Higher Education (Calen)

[Dhara]

If she kept pacing the floor, she was going to wear a hole in the wood. Or a track. Something. She couldn’t understand why she was so nervous about tonight. It was just a class, and she wasn’t even registered for it. She was just there to audit. To maybe see if she was interested. But secretly, she was doing it just to see Calen. She wanted to see him in his element. She was going to audit the professor, not the class he was teaching. Finally, with a sigh, she scooped up her satchel, stuffed a notebook and the text book inside, then grabbed her keys and left.

She had filled out the forms, writing her name down as D.C. Sabria. They hadn’t asked her to elaborate. In fact the university hadn’t asked for much and she wondered why that was. Perhaps they just really wanted students. Perhaps it didn’t really matter unless she was going to enroll in the class. And right now, she didn’t have plans to do that. She wasn’t even sure she could, but at least this would be entertaining and educational. She had read a bit of the text book, just to brush up on the material and she was already fascinated by the subject matter.

As she reached the campus, her steps slowed. It was early evening and there were students milling around. Some going to classes, some going home. She blended in and stood out at the same time. Her tiny stature made it a little difficult to move among the crush of taller students, but she managed to get through. She brushed her hair from her face, the royal blue streak stood out against the snowy white locks, but she found she liked it. She’d tried adding just a single, two inch wide streak of color to her hair and found it was a lot better looking than when she did the all over highlights.

Rolling her eyes at herself, she pushed through the door into the hallway, the warmth of the building surrounding her. Ducking out of the way to avoid the steady stream of students, she tugged a paper from her bag and double checked the room number. With a small smile, she made her way down the hall, glancing up at a wall clock to make sure she wasn’t too early. Slipping in to the classroom, she looked around, attacked by nerves yet again. Calen wasn’t there and she exhaled a soft breath. Amber eyes roved over the stadium seating, surprised at the amount of students that were trickling in to fill the seats. Not as many as she had hoped for, but more than she thought there would be.

Gathering her skirt in one hand, she lifted it slightly so she could climb the stairs to the seats. She didn’t want to sit directly in the front, but she didn’t want to stand out in the back. She wasn’t there to distract him from his lesson plan. She found a seat left of dead center in the fourth row and slid in to it. Pulling her text book, note book and a pen from her bag, she folded down the small wooden desk and set her things on it. Opening her notebook, she pulled out the syllabus that she’d downloaded and began to read it over.

She barely glanced up when a student sat next to her, focusing intently on the packet. Her nose crinkled when the male leaned over and tried to talk to her. His breath reeked of stale coffee and old cigarettes and she seriously thought about changing seats. Instead, she looked at him and muttered something in German, hoping he would stop trying to talk to her. And if that didn’t work, she simply hoped the Professor would show up and class would begin. Then Smelly Guy would, hopefully, leave her alone. And if he didn’t… well she’d figure something out when that bridge came up.

[Calen (DELETED 5969)]

The day was nearly over, only a night class remaining. My three day classes had proved to be exhausting, the students still sitting with the mindset of winter break. All fun, no discipline. It was still early in the semester and none of them had come to grasp the notion that I didn’t put up with those foolish attitudes. I was here for the sole purpose of sharing my knowledge, and that of the scholars that came before me. If they had no desire to listen, they could leave my lecture hall. That was just the way I operated.

The class was set to start any minute, and I would be expected to arrive on time. The textbooks and papers that lay scattered across my desk only served to prolong my delay. With a grunt of annoyance, I set to stacking them as neatly as I could while in a hurry, stuffing them into my messenger bag rather unceremoniously. The textbook soon followed suit, and then the laptop that I would hook up to the computer systems to display the lecture Powerpoint.

We had finally moved on to the new unit, the introductory chapter taking a bit longer than I would have hoped. Occult 101 was a class open to all students, and so many of them had no previously knowledge of anything associated with the topic. While it was required for those brave enough to major is Occult Studies, other students were about to take the course for Liberal Art credits to fulfill their electives. It was those students that frustrated me the most, causing the class to lag behind schedule.

Knowing my lateness would not help the situation, I slung the bag over my shoulder and grabbed for the class roster before marching out the door, making sure to lock it behind me. I made my way down the hallway and a flight of stairs to the lecture hall, entering it silently. Many of the students had the decency to lower their voices, but a select few still seemed to scream their conversation for all to hear.

I cleared my throat, ”Good evening, everyone.” I lowered my bag onto the table beside the podium, allowing my gaze to move across the faces of the room. Some offered me soft greetings, while others looked on silently. It bothered me none, and I began to set up. ”Tonight we will be starting our new unit, so I do hope you all read the chapter. If not, then I guess you will be learning quite a bit tonight, won’t you?” His tone suggested boredom or disinterest with their studying habits, as it was far from his job to make sure they did the work. If they didn’t, they could deal with the consequences.

”Let’s start with attendance…” he suggested, beginning to read through the list of students enrolled in the class. Three of them turned out to be absent, but that hardly bothered him. He allowed 4 missing classes before it effected their grades, and most students tended to stay within those limits. ”We always have a guest, tonight. Is a D.C Sabria here?” he asked, peering up from the paper with the stapled note attached, looking for a hand that would put a face to the name he had the list.

[Dhara]

The myriad of conversations going on around her surprised her. She had expected the students to sit and wait quietly. Instead, she had Smelly Guy on her left, trying to ask for a date, or coffee. She vaguely thought he asked where she was from. She dignified none of these questions with an answer. She was re-reading the syllabus, or at least pretending too, while listening to the noise. Some one broke up with some one else. That girls hair sucked, that guy could crush a can against his forehead. That guy was hot, that girl was weird. On and on and on and it was all she could do to keep from rolling her eyes. Seriously? This is what college kids talked about.

Suddenly the conversations hushed some what, but they didn't stop, and she lifted her head. Her eyes found him instantly, watching as he moved to the front of the room and began to set up. He was talking about the first chapter and she was suddenly glad she'd read a few chapters ahead. This was something she planned to take seriously, even if she was only here for a few classes. His demeanor was different than the man she knew. He looked taller, and there was no smile in those emerald eyes. He was all business. She noticed that as he talked, the conversations slowly died down. Even Smelly Guy sat back in his seat and at least pretended to pay attention.

She shrank down a little in to her seat. She would be anonymous, she would be invisible. She would be called out in front of the entire class. Well shoot. She suppressed a soft sigh and sat up straight, raising her hand slightly to attract his wandering eye. She didn't smile, she didn't blush. At least she didn't think she was blushing. She could feel the curious eyes of other students turning to her, wanting to know who the "guest" was in the class. She cleared her throat slightly and managed a smile. "Here, Professor Phair." She spoke clearly, her uniquely accented voice pitched to carry to him in the front of the room. The years of performing had given her a great ability to project with out being obnoxiously loud.

After she made herself known, she lowered her hand, letting it rest on her open text book. Her eyes stayed on him, wondering what he would say or do. Wondering what he was thinking. She didn't say any thing else, because he hadn't asked any thing else. And she figured if there were personal questions, they'd be addressed in private. She was a study in seriousness as she gazed at him, though she fairly trembled with repressed energy. It was hard for her to sit still with out fidgeting but some how she managed. This was important to him, and moreover it was important to her. He'd piqued her curiosity. She hoped his classes would satiate that curiosity. She was here to study, to learn, to possibly take his class officially. She would not screw this up.

[Calen (DELETED 5969)]

The students were like vultures. Any mention of someone who didn't belong, and they zeroed in, ready to pick at the remaining pieces. Their eyes moved in all directions as they tried to pick out the new face. Sadly for them, classes had been in session for only a few weeks, leaving them in a position to have no idea. It was a rather comical moment, but one I had to let slip as I, too, searched out the group for a face.

It took only a moment before the hand rose into the air, and the gaze landed on her soon after. I canted my head in wonder as I took her in, blinking rather rapidly as I tried to digest this information. She was here, in my classroom, and looking as serious about it as I did. My lips twitched into a vague sort of smile as I offered a nod. [b["Alright, then. Miss Sabria. Welcome to the class."[/b] Had we been anywhere else, I would have smirked at her use of my title, as she seemed to enjoy using it. Quite often she would refer to me as 'Professor." only now if had true purpose. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

Dhara made it quite clear that she was no in the classroom to distract me from my job, and for that, I was thankful. However, it was hard not to constantly look in her direction as I finished setting up my laptop. The Powerpoint came up quickly, revealing the next unit. The introductory chapter had covered plenty of information, leaving the inner workings and details to be explained. The book carried on in the unit to discussion the occult and religion, and they connection it held.

A feeling of dread settled in my stomach. I hated this chapter. When it came time to discuss religion in any sense, students went up in arms, each defending their own belief system. In no way would tell them that they were wrong, but some of the things out of my mouth would likely pinch some nerves. "Now, I understand that religion is a tough topic to discuss in an academic setting. I'm going to ask that we be respectful of other's opinions. I'm not here to change your beliefs, I just teach. Fair?" I asked as a disclaimer, spreading out my arms as if asking any of the students to disagree with my statement. None of them did.

As I moved to switch the lights off in the hall, I caught myself looking to Dhara again, shooting her a smile in the chaos of the room. Students were busy pulling out notebooks and pens to notice the shared look. Not that I needed to hide anything. I just enjoyed my privacy.

[Dhara]

Her eyes never left him, even when other students began to shuffle about to extract writing utensils, notebooks and the text book. She was already prepared, so she kept her eyes on him, which allowed her to see the smile aimed only at her. She returned it warmly, content to stare at him shamelessly in these few moments before the lecture began. She couldn't help it, he was an incredibly good looking man. But more than that, she knew the mind that lay behind his emerald eyes. As the lights went down, it didn't stop her from being able to see him. She watched as he moved back to his lap top. That is until Smelly Guy leaned over.

"Have you got a pen?" He breathed in her direction, causing her nose to crinkle in disgust. She gave a shake of her head and not so subtly put a peppermint on his desk. She was getting rather annoyed at his lame attempts at conversation. She wasn't here to find a boyfriend, drink, party or any of the things normal college kids did. She already had a boyfriend. She'd only ever drank once in her life, and she preferred quiet nights to frat parties. She said nothing as Smelly Guy took the hint, picking up the mint and unwrapping it. He popped it in his mouth, sucking noisily. Just as she was about to say something, he began crunching away.

She clenched her jaw and closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. She would not cause a scene. She would not cause a scene. When she opened her eyes, the power point was up and she directed her focus back on the slides and the man delivering a lecture. Picking up her pen, she glanced down at her note book and felt a surge of irritation. Scrawled on the corner of the pristine white page was a phone number, along with the words Call me, babe. Let's hook up. Joe. Babe?! Babe?! She couldn't believe the gall of the student sitting next to her. Her pen tapped the pad of paper and she mentally counted to ten several times, trying to redirect her focus to the lecture and the notes she wanted to take.

[Calen (DELETED 5969)]

It was hard not to pay attention to her. I tried as hard as I could not to spend too much time looking at her, but it was harder with every moment that passed. Somehow, she managed to blend in with the class as a whole, her slight stature allowing her to fit in with the young students that surrounded her. Many of them had only just graduated from high school. When she had the size of a pixie, she could easily be mistaken.

Due to my constant focus, I didn't miss the student who seemed content to keep bothering her. If I recalled correctly, his name was Joe, and he had proved to be a bit of a pain in the *** in the last few weeks. Still, his antics seemed to be harmless at the moment, so I ignored him. Instead, I kept going with the lecture as planned, allowing the students time to take the necessary notes.

In the time between slides, I would take short strides around the room. The students were doing as I could have hoped and that was remaining silent. Most of the time, one of them would ask a stupid question that I would deem hardly worth the time. Except, as a professor, I was here for the purpose of answering those questions. But, now, they saved me the time, and I was oddly glad for that.

It was only then that I noted Joe leaning over toward Dhara once more, his nose inches from her cheek. My irritation spiked, and I folded my arms across my chest. The rest of the class seemed to notice my change in demeanor, looking in the direction of my heated glare. Meanwhile, Joe remained oblivious. "Joe. Do you have a question?" I finally asked, deciding he had had enough time to shut his mouth.

As expected, he looked up at me like a deer caught in headlights, and I felt a small flare of satisfaction. It was petty, but I simply couldn't help it. I watched as he stammered over his words, trying to come up with an acceptable excuse for being caught. I let him do so for a minute before finally interrupting, "I guess I just assumed you had a question when you were so rudely distracting others."

He quickly sat back in his seat, but I wasn't done. He would answer me. His silence only showed to me to lack of respect for authority, and that irked me. Even more than that, he had been close enough to Dhara that she had likely felt his breath on her cheek. That meant too close.

[Dhara]

She had diligently taken notes as Calen talked, her small, neat writing was in German. Smelly Guy... Joe she mentally corrected, kept leaning over and trying to talk to her. Poking at her notebook, asking what language she was writing in. He was making it hard to focus and she knew her notes were incomplete as a result. That only served to irritate her further, but she did her best to ignore it. She had eyes for only one man in the room, and that was the Professor. It was hard enough to focus on the lecture, simply because she was in the same room as the man who held her heart. Joe only served to make things worse. Each time he leaned over she thought the smell of his breath would make her sick. But at least he hadn't actually touched her. Yet.

It was then, when Calen's back seemed to be turned that Joe crossed the line. He leaned over to her, so close his breath touched her skin. But worse? She felt the warmth of his hand on her knee, through the long black material of her skirt. She was about two seconds away from causing a scene by screaming at him in German when a strong, masculine voice cut her off. She felt her breath catch and a small smile tugged at her lips as Joe stammered and stuttered, finally sitting back in his chair. But his icky, sweaty hand still lay on her knee. The dampness of his palm against her skirt made her smile turn in to a scowl and she reached down to his hand. Grasping his fingers between her thumb and first finger, she picked the boys hand off her leg and let it drop as if she was handling something that disgusted her. And she really was. Her nose crinkled a little at the thought of leaning forward, but she did it any ways.

"Joe had a question that I think you are better equipped to answer, Professor Phair." She said, picking up her notebook. Her voice was calm though Calen would be able to hear the irritation that laced her words. She knew Calen couldn't read German, but he could certainly read in English and there was only one short, crabbed sentence in English written at the top of the page. Leaning over, she offered the book of paper to Calen, her amber eyes met his and seemed to beg him for more help. She was out of her depth in dealing with some one like Joe.

[Calen (DELETED 5969)]

The slight motion at their seats was no lost on me, and the fact that Dhara had to physically remove Joe's hand from her lap set fire to dynamite in my chest. I could feel the need to explode rising, so close to the surface that anyone within my immediate reach was in danger of being caught int eh crossfire. One could call it jealousy, but I was never the kind of guy to believe in my own inability to handle the emotion. This only proved to me my own weakness, and I had to take a deep and steadying breath before I opened my mouth to speak.

"What question is that, Miss Sabria?" I asked, voice low by even my standards. If my assumptions were correct, the students in the back would have trouble hearing it. The leaning forward of the back rows only served to prove my assumption, but it did little to sooth my irritation. If anything, it only added to it. Even if I couldn't rightly blame them. Nothing this entertaining ever happening in my classrooms.

I leaned forward to take the pad of paper from her, scanning over the page quickly. Mostly it gave off the impression of gibberish, or a made up language, but I had enough knowledge to know that it was German. With it being a part of her native language, I could understand her desire to use it, but it was the English that held my attention.

In a cramped and practically unintelligible scrawl were the written request for a phone call. In a show of emotion completely different from my inner feelings, I smiled. I set the notebook down on the table to my side, glancing up at Joe. He obviously knew the words that I had read on the paper, and he was attempting to sink down into his chair. In his pathetic attempt to hide, the whole class emitted a nervous chuckle.

"So. Not only do you like disrupting my class, but you also seem to enjoy being a womanizing pig," I finally said, crossing my arms over my chest as if this were only part of the lecture and I was discussing a question he needed answered. "By all means, do so...with anyone other than Miss Sabria. She happens to be taken, and your attention is no doubt making her uncomfortable."

It was only then that I passed the notebook back to Dhara, winking in her direction. I didn't care that students could see, They could discuss the matter outside of the classroom, and gossip about the new teacher's pet. Until it was a matter I needed to worry about, I would not hide it.

"Can we continue?" I asked loud enough for the entire class to hear spreading my arms out wide. I was done with games for the day, and that much was very obvious.

[Dhara]

She took the notebook with a small smile meant only for Calen. The wink made warmth blossom in her cheeks. She would be certain to thank him later for the way he rescued her from Joe. She set her book down and shot Joe a hard look, then glanced to Calen with a small nod. She didn't care what the other students had seen or thought, she only hoped that Joe would leave her alone now. That she could continue with the class in peace. She was only allowed to audit so many classes before she had to quit attending or enroll fully.

When he asked if they could continue, she shot Joe another look and settled in her seat, pen poised to take notes. Her eyes moved back to the screen and she resumed copying the bullet points on the slide. She could feel eyes on her, the students in the back, staring curiously at her. And she didn't miss the not so covert glances from the students in front of her either. They were obvious in the way the "peered" over their shoulders to find her in the dim room. She ignored it all, but made a mental note to sit some where else for the next class. She already felt guilty for the disruption she and Joe had caused. She didn't believe there were assigned seats in college, so she would simply sit in the first row near the center so she could easily see the power point if there was one next time.

[Calen (DELETED 5969)]

I did my best to ignore the round of hushed laughter from Joe's humiliation. I hadn't meant to be so cruel to the lad, but he was stepping on toes that best be avoided. Not only had he been distracting another student who was doing their best to pay attention, but he was defining the male stereotype that we were all sexist imbeciles with only enough brainpower to figure out our next lay. It was boys like Joe that gave the male population a bad name, and it was about time he knew it, too. Even if it had to be from his college professor.

Dhara seemed to slip down into her seat once more, and I let my gaze linger on her for a moment before I continued on with the lesson. I knew of her past history with schooling, and I had to wonder if she was keeping up okay. There was a lot of work that went into attending college courses, and some simply couldn't handle it. I made a mental note to ask her once the class was over, but at that moment, she seemed to be doing well enough on her own...save for her unfortunate neighbor.

The rest of the class continued on without a hitch, and I was thankful to look up at the clock to find our time together was over. I finished off the slide of the presentation, offering the students plenty of time to write down any notes before I dismissed them. Some had already gathered up their belongings, but I found I didn't mind. I was just as ready to leave the classroom as they were in order to catch up with Dhara. I had some time to spare, after all. "Alright, everyone. That looks like a good place to stop. Make sure you read the chapter for the next class!" I called out as all the noise began. It was always a mad dash to the door when class was over, like a herd of cattle. All they needed to do was provide the sound effects of dying cows.

"Miss Sabria, could you stay behind, please?" I asked as I quickly packed up my belonging, positive that Dhara would either wait out in the hall, or remain in the room until I was finished. So, I didn't look up from the computer screen as I logged off, making a PostIt of the slide we left off on so that I could start there next time.