Between the desks

Chapter 26

Amren's POV

I felt absolutely dead inside as I walked out of Professor Olsen's class. It was like she had drained every ounce of life from me in those two hours. The room felt suffocating, and the way she commanded it—like she had some personal vendetta against all of us—made me want to scream. I mean, what the hell is wrong with her? I kept replaying her sharp voice, the way she snapped at us over the smallest things. She was more bitter than usual, and I couldn't help but wonder if she was still hungover from the weekend. Maybe that would explain her attitude, right?

Outside, Lily was already lighting up a cigarette, and I watched her take a long, satisfying drag before she turned to me. "What a bitch!" she spat out, her eyes flashing with frustration.

I nodded, feeling the same. "I know, right? She's never been this bad before. It's like she was on a mission to make us all miserable." My voice came out tired, just like my body felt.

Lily passed me the pack, and I grabbed one, lighting it with shaking hands. I couldn't quite figure out why I was so rattled. Sure, Professor Olsen was strict, but today? It was something else entirely. The way she looked at me—like she saw right through me—made my skin tingle. It shouldn't have, but it did.

As I took a drag, the nicotine hit me hard, dulling the tension just a little, but not enough. I smoked through half of it before flicking the butt to the ground, grinding it out with my heel. "What is her problem?" I snapped, louder than I meant to. My voice echoed off the buildings, and I saw Lily's eyebrows raise in surprise.

"Amren, chill," she said, looking at me like I'd lost it. Maybe I had. Maybe I was overreacting, but something about today had really gotten under my skin. More than it should have.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Yeah, sorry. I just—" I didn't know what to say. How could I explain the weird feelings that had been crawling through me all class? "Maybe I need another coffee or something."

Lily gave me a curious look but didn't press it. Instead, she changed the subject. "Jess is picking me up after Latin," I said, trying to steer the conversation away from the mess in my head. "Wanna ride with us?"

Lily took another drag, her smirk returning. "Wait, did she even leave your place this weekend?"

The heat rose to my face instantly. Dammit, I was terrible at hiding anything from her. "Maybe..." I mumbled, knowing full well what was coming next.

Lily's face lit up as she practically yelled, "OH MY GOD! YOU GOT LAID!" She burst out laughing, loud enough that people around us turned their heads.

"Shh!" I hissed, glancing around, but I couldn't help but laugh with her. I tried to act like it wasn't a big deal, but it was. Jess had stayed the entire weekend, and let's just say we made good use of the time. Four times a day, to be exact.

"So, how was it?" Lily asked, wiggling her eyebrows playfully.

"It was good," I said, smirking, though "good" didn't quite cover it. It was... intense. We'd barely left the bed, tangled together in this perfect rhythm. She knew exactly what I needed, how to touch me, how to make me forget everything else. At least for a little while.

"You dirty beast," Lily teased, nudging me with her shoulder. "Four times a day, huh?"

I just shrugged, laughing. "What can I say? We had a lot of time."

For a moment, everything felt lighter, the frustration of class fading into the background as we joked and headed to Latin. But as we walked, my mind kept drifting back to Professor Olsen. The way she had looked at me today—so cold, so distant—it made my stomach churn. But why? Why couldn't I just let it go?

Professor Blanchett's class was a welcome relief. She was strict, sure, but in a way that made sense. She pushed us to think, to do better, without making us feel small. Unlike Olsen, who had spent the entire morning tearing us down.

But even as Latin flew by, I couldn't shake the thoughts of Olsen from my mind. The way she had stood at the front of the room, arms crossed, glaring at anyone who dared breathe too loudly—it was like she had a personal grudge against all of us. Especially me.

When class ended, Lily and I waited outside for Jess. My brain felt fried, and all I wanted was to get home, away from the chaos of the day. Away from the strange feelings that were gnawing at me.

"Hey guys!" Jess's voice broke through my thoughts, and I looked up to see her getting out of my car. She smiled brightly, her presence immediately lifting my mood. She kissed me on the lips, a quick, sweet kiss that made me forget, just for a second, about everything else.

But even as we climbed into the car and drove off, I couldn't stop thinking about Professor Olsen. Why did I keep obsessing over her? Sure, she had been a nightmare today, but I'd dealt with worse professors before. So why did she get under my skin like this?

It wasn't just her attitude, though. There was something else. Something I didn't want to admit. I tried to ignore it, but the truth was, there was a part of me that had been... turned on by her today.

I know, it sounds ridiculous. How could I be attracted to someone who made me feel so small, so insignificant? But the way she commanded the room, the way her voice cut through the air with such authority—it did something to me. I couldn't explain it.

When she called out those girls for whispering, the way she leaned over her desk, her eyes narrowing in that stern, almost predatory way—it made my pulse quicken. I hated it. I hated her. But at the same time... I couldn't stop thinking about it. About her.

And God, she looked good today. I shouldn't be noticing these things, but I couldn't help it. The way her black pants hugged her legs, her white shirt that gave just the slightest hint of cleavage—it was like she was teasing without even trying. My eyes kept following her every movement, even though I didn't want them to. And when she spoke? Her voice was like ice, but it sent shivers down my spine, and not in the way it should have.

Why did that turn me on? Why did I feel this pull toward her when she made me so angry? It didn't make any sense, and it was driving me insane.

Jess reached over and squeezed my leg, smiling at me as she drove. I smiled back, grateful for the distraction. But even as I sat there, with her hand on me, all I could think about was Professor Olsen. The way her eyes had met mine in class, that flicker of something—disdain? Interest? I didn't know. But it made my heart race in ways it shouldn't have.

I glanced out the window, watching the buildings blur by. I wished I could leave my thoughts about Olsen behind, leave them on campus where they belonged. But I couldn't. She was stuck in my head, and I didn't know why.

What the hell is wrong with me?