Her Possessive Professor by Gena Snow

Chapter 16

 

Hailey

 

 

 

 

 

It’s Wednesday. I had another miserable day at school today. I sat through two classes and did my homework at the library. After having a sandwich at the cafeteria, I return home and try to work on a story. But my creativity has been blocked since my talk with Lora a week ago. During my private moments, I can’t stop thinking about Jared. I contemplated dropping his class and I skipped it last Thursday, but couldn’t make up my mind. I should be disgusted by him, but when I saw him in class yesterday, my body yearned for his touch. When he spoke, my core hummed with his low voice. Thank God he let us do group discussion, otherwise, I would go insane.

I was considering attending the poetry reading Alex spoke about because it would be a nice distraction. But since he invited Jared, too, I’m not sure anymore.

Damn. What bothers me the most, however, is the way Jared avoided looking or speaking to me in class yesterday. As far as I’m concerned, I should be the one that’s pissed, not him! Was he angry just because I didn’t answer his calls and texts, and I blocked his number? What did he expect?

Ah. I get it. He’s probably putting on a mask to protect himself from lawsuits. I bet it’s his strategy. He maintains a professional manner so other students don’t suspect or testify against him if he gets into trouble—the bastard. Like everyone is as low-life as he is.

I’ve given Lora’s suggestion some thoughts and decided not to join her in any legal action. All I want is to graduate smoothly. I don’t need any trouble. Besides, I gave myself to him willingly. There was no coercion. I might’ve even seduced him—yes, I have, not the other way around. I invited him into my apartment, and I went up to his office. He gave me a chance to change my mind, and I didn’t take it. Okay, he might’ve been an excellent player and made it all look like it was my wish, but it really doesn’t matter to me. I wouldn’t be able to twist the facts and lie about it. Neither would I want to.

I give up my attempt to write and gobble up a short romance instead before going to work. I need to sub for Mario again.

 

I arrive at the bar ten minutes earlier than my starting time. There isn’t a customer around, and Avery is prepping at the counter.

“Hey, girlfriend,” she greets me with a bright smile. “What’s up?”

I shrug, not knowing whether I should share my trouble with her. Avery has to deal with her own shit. Her little brother is having drug problems and her younger sister is also a handful.

“Come on, you can tell me anything,” she says, sensing my hesitation.

I hug her first, and then I dump every detail of what I’ve been through in the past weeks on her, starting with the night Jared and I first met.

Her mouth drops when I finish the part of our meeting in his office.

“You banged that arrogant hunk?”

I nod with my eyes closed.

“Well, way to go, Hailey!” she says laughing. “I don’t see why you’re all stressed out. You have nothing to lose, do you?”

Shit. Why can’t I be as cool as my friend?

“Just wait until you hear the rest,” I tell her about Lora next. To my annoyance, I can’t stop my tears.

“Shit, what an asshole,” she wipes my tears with a napkin. “I’m so sorry, Hailey. But don’t cry. You’ll ruin your makeup.”

“I don’t care. I feel like a fool.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“I’m not going to sue him. I just… don’t want to.”

She nods. “I wouldn’t do it either, although it’s appalling what he did to that girl. Wait, you said her name was Lora? What’s her last name?”

“I don’t know. She didn’t tell me.”

“How does she look like?”

“Black wavy hair…big brown eyes, curvy with big boobs.”

She frowns. “I know who you’re talking about. Lora Larson. Do you have her number?”

“Yeah.”

I find Lora’s number on my phone while Avery searches her own phone contacts. And then she compares the two numbers, which are exactly the same.

“We were in Price’s class together. She was the other girl who passed his class. I told you last time, didn’t I?”

I recall our last conversation and nod. “But she told me she didn’t pass it. She said she refused to have sex with him and thus failed the class.”

Avery frowns. “But she told everyone she passed the class. That’s odd. I wonder why she lied to us.”

“Or she could be lying to me,” I say, puzzled by the fact. “Except she can’t be lying about it if she’s filing a lawsuit against him.”

Avery considers for a moment. “You know what? I wouldn’t trust her. Now that I think about it. Lora is a lying bitch. At the end of the semester, she told us she was accepted to the MFA program at the University of Iowa. But then she’s still here in California.”

“Maybe she changed her mind about the school, or she lost the offer because she failed the class?” I say unconvincingly.

“Nah. She’s full of shit. It’s a prestigious program. She was lucky to get in, that is, if she got in at all.”

“That’s so weird,” I mumble, feeling better and worse at the same time.

If Lora was lying to me, then I misjudged Jared. Gosh. He must think I was playing him. Now, what do I do? I still don’t know what the truth is, but I suddenly can’t hold the urge to see him.

By the end of my shift, I’ve made up my mind to attend the poetry meeting on Saturday.