Room 206 - Luke Hemmings

fourteen

A/N: sorry for the kinda late update! it's been a long week

Although I'd made up with Alex and Eleanor, it didn't change how nervous I was about everything now. Now that I knew people were talking about me and saying ungodly things about Professor Hemmings and I, I walked on eggshells around everyone. Honestly, I didn't care what anyone thought about me most of the time but this was way overboard. I had a reputation as being a few different things that probably weren't ideal, but I wouldn't tolerate having the reputation as "the girl who is fucking her English professor that she pretends to hate."

The thing is, I didn't pretend to hate Professor Hemmings. I truly hated him. He was a dick and acted like he knew everything. Despite the fact that I loathed him and wanted to pick at every little thing he did wrong, I kept my mouth shut after I made up with Alex and Eleanor. And let me tell you, it was hard to filter myself like that.

On the Friday afternoon before the Autumn Dance was going to be held on Saturday, the bell rang signaling that my final class of the day was over and that I could go to my dorm and relax or perhaps going into the neighboring town with Alex for some ice cream or watch a movie with the girls. I sighed and gathered my books, happy to finally be leaving this class.

"Daisy, could I speak with you for a moment?" Professor Hemmings said, taking my attention away from Alex, who was talking to me.

"I'll meet up with you by my dorm in a few minutes, you can go ahead and put your stuff away," I informed him.

Alex looked between Professor Hemmings and I, and I almost glared at him and bitched him out for thinking there was actually something going on, but he smiled at me instead.

"Okay, love," he leaned in and gave me a quick kiss. "I'll see you in a bit."

I walked up to Professor Hemmings, who was shuffling some papers around on his desk. He looked up at me, then at the students leaving his class and pushed his glasses up his nose like he always does.

"I couldn't help but notice a significant change in your attitude again, Miss Williams," he said, tapping a stack of papers on his desk to straighten them out before putting a paper clip on them and setting them down, looking me directly in the eye.

"You are certainly correct about that," I said in a monotone voice, biting back a sarcastic comment rising in my throat about how it's the only thing he's correct about.

"I have also noticed that this change in attitude has been somewhat consistent," he continued, still staring me right in the eyes.

I nodded, saying nothing more to him but keeping his intense stare.

"I suppose I am just trying to say that I greatly appreciate it and would like to see it continue," he said. "I think now that you've stopped making those comments of yours that you have been doing quite well with the classwork."

"Thank you, sir," I said, my voice still monotone. "Am I excused?"

He stared at me for a second. "Yes." He said it almost as if he were questioning my answer or my responses to him. I turned around and walked out the door without saying another word, feeling his eyes on me the entire way out.

-

The following night, I managed to relax while I let Eileen do my makeup, turning my face into a canvas of artwork. She also insisted on doing my hair, so I let her do that as well, and actually enjoyed myself laughing with the girls as we all got ready together.

Once we'd all put our dresses on, excitedly gushing over how pretty we all looked, we headed down to the dining hall to meet up with our dates for the dinner to start right before the dance.