The Professor Who Shouldn't Want Me

One Good Thing

POV: Isadora

“Good afternoon, everyone!”, Henry said as he walked into the room. “Today, we’re going to discuss inchoate crimes, offenses that weren't completed but are still punishable.”, he continued, writing on the board.

“Mr. Miller, what is an attempt?”, he asked, turning toward Kyle.

“It’s... when someone tries to commit a crime but fails to pull it off.”

“'Trying' is vague. The law doesn't punish thoughts. So tell me, when does a thought become a crime?”

Kyle looked pensive, starting to answer twice only for the words to die in his throat. That’s when I raised my hand. Henry’s eyes snapped to mine, looking visibly surprised.

“Ms. Bennett.”, he said, giving me the floor.

“I believe that a thought, in and of itself, is never punished. It only gains legal relevance when it’s externalized through an act that constitutes a substantial step toward the crime... proving criminal intent. It’s that combination of intent and conduct that defines an attempt.”

He just stared at me for a good two seconds, probably still in shock that I’d actually answered one of his questions. God, I hated when he stared at me like that in class; my paranoia always made me think it was because he’d recognized me.

“Wow, looks like someone actually did the reading this time. Well done, Ms. Bennett!”, he said. I tried to suppress the goofy smile tugging at my lips.

“Anyone have anything to add?”

Yes, I’d done the reading, but I’d done way more than that this time. I’d studied the texts, outlined the texts, and then studied my outlines. I was going all-in on my journey to stop being a mediocre student. Not just because I needed the grades, but because I wanted to change Henry’s image of me. I didn't know exactly what he thought of me, but after his comment at the tennis tournament, I knew one thing for sure: it wasn’t good.

And that had to change, fast. I’d tell him the whole truth eventually, but before that, it was crucial that he stopped seeing me as just the rich girl who tried to play him with an AI-generated paper. I had to make him see me as someone interesting, responsible, and smart, someone he could actually fall in love with. In short, I had to make him see me the way he saw Anne.

Step one: start hitting the books. I was already in the best study group in class, which was helping a ton. Brenda was being a total saint. But studying wasn't enough; I needed to show Henry I was doing the work. Ever since I started seeing him, I’d tried to fly under the radar in class to minimize the risk of him recognizing me. If I was quiet before, I became a ghost afterward, I barely even looked him in the eye.

But that was stupid. If I wanted Henry to like me as Isadora, I needed him to actually see Isadora. So instead of hiding, I decided that from now on, I was going to step up and be as participative as possible. I wanted my voice to live in his head so much that he’d miss it when I didn't speak. By the time the big day came to reveal my identity, I wanted him to like me just as much as he liked Anne.

“Okay, now let’s talk about conspiracy.”, he wrote on the board. “Anyone want to take a stab at a definition?”

“It’s an agreement between two or more people with criminal intent.”, Brenda answered.

“Exactly.”, Henry said, chalking her answer on the board. “So, let’s look at a hypothetical: if two people agree to commit a crime but do nothing else, why should the law punish them?”

“Any guesses, Ms. Bennett?”, he suddenly locked eyes with me.

He was testing me. One right answer wasn't enough for him. He probably thought I’d just cribbed from an AI again, right? Fine, Mr. Anderson. This time, I was ready.

“Because there was an agreement?”, I answered.

“Is that a question?”

I took a deep breath and reframed it.

“Because there was an agreement.”

“That’s a description, not a justification. Why does the agreement matter?”

“Because an agreement increases the likelihood that the crime will actually happen.”, I shot back as fast as he asked. He wasn't going to make a fool out of me this time.

“How?”, he stepped closer, those icy eyes locked onto mine, making my nerves spike.

Holy s**t, why did he have to be so intimidating?

“Well...”, I started, trying to keep my cool and gather my thoughts. “When two or more people agree... the intent is no longer just individual. It’s reinforced. Each person becomes less likely to back out.”

“So what?”, he asked, as if I’d said something totally irrelevant.

I knew my answer was right; it was exactly what the text said. He was just trying to rattle me like a good lawyer would, but I wasn't falling for it.

“So the danger is greater. The agreement creates a collective commitment, which makes a criminal outcome more probable.”

“But is that enough? People agree to things all the time and don't follow through.”

“Yes, but in a conspiracy, the law recognizes that the act of agreeing, coupled with criminal intent, crosses the line from mere thought to a concrete social danger. It’s not just thinking anymore; it’s coordination.”

“Coordination. Is that your word?”

“Yes.”, I said firmly. “Coordination turns a private intent into an organized risk.”

He didn't smile, but he looked deeply satisfied. I’d passed the test, hadn’t I, Mr. Anderson?

“Very well.”, he replied, turning back to the board and writing down my last sentence.

There. Now he had one good thing to remember me by. After class, I headed back to my apartment feeling hyped. All my hard work was starting to pay off, and I was already daydreaming about the day I wouldn't have to pretend to be someone else for Henry.

I parked in a lot a few blocks away from my building and walked the rest of the way, phone in hand, looking for Henry's contact. But when I was just a few yards from the entrance, my heart stopped.

Henry was at my front door, ringing the bell.