Thirty minutes later Hunter Blackwell finally dismissed the class. Watching them all file out, Rona sat in a mental battle. Should I try and sneak out with the crowd, or should I see what it is he wants? The question floated back and forth across her mind, until she realized what her next class was. College Algebra. Nothing innately enjoyable about that. Unless you happened to sit behind the guy that drove you wild, and guess what, she did. Well that made the decision remarkably easy.
With a quick glance at the clock perched so methodically above the blackboard Rona was struck with the realization that she was gonna be late. But speed was not her desire to exit the class. It was stealth. How to get out without the TA noticing her lack of commitment to their little after class chat? And then all hope was shattered.
“Rona, can I ask why it is your trying to leave when we have a need for discussion?” Mr. Blackwell’s smirk was nothing short of wolfish. Oh, god , he’s really going to make me stay, Rona thought in disgust. He sat down and looked her up down, unabashed, like there was nothing wrong with an obvious sexist approach to his student. Now he’s taking notes, Rona fumed as she watched him jot down quickly something on a scratch of paper on his desk, doesn’t he see he’s wasting my time?! Handing her the paper folded in half, he made it clear, “You are not to read this until you return to your dorm.” She rolled her eyes. It probably wouldn’t make it out of the lecture hall.
“Now let me see what you were writing,” he all but demanded. She shook her head. She had promised herself she wouldn’t show anyone else her writings. The last time had been with her now ex-boyfriend. When she broke up with him he became infuriated and did the one thing that would truly hurt her. He spread throughout the campus who she was. She stopped writing, stopped publishing her works and hid from the literary world. After sometime her publisher convinced her that she could start again. All she had to do was hide that part of her identity and start fresh, create a new fan base and work from the bottom up. She missed the feeling of keys beneath her fingers and pouring her desires and frustrations into a computer, like a waterfall spilling from one source into a pool. With that decision made Ginger Heller was no more, much to the disappointment of her many loyal fans and Risika Jones was brought forth into the world.
“Ms. Marks as horrible as it would be for me to say, I can tell you that if I report you to the course professor for your actions in class and your refusal to listen now, harsh punishment could be taken. If not a failing grade, it is possible he will drop you from the class.” If it wasn’t obvious before the smirk was now one of the most prominent things about Hunter Blackwell right now. “You can make this easy or hard. The choice is entirely up to you.”
Suddenly flushed Rona stared at the floor. I can’t have a that on my records and it’s too late to sign up for another course… Why is he making my life so difficult? She came to terms with her lack of a choice in the matter. Her parents would have her head if she got any farther behind in her classes, let alone if it was due to the temper she could rarely control. Of course, if you already lost control of it, why try and rein it in? She all but threw the notebook at him. “Happy now?”
His smile only served to fuel her fire. “Is there anything else you would like to know? My life’s story? My hopes for the future? What color underwear I’m wearing? Any other personal boundaries you would like to cross?” She knew it was time to shut up but she couldn’t bring herself to. Once she crossed the line it was impossible to stop until it was finished. What was that thing her mom used to tell her? You can’t put tooth paste back in the tube after you push it out. Just like her words. Once she said them she couldn’t take it back. But without missing a beat the TA continued to push all the wrong buttons.
“Well, if you would like to indulge me in such things I would be glad to listen.”
Rona took a step back. What was with this guy? She had never met anyone so blunt in her life, and it was starting to make her head spin.
“Well…,” she wasn’t even sure of a comeback anymore. She didn’t know if her seriously wanted to know more about her or if he was just trying to upset her.
“Tell me about yourself. It’s just the two of us. No need to be embarrassed, though I won’t ask you what color underwear you’re wearing. When’s your birthday, what do you like to do, what you would like to do in the future.”
“Well, I’m a Cancer, my birthday is July 17th, I like pop, hip-hop, rock and rap, I have a Doberman named Harley. All my life I’ve wanted to be an author, I have no religion and I always say what I think, which is why I will say you are a very attractive jerk,” she said quickly, placing her hand over her mouth.
Smiling broadly, he read over the brief passage she had managed to scribble during his lecture on metaphors.
“This is nice, very nice. You remind me of a writer whom I loved deeply, though no one really knew much about her. She doesn’t write anymore, but she was great. She wrote under a pen name, Ginger Heller. She was kinda my guilty pleasure, so not many people know I liked her writing. I mean how many people would take a guy who read romance novels seriously?” Rona couldn’t help but gasp in the back of her mind. The cart wheels were starting. She was supposed to avoid those… Since she was little whenever her mind became overwhelmed she got lost in a train of thought so deep she tended to faint. He liked Ginger… I wonder if he’s read anything by Risika? Wow… I would never have thought… But how does he not know about me? If he has been here long enough… everyone at this campus knows. His eyes are pretty… And then the dizzy spell hit.
“Rona! Rona, are you ok? Can you hear me?” Nodding, Rona shook off the last remainder of her slight blackout. Glancing up from the floor, she found her new TA trying to catch her eye. “Are you sure you’re all right? I can walk you to your dorm if you want.” Rona shook her head. She thought she was ok, nothing really seemed wrong with her that she could immediately find. Maybe she was just so deep in thought she blacked out, like when she was little. Yeah, that was it, just another case of thinking too much. She started to walk towards the door, without so much as a goodbye, just eager to escape the trapped feeling she was developing. Suddenly the spins came back.
“Maybe you should walk me home… just in case.” He nodded and walked around the desk to her, cupping her elbow and steering her toward the door. Instantly Rona fell into his arms, her energy drained.
“Whoa, I got you,” he said as he encircled his arm around her waist.
“Tha...Than… Thank you…” she mumbled right before she blacked out.
