My Professor's Secret

09|

nine

"Alex, he made me laugh the entire time. And not that I'm laughing to inflate his ego type laugh, but he was genuinely funny. Hmm," Tay sighs, peeling off her heels before falling back onto her bed. "He's the one. I just know it."

She and Lynn had gone to a frat party at Theta Nu earlier that night, which apparently hadn't died down until three in the morning. I, on the other hand, had assignments demanding my attention while also managing to kick my ass at the same time. Partying was the furthest thing from my mind.

Not to mention the fact that Theta Nu happened to be Wyatt's fraternity. Avoiding Wyatt and Rachel played a significant part in my decision to stay home.

"Are you sure you're ready for something serious right now?"

Taylor's eyes were glossy and unfocused as she stared toward the ceiling. Alcohol mixed with the lingering stench of cigarettes soaked into her clothes, filling the room in a way that made it impossible to ignore where she had just come from.

I watched as she rolled onto her side of the bed, letting out a soft groan as the room spun around her. For a second I considered pressing the issue further.

But I didn't.

"Do we ever really know?" Taylor slurred in the middle of a yawn. Her answer dissolved into silence as sleep pulled her under almost immediately.

»

By the time afternoon rolled around, Taylor had slept away most of her hangover. We headed to the dining hall for lunch, and not long after that the guy she met at the frat party the night before called asking if she wanted to hang out again. Which she wouldn't let me out of.

So we ended up at the mall wandering around for about an hour before I finally managed to escape.

Taylor practically begged me to stay with them for the rest of the day, but I decided against it. A part of me just wanted to be alone for a bit—to spend some time studying and sulking over the fact that my brother and dad were both treating me like the outcast.

Not once had I admitted it aloud, but I was starting to feel desperately homesick. I missed Dad more than words could describe. I even missed my brother despite us being an apology away from fixing everything.

The blame wasn't only on him because I wasn't a saint either. Some of the things I said to him prompted an apology he deserved from me too. And maybe I was being immature waiting for him to make the first move.

But at least I could admit that.

I spent most of my time at the library writing and getting ahead on my workload after Taylor and I parted ways. It was a goal of mine to graduate with honors, and I refused to fall short on my studies because I couldn't get my personal life together.

A small mini mart sat about a block down from the library, so I walked over in search of snacks to stock the refrigerator with for the week.

The sky was only a sliver away from fading into navy darkness, but swirls of pink, purple, and soft orange still decorated the horizon while the moon slowly began its climb into the sky.

The sunsets reminded me of Dreycott.

It was a sucky town—don't get me wrong—but the sunsets were out of this world.

Mom and I used to sit on the patio together watching them whenever we had the chance. She'd always have a Polaroid camera in her hand, waiting for the perfect moment to snap a photo of the colors filling the sky.

Somehow she always had the perfect story about her younger days with Dad to tell while we waited for night to settle in.

Nothing could compare to that. Nothing ever had.