

You glanced around the room and noticed the way that everyone was intently listening. You weren't used to this during class. Usually, half of the students would be glazed over or openly sending texts on their phones.

Kylo was different.

If they weren't creative writing majors, most people took his class because they were a fan of his work. Kylo Ren wasn't exactly a household name, but if you kept up with modern literature at all, it would be difficult not to have heard of him. A majority of the people in the seats around you were his fans, not just his students.

He could say almost nothing at all for the entire hour and everyone hung on his every word. You wondered what it would be like to have that sort of power.

As Kylo lectured, he had similar thoughts to yours: He wondered what it would be like to have your effortless ability to consume someone's thoughts. You were all that he could think about, even when he was standing in a room with over fifty people staring at him and writing down his words.

"You'll have some people tell you that you shouldn't rhyme and although I do think that it can be an indicator of amateur writing, I wouldn't rule it out, especially if you're only writing for yourself. It can be a good way just to get words onto a page because your scope isn't as broad." Kylo took a seat on the edge of his desk, crossing his arms across his chest.

You observed him. You couldn't help but let your mind wander back to when you'd been alone with him outside of the dressing room, where he canceled your date with your potential sugar daddy and bought you gifts.