moral code, 𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐬

𝘰𝘯𝘦

"i'm serious, wyatt it's over." i push against his chest and slip past him. wyatt and i have been dating since the beginning of last semester. i wish i could say we were splitting because he was being a total asshole, but to be honest he's just your average college kid. we're both criminology majors, so running into him will be frequent. thankfully now that christmas break is over, and the new semester is starting, we have different classes. i knew wyatt preferred 8am lectures, so i made sure to choose all the evening ones instead.

i head back to my dorm to take a nap before my first class of the new year: criminal profiling. it was with a professor i hadn't had before, so i was a bit more nervous than usual. since moving to DC, i hadn't made many friends. aside from wyatt, i didn't need anyone else. but now looking back, i wish i talked to more people in class.

when 6pm rolled around, i picked out a pair of bootleg jeans and a cream colored cardigan i got from my mom for christmas. more often than not i wore sweatpants to class, but due to the start of a new semester, i wanted to make a good first impression. the georgetown dorms were about a ten minute walk from campus, and had a bunch of shops and cafes on the strip. i ordered my usual: a double shot espresso with steamed milk. it was blistery and the snow had dampened the hem of my jeans. i guess you could say my day hadn't been what i was expecting. my foul mood officially started once i reached campus and spilt my coffee all over myself. i rushed to the nearest bathroom and unbuttoned my cardigan, damping some paper towels and wiping up my mess. red blotches covered my torso and the touch of the cold water soothed the pain. the last thing i wanted was to show up to class wearing a huge stain, but i had no other option.

begrudgingly, i walk into the lecture hall, smiling softly at the professor before finding a seat in the back corner. i learnt best that way; at a distance from my classmates, ensuring i can see and hear without being seen or heard. within five minutes, the rest of the students filled the empty seats and our instructor began to write on the white board.

Emily Prentiss.

"I'd like to thank you for making it tonight, despite the weather being dreadful." she began. "my name is emily prentiss. you can call me professor prentiss, or emily if you prefer, i'm fine with either." the raven-haired woman spread her papers out on her desk and got right into the lecture. she seemed different than the rest of the staff at georgetown; prettier, younger. i'd guess maybe late thirties.

and her voice was soothing. much more entertaining than my sociology prof last semester, he had the most monotone voice i had ever heard. it took everything in me not to fall asleep.

class ended around 8pm and everyone was either heading to their night classes, or back to their dorm rooms. i, unlike my classmates, had no plans for the night except to curl up in bed and reflect on the awful day i had. being the last to leave, i kindly thank professor prentiss for her time and walk out, using my bag to cover the very-visible-stain on my cardigan. "try sitting a little closer next time." she speaks quietly, but just loud enough for me to hear.

"hmm?" i advert my attention toward the older woman. "you were writing a mile a minute. i think you would make some progressive commentary."

i slowly nod my head, confused as to why she'd think of all people, i'd have anything worth adding. "i prefer the back, i focus better." i say lightly.

professor prentiss nods in understanding. "just a thought. have a good night." she collected her papers before walking out ahead of me. i look back at the lecture hall, now empty, riveting how one minute it can be filled with so many bodies and voices and the next be as silent as night. literally.