Beastly: Sequel to "Mr. Perfect"

Chapter 31: Government Systems and Office Hours

🌸Faith (P.O.V.)🌸

By the last ten minutes of class, my brain was already mush.

The overhead lights were too bright, and the sound of pages turning was too loud.

I could still hear Annika's voice in my head, see the folders she showed me, feel my stomach drop when she said "fourth girl."

"...and remember," Professor Shaun said, snapping a stack of stapled papers against his palms as he started down the first row, "these quizzes are not just for my benefit. They're a wake-up call. If you're still not doing well this far into the semester, you need to consider going to tutoring before midterms and final exams."

A few people groaned quietly, and a couple of other students in the front row exchanged smirks, as if this didn't apply to them.

My heart gave an anxious flutter because I already knew my "wake-up" call was coming, and it was going to be loud.

I stared down at my empty desk, nails pressing into my palm under the table.

Fifteen questions. Fifteen stupid, straightforward questions. I don't even know how I could get distracted while taking this quiz.

Zuri's face flashed in my mind from the video—smiling, moving.

"Also remember, the tutoring center is not a punishment," Professor Shaun said in a clipped, no-nonsense voice as he walked the aisle. "It's a resource. Use it before you're begging for extra credit on final exam week."

The girl next to me let out a little sigh of relief when he placed her quiz on her desk.

I didn't look at her score as I didn't want to compare. I just wanted to make it through the next eight minutes without having a full-blown panic attack.

"Lopez," Professor Shaun said, dropping a quiz in front of the guy on my side. "This quiz was better. Keep it up."

Then he stopped in front of me.

For a second, he didn't move, and I could feel his gaze on the top of my head.

I forced myself to look up, but before our eyes met, he set the paper down.

The red ink practically glowed at the top of the page: 5/15

My heart sank.

Of course, that's what it is.

I let out a heavy sigh before I could help it, and dragged a finger over the circled questions, over the little red question marks and underlines.

Professor Shaun leaned down just slightly, lowering his voice so only I could hear.

"See me after class," he said.

I slowly nodded my head.

He straightened, moving to the next desk.

"Some of you made progress," he said, louder now as he finished the last row. "Some of you...did not. If you're in the 'did not' category, now is the time to fix that. Not a couple of weeks from now, not the night before midterms and final exams. There's the tutoring center, and you can also come and see me during my office hours."

I tucked my quiz under my notebook, as if hiding it would make it less real.

My mind kept fracturing—half on the red 5/15, half on Zuri and the missing girls, half on Tybalt, and half on the things Annika said.

I stared at the clock above the door.

Five minutes left.

I can do five minutes. I just have to breathe and pretend to pay attention while Professor Shaun reviews the last few questions on the board.