Good girl, bad boy

CHAPTER THREE; PART ONE

Julia walked into Philosophy 101 class and sat at the back of the lecture hall even though some of the front seats weren't occupied. She was intentionally late for the lecture once again, hoping that professor Makk wouldn't notice she was around. This was the third time she was doing Philosophy 101 and she still had to take Philosophy 102 with him as well.

Professor Makk was a brilliant and young man compared to other lecturers at Freedom University of Humanities and Social Sciences. In his early forties, the man was already a senior lecturer and had the pizzazz to lead an entire department of Philosophy. He neither had a wife nor children although he had an unmistakable duende that attracted ladies to him; whether students or fellow lecturers. The man had the looks; with a body of a twenty year old; tall and masculine and a handsome face that no one could resist. He was indeed a lecturer with great charisma and everyone knew who he was.

Professor Makk had seen Julia for the first time at the freshman fair and orientation, the first day she reported for school and he took a liking to her. The two of them became close at some point, sharing the student and lecturer relationship but, professor Makk wanted more than that. He proposed love to his brilliant student but, she denied several times before he angrily took their petty war to her studies, making her repeat his course thrice now.

Professor Makk walked into the hall inviting clamor as the lady students chit-chatted about him, giggling as they blushed, sharing their unforgettable encouters with him.

"He asked me out yesterday" Sonile, a freshman year student, all the way from Africa told her friend. She was a tourism model back in the country of Wildlife, Zambia and this earned her an opportunity to study International Relations in Freedom city's prestigious University. Sonile was a beautiful girl with dreamy eyes which complimented her dark skin perfectly. Her figure was also to die for; perfectly slender and curvy. No wonder, she was a model, the executives in the advertising business always chose the best faces and bodies to represent their brands.

"Really? What did you say?" Sonile's friend, Bridget asked, her eyes widening with envy.

"... that I would think about it. Do you think he'ss being sincere....?" Sonile asked with her dreamy eyes narrowed. "Being his plus one would be a dream come true"

"No, he isn't" Julia interfered hastily. She didn't want to but, Sonile was naive and too trusting; and probably a good person whose life was at stake with her heart on the platter.

"....who asked for your opinion?" Bridget sneered.

"Says the girl who's been repeating his class even though she's brilliant just to seduce him" Sonile inconsiderately bleated out.

"I have never failed any course in my life" Julia snorted, taking pride in her achievements.

"Then, why are you here?" Sonile rolled her eyes, sarcastically.

"You'll find out soon since you and I seem to share a same fate anyway" Julia told her, smirking.

"She's a creep. Don't mind her, Soni" Bridget said haughtily. Julia glared at Bridget, riled.

"How dare she….?" Julia thought but, the sudden call of her name brought her back to reality.

"Julia Wilson…" Professor Makk called.

"Here....!" Julia raised her hand and everyone turned to look at her. Sonile looked daggers at Julia, scoffing. Meanwhile, Professor Makk was pleased to see her, giving her a big smile.

"Why are you at the back...?" He asked in a chortling intonation. "Come upfront and distribute these assignments to everyone".

"Yes...." Julia responded weakly. She walked past her unusually quiet neighbor. He looked at her frantically but, she entirely ignored his expression, walking on as Sonile and Bridget snarled at her, envious of her luck. Approaching Professor Makk, she outstretched her hands to take the papers from him but, he was reluctant, sneakily taking his time to look at her with a huge grin plastered on his face.

"May I have the papers, Professor?" Julia asked politely..

"Yes…" Professor Makk gave her the papers, his hand brushing her fingers seductively. Julia shrunk back shakily and begun distributing the papers to the other students. Professor Makk looked on, observing her and grinned to himself.

"Julia is my PA. You can approach her whenever you need to contact me" the professor told his class as everyone broke into a murmur.

"If you have a problem with this, my office is open. Professor Makk added, smirking mischievously as the class went into an uproar of excitement.

After a whole hour of lectures, class was over; and packing her books, Julia took off, avoiding contact with Professor Makk. The professor smirked as he watched her run off before preparing to leave too. He turned to leave as Sonile caught his eye. She looked at him too, beaming and smiling at her, he tilted his head with celerity, signalling her to meet him in his office. Sonile smiled, blushing as she subtly nodded her head.

Julia hurried to the parking lot; she scrambled in her bag for her car key and made attempts to unlock the car as soon she found them but, luck was not on her side as keys fell to the ground. She stooped to get them but someone else picked them up first, leaving her stooping. She looked at the pair of long legs standing in front of her and assumed it was the professor.

"Just when I thought I had escaped" she thought as she stood up straight to look at him, only to see someone else. It was the boy that always sat next to her in most of her lectures. It seems they had the same major but, this meant he had also repeated Philosophy 101 thrice as well. But why? He was male after all. So, why would professor Makk fail him? Julia eyed the boy from head to toe and back up; and noticing how good looking he was; she hastily concluded that Professor Makk was probably gay.

"Hello.…" the boy greeted her as he handed her the key. She shrunk back, taking a few steps away from him.

"Did I startle you?" He asked gently.

"No no, not at all" Julia stuttered, clenching dearly to her car key to hide her shaking hands.

"Can you give me some of your time if you don't mind?" The boy asked without wasting any time. Julia was flustered, listening to him speak eloquently with exulting confidence in front of her. How come he was always quiet till today?

"Now is a bad time" Julia said, looking left and right interchangeably."Besides, I don't even know you"

" ….. running from Professor Makk? Actually, I would like to talk about him" he told her, smiling sympathetically. Julia was bewildered, her eyes widening as she wondered how he had caught on the issue.

"Professor Makk must really be gay" Julia thought.

"I know a good place where we can talk freely" the boy continued

"Like I said, I don't know you" Julia was relentless.

"My name is Richmond" he replied to her with a grin.

"It's funny how you always sit next to me and I don't know your name" Julia remarked.

"Think nothing of it. Shall we go?" Richmond asked.

"Absolutely, we can go with my car. " Julia said signalling him to get into the car before taking the driver's seat. Richmond got into the car beside her, giving her a smile of approval as Julia impulsely looked at him, grinning before driving off.

*"*

Striding down the hallway towards Mr. Dan office, Eugene, Emily and their mother held on dearly to their coats. It was now winter and the cold winds blew on. Mr. Dan had summoned the Wilsons to inform them about Emily's progress in her Physio activities. The former grinned as soon as he saw them enter his office, offering them seats immediately. He greeted the twins before turning to Prudence, their mother, smiling heartily as their eyes met, making Prudence blush repeatedly as she returned his warm greeting with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Dan. Thank you for taking care of my daughter" She warmly said.

"I see where Emily inherited her calm and kind nature" Mr. Dan complimented Prudence.

"Thank you for your observation. I will take it that my girl has been on her best behavior" Prudence responded meticulously.

"Totally…" Mr. Dan confirmed, smiling at Emily proudly. "Here are Emily's reports for the quarter's activities. She did well in all her assigned physio activities and I'm sure she is now ready to join the rest of her classmates"

"I must thank you for having taken care of her all this while" Prudence said to him, sincerely grateful. She had been skeptical about this for a long time but, seeing how Mr.Dan had taken care of her daughter changed her perspective. She was overjoyed to hear that her daughter was now fine.

"Think nothing of it. The school thanks me enough with a paycheck" Mr. Dan replied, laughing as the feeling of exultation settled down in his body.

" I insist, Mr. Dan. Please join us for dinner at our house some time" Prudence was relentless, beaming profusely as Mr. Dan smiled back, touched by her gesture. The man was an orphan, raised at an orphanage and he wasn't used to receiving care from anyone especially after his heartbreaking divorce from his wife, Shelby.

"Well, that is against the school policy but, I'm grateful for the offer" he answered meticulously as an affectionate smile spread over his face.

Eugene and Emily returned to their class afterwards but, their mother lingered behind, conversing with Mr. Dan for a while longer. Mr. Dan took this time to wand off all of Prudence's lingering concerns about her daughter's life and her desires to rejoin the cycling world. He assured her that Emily was more than ready to relive her dream of cycling once again and that she should give her a chance. After what seemed to be a long talk with Mr. Dan, Prudence said her goodbyes and went on her way.

Back in class, Emily and Eugene were surrounded by their classmates.

" What happened?" One asked

"What did the reports say?" Another asked.

"Emily will be joining us now" Eugene said.

"Yes, that's right" Emily chinned up. She was so happy everything was falling into place. Sue came to her and pulled her in for a tight hug.

"I'm happy for you" she said before, abruptly throwing her arms around Eugene too.

"Congratulations, Eugene!" She added, lingering in the embrace as Eugene impulsely hugged her back.

"Thank you, Sue" Eugene said happily, subtly letting go of her.

"This means we can be around each other all the time" Sue said.

"We can be teammates during basketball....." Eugene added.

"I am thinking of joining the athletics and cycling sessions for now" Emily said confidently.

"I will join you there" Sue told her.

"I'm happy you'll be joining the athletics team" Kendall chipped in happily. Eugene looked at her as she smiled, forcing him to smile back before turning to his twin sister.

"We have to talk to mother before we can finalize your decision to join the athletics team" he told her solemnly.

"Yes, Eugene" she said before turning to Kendall. "Thank you for the warm welcome, Kendall".

"Mrs. Poffert will be here soon. Let's all settle down" Eugene told his classmates as he himself sat down.

***

The following day, Emily and Sue changed into their sports attire, joining the others at the track. Her mother had agreed to let her join the athletics team thanks to Mr. Dan's advice. Kendall came running to meet them, giving Emily a light hug as she approached.

".... we have new members!" She shouted to the others. The other athletes ululated as Kendall, Sue and Emily joined their convocation. Emily forced a smile as Kendall approached her again, wondering why the latter was constantly lurking around her since her arrival; It's not like they were in good terms. Suddenly, Sue came in between them, pushing Kendall away with her hip without Emily's awareness.

"Thank you...." Emily responded to the welcoming chants; oblivious to Sue's cold behavior towards Kendall. The latter retaliated, forcefully pushing Sue with her hip too, sending her bumping into Emily who looked daggers at her, not suspecting that her friend started it. She was going to confront Kendall but, the whistle blew, sending everyone in a clamor.

"He's here!" One of them said.

"The coach is here!" Another shouted excitedly as the boys in the team frowned and gnashed their teeth.

"Look at his eyes; he's so handsome" a girl named Lucy told her friends, Bea and Kate as she lowered her eyes, lost in reverie of her unrequited love. Lucy, Bea and Kate were friends, popularly known as the Lollipop girls because they always licked lollipops except at the track but, they always kept some in their baby bags for refreshment after practice. The trio paraded themselves as the most beautiful girls at Chestnut High School, crushing the confidence of any girl who dared challenge them. Emily shrugged, looking at them as they flaunted in fur sports attire and turned to Sue blankly.

"Those attires are totally unnecessary" She whispered into Sue's hearing.

"Right...it's not like we're game rangers" Sue commented as they both broke into laughter but, their merry mood suddenly vanished as Sue noticed who their assistant coach was.

"You might want to quit if you know who our assistant coach is" Sue enlightened her friend, pointing at Riley. Emily's eyes suddenly shifted to the front, settling on Riley's face. Emily stiffened as she stared hard at their assistant coach with her thoughts running wild.

"Riley Doyen..what is he doing here?" Emily's inner voice pounded.

"Hello, team; we meet again. I see new faces so I should probably introduce myself. I am Mr. Dickinson, your athletics coach and Riley Doyen is my assistant"

"Hello, everyone" Riley waved, smiling heartily.

"Shouldn't we be quiting at this moment?" Sue asked Emily.

"Hey there, would you like to come in front and chair the meeting instead...?" Mr. Dickinson asked, pointing at Sue, expressing displeasure.

"Apologies...." Sue answered politely.

Riley looked around; his eyes suddenly falling on Emily. He gave her a wry smile as he leaned in towards Mr. Dickinson's ear, whispering as he pointed at Emily.

The senior coach nodded, looking at Emily as he gave a smile of approval.

"Emily.....step forward" he called immediately. Emily winced, hesitant but, she walked to the front anyway.

"I heard about your case from Mr. Dan. I will assign Riley to coach you since you are a beginner"

"Sir, it is alright if you personally coached me?" Emily resisted.

"What's wrong with Riley?" Mr. Dickinson asked dumbfounded. "....he personally trains all beginners"

"I didn't mean it that way…".

"If that's the case, you shouldn't mind being trained by him" Mr. Dickinson said, patting her shoulder. Lucy shrugged, snarling as Kate whispered into her ear. Since when does Riley train beginners?" She asked, sneering.

"Jealous are we, Lucy?" the girl next to her jeered.

"Mind your business, Clara" Lucy shrugged, totally ignoring the question.

"Keep it down girls!" One of the boys complained. "Riley isn't all that good looking anyway."

"Keep quiet, Werner!" Both Clara and Lucy told him. Werner was another nuisance of the school. He had crowned himself king as soon as he stepped his foot at the school. Although he was a tenth grader, everyone seemed to know him due to his sardonic behavior toward everyone and everything.

"Would you like to take my coaching spot?" Mr. Dickinson was furious. " What is the fuss all about....?"

"Lucy wants to be coached by Riley too" Clara said in a tiny squeaky mocking voice, simpering as everyone laughed. Clara was the comedian and outlaw of the school always in and out of trouble through her witty humor.

"She is lying. I didn't say anything" Lucy defended herself, snarling as she looked daggers at Clara.

"Only beginners will be coached by Riley and you are clearly not one, Lucy so follow me" Mr. Dickinson retorted. "I mean all of you except one!"

"Yes, coach!" They all shouted, following him behind like devoted disciples.

Riley looked at Emily from head to toe and all the way up again, studying her as he grinned meticulously before taking a seat on the nearest bench.

"How's your leg now?" He asked sincerely.

" Well, I don't know"

"I won't know where to start taking my revenge if you don't tell me"

"....you convinced coach to let you train me all for petty revenge?"

"Petty? You riled up my young brother against me and you think I'm being petty" Riley laughed heartily.

"Let's just get on with the training"

"Fine... let's jog; nothing intense, follow my lead" Riley gave her a sinister smile as he jogged ahead of her; steadily keeping a short distance between them

"Yes...." Emily jogged behind him.

"Step one .. check" Riley told himself before turning to her, jogging backwards.

"I talked with Eugene yesterday. Did he tell you?" Riley asked.

"Tell me what?" Emily grumbled, trying to keep up although she was already tired.

"I gave him permission to be friends with Kendall for now"

"As his lord?" Emily asked bewildered, stopping immediately. She sat down to rest, panting uncontrollably.

"I didn't say you could stop. We've only jogged for five minutes" Riley reproached her.

"Does it matter? I'm exhausted" Emily shrugged.

"Do you realize that accomplishing your tasks is accounted for as your grade?"

"Why are you here, Riley? I'm totally beneath you, right?"

"....totally right but, I am your coach now" Riley smiled, gazing at her fondly.

"I don't want anything to do with you" Emily told him bluntly.

"You don't?" Riley laughed. "Well, it's too late; I want something to do with you, Emily Wilson"