How To Woo Sky Walker

2

Tobin says into the microphone, "This one's for Isabella Davenport. You're cute as fuck. Here's On My Mind by Max Boyle."

Sky finishes the last of her sandwich and dusts off her hands. "Why do you keep passively aggressively dedicating songs to different cute girls in your class? It's the first fucking day."

She takes off her headphones and drags her chair with the wheels to the table. "I have eyes and I'm willing to use them. Ready for class with Bennett?"

"No. I'm hungry. Come get food with me."

"You just ate."

"I don't care, I'm hungry again."

Tobin pretends to think about it. "Is it free?"

Sky barely has enough money for the vending machine. "No."

"Then no, I have a radio booth to man," her friend says sweetly, snatching Sky's almost-empty coffee cup. "And I'm a senior. I have to prepare for class and shit."

"You don't prepare for class and shit. You just want to reapply your makeup and look good for the girls."

Tobin winks at her. "And what's so wrong with that, darlin'?"

Sky's jaw twitches at the pet name. She sends her friend a flat look, and Tobin smiles, sipping on the coffee loudly.

They met in chemistry back in freshman year as lab partners, and they didn't get along. Tobin got on her nerves, and Sky got on Tobin's nerves—and when Sky spilled hydrochloric acid all over Tobin's skin and she had to strip and stand under the emergency shower, they realized two different things—for Tobin: that what they had was unresolved, evolving romantic tension; for Sky: that what they had was unresolved sexual tension.

So they talked it over and cleared up any misunderstandings. Sky does not have feelings for Tobin, but she'd bang her if she asked. Tobin would erase any growing feelings for Sky, but would not and will not permit the banging.

So they agreed on being friends. Doesn't mean Tobin stopped calling her darling.

Sky shoulders her bag and flips her the middle finger. "Dinner after class, I'll meet you in the student lounge."

"Duly noted, babe," Tobin says, already waving her off. She drags her chair back to the microphone and looks at her phone. "Who's next on the list..."

Sky stops by the cafeteria on the way to class and quickly munches on a burger. Five minutes before four, as she's walking the narrow hallway, Professor Bennett messages her to let her know he's on the way. Sky pockets her phone and enters the classroom.

"Dibs!" a familiar voice yells.

Sky meets Harvey Ryerson's smiling eyes. Front row and center. Oh, God.

She sighs. Harvey Ryerson was a pain in the ass last semester, and Sky has no doubt he's also going to be a pain in the ass this semester.

Grinning, he leans back against his seat and crosses his arms, ignoring his classmates' quizzical looks.

Sky wants to bang her head against the table. It's the first day and already she wants to strangle someone—

Professor Bennett walks in. "What a lovely class size!" he exclaims, radiant and bright and full of energy, still. He places his bag on the desk and smiles. "I don't have to deal with a bunch of extra gremlins. I'll call your names and we can start with the nitty gritty—attendance is mandatory, so show up to class, alright?" He takes out a stack of papers from his bag and hands them to Sky. "Alright, Sky is passing out the syllabus. Office is at Faulkner Hall, 304. Highlight my email so you don't go asking around for it every ten seconds. Be respectful in your emails, but talk to Sky however you want, I don't care—oh, as long as you don't insult and offend her species. That's why we're here, right? Women in Antiquity? Get out if you disagree with the 'men are trash' phrase."

Sky passes out the syllabus to the students. At Harvey Ryerson's desk, she slaps it in front of him. He looks up and grins, and highlights Sky's email about eight times and draws hearts all over it.

Rolling her eyes, Sky makes her way back to the front of the class.

"Alright, now that you have your copies, I must warn you, although Sky is very good at her job, she's also very busy considering she's a lunatic in grad school whose double major is English and History," continues the professor. "She looks like an Addams family adoptee on a good day and Gollum on a bad day, but do not fear, she knows that 'nothing' was used as a euphemism in the Elizabethan era for 'vagina', so Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing was about freaking out over pussy, which is what most of you kids do at the slightest sense of the word."

Sky smiles at Bennett. She's liked him since she worked with him last year. At first, she was a little hesitant and iffy that a man was going to teach a class about women (what do they know, right?), but Bennett is as passionate about the subject as she is, so she begged him to hire her as his TA for this class. Plus, he's a genius. "I'll do it if you stop begging," he finally agreed, and Sky had hugged him and jumped around. "Don't let me down, Walker."

He glances at her. "Introduce yourself."

Sky faces the class and avoids Harvey's stare. He has his chin propped up on his palm, a shit-eating grin on his face, and he looks like he cut his hair since last semester. "Hey. I'm Sky, the lunatic sir was talking about. Um, I got a lot of feedback from my last class that I was, uh, vampiric? And scary and rude for some reason, but like he said, I know shit. No disrespect to vaginas and we're good. Please feel free to drop by my office in the student lounge if you have any questions related to Women in Antiquity, thanks."

Bennett claps his hands together. "Also, Fridays are reserved for Sky's lectures, so don't miss out on them either. You also have consultation hours with her in the middle of the semester, and that's mandatory to pass the class." He takes a look at his watch. "Okay, I'll do attendance and then you all can leave."

After everyone's name is called, the students start packing their bags, and Bennett yells, "Oh, get the textbook—I wrote it, by the way, and Sky helped, and we don't care that it's required because it's actually good! We wrote it! And get it before next meeting, bye." He gives Sky a wave and walks out the door.

Harvey Ryerson is the last to leave. He stops at the professor's desk and gives Sky a smile. "Hey, you look suspicious. You look exactly like the love of my life."

"And you look like an expired coupon," Sky says, tilting her head to the side. "Seriously, Harvey. We're doing this again?"

He shoves his hand into his pocket and stands straight, gripping the strap of his bag. "You remember my name. That's a good start."

How could I not when you literally asked me out 425 times a day? "Sorry, did I not say it with enough disappointment?"

Harvey smiles again. Wider this time. "What are you having for dinner tonight?"

Sky grabs her bag. "Not you."

"Ouch." He follows her out the door and puts a hand to his chest. "Whatever it is, I sure hope it's chewie."

Sky stops. She turns around and faces him. "What are you doing?"

Harvey looks triumphant. "Ah, so you do like Star Wars. It's step one to woo you—actually, it's the whole plan, there are no steps."

"What are you doing?" Sky asks again, face expressionless.

"Trying to impress you with my deep and intensive knowledge on the films you're named after. See, I did my homework." He shrugs, palms open.

Sky wants to punch the smug look off his face. "Won't work. And get the textbook, you troublesome elbow."

"Your names for me keep getting creative every day, babe!" Harvey yells behind her. Sky covers her face and speeds up her steps. "Bye!"

Sky needs food. She needs food, right now.