Dear Professor

An eventual breakthrough

—- Heyyy, back with another chapter !! Hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it! —-

I had wanted to ask Downey a question but that new event had completely wiped it out of my mind and that's why I was really grateful that it was the time for my lunch break. I would be able to test the theory.

A quick stop to the nearest fast food, and I was back on the road with Harper, each of us munchkin on chips and since she was the one who saw where Downey was, she was the one playing him. She walked behind me as I got my phone out and reenacted the scene, talking at the same volume I did earlier.

Then, when I stopped to turn back to Harper, I knew I was fucked.

Harper talked before I got the chance to "I heard absolutely e-very-thing" she said emphasising the word everything and then sighed "So he probably did as well..." she then concluded not reassuring me the slightest.

I groaned in utter frustration and paced back and forth thinking about it more. Then, something hit me, harder than a brick would have. Downey was much taller than me, and he had always walked faster than me, that's actually always been a problem for me. I could never keep up with him.

So how was it possible that he stayed behind me? He just couldn't, there was no way he could have stayed behind naturally, even more as I was walking rather slowly.

So thinking it over once again, Downey, a man who had the habit of walking fast, had stayed right behind me, a slow walker, and furthermore, at most, a metre away. Either that man had been eavesdropping or else I didn't know what happened.

I looked up at Harper and stopped my pacing "What if he did it on purpose?"

She frowned "uh?" she answered not following and I groaned "Robert's a fast walker right?"

She nodded and then I continued "So then why did he stay behind?" she frowned but I continued before she could answer "This makes no sense... Unless..." I drifted off and she frowned "Unless what??"

"Unless he was actually speed walking to get to the front, heard his name while I talked and then decided to stay and listen?" I said, finally speaking my thoughts out loud. Harper eyes lit up and she acquiesced "That actually makes sense yes"

When our minds were settled once for all, the lunch break was coming to an end and we made our way back to class for a geography course (or more accurately, an extended break, as Mr Morris still didn't seem to find any interest in teaching, even with our finals approaching).

The hour was unsurprisingly uneventful, just the usual talking with Harper and our snack break which had become a habit in the past months (we weren't the best exemple, but still, everyone was mostly doing the same anyhow).

Morris released us early, because he wanted 'to leave before it gets crowded', that surely wasn't a suitable excuse for a teacher, but I really didn't mind. Quite the contrary actually, I never liked walking among the crowded corridors of the uni, so having the opportunity to leave before everyone was truly a blessing.

Didn't take Harper and I long to pack our things and go, not waiting for the teacher to say it twice. We were out the door in merely two minutes. A record time for Harper who usually took her sweet time to get out, taking pleasure in seeing me waiting for her at the door.

Walking along the corridors, I was fully ready to go home, but as I passed Downey's class, I saw it was open, and that Downey was still in it, probably still working. But if I was right, he was about to leave, from the way half of his things were already tidied. He must have just stopped to finish something and then got caught in and kept working (that statement was found to be true).