university (justin bieber)

2

Sitting absentmindedly on the edge of my seat, I doodled in the notebook before me.

The professor's voice echoed from the front of the classroom, but luckily, I was able to drown him out. I was currently in my Music History class, surrounded by people who were actually interested in the topic. I chose this as an elective because it gave me a free period.

"Such beautiful compositions, am I correct, Miss Rios?" Professor James asked me from the front, lowering his glasses until they hung from the tip of his nose.

My cheeks burned with embarrassment, my hand reaching over to shut the notebook quickly. Everyone bored their eyes into me, their stares intimidating me even more.

"I'm sorry, can you repeat the question?" I spoke up shakily, mentally face palming myself.

"Which composer were we just speaking about?" He asked menacingly, knowing that I wasn't aware of the answer. 

I bit my lip and looked down at my lap before a voice boomed from the corner of the classroom.

"Mozart," The familiar voice spoke, grabbing my attention. I turned around to see the person I had least expected to be in this classroom.

Justin?

I didn't even realize he was here. He shot me a wink from where he sat, watching the teacher scoff at the answer that didn't come from me.

As professor James drawled on about the childhood of Mozart, Justin sneakily made his way over to the other end of the classroom, taking the empty seat beside me.

"Hey, you," He smiled, my stomach beginning to turn with butterflies. He nudged my arm, causing me to make a mistake as I continued drawing in my notebook.

Glaring at him, I let out a laugh when he mimicked my stare.

"Hi," I said nervously, my palms beginning to sweat as I tightly clutched onto my pen.

"Professor James has you on his shit list now," He chuckled, leaning back in his seat. I felt his eyes follow the trails of my pen.

"It's alright, I'm only in this class because it gives me a free period," I laughed silently, unable to look up from my notebook because I was so intimidated.

"Well unlike you, I'm actually majoring in music, so I have to pay attention in this class," He smirked, playing with the ends of my long hair.

I finally turned to face him, my cheeks becoming noticeably warmer. I bit my lip as he twirled the strands around his fingers.

"Why are you majoring in music?" I asked curiously, priding myself for not stuttering.

"I sing and play a few instruments," He shrugged like it was no big deal. "It'd be nice to get recognized by a record label or something, especially since we're in Los Angeles."

I nodded my head, allowing him to continue speaking.

"I'm from Canada. Born and raised," He smiled contagiously, causing my lips to turn up into a smile as well. "Left my family and everything behind to try and make it big out here. I guess we'll see how it ends up."

I bit my lip and fumbled with my fingers in my lap, a comfortable silence enveloping us. At the moment, we couldn't even hear the Professor's whiny voice. It had long been drowned out.

He spoke up again, my eyes moving onto his.

"I have a gig at this coffeehouse down the street tomorrow. You can come. I mean, only if you want to."

I smiled and nodded my head, pushing strands of my hair behind my ears.

"I'd love to," I admitted, seeing his face light up with happiness. "What will you be singing?"

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out," He laughed, glancing at his phone. "I'm gonna ditch class. I can't be bothered to sit here any longer."

I frowned slightly, hoping that he didn't notice. I was really enjoying his company, and it kind of upset me that he wanted to leave.

"Won't you get caught?"

He laughed and put his phone back in his pocket, running his fingers through his hair before pushing his chair in. He lowered his lips directly to my ear, leaving goosebumps across my body.

"I never get caught," his breath fanned out against my skin, causing me to squirm in my seat. "Later, babe."

And with that, the mysterious boy I had grown an infatuation for wandered out of the class, no one even stirring at his departure. I guess it was a regular thing around here.

I refocused my attention onto my notebook, flipping through the pages and examining my drawings.

I felt the presence of someone beside me, and much to my dismay, it wasn't Justin.

"Hey," The unfamiliar voice spoke, turning my attention onto him. "I'm Christian."

I smiled and refrained from extending out my sweaty hand to shake his, deciding to nod my head in recognition instead.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jasmine."

Things got awkward quickly, causing me to slide my chair farther from him. I don't think he noticed, though. He was too busy looking at himself in the front camera of his phone.

"So, Justin Bieber?"

I bit my lip and shrugged.

"What about him?"

"Are you two friends?" He asked curiously, slipping his phone into his pocket and turning his attention back onto me.

"Uh, I met him yesterday. I'm new here," I explained nervously, feeling his gaze on the side of my face as I looked down at my shoes.

"Keep your distance with that dude. Don't want another new girl falling into his trap," He warned before sliding his chair out and leaving me there, stunned and confused.

As if on cue, every student in the room moved out of their chairs, the legs of the chairs scratching the tiles on the floor. I cringed at the sound, but mimicked their behavior. I gathered my notebooks and put them into my bag before slinging it over my shoulder.

Everyone had their friend groups, so they walked out in large circles. I was left alone in the classroom, being the last one to exit.

Walking nervously down the hallway, I traveled as slowly as I could to avoid seeing anyone. Instead of meeting Melissa and her friends by the bookstore, I took the road less traveled and ended up under a large tree.

Propping my back up against the trunk, I looked up into the spacious leaves and branches as my mind raced with thoughts.

So far, I had been warned by two people to keep my distance with Justin. I wanted to know why, but it seemed as if the answers were avoiding me.

I knew that even though I had been given these instructions, my stubborn and curious self would do whatever I pleased.

And what pleased me was getting to know Justin.