THREE

P E A R L

This cannot be happening.

I cannot believe he actually came to class after seeing him. What was his reason for suddenly showing up? Worse of it all, he had to show up to class right after we slept with each other. Was he trying to make me completely fail this class?

“S-sir?” His assistant walked over to him, looking confused,

A part of me was glad that he was going to actually teach us and have his lazy assistants stop giving us crap in the name of teaching. I was enjoying the restlessness she was going through. At least now she would stop being egotistical and probably go back to whatever she was doing before she and the other one started tutoring us.

“I do not like what keeps happening in my class. The massive failure is concerning. Do you not read your books and the materials provided?” He asked and the class started to mutter.

He had the nerve to ask that when I already explained everything to him in his office.

“Professor Marison,” one of my classmates said, standing to his feet. “We really try our very best to pass your class but what we are taught here is so much different than what we see in the tests that has been given.”

I nodded to what he had said. It was exactly what we were experiencing.

“Whatever you are taught by my assistants is what I put in my notes for them. So, are you trying to claim that I do not know what I am doing?”

This man was either dumb or trying to really get on our nerves. I wanted to add to what was said so desperately but I wanted to be out of sight.

“Well, whatever your assistants teach us is poor or maybe how they execute those notes are not up to par,” another person spoke out.

Some of the students started to ooh and ahh and I couldn't help but chuckle in my hand. That response was good, very direct.

“Enough,” he said and walked toward the class. “I have heard all your complaints and as I said, I will be taking over. But do not expect my class to be easy on you. If you are too stubborn to understand what is being taught, you will fail.”

I rolled my eyes and watched him move to the desk in the corner. He motioned at his assistant who huffed and walked out of the class. My eyes shifted back to him and watched him flip through the textbook he was holding. My eyes went directly to his fingers, so long, slender and how they had felt on my body, particularly inside me, stroking and thrusting.

As if he could sense my dirty thoughts, he raised his head and looked me in the eyes. I sat upright and gulped when his eyes changed a shade lower. I don’t know what he was thinking but it made my body tingle and my core to heat up.

“Let us begin,” he said, looking away.

I sighed in relief and looked to the side. How was I going to live through this class when I fucked my professor?

+=+=+

“Go home and do research on what I gave you and submit it next weekend via mail. Class dismissed.”

Two hours later, the class ended, and everyone rushed out. The class was clear and pretty better than whatever his assistants tried to teach us. For the first time, it seemed as if a part of my brain cleared out to understand the course. I was going to ace the tests and exam from here on out.

I picked up my bag and started to make my way down the steps. I was wondering if I could speak to him about us having sex or was, he going to keep pretending? His attitude made me feel desperate. I didn’t want to be desperate. With a sigh, I decided on what to do. I would just act like nothing happened. I needed to leave school with a clean slate. It was wise to stay away from him.

As I walked past his desk, I spared a glance in his direction. His eyes were still focused on the book he was reading. In anger, I rolled my eyes and speedily made my way to the door.

“Pearl!”

I almost jumped out of my skin at the tempo of the voice. Standing at the entrance of the class was my course mate, Ethan. He never bothered to come to this class, so I was surprised to see him added to the fact that I had been expecting Professor Marison to call me.

“What are you doing here?” I asked and he hugged me tightly. My lungs were tight, and I could barely breathe from the strength of his hug. On top of that, I knew Professor Marison was probably staring.

An idea filled my head. Even though we didn’t really have anything going on after the one-night stand, I wanted to get a reaction out of him. So, I hugged Ethan back, but he pulled away instantly.

“You never hug me back,” Ethan said, eyeballing my face.

I scoffed. “Whatever. Come on, let’s go.”

“Ah, wait. I need to ask our professor something.”

Before I could object or even blink, Ethan was dragging me with him to where our professor was. It felt like I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me but at the same time, this was the perfect time to see his reaction to me being touchy with my friend. I needed to see everything in 4k.

“Professor?”

We stopped by his desk, and he looked up at him and not me. I poked my cheek with my tongue to school my facial features from showing how pissed off I was with him. But why was I even pissed off at him?

“Yes?”

Ethan chuckled. “I heard you were teaching today, and I apologize for missing today’s class. I just have a question.”

I was not interested in what Ethan had to say so I wrapped my arm around his arm and leaned against it. It startled him for a few seconds as his speech faltered before he cleared his throat and continued talking. I gritted my teeth when Professor Marison barely looked at me. Instead, he paid attention to Ethan.

Deep down inside me, I was hating myself for acting the way I was. How could he simply act a fool after our one-night stand. It would have been different if I never saw him again but seeing him again evoked so much emotion and coupled with him ignoring me, it made me feel cheap.

“Pearl?”

I blinked and realized I had been in a daze and looked up. They were both looking at me. I smiled at Ethan, and he raised an eyebrow at me. His eyes read that he was concerned.

“Are you okay?” He asked and I nodded. “Okay. Let’s go. I’m done.”

I didn’t look at Professor Marison when we turned around. Maybe it was best to be this way. He was far older, and I was probably someone he would never glance at in a normal day of his life.

He is out of your league, Pearl. Forget him. Forget that night; everything.