My dark Professor

4

Lily

I spend the rest of the time in class dreading closing time. This will be the first time a teacher has called me out for not doing well. I get called out, alright? But it was usually, no, it was always positive. They wanted to praise me for my work and encourage me to keep it up. Sometimes even going beyond to offer me rewards which would quickly get awkward.

So it was nerve-wracking for me, as you can imagine. This wasn't just any teacher. This was the man I couldn't look at for a minute without breaking out in shivers. Whatever the reason was, I seriously could not get myself to look at or talk to him like a normal human being.

God, I was just like the other girls. Except in my case, his looks didn't cause my abnormal behavior. No, it was his mind. His otherworldly intelligence, his knowledge of the literary world. So much knowledge in one human being. It was insane. He was insane. The good kind. The kind the ancient mathematicians were.

"Lily."

I startle out of my slump. Miriam was standing in front of me, looking at me weirdly.

"What?" I ask.

I rub a hand down my face and hair.

"Is there something on my face?"

"No. But you look sick. The class ended five minutes ago, and you are still slumped over the desk staring at nothing," she says.

"Are you sick?"

I looked around, and sure enough, we were the only ones left in the class.

"No, I'm not sick. Why didn't you tell me earlier? I'm supposed to talk with the professor immediately after class!"

"Hey, hey, I didn't know you were zoned out. And it's no big deal. You could always go to his office," she whispers in the last sentence.

"What?"

"Girl, you're so lucky. I'd kill to be alone with that man and have him talk to me privately."

She groans, then pretends to swoon.

That was it. I couldn't take any more of this. I was already worried sick about my next course of action.

I stand up and start to walk outside. Miriam follows me out.

"Do you think he'll mind if I went to his office? Oh, and did he already see James? We were the only ones called out."

I strap my bag securely across my chest, preparing myself.

"Of course, he wouldn't mind. He was the one who told you to see him after class, remember? Also, I can't believe you bunked the paper! Lily Graham, are you sure you aren't sick?" she exclaims, touching my forehead lightly. I swat her hand away.

"Stop it! I'm not sick, and you didn't answer my question."

She looks at me blankly.

"Forget it," I mutter.

She was doing nothing to ease my worry.

"Where are you going?"

I stop in my tracks.

"To his office?"

Miriam giggles.

"His office is right here." She points behind at the closed door we just passed.

My heart gallops in fear. What the heck was I scared about? This was ridiculous.

I swallowed down whatever nerves I was having.