five.

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October 25, 2022

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October 25, 2022

Looking out of a window in my lecture hall, the brisk air blows the multicolored leaves covering the ground into the air. The bright sun in the clear sky blinds my eyes as I try to bring back my attention to my computer.

My professor's voice drones in my ears, vaguely explaining the ins and outs of how the integumentary system works. This class always drags along, making minutes stretch into hours. But, the one thing that motivates me is the fact that my day is over after the professor has had enough.

I raise my arm to slightly angle my computer screen back, deflecting the glare on my screen. Looking up to board at the front of class, I notice that we still haven't changed slides, causing me to inwardly groan. I run a hand over my face, becoming more and more restless in my boredom.

The noise of a door opening to my right peaks my interest, forcing me to resist losing concentration again. A figure quickly walks up the aisle of stairs, stopping at my row, and walks to sit down next to me. The broad figure sits in my peripheral and musky cologne fills my nose, quickly dropping my confusion of who is sitting next to me.

"Niall, what in the world are you doing here?" I whisper, trying to be courteous to everyone else here. My head stays facing forward, finally being able to take new notes after the professor switches slides.

The rustle of Niall sliding his jacket off and stuffing it into his bag makes me lose my battle of staying focused. Turning my head and dropping my gaze to see him bent over, struggling to fit his jacket in his bag, causes me to fight the urge to laugh. I slap a hand to my mouth, making a loud slap noise ring through the room. Niall whips his head around, face beet red, scowling at me. "Oh you shut it," he mutters, still fighting with his clothes. My body begins to shake, silently cackling as I watch him eventually give up and leave half of his jacket hanging out of his bag.

Sitting up quickly, he huffs as he crosses his arms across his chest, obviously annoyed. "Oh, come on Ni, it's not that serious," I say as I drop my hands from my mouth, and fail to hold back a chuckle. His eyes pin on mine in what feels like a glare into my soul. Silently, he raises his hand, slapping the back of my neck, causing another loud crack to ring throughout the room. My hands cover my mouth once again, muting the groan of pain that leaves me.

My professor's voice booms through the room. "Is there an issue happening up there? If so, whoever it is can kindly leave before they disrupt the class again."

Both of us sit like statues, making sure he doesn't figure out it's us. Niall sitting straight forward like he didn't just slap me into next year, and me biting on my finger to distract myself from the pain radiating from my neck. In what feels like ages, he finally turns his attention back to his notes before continuing his lecture. We both release a breath of relief and sit comfortably in our seats.

"You're such a child. What the fuck was that for?" I ask as I rub the back of my neck. I can feel the heat rise to the surface of my skin in what I know to be a handprint forming where he hit me.

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