Page 39 of Group Studies

Around me, fingers flew across tablets and phones as my peers sent Professor Garnet their intended objects. I sat in the middle, slightly rocking to try and hold back my anxiety.

“I’m vetoing that, Ram,” Professor Garnet said quietly.

I stopped rocking to peer at the professor. His lips drew a tight line across his face as he glared at Ram.

“After what you put Aphy through,” he continued. “If it weren’t for the administration, you wouldn’t even be in my class. Do I need to pick your object for you?”

I bit my lips together to keep from smiling. He was standing up for me. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as I feared.

“No,” Ram said. “It’s allegedly, sir.”

Professor Garnet’s face hardened. His shoulders shook with contained rage. Instead of lashing out, he turned back to his tablet and took deep breaths.

Once everyone's objects were approved, I turned to face Saffron first. He gave me a reassuring smile, and my nerves quieted. Moments later, heat bloomed in my core as a simple wooden table appeared, floating between us. I giggled, reaching out to try and touch it. But my hand went through the air.

“It’s in your mind, Aphy. Did you even try to keep it out?” Professor Garnet asked, his voice flat.

I pulled my hand back. “No, I didn’t even feel it go in.”

Ghalen barked out a laugh to my left, and I bit my lips shut. I wiggled my quickly warming lady bits as Saffron’s magic continued to caress my core.

After describing the simple wooden table, Professor Garnet directed Saffron to cut it off and try it again.

I licked my lips and sunk into my mage trance. This time, I watched Saffron’s banana yellow magic reach for me. It hit me between the eyes and slid past the thin membrane of barriers I’d managed to create over the last few weeks as if they weren’t even there.

A table appeared, but this one was nothing like the first. Low to the ground, colorful cloth settled in layers across its top. It looked exactly like the table in Professor Garnet’s office. I cracked an eye open and braced my upper body with my hands as the double magical and normal vision made me sway.

The table he’d bent me over last week floated between us. Saffron smirked.

“Focus, Aphy. Did you feel it this time?” Professor Garnet asked.

I closed my eyes. “Ah, I feel something.”

Saffron snorted.

“Now cut off the image, either by raising your defenses or influencing the image only.”

I screwed up my face, positive I looked like I was trying to take a massive shit. Raising my defenses wasn’t happening. I didn’t have any. I took a deep breath and relaxed, focusing on the table.

I thought about how I’d built my dome.

This time, instead of focusing on what I wanted and praying, I grasped for the line of magic between Saffron and me. I tried to grip it, but it wasn’t solid. I asked it to stop, but nothing happened.

Sucking in an annoyed breath, I held it for a moment before opening my eyes.

Saffron’s bumblebee yellow gaze bore into me. The vision he sent me zoomed in until it was just me, naked and withering under his attention. A bead of sweat ran down the side of my face. My crystal rims glowed with rainbows. They danced across the vision, making my skin glow.

Looking through Saffron’s eyes, I seemed almost otherworldly beautiful.

Anger flared in my chest. That couldn’t be me.

I clenched my fists, my nail biting into my palm.

Saffron wasn’t allowed to imply he had feelings for me, then tell me he needed to fuck me to get me out of his system, and then show me this fantastic creature in his memory.

I stood. In three strides, I stopped in front of the Greek God and put a hand on his forehead. “Stop. I don’t look…” before I finished speaking, the image vanished.

“That wasn’t me,” Saffron said. He gave me a toothy grin. “That was you.”

---