Someone is always watching

Chapter 02

Time skip- 8 months later
Nerissa's POV
Monday, around 11am

"Get up. Get up. Get up." I hear Trish's giddy voice, it's her day off.
"Ughhh let me sleep." I grumble as I shove my pillow over my head.
"Come on sleepy head. First day of work today. Move that fat ass of yours"
I push the covers off of me and say in my most indignant voice "heyyy I don't have a fat ass." I'm not much of a morning person.
"I. Am. Never. Drinking. Again." I try to sit up but my head starts spinning, I hate hangovers.
"Come on. I made coooooffeee, extra strong" she just knows how to make me cave. I walk to the bathroom and slam the door.

I look dead. I can't believe I slept with my make up on, how drunk were we? Who cares we woke up at home, alone, and we're both safe. I've been crashing with her since I got back from my residency in England, Ty is in Paris for his residency, I stayed with him for a week before I got back to Gotham.
After cleaning up I drag myself to the kitchen. I'm glad she's not cooking breakfast because I really can't eat anything, and the smell would just make me puke.
I sit on one of the stools in front of my mug of hot steaming extra strong black coffee. I'm ready to make love to this coffee.
"Ughhh I am never drinking again."
I hear Trish's loud laughter as she makes her way out of her room "you always say that, and you always end up on this stool with this cup of coffee and this dead look on your face" she keeps laughing while getting me some toast and spreadable light cheese. She knows me so well.
"Oh yeah? And who got us the fake IDs sophomore year? And whose genius idea was it to do all those shots yesterday? And how are you not hungover? Are you a witch or something?" I end my rant with a weird cough, I smoked a lot yesterday UGH.
"First of all, you took our pictures for the IDs remember? Second I threw up as soon as we got home and then took some pills, and third you're the one who dresses like a witch. But yea the tequila was my idea" she walks to the door ready to leave "you know you love me, now shower, wear make up and keep mints in your purse, you don't want the kids to think you're an alcoholic form the first day, if you need anything from the store text me, bye now." I say bye and go shower to prepare for my first day as an assistant teacher at Gotham University. Trish is working at the Museum, Ty has the residency in Paris, and me I'm an AT. So much for being valedictorian, but it's a part time job that pays well enough to afford rent and decent lifestyle and it gives me time to work on my first solo exhibition. I have so many ideas after my British experience.

I get to GU, I'm greeted by the security guards. I walk to my classroom to set up everything, it's a sketching class it should be fun, I get to help new talents emerge all while practicing myself. I'm not exactly an AT, I will be giving the class myself which terrifies me, but since I don't have a Masters degree or a teaching diploma I can't be legally hired as a teacher, my pay is less than a teacher's but more than an assistant teacher's. Students start pouring in. The class went smoothly, I have 16 students, maximum capacity of a class, some are fine arts students, some are from different programs within the art faculty and two are taking the course as an elective. I explain the syllabus and my way of doing things, the grading system and the attendance policy, it's a 3 hours class three times a week, Monday Wednesday and Friday. It will mainly be focused on live models, both male and female models, I can hear the first years giggling I can't help but smile mentally remembering my first class with a nude model. I set some of the marble busts and heads on the table for them to sketch so that I know what I'm working with. I give them the list of materials they'll need and tell them where to get them from for student discounts and dismiss them after 2 hours and a half. I have to go apartment hunting, I can't stay on Trish's uncomfortable sofa bed forever, it's time to 'adult'.
One student stayed behind to help me put everything back in its place, nice boy, black hair, tired blue eyes, very pale skin, can't draw to save his life but he seems younger than the rest. 

"What was your major again?" I ask pushing the last table towards the wall.

"Oh I'm not a student here yet, well I am but not really." What kind of answer is that? He looks at me briefly then looks away real fast as if he doesn't want me to remember his face. I wait trying to give my best authoritarian teacher vibe, he looks back and clears his throat "ehm well I am still in high school but I'm taking classes down in the engineering department and I thought of taking this class because I wouldn't have to go back to school after I'm done" he's so nervous.

"Oh okay so you're one of the smart kids who know how to take advantage of a situation and I'm assuming your IQ is above average since you're taking college classes." I can see him slightly blushing as he closes the closet after putting the last Greek head inside.

"Yeah you can say that." His eyes are darting in every direction and his fingers are going to rip the hem of his shirt. We walk out the classroom, I need to go to the dean's office so as we're about to go our separate ways.

"Well then see you on Wednesday ?" I say in a tone asking for his name.

"Tim, Tim Drake"

"Have a nice week Tim Drake"

"You too Miss Clare." He waves and leaves.