Page 26 of The Professor
Damn, we’re supposed to go to that party. Standing up, I turn the shower off and step out.
“Yeah I’m good, I’ll be out in a minute.”
Drying myself, I start to think that maybe going out is exactly what I need. Maybe I just need someone my age to get my mind off everything else. Aubrey is right, this game is too dangerous and I don’t do danger. A little fun is beyond necessary at this point.
I go into my room and get dressed. I slip on my favorite ripped jeans, with a bright blue crop top. Deciding that I’m going to make it impossible for anyone to keep their eyes off of me.
Aubrey has her music blasting while we both get ready. We’re laughing and already having a good time dancing around. When we are both ready, I decide that I’m going to tell Aubrey what happened. As much as I want to just forget it and have fun tonight, it’s still front and center on my mind.
When we get out to the kitchen, I tell her everything that happened. I don’t spare any detail, because I want to know exactly what she’s thinking. Nodding, she listens intently to everything I tell her.
“Well?” I ask when I’m finished.
“Well?” she asks and laughs. “Well, I’d say that’s kinda hot. He wants you so fucking bad, but he’s struggling with what is morally right. That has to tell you something, Emma. It’s wrong.”
Rolling my eyes, I grab a water out of the fridge. “Obviously, I know that. You think I’m not struggling too? I’m so confused. I don’t know what to do.”
“I think if you would have stayed, wrapped your arms around him, and kissed him, well I think we’d be having a totally different conversation right now,” she says, shrugging her shoulders. “If you’re going to be easily hurt by the words that he says, instead of paying attention to the signs he’s giving off, you are going to find yourself hurt often. All these signs are telling you it’s wrong, Em.”
She’s right. I’m the one who’s always telling her that and I didn’t do it. I paid more attention to his words, not his actions. I’m a psychology major, these things should be easy for me. His actions are what I should be paying attention to, and those make my panties wet. It’s not the right thing, I know that, but damn it’s what I’m starting to crave.
“I hate when you’re right,” I say.
Laughing she pushes off the counter. “Please, you love it. Seriously though, I think tonight you should just have fun and forget about Professor Grayson.”
* * *
Waking up the next morning,I want to die. My head is pounding and my stomach is churning. Pulling the covers over my head, I pray that sleep will pull me under so I don’t feel like this. Wait. How the fuck did I get home? Throwing the blanket off of me, I squint my eyes waiting for the sun to hit them, but I realize the blinds are shut and the curtain is pulled closed.
Damn, I don’t remember closing them. I don’t remember much after a few beers, which is kind of weird. Curiosity wins out over feeling like death, and I slowly get out of bed to go find Aubrey. Just as I open my door, Bexley is walking toward me.
“Morning Emma,” she says with a wicked grin. “So I guess you’re more like me than you like to admit, huh?”
I have no patience for her bullshit this morning. “What are you talking about?”
Before she can reply, Aubrey pulls me into her room and slams the door. I hear Bexley laugh and walk away.
“Aubrey, what the hell?” I yell, which makes my head feel like it’s going to explode. She pushes me down on her bed and I shoot her a look. “I will puke all over your bed if you keep moving me so fast.”
“Shit, sorry Em. I just needed to talk to you.” She climbs on the bed and grins. “Okay so listen, last night, things got a little crazy.”
“I’m painfully aware of that,” I mumble.
“Actually, no you aren’t. Listen, that douchebag Bryson slipped something in your drink. I saw him do it and yelled. Thing is, when I saw it you were already tripping over yourself so I think he might have done it before that too. The guys took care of him, and I mean literally beat the hell out of him before calling campus police.”
She stops to take a sip of water next to her bed, and my head is pounding with fear.
“Wait, what? Bryson? He’s had a crush on me forever. He drugged me? Did you take me to the hospital? What was it?” I rush out, panic setting in.
“Relax, I’m getting to all that.”
“Well hurry up because you’re scaring me,” I say, wrapping my arms around myself.
Rubbing my leg, she smiles. “Sorry. Okay so while the guys were handling Bryson, I grabbed you and pulled you outside. I was trying to make you puke, but you were more than I could handle. I started crying because, Emma, that was scary and watching you completely unaware was horrible. Anyway, I figured I would just take you to the hospital, so I was trying to get you to walk toward the parking lot. And that’s when it happened,” she says, stopping.
“What happened? Christ, Aubrey.”
The more she tells me the more terrified I’m getting. My heart is pounding, my head is spinning, and my stomach rolling.
