Parked Car

"I don't know anything with certainty, but seeing the stars makes me dream."

When he had first seen her, the first semester of the new school year, he had been perplexed by her enthusiasm to begin learning about astrophysics. Most usually, it was a class many students didn't want to take, merely forced to by need of credits or otherwise. As the year went on, students would lack the drive to continue, sharing the work answers amongst themselves or not even bothering to turn in anything at all.

Yet, (y/n) was quite different-- she provided the answers to other students, not solely because she wanted them to graduate with her, but because she wanted them to understand the subject, and hopefully fall in love with it as she had. Alas, her efforts always proved to be futile, her answers only valued and the actual subject at hand being overlooked by her fellow classmates.

Though those said efforts did not go completely unnoticed. One person in particular admired her efficacy, her professor, Siebren de Kuiper, or rather, Professor D.K., as his students liked to call him. He had always kept an eye on her, observing her as she quickly completed work, always answering her questions when she so frequently had one. From the beginning, she was different. She genuinely enjoyed learning about the subject, and although her math skills could use some work, her accelerated understanding of astrophysics was almost phenomenal. Staying after class to study was one of her favorite things to do, expectedly enough. Siebren enjoyed her company as well-- answering questions made him feel as though his choice of work was worth it after all. She was quiet during class, but when the two were alone with textbooks and papers scattered about a desk, they would ramble on together, occasionally chuckling at moments of sarcasm, or bouts of silence breaking their chatter as they worked through a complicated equation together. There was no doubt in Siebren's mind that she was a star student. A type of student he'd never seen before.

"Professor?" A familiar voice rang out in Siebren's classroom. Ah, and there she comes. For a moment, he had wondered if she heard him thinking about her. With a mind as quick-witted as hers, it wasn't entirely impossible.

"Oh, hello, (y/n)." Siebren checked the digital clock hanging on the wall behind him, displaying "9:03" on its screen. "It's awfully late, what keeps you on campus for so long? Lost in the library?" He looked over to her with a politeful smile. She was dressed as she usually was, neat and composed, a skirt hanging just above her knees, and a white button-up blouse, her favorite pair of mary janes, accompanied, of course, by her cluttered backpack on her back. The only thing different about her appearance was a worried expression plastered on her face.

"I wish. My car actually broke down and um... Well I messaged my friend if she could pick me up but she's probably drunk or busy or something, so I walked to a gas station to see if there was anything there that could be proved useful but I actually don't, um, have any money so I really couldn't, like, get anything and..." She paused, looking away from Siebren, embarrassed, "I don't know."

Siebren hesitated. He didn't have much of a method to get her car started up, especially since he only brings a briefcase with his phone, car keys, and driver's license in it (too many incidents of his wallet being misplaced to bring it on campus ever again). Inconvenient, yes, but it has saved him hours of frantically looking for it.

"Well, that's quite the predicament, isn't it." He paused. "I don't exactly have any money on me, unfortunately, nor a way to get your car up and working again..."

He watched his student frown and shuffle her feet awkwardly, twirling her hair in her finger. Siebren couldn't help but admire her subtle mannerisms. She always had a knack for curling her hair with her finger when she was thinking, or downright bored. A piece of him thought it was charming, endearing, but his brain overpowered those intrusive feelings as best as it could. He was her professor. No matter how outstanding a student, he wouldn't try to pick favorites. Though, he supposed, I did already.