Page 15 of Ward Willing
I stand up and grab my still-hot coffee, slinging my backpack over one shoulder as I make my way to the front of the class.
I don’t think he’s ever called me Ms. Arma before, but I suppose he can’t exactly call me Zoe in front of other students.
The closer I get, the more my heart pounds. Liam is looking down at the paper in his hands, and I stop walking when I’m a couple of feet away so that the rest of the students have time to filter out of earshot.
When he looks up at me, the look of amusement is back on his face, and I breathe a sigh of relief as I take in the way his eyes are watching me mischievously behind his glasses.
He doesn’t speak until the last student walks out, and then he cocks his head slightly, as if he’s waiting for me to explain.
I open my mouth to tell him about the necessary extra units and how his class was the only one at an optimal time, but my brain shorts out.
It’s usually easy for me to think up a witty remark, but Liam is the only one who’s able to render me speechless.
“Hi,” I say, my voice unsure.
“Hi?” he replies. His lips twitch as he watches me, rubbing his mouth with his hand and leaning back against his desk all in one motion. He must realize I’m not the one who is going to initiate this conversation, because he sighs as his eyes find mine again. “Why are you here, Zoe? Do you need something, or did you want to torture me?” I swallow back my retort.Torture him?I’m about to ask him to elaborate, but he points to the piece of paper he was looking at earlier. “Your name isn’t on here, so you couldn’t possibly be taking my class,” he adds, almost like he’s reassuring himself.
“I am, actually. I’m not on the list because I only enrolled a few minutes before the class started.”
When my eyes flick up to his face, I see his jaw tick slightly as he lets out a long sigh.
“And when, exactly, were you planning on doing the classwork required for this class between yoursixother classes?” he asks. “This isn’t some fun elective you can take for extra credit.”
“I’m planning on taking it very seriously.”
“Trust me, I know you are. I’m sure you’ll walk out of this class with an A, and that’s withsomeone elsegrading you, due to the egregious conflict of interest.”
“Then what’s the problem?” I counter, hoisting my heavy backpack higher.
Liam notices, and his eyes track over my face before quickly scanning the rest of me. Today, I’m wearing a white tee with a plaid skirt, suspenders, and platform loafers. Despite the black lingerie underneath, I’m covered up.
But sometimes, when he looks at me, it’s like he can see exactly what I’m wearing underneath my clothes.
Like he’s mentally stripped me and he’s enjoying the view.
“The problem is you hardly have enough time to eat, let alone tack on anotherclass. I hardly saw you this summer because you were cooped up in your bedroom studying for your LSAT’s, and when you weren’t, you were off partying or out with friends.”
“So?” I counter, grinding my jaw. “It’s called balance, Liam. Plus, the sooner I get into law school, the sooner I can finish and become a lawyer. There’s nothing wrong with working hard and having fun at the same time.”
Liam’s jaw tightens, and he glares at me with frustration. “You’re going to burn out soon. This class alone is a lot of work.”
“I can handle it.” I stand up straighter. “I have to go. I’ll see you at home later.”
After I twist around and take a few steps, he calls out after me. “Have you at least eaten?”
I stop walking and hold up my coffee. “I had a cookie before class and now I have my coffee,” I tell him over my shoulder.
He’s glaring at me.If looks could kill…
“Stop.”
I halt, his command washing over me. Turning around, I watch as he walks over to me and hands me a twenty-dollar bill. Our fingers brush for a second, but it’s enough for me to remember how rough they feltinsideof me.
I’m so fucked.
“Go buy yourself lunch and give me the receipt after.”
I look down at the money with furrowed brows. Obviously, because I live with Liam, I’m not a stranger to taking his money. I’m living under his roof for free, after all. But my parents left me with some trust money, and since I’m a penny-pincher, I’ve managed to create a budget for myself until I’m out of law school. I’m attending Crestwood on a scholarship, so fortunately I won’t have student debt from undergrad. Law school isn’t cheap, though, and I want to be prepared.
