Single Daddy's Obsession

Maxine Martin's POV "Max!" My friend Klea's call startled me. "Ms. Martin!" I heard my professor's booming voice echoing throughout the classroom. I couldn't turn around to my classmate and best friend Klea when she called out to me. I suddenly broke out in a cold sweat because when my professor's eyes met mine, he was glaring at me. He was clearly angry. I was nervous. I swallowed hard and glanced around the classroom. Almost all of my classmates were looking at me. I turned to Klea, and she was biting her lower lip, her eyes filled with concern for me, as if saying, 'you're in trouble.' Then I looked back at my professor, who had already approached me. "S-sir—" "Ms. Martin!" my professor interrupted what I was about to say. "First day of class and you're already disrespecting me? Why are you not listening to my lecture!?" I was surprised that out of all my classmates, he remembered my last name immediately. Maybe because I was the first one to be introduced in class. This is the hard part, when your surname starts with the letter 'A,' you always end up in row 1. And because my professor is right in front, he's bound to notice my every move. "S-sir, I-I'm sorry!" I nervously stood up. "I think I have an emergency call." My attention was only briefly diverted from the class because my phone kept vibrating. I didn't really intend to answer whoever was calling, but I just wanted to turn off my phone so I wouldn't be distracted anymore. But I guess I got caught by Sir. "The class hasn't even started, and I already told you to turn off your cell phones!" my professor snapped. I felt myself blushing with embarrassment in front of the entire class. I wasn't used to being put on the spot in front of a lot of people. "So why are you saying that you have an emergency call? You didn't listen to my instructions a while ago, Ms. Martin. Oh, maybe it's just your boyfriend calling, so you didn't turn off your phone?" Sir added. I was taken aback by my professor's statement. Boyfriend? This Sir is quite the assuming type, huh? Can't it be a relative calling? Boyfriend right away? I don't even have a boyfriend yet because I've been rejecting all my suitors. All the guys who tried to court me, I rejected! I don't want a boyfriend who will only ruin my dream of finishing my studies. It's my vow to myself to finish my education before getting a boyfriend. With how hard life is for us, will I prioritize dating? No way! I'd rather focus on getting us out of poverty. I want to help my family rise above hardship. And now? I'm about to graduate. At twenty-two years old, I should have finished school last year. I could have already been working. But because of our struggles, I was forced to drop out for a school year. We were really struggling two years ago. The small business we started after Dad died went bankrupt, so I was the one who sacrificed and dropped out. I was also more comfortable finding odd jobs and I wanted to help Mom first. My sister Margaux continued her studies, so we only have a one-year gap in school. This is her third year of college and I'm in my fourth year taking B.S. Customs Administration. Thankfully, Mom got a job in an office as an admin staff. The company was looking for a clerical job and she had experience because she used to work in an office before she met Dad. Plus, Mom knows the owner of the company, so it was easy for her to get the job even though she hasn't worked in over a decade. It's been seven years since my Dad died of a heart attack. Since then, it's been hard for Mom to support us, my sister and me. The income from our small business wasn't enough to pay for our college education. But thankfully, we're managing even though it's always a struggle because Mom's income isn't enough since she started working in the office. We're often in the negative and in debt. That's why Margaux and I are used to hustling by selling different kinds of candies, which we take to school. "What, Miss Martin!?" I flinched again at Sir's question. "Is it your boyfriend who's disrupting the class?" He asked again. I swallowed hard and looked down. "I'm s-sorry, Sir," I could only manage to say and didn't answer Sir's question. I just heard Sir's deep sigh. "Fine! Just turn off your phone now and concentrate on the lesson." After Sir said that, I sat down. Sir turned his back to me and walked back to where he was standing in the middle of the room earlier. "Are you okay, Max?" Klea whispered, and I gave her a small smile. I opened my bag and took out my cell phone to turn it off. As I did, my phone vibrated again and I saw the caller ID. Betty? Why is Betty, my neighbor, calling me? I suddenly felt nervous, but I was forced to turn off my phone even though my neighbor was still trying to call. I focused my attention on the class even though I found it hard to concentrate. I was a little distracted by my neighbor's missed call, which kept playing on my mind. It seemed like my professor was picking on me because he called me up twice and asked me questions about the subject. It was the first day of class, and I wasn't familiar with what he was teaching, so I couldn't answer and ended up being embarrassed in front of the class. Finally, our class ended. Our professor said goodbye, giving me a strange look before leaving the room. I immediately grabbed my bag and opened it to get my phone. I hurriedly pressed the power button. "Maxine!" Klea called out. I turned to my friend while I waited for my phone to fully turn on. "Huh?" "You're probably our professor's type," Klea said teasingly. "Tsk, you're such a tease, Klea. You saw how he seemed to be in a bad mood with me." "No, he was just trying to get your attention. But honestly, he's handsome." My friend seemed to be the one who really had a crush on our professor because I could feel her excitement. I just shook my head at her. "He's so old, Klea. He looks like he's in his forties. Don't even think about him." I teased my friend back. I shifted my attention back to my phone, which finally turned on. Klea seemed to have something more to say, but I excused myself from her to call Betty. As I stood up, I accidentally bumped into someone and he immediately held my waist. "Oopss! I'm sorry Ms. Smith," said one of my classmates, smiling at me. "My last name is not Smith," I said curtly after immediately pulling away from the guy. "Sorry again. It just seems like the surname Smith would suit you," he said. I furrowed my brow, especially when my classmate extended his hand. I looked at it. "By the way, I'm Marco Smith." "Oh gosh...." "Oh my!" I almost went deaf from the squealing of my classmates who were clearly excited by Marco's pickup line. As usual, someone was already hitting on me on the first day of class. I just shook my head. "Hi Marco, I'm Maxine Martin." I shook his hand without enthusiasm. I quickly pulled my hand away when I felt him squeeze my palm. "Excuse me, I need to call my boyfriend," I said to the startled guy before leaving. Men! I heard my classmates teasing Marco, who was embarrassed by his attempt to be cute. I ignored them until I reached the classroom door and went out. I immediately dialed Betty's number, and she answered right away. "Hello Betty—" "Max!" Betty immediately interrupted me. "Come home right now!" My heart suddenly pounded with anxiety. Why? Who is she to tell me to go home? Unless it's an emergency. My knees suddenly trembled at that thought. "B-Betty, why? What's—" "Don't be shocked..." Betty made me even more nervous because she seemed hesitant to speak. "Your Mom and Margaux, they're dead!" I dropped my phone to the floor the moment I heard Betty's words. Dead? I grabbed my chest as my vision darkened. I could only hear people screaming around me and someone tapping my face while calling my name until darkness consumed me. *** "Max, eat something, please." I bit my lower lip at my friend Klea's words. But I couldn't even muster the strength to look at her. I was weak. Exhausted from four days of being sleep deprived. I couldn't remember how many times I'd eaten in those four days. It felt like only once a day just to keep from collapsing completely. "Max," Klea called out to me softly. I slowly turned to look at her. I knew my face reflected my deep sorrow. But while I was here at the wake, I rarely cried. Maybe I'd run out of tears, especially after the first day when I found out that my mom and only sister had died. "K-Klea, maybe later," I told her. Klea forced a smile at me, then took my hand and squeezed it. "Be strong, Maxine, okay?" Be strong? For what reason? I was completely orphaned in a flash. Dad had already left us, and there were only three of us left. Why did Mom and Margaux leave me? Life felt so unfair. They were together and I was here, alone? I was surprised when tears suddenly flowed, and Klea wiped them away. Apparently, I still had tears left to shed. "Klea, I don't know how to go on..." I said. My shoulders started to shake as I sobbed. "Shh..." my friend soothed me. After a while, Klea calmed me down and I was able to eat a little. I also needed to eat because tomorrow was their burial. I also expected a lot of people to come for the final wake, including relatives from both my mom and dad's side. Of course, I'd have to retell the story of how Mom and Margaux died again and again. If only I could just record it so I wouldn't have to expend so much energy talking about it. The memory of hearing the news from Betty came flooding back. I remember just passing out. When I woke up, I was in the school clinic. I called Betty again. I prayed that it was all just a dream. But it was all true. Mom and Margaux were dead. They got killed! Margaux was going to the university we both attended. Her class schedule was in the afternoon, while Mom only worked half days in the office, so they went together. Unfortunately, the bus they were riding was held up. Mom fought back, and when she refused to give up her bag, she and Margaux were shot by the robbers. Four passengers died in that incident. The robbers were caught immediately, and Mom and Margaux's belongings were recovered. Now I don't know what will become of me. We were just renting, and Mom was the breadwinner. How will I survive? I don't have a job. I'm still studying. If I drop out, it will be harder to find a good job. Where will I get money to pay rent? I have a lot of relatives. But most of them are also struggling financially. I wouldn't want to be a burden on them. Even during this wake, I've been asking different people for help with expenses. "Maxine." I looked up when Klea called out to me again. She took something out of her bag and handed it to me. "This is Margaux's phone. You asked me to charge it yesterday," she said. I suddenly remembered my sister's phone. It was recovered from the robbers who are now in jail. "Thank you, Klea," I said to her. I immediately opened Margaux's phone. Ethan's number was saved there. It's a good thing Margaux's phone was recovered because I didn't have her boyfriend's number to tell him what happened to Margaux. Ethan and Margaux had been dating for almost two years. My sister initially kept it a secret from me. She was embarrassed that she had a boyfriend before me. I didn't get upset, and I couldn't stop how my sister felt. I just advised her to know her limits. We didn't tell Mom about Ethan because she didn't want us to have boyfriends while we were studying. It was okay because Mom didn't seem to suspect anything. Margaux formally introduced Ethan to me, and I liked him for my sister because I saw that he loved and respected her. Ethan is the same age as me. I'm only two months older, but he still treats me 'big sister' as a sign of respect. Ethan and Margaux met at the fast food restaurant where Margaux worked part-time during summer vacation. They fell in love. It was love at first sight, my sister said. I don't know if that's true. I don't believe in love at first sight. The last time I saw Ethan was about two months ago. We celebrated the end of the semester and he told me he already had a job at a company. Although I don't really know Margaux's boyfriend's family background, I wasn't hesitant about their relationship because I felt comfortable with Ethan. I knew he wouldn't hurt my sister. They really were a perfect pair when I saw them together. They suited each other because my sister was beautiful and Ethan was handsome. Now I don't know how to tell Margaux's boyfriend what happened. As soon as I opened my phone, I was greeted by almost one hundred unread messages. I looked at the preview and saw that all the messages were from Ethan. I didn't bother to open them because I wanted to respect my sister's privacy. I immediately dialed Ethan's number. After two rings, I heard the phone answered on the other line. "Hello, babe," a baritone voice answered. "Finally, you called! I was worried about you. Are you still mad at me?" he asked. I immediately covered my mouth. It seemed like they were still fighting. Too bad they wouldn't be able to make up because Margaux was gone. "E-Ethan," I said, my voice cracking. "B-babe?" Ethan asked me, confused. "This is Maxine," I told him. "Oh, Maxine. S-sorry. I thought Marg called me. Can you give it to her—" "Ethan, I'm sorry." I started crying. I cut him off. "My sister is dead..." I said, sobbing. I couldn't hear Ethan speak. Instead, I heard something break or fall on the other line.