Professor

Chapter One

Okay, students," I said with confidence, all the nerves gone away with the other me, the past me, the child. The room quieted as my voice echoed. I tried to remember what to do next. There was a person in every seat. One hundred percent attendance.

Do I start? 'Come on, Cassidy, you just took a whole course on this,' I think to myself. Then I pull it together. I'm a professor. I need to be professional.

I grabbed a stack of syllabus'. The clanking of my feet filled the silence of the seminar room. "Pass it around," I said giving it to the student in the far right corner. He smirked grabbing the stack from me. There were chuckles from behind me. I whipped my head around. They tried to hide it as they were passed the papers. I continued to go down the steps. "Amateur," they whispered. Old me would've said something, child me, but I ignored the comment and decided to address it in a more formal way. I stepped back next to the podium.

"Listen up everyone," I said as polite, yet attention grabbing, as I could. "No matter what my age may be, I am your teacher, I am your professor. All I ask is respect. You don't want to listen during class, then don't. Its hurting you not me, however I ask respect as I said. Don't interfere with my teaching, or a peers learning. We are adults."

One student in the front row laughs and says, "No we ain't."

"Just a reminder this is a literature class. You should know the basics at this point. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe it's are not," I say.

A paper airplane goes flying from the back corner down towards a student two rows down. He laughs and tosses it back. The student in the back corner goes over the creases, pressing them hard with his fingers. "Excuse me sir, may you get rid of that. It kind of goes along with the no interfering topic," I try to stay calm. He lifts his head up and grins the same grin he gave when I gave him the papers.

" 'ey I'm no sir," he says.

"Well then, what are you?" I ask. I see his eyebrow pop up from all the way down here, "A human." Wise guy. I correct myself, "Who."

"Well me, I'm Grant Miller. Don't everyone know that?"

"It's the first day Mr. Miller," I explain.

"For you or for me professor?" he asks.

"Both, freshman," Cam calls from the opposite bottom corner. All the sophomores began to chuckle in amusement.

"Look buddy, why am I cuttin' her any slack, when haven't gotten none," he argues back. Cam stiffens. I don't want him to say because I'm his little sister, but it seems he doesn't even know what to say himself, so I speak instead.

"Mr. Miller would you like to sit the rest of the class out," I say. The whole room stiffens and faces me. "Well ma'am I would, but that don't seem like a good idea, do it?" he replies. "No it isn't so I suggest you take the respect speech into consideration." He nods and begins tapping his pen against the wall. I stand and wait until he slows down and then stops.

~

I sit at my desk with my face buried in my hands. My next class isn't until 5:00, but I wanted to be done already. Somebody tapped on my desk. I looked up to find Cam above me. "You going home?" he asked. I shook my head no. "We can go grab a bite to eat before your other classes," he suggested. "Sure, I can get my mind off of things for a little," I answered standing up. I grabbed my bag off the floor and we headed out.

~

"Follow me," the waitress from the pub says. We are lead to a tall table in the corner. "Can I just order now?" Cam asks her. She nods. "Ok, she wants a water with lemon, I'll take a diet coke and nachos for the table."

We sit in silence for a little and then I speak up. "Am I doing alright?" I ask. "Yeah, your doing fine," he consoles me. "Why didn't you answer earlier? When Grant Miller argued back with you?" I continued questioning. He was quiet for a second, but he gave in. "Ok, I'll bite." I raised an eyebrow at him. "I just think he may have been a little bit right. Yeah he's not the best person I guess, but you were still a little harsh, I guess." I felt insulted. "That wasn't harsh," I said. "Well, I mean.." I cut him off. "No, no, no. I'm a professor. I'm the students' professor, I'm your professor, and I'm his professor. It's an adult position. I deserve to be respected as an adult."

"Well you know how I am. You think you're an adult. You're an adult then. And that's how I'll treat you. And there's no going back," he grins. I smirk in return. But I know he means it, partially.

I knew the child me was gone. She was not to return. I didn't want her anymore. And now, he knew it too. Sometimes people mature faster than others. They might think I'm an amateur, but I made it farther than them. I'm above them on the authority ladder. What's wrong with growing up?

"How come you decided to stay dorm room?" I ask him. "As opposed to what?" he returns my question wit one of his own, "home with mom and dad?" I thought about it for a second. "You could get an apartment," I replied. "Who are we talking about here me or you?" he asks. "Well I can't live in a dorm, you know I live it home, but an apartment would be nice," I say. "Is this part of your adult philosophy," he continues to question me. "Why is there something wrong with it?" I push. "No, adult."

~

As the night progressed with my last class I was more confident. I knew who I was and where I stood. Nobody can knock me down. Part of my child side was still there in the morning with some of my moments of insecurity. There would be no more of that. It's over and done. It may take some getting used to, for me and others. It's time for a change.

A/N: Guys thank you so much for the reads on the prologue! Don't be afraid to comment constructive critism or anything really. Love, love, love you guys. From now on updates are saturdays.