The Professor I Shouldn't Want

Then Come Over to My Place

POV: Isadora

I was already back in bed, and the bedroom lights were on again. I stared fixedly at my phone screen, waiting for his reply. He was taking forever to reply; he definitely had enough time to watch the video by now. I was starting to get nervous.

I watched the video again, analyzing every frame, every detail, looking for anything that might give me away. What if I missed something and he figured out who I really am? I was starting to get paranoid.

"Why won't he just answer already?", I said impatiently.

Henry: [I honestly don't know what to say]

His message came right after.

Henry: [My God, Anne]

Henry: [You went hard this time]

Henry: [Way too hard]

Henry: [I don't even know if I should keep talking to you right now]

Henry: [Or if I should just watch this video for the thousandth time]

I smiled, feeling relieved at the same time.

Anne: [Hahaha]

Anne: [You wanted a video, didn't you?]

Henry: [I want a lot more than that right now]

Henry: [And we aren't seeing each other until Saturday]

Henry: [That's 5 days]

I laughed. We were even now.

Anne: [I just wanted to make up for the wait]

Henry: [And now you're going to have to make up for the next 5 days I'm going to spend being tortured by this video]

Anne: [Hahahaha]

Anne: [Fine]

Anne: [I'll make it up to you]

Henry: [You're going to drive me crazy]

Anne: [Hehe]

Henry: [You're beautiful, you know that?]

A goofy smile spread across my lips. It was impossible not to melt when he talked like that.

We stayed up late talking again; the hours always flew by when I was talking to him. It was so easy to get carried away, it felt like nothing else existed but the two of us. However, I paid the price the next day for going to bed so late. I woke up exhausted and only went to class because I had already missed the day before.

I walked into the classroom with a cup of coffee in my hand. It was my first time on campus since breaking up with Ryan, and I didn't know what to expect or if he’d show up. Honestly, I hoped he wouldn't. After the argument with my mom, Ryan was the last person I wanted to see, let alone interact with.

I headed toward my usual seat, but at the last second, I changed my mind and decided to sit further back. What if Ryan decided to keep sitting in his usual spot just to mess with me?

"Switching spots?", Brenda asked, watching me. Besides the two of us, there were only three other people in the room; it was still early.

"Yeah.", I replied. I didn't want to explain much. She kept staring at me for a few seconds and then moved over, sitting next to me.

"Did you and Ryan break up?", I stared at her.

How could she know that? Did that i***t Ryan go around spreading it to the whole campus?

"Yeah, how did you hear about that?", I asked.

"Well... yesterday he wouldn't stop flirting with Raven and... I heard some rumors.", I rolled my eyes.

"What kind of rumors?", she just looked at me. "Spit it out, Brenda!"

"It's stupid, Kyle told me. He went out with Ryan and some other guys from class yesterday, and it seems he ended up saying some things about you."

"What kind of things?", she sighed.

"He said he broke up with you because you were... bland, that you bored him, that you weren't even capable of making him stay...", she looked at me awkwardly, omitting the last part. "But he was just being a jerk, that's what I told Kyle."

"What else did he say?", I asked seriously, and she looked at me with hesitation. "You can tell me, Brenda."

"He also said he only agreed to date you because your family basically begged him to. But in the end, he realized it wasn't worth it because you weren't good enough for him.", I smiled.

I really wasn't surprised by the lie, or by him trying, yet again, to come out on top. But the irony of those lies was hilarious. I bored him in bed? I wasn't good enough for him?

At that exact moment, he walked into the room with Raven, his arm draped over her shoulder. When he saw me, his smirk widened.

"Hey, babe, sit here next to me.", he said to Raven loud and clear. "The chair's open.", she nodded and sat down, and he put his arm around her again.

I rolled my eyes. Is he seriously going to put on a show just to provoke me?

"Do you want me to stay here with you?", Brenda whispered.

"Thanks, but it's fine, don't worry about it.", I smiled at her. "I know you like sitting in the front."

"Okay.", she got up and went to her seat.

Soon the professor arrived and started the class. Ryan spent the entire time whispering and giggling with Raven, and every now and then he’d glance at me out of the corner of his eye, swearing he was being subtle. My God, he was ridiculous. If he knew how little I cared about him and what he was doing, he wouldn't even bother.

After the morning classes, I had lunch with Brenda and we went back for the last class of the afternoon. Brenda was a law nerd with a hyperfixation on criminal law; she read about super complex murder cases like someone would read a gossip magazine. She usually wasn't much for socializing unless it was about law. But that day, she was quite sociable with me.

"Do you want to join our study group?", she asked at the end of the last class.

"Do you guys still have space?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, then.", I was in a study group with Ryan and three other students, but, obviously, I wasn't going to be part of that anymore.

We went to the library and spent the rest of the afternoon reviewing the class material. Brenda's study group only had the best students in the class, and they were pretty advanced. Even though I felt a little out of my depth at first, I learned a lot. Their group was so good that it made my previous one look like a hangout session for friends.

"Thanks for including me in the group.", I said to her as we left the library.

"It was nothing."

"I know it wasn't, Brenda. I'm sure it couldn't have been easy to convince the others; I'm far from being on your level.", she smiled. "Why are you being so nice?", she sighed.

"Something similar happened to me in high school. I slept with a guy and... afterward, he told the whole school I was... bland.", she replied, sounding a bit embarrassed. "My senior year was a living hell because of that, and the worst part is that I actually liked him.", she gave a humorless smile; clearly, she wasn't over it yet.

"I'm so sorry, Brenda."

"It's okay, it was a long time ago... The point is, I wish I'd had a friend back then, but I didn't. So, if you ever want to talk, or you know... I'm here.", I hugged her.

"Thanks for being my friend.", I smiled.

It was almost 6 PM when I said goodbye to Brenda and headed to my car; I was mentally exhausted. I checked my phone and there were some notifications, mostly from my mom, still nagging me about breaking up with Ryan. My dad would be home that night, so, for sure, the two of them would be waiting for me for another round of lectures about how I "ruined my life." And I didn't have a single ounce of energy to deal with that.

"Screw it.", I started the car. "I'm sleeping at Anne's place tonight."

Once I got there, I went straight for a shower; the bathtub was small, but it wasn't bad. I stepped out feeling refreshed, I really liked that apartment. I picked up my phone again, more messages from my mom. I sighed in annoyance and just replied that I wouldn't be sleeping home tonight. Then, I looked up Henry's contact and sent him a message.

Anne: [Hey]

Anne: [Are you home yet?]

Henry: [I wish]

He replied right away, sending a photo of his desk full of papers.

Anne: [My God]

Anne: [Can't you leave that for tomorrow?]

Henry: [My friend Dave asked me the same thing]

Henry: [But I'm stubborn]

I smiled, shaking my head.

Anne: [Why torture yourself like that?]

Henry: [I wouldn't do anything at home at this hour anyway]

Henry: [It's more worth it to stay here and knock this out]

Anne: [Is that really your line of reasoning?]

Henry: [Hahaha]

Henry: [I’m a weirdo, remember?]

Anne: [I feel bad for your future wife]

Henry: [Haha]

Henry: [I wouldn't do that if I were married]

Anne: [I doubt it]

Henry: [Are you challenging me again, Ms. Simmons?]

Anne: [Yeah, I'll only believe you if you go home this exact second]

Henry: [But it doesn't make sense for me to go to my place]

Henry: [There's no one there]

I smiled.

"You're wanting me to ask you to come over, aren't you, Mr. Anderson?" I bit my lower lip, savoring the idea.

Anne: [Then come over to my place]