Just a Doll Face

Anyone But Her

"Joshua!" Professor Harrison called out loudly after the lecture had ended, determined to prevent Joshua from fleeing the class as he often did, expertly avoiding encounters with people, even his teachers.

Joshua cursed internally and plastered on a smile, making his way toward the professor while his classmates did exactly what he would typically do—scatter, just in case the professor had further matters to discuss.

"Yes, Professor Harrison," Joshua responded, maintaining the false sweetness on his face. Professor Harrison couldn't help but sigh, shaking his head in disappointment at Joshua's lack of interest in his college life.

"Most of the students have already submitted the names, and even those who haven't yet have come to me for recommendations. But you, it seems, haven’t done anything at all," Professor Harrison remarked.

Joshua scratched the back of his head, scolding himself for not anticipating this situation. He could be arrogant in front of Sasha, but if he couldn't find a partner for the assignment, he'd be in deep trouble.

"Gosh, you frustrate me so much. If it weren't for your father, I would have kicked you out of my class at the beginning of the semester," the professor lamented. Joshua pursed his lips, fighting back a chuckle, relishing in his professor's frustration.

Joshua’s father, Christopher, was a renowned chef, appearing regularly on TV. Professor Harrison was his father's former classmate at that very university. As the son of one of the most successful graduates of their culinary department, Joshua received special attention from his teachers, which he certainly did not like, but Professor Harrison was an exception.

Professor Harrison had known him since he was in diapers and was like a father figure to him, more than he assumed his own father to be.

"Okay, okay, fine. I'm sorry. This won't happen again. Just assign me, anyone, as a partner, please," Joshua said, not knowing what he had blurted out.

Annoyed, Professor Harrison nodded, attempting to contain the fumes that threatened to escape his ears any second. "Then Sasha will be your partner for the assignment. Don't cause any trouble," he declared. Joshua's jaw dropped to the floor, completely caught off guard by that particular name.

"No, no, no, no, no, NO! Please, just no! Anyone but her. Literally anyone but her. She's the worst possible choice, I swear. Please, not HER," Joshua pleaded, tugging at the professor's arm, who once again suppressed his frustration.

Professor Harrison took a deep breath before removing Joshua's hands from him. "Listen to me, you brat. Your social life here is a mess. None of the seniors want to work with you because of your arrogant a*s, and Sasha's the only one who keeps volunteering on her own. So, no! Either you find someone yourself by this weekend, because I need to finalize the list by Monday, and I can no longer tolerate your tantrums. Or, you can say yes to Sasha, or even better, I will call your father. Bet you wouldn't like that either." Professor Harrison raised his eyebrows cockily.

Joshua closed his eyes in pure irritation, taking a deep breath. The last thing he wanted was for his father to discover the mess he had made of his social life. His father's top priority was the people around him. He was a very calculating person and knew making connections was the way to go.

His father could lecture him for hours about the importance of being socially mature and building connections to achieve his goals.

"Okay, I'll make sure to finalize my partner by the weekend, and please tell Sasha to find someone else. And— please, don't say anything to my father," Joshua begged, his tone filled with pleading.

Professor Harrison nodded understandingly and let out a heavy sigh. He was aware of the unconventional and somewhat terrifying childhood Joshua had experienced. Being a friend of Joshua's father wasn't the sole reason why he looked out for him.

"Fine, I won't involve your father in this matter," Professor Harrison reassured, patting Joshua's shoulder. Joshua let out a quiet sigh of relief. "But remember, if you don't finalize your partner, it will be Sasha by default," he warned, giving him one last cautionary glance.

Joshua looked back at him with pleading eyes.

"It's final, my child. I can’t force my students to pair with you," Professor Harrison said, giving Joshua another small pat on the shoulder. He walked away, leaving the poor guy to grab his hair in frustration and let out a wail resembling that of a dying seal.

"I'm going to kill that annoying girl, I swear. Ughhhh."

...

"That's it. Does anyone have any questions?" Quinn asked, wrapping up her presentation for the upcoming festival. The members of the student council remained silent, showing no objections or confusion.

Internally, Quinn nodded to herself, feeling a sense of pride. However, she knew that Trustin wouldn't let the moment pass without causing some drama. He always seemed to enjoy stirring things up or being the center of attention himself.

"Come on, guys. When it was my turn, all of you were asking questions and making objections as if I had done a terrible job, which, by the way, I'm sure I didn't. But now, with Miss President here, you all act like she just delivered a golden performance," Trustin remarked, teasing Quinn.

The rest of the council members chuckled, aware of Trustin's playful nature, while Quinn narrowed her eyes at him, shaking her head and flipping her voluminous chocolate brown hair that reached her hips, wrapped in a high ponytail.

"Well, why doesn't Mr. Vice President ask something? Share some of your vast knowledge here," Quinn retorted sarcastically, placing her hands on her hips and raising her eyebrows, attempting to provoke Trustin.

“No— nothing is there to be discussed that much, you know— yeah—” He simply chuckled, pretending to be nervous as he implied that Quinn was on a power trip. She let out a sigh, deciding to just ignore him for now, and returned to her seat.

"So," Quinn began, and their meeting regarding the festival continued.