AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I set my bag down in the chair in front of his desk, and cross my arms. Noah just paces around his office, running his fingers through his hair, and staring at the ground.
“What’s going on? Who was that, Noah?”
He starts to talk but then groans, and shakes his head. “I’m livid right now. Honestly, I need a second to calm down.”
I take a step back, and look around the room for the worksheets for today. He must not have them printed yet. He unlocks his laptop and sends them to the printer.
“Sorry, I hadn’t had time yet. He was waiting for me when I got here.”
“Is everything okay? You’re making me nervous.”
“That Adam kid apparently made a complaint about me. Called me a bully. Not my fault he doesn’t know a fucking thing about how to read.”
Noah seems extremely frustrated, talking with his hands, and shuffling papers around on his desk.
“Well, you aren’t, so case closed.”
“I wish it were that easy, Les. Complaints are taken seriously here, and that’s just an arrow on my back. Obviously, he knew he wasn’t going to pass my class, so he had to go and do something to override the university’s judgment when he fails. Go figure.”
This isn’t something he needs to worry about, and Adam is a dick. It’s not like I can say anything, because then Adam would know how I found out. That would send out clues about Noah and me, and he definitely doesn’t need that going to light right now.
“I try my fucking hardest to be a good professor, but I don’t let people walk all over me like the others. They need to learn how things operate in the real world, and no place of business would tolerate the way he acts.”
“Noah, take a breath. You are only talking out of anger because of the things he said to me, and then being an ass yesterday. We don’t know anything about him other than that,” I say, putting my hand on his shoulder and he brushes it off.
“Careful. Anyone could see us, remember?”
He needs time to deal with this, and he clearly doesn’t want me here right now. “Well, give me the worksheets and I’ll go distribute them before class.”
Noah hands me a stack of worksheets, and I walk straight out of his office.
I’m not mad at him, because he must be freaking out. Teaching is something he loves, and to have a chance of having that taken away or having a strike on his record because some student wants to piss him off, that has to strike a hard blow. All I can do is be there for him, and try to help him through it.
I get upstairs to the lecture hall, and walk around placing a worksheet on each desk. It’s empty besides a couple of girls gossiping in the back row about some party they are going to tonight.
“You his little bitch now?”
I turn around to see Adam now sitting in the front row.
“No, the university made me his teaching assistant for the semester. It helps cover my tuition.”
You will not let him get a rise out of you. Take a deep breath, Leslie.
“He won’t be teaching here much longer. Asshole needs to learn to stay out of my business. Yesterday, you and I were having a conversation and he shouldn’t have interfered. His job is to teach the fucking class, that’s all.”
Adam seems to have a lot of hate toward Professor Mills and that startles me. What else is he going to do if the complaint turns out to be squashed by the university? What is Adam capable of?
“Don’t get butt hurt. Just do the homework and come to class. One last semester and then you never have to see him again. Why make such a fuss?”
Students start filing in, and I just go about my business placing the rest of the worksheets on the desks. I shouldn’t even be talking to Adam at all, especially after our failed attempt at a date. I don’t know why he is so pissed about Noah moving him to the front. It’s not like he was paying attention anyway.
“Good morning, everyone. Class is going to be cut a little short today, but it’s Friday, so I’m sure no one is going to complain. Fill out the worksheet on your desk and then turn it in to me, and you may go,” he says, making his way down the aisle to the front of the hall.
Why is he cutting class short? I pull out my phone to see if he texted me but nothing, so I take my seat and fill out the worksheet within the first ten minutes. Good thing I’ve already memorized the book at this point. I grab my bag and head down to Noah.
“Thank you, Ms. Haddon. Have a good weekend.”
He doesn’t even make eye contact with me, so I mosey up the aisle and out the double doors. Something is going on. What isn’t he telling me?
