Wicked Games (Student/teacher)

Chapter 2

"Hayden!" Sam called as Hayden walked into the rather empty dining hall with Emily. She turned her head in the direction of the familiar voice to see her friends sitting around one of the tables. Besides them, there were only three other tables occupied. This usually happened as her friends preferred settling in a day or two before registration. She walked over to Sam and hugged him. His blonde hair seemed darker than usual. "Don't forget me," Duncan said holding out his arms. She rustled his black hair before hugging him. Soon she was greeting the girls too. "Emily," Duncan began, "Aren't you supposed to be with Sarah?" Emily shook her head, "We're no longer friends." Alex pulled out a chair for the two girls. The group chatted a little while longer before purchasing their meals. "Hey!" Hayden exclaimed when Duncan grabbed a chocolate bar from her. "I'm just helping you maintain that tiny figure of yours," he smirked. Hayden crossed her arms over her slightly full chest. Melissa flicked her black curls in the air and rested her elbow on Sam's shoulder. Hayden observed everyone at the table whilst they chatted away. Jessica and Emily were discussing some news headline that Hayden couldn't care less about while Jake and Cassy listened to Sam explain how he got the scar on his wrist. "Dude, that sounds painful!" Alex cringed upon hearing how Sam cut it on a rusty nail. Duncan simply sat texting on his phone. Hayden fiddled with an empty sachet as she mentally planned her schedule for the week. The doors made a noise as a man walked in. Nobody reacted to the distant sound but Hayden focused her attention on the new arrival. A tall, slightly tanned man with dark hair walked over to the kitchen. He wore a salmon shirt and beige pants. She tried to think of where she had seen him. Suddenly she remembered walking past one of his classes the previous year.

"Mr. Donovan," she thought.

The man behind the counter handed him a wrapped pie. He walked over to the nearest table and sat down. Hayden watched as he unfolded the bag. He looked up and caught Hayden watching him. She quickly looked down and started fiddling with the sachet again. "I'm going to grab something to drink," she told Alex. "Okay," he said before continuing to listen to Duncan's story. Hayden carefully made her way to the counter. She could feel his eyes on her as she walked. "What will it be?" A middle aged woman asked. "Regular coffee, please." Hayden waited patiently. The woman handed her the coffee before accepting the payment. He got up and threw his papers away. Hayden drew in a silent breath when he approached the counter to order an espresso. "Hello," he said in a friendly tone. "Hello," Hayden replied. They stood in silence until the woman handed him the espresso. "You're here early," he continued. Crickets could be heard outside. "I like to get here before all the chaos," she smiled. She took a sip of her rather cold coffee. "Clever," he said, "I'm Reed Donovan." She took his warm hand, "Hayden Scott." Their eyes locked for a moment before Alex interrupted, "We're walking the girls back to the dorm. Oh hey, Mr. Donovan." Reed greeted him with a tight smile and a nod, his dark eyes shining under the light. "Well I better go," Hayden said before following Alex and the rest outside. She looked back and caught Reed watching her. There was something about his firm, manly body that gave her chills.

Reed drove back to his campus residence. The light from the car revealed all the bugs flying around in the dark. He came to a stop outside the adequate house and headed inside. He slumped onto the couch and held his hands to his face. The room was in complete darkness. Classes would begin in just three days. He found himself thinking about his favourite blonde student. He was rather fond of her in a way that wasn't encouraged. She did, however, graduate already and he would miss seeing her eager face while he rattled on about human reasoning. Her absence barely had an affect on him, but still, he would love her naive innocence for just one more year. He sat up in the darkness and stared into nothingness. Hayden Scott's face invaded his thoughts. Her high cheekbones and her flawless, tanned skin was very attractive. The beauty spot just below her pouty lips made them even more inviting. The way her long, brown hair hung in waves just above her tiny waist. The tight, black T-shirt showed her not-too-small, not-too-big chest. Unfortunately, Alex McGregor had to interrupt their introduction. The way the two walked arm in arm had to mean they were together. Since Professor Sully retired, he would take on his students. Reed thought of how he would have an opportunity to admire more beautiful young woman this year. Suddenly the longing for his blonde bombshell and his annoyance over the taken brunette evaporated.

Hayden held in a breathe as the cold morning air bit at her cheeks. "This is so exciting," Emily said. "Yeah, new professor. Woohoo," Hayden replied sarcastically. "Oh cheer up. If you miss professor Sully that's fine, but don't get all depressed about it." Hayden rolled her eyes, "Are you kidding? I hated the guy. He was too old and slow." Emily sighed. They walked into the building on the south part of the campus. The maroon bricks were hidden by rows of trees. They opened the glass doors and slid into the sea of people. First year's were nervously trying to locate their classes while all the others simply chatted away in the halls. "Here's my locker," Hayden said, opening the blue door and shoving a pile of books inside. "We could still grab a snack before our first class," Emily pointed out. "Let's go," Hayden replied. The two bought a salad and sat down by the nearest bench. "So," Emily began, "I guess Mr. Donovan won't be so bad." Hayden couldn't make out what she meant. "What do you mean?" Hayden asked. Emily swallowed the piece of fruit she had been chewing, "Well since he's taking over from Professor Sully, he'll be our new professor." Hayden couldn't decide whether she was pleased with the information after all she had heard about him. She merely shrugged and carried on picking at the fruit salad with her plastic fork.

A large group of familiar faces surrounded Emily and Hayden as they all made their way to class. "Let's sit near the end," Hayden requested, "I get really claustrophobic." Emily nodded. They entered class and tried to find two seats near the end of the row. They climbed the stairs on the stand. Right in the middle section a couple of seats were available. "There," Emily pointed out. They took their seats and placed their notepads on the table. A buzz filled the room as students were catching up with one another. A manly figure came through the door and the room fell silent. "Good morning, students," he said, "I will be your new educator in place of Professor Sully. You are welcome to call me Professor or Mr. Donovan." Hayden held her breath when his dark eyes fell on her and lingered for a moment, "My name is Reed Donovan, but only my friends call me Reed." His gaze continued to travel around the class. "Right," he said, "Let us begin."

Reed was absolutely delighted when he saw Hayden in his class. He would have her the whole year. He enjoyed watching her hair fall off her shoulder as she wrote. Whenever he made eye contact with her, she would keep a neutral expression but he could tell by the movement of her throat that she was affected by it. The blonde beside her was quite attractive but nothing compared to Miss Scott. He watched as she followed the flow of students out of the class. Her loose shirt hid her curvaceous figure. This disappointed him somewhat.

"You'll see her tomorrow," he told himself.