The Professor's Interest

Chapter 2

I hear loud banging on my room door, I wake up as Anna enters my room.

'Rise and shine Leah, today is a beautiful day, you got 30 minutes to get done' she says as she opens the curtains, bright light shines through the window, it sure is going to be a hot sunny day. 

I get up from bed and get done. After my quick shower I just slip on a t-shirt and a jeans and sneakers, my hair is always lose, its how I like my hair. I pack my books inside my satchel and hurry out the door, I meet Anna by her Mini Cooper.

Anna and I walk through the corridor to class, I'm dreading to read out my poem, something so dear to me and I hope to keep it together, as my thoughts trail on, Anna is walking besides me and I hardly hear her reciting her poem to me, and yet again I bump into someone. Shocked again.

'I'm so sorry" I say hoping it's not Professor Emery.

I see a different guy this time, eyes close to the color of Professor Emery and brown hair just shorter, and slightly handsome, he picks up his laptop that fell on the ground.

'No need to apologize' he says to me smiling. 'I'm Ryan, I'm in producing, you two should come and hang out sometime to listen to a few jams in the studio any time' he winks at me

'I'm Anna' she says extending her hand out to Ryan, he shakes it smiling. 'I hope your laptop is okay"

'I'm Leah, we're both into poetry and songwriting'

'Great, I hope your Professor treats you two well, he can be such an ass, anyway got to go, see ya around ladies'

Anna and I hurry to class, we are 5 minutes late already, gosh. Shyly I walk to my seat, someone has already started reciting, we sit down, I take out my books and my poem, I look up into Professor Emery's intense eyes, my heart is in my chest, are we in trouble? I look away, and just read over my poem. When Corbin was done reciting his poem, I was too nervous to look back up.

'Miss Bridges and Miss Mackenzie, I want to see you after class' he says sternly 'late coming wont be tolerated in my class, if you want to be in this course then be on time, if you are late then you are suspended unless you have some valid reasons to being late'. Anna hands me a note 'We tell him there was traffic on the road". 

'Miss Bridges, you're up next' he says writing down something in his book. 

I get up, extremely nervous, I feel faint, walls closing in, like I cant breathe, I stand in front by the podium, I cannot say my poem to everyone, Anna knows my struggle. 

'You may begin Miss Bridges" says Professor.

I feel stares at me and one more intense stare which is professor from the side. I look to Anna who nods my way telling me that I can do it. I look down at my note, I see a blurred piece of paper.

'Miss Bridges, you are wasting all of our time so can you start, it is not that difficult' he says sternly.

I try to speak but all I could say was 'Sorry, I can't' and I go back to my seat, breathing faster. Anna looks to me asking if I'm okay, I just nod my head not looking up to anyone. 

'Miss Bridges see me after class yet again' 

Class dismisses, 'Miss Mackenzie I will see you first, Miss Bridges please wait outside'. 

Anna goes to Professor Emery's desk, while I head out with the class. I lean against the wall, not feeling too great, I fold my arms over my chest as a way of comforting myself. I need air and water, but wouldn't dare to step away from the class, I do not want to cause any more trouble. Anna comes out.

'Hey, you okay?' I nod yes

'your turn now, I will wait for you right here'

I go inside the class, head down, I close the door behind me and walk over to his desk.

'Miss Bridges, You will not be late to my class, you are to participate in my class, not decide when you want to, you are not the Professor here, I am.' he says 

I just nod, still with my head down

'Look at me' he says, I look up even more gorgeous as before, those eyes...'Do you understand?'

I nod

'Now please recite to me your poem, he gets up from his chair and walks around the desk and leans against it. Waiting for me to recite my poem. I take my page out of my satchel, but everything closes up, I cannot get any air, I cannot breathe, Professor Emery comes closer to me concerned. 

'Miss Bridges are  you okay?' concern in his voice.

'I can't breathe' I say, all I know is I see black.

                                                            ...........................

Professor Emery POV

I wait for Leah to recite her poem to me, I can see something is bothering her and it's taking some sort of toll on her. I cannot help to find her so attractive, but I need to keep this to myself. Cant stop staring at her every day. I move closer to her so that I can let her have a seat.

'Miss Bridges, you okay?" I ask as I am very concerned now. 

'I cant breathe' she says and I catch her in my arms just in time before she fell on the ground. 

I kneel down beside her trying to wake her up, I lift her up in my arms carrying her, this cannot be happening. Anna is on my heels, worried. 

'You put pressure on her and she fainted sir, she got enough things to deal with' Anna says as we take my Jaguar to the hospital, Anna hops in at the back with Leah. What things does she have to deal with? I'm curious.

'Call her parents' I say

'Her parents died when she was 11 sir, She only has me' Anna says panicked.

Shit, I did not know, I'm even more curious now, we get to the hospital, and we go to the emergency section, Doctors took Leah, I cannot let anything happen to her. I sit down with my head in my hands waiting for any news. 

'She has a lot of things going on sir' Anna says standing against the wall opposite from me, I look up at her.

'What things?' I ask

'Well her parents accident, more other things I'm afraid I cannot share, I promised that I wouldn't tell anyone. Look, stop being an ass and treat her right that's all sir'

I look down feeling bad of how I treated her, just to suppress my feelings for her. I check the time, I got a meeting to attend at the university but my heart wants me to stay, as I get up from the chair a doctor comes out. 

'Miss Bridges is okay, I am guessing she had a panic attack has this happened before?' the doctor asked.

'Yes Doctor, Many times before, but only in some stressful situations'. Anna jumps in.

'okay well, she can be discharged, try not to stress her out, she is resting right now, let her have that rest and you can pick her up later' doctor says reassuringly.

I wont forgive myself if I put her in this position in the first place. Anna gets a lift back to university with me, because her car is still there. I get back to my office and grab my phone and belongings. I spot her poem on the ground, I pick it up and read it.

'Deep down inside I keep on drowning, no way out. I keep having these thoughts in my head of that night, the tragedy within to my body. You never respected that night, and I sit with all the pieces, trying to glue them all back together, yet it keeps falling apart... sadness, sorrow, all I want to be is alive, but you ruined that for me, and so I hope you well in any way possible. Music is the peace I need to make everything better, I feel alive singing and doing just that. It's like a breath of breath air to be in that moment, one thing I love the most.'

Did something happen to her other than her parents accident? I need to find out.