April 1, 2016

It had been close to a month since Professor Bailey decided to blow-a-fuse at me and ghost me for good.

Whenever we crossed paths, she would act as if I were a stranger she never once exchanged more than two words with, which was worse than if she were to pretend I was not there.

She would be polite enough for people around not to notice there was something wrong and it made me wonder if the argument we had had was all on my mind-clearly, she can drive one crazy.

My stress levels were especially high this week considering I had been having tests since Monday.

When I woke up it was, as a matter of fact, worse. Today was Bailey's test, and even though I had studied my ass off to get a good grade I had a feeling it would be no use.

I thought she would end up scoring it as harshly as possible-also, all I could think about during that test was how she looked downright perfect and yet utterly pissed.

It did not even take me 2 minutes after she had handed me the test, to figure out my sitting position sucked. Everyone else opted to sit on the far back, but not me-obviously, I am stupid.

I had chosen to sit on my usual spot, which meant I was sitting right in front of her desk while she had nothing else to do but to check if no one was trying to cheat on her test. Since everyone had their heads down, it gave her the opportunity to stare at me the most, and I am just the kind of person who can feel when someone is looking my way.

Every time I tried to focus on a question it seemed she would look at me, either to take me off my cool or to check if I was cheating on her test, which was nonsense seeing as all I wanted to do, even if she was pretty much treating me like garbage, was to impress her and to get her attention-easy to say I'm a sucker to this woman and I barely even know her.

About 30 minutes into the test, she decided to do a walk around and it earned her 3 students cheating on her test.

I bet she would have noticed them sooner had she not spent so much time mentally screaming at me with her eyes or whatever it was she was saying over that silence talk she seemed to be trying to have.

I cannot say it was not funny to see her distill her poison, that seemed to be reserved to me, on some stupid students who thought she was easy to fool. Her technique was on point as well.

She would walk between the students as if distracted on her phone, and then when she noticed someone cheating, she would get the red pen she had holding her hair on a bun, write a huge X on the cheater's paper and then just walk away letting them to figure out what had happened.

The first one tried to argue with her and said she was just one more of those hot professors who liked to be mean to earn respect-how entitled do you have to be to think you can talk with anyone like that?

All I wanted was to make him shut the fuck up, if sorority was not reason enough, I also knew she praised her accomplishments more than she did her looks.

I never stepped up though.

I stayed still and watched first row as she put him in his place, by saying his father's money might have bought his admission but would not buy his degree.

After the first hour was gone, I knew I would not get any better at that test, so I decided to just hand it back and be done with all her side glances and eye rolls.

I felt beat and annoyed at myself at the same time. I knew I could have aced had I not been so distracted. I knew, even though my answers were good, they were not great, and I also knew she always aimed for perfection-guess I will lose a few needed scores.

I was the first one to turn back the test, I mean, apart from the ones who had been gotten cheating. She looked at me both surprised and disappointed, which only helped to make me feel worse.

I was about to turn around and leave so I could run away from that interaction, which was the most we had had in weeks, but she held my wrist to stop me from leaving.

"Are you sure you don't want to try a little harder on this." She whispered bringing my paper up with her other hand, "I know you know this, you're one of my most dedicated students."

That is right, I am one of her students and that is all.

I thought what I wanted was not much, just more than I knew I could have. She made me want to be close to her even if only as a friend.

"I'm sure, we both know you wouldn't have been able to let me ace it even if I tried harder, I'm just making it easier for you to revenge whatever it is you feel like revenging against me," I could not help but roll my eyes as I pulled my wrist out of her grip to leave.

Out of luck or misfortune, that was the only test I had today, which left me with nothing more to do but to go home, to my solitude.

Any other day I would have liked it, the solitude, but this morning all it did was help me overthink.

How could someone be and sound that caring and warming after being so cold and distant for so long?

She had spent the past few weeks running into me and exchanging meaningless greetings and nothing more. We lived in the same building, had a similar enough schedule and it left me with no luck but to end up encountering her almost every day.

It almost seemed like she made that happen on purpose.

Ever since the day the doctor had gone to Bailey's place to collect her remaining things, it felt as if Cecilia had started taking the troublesome effort to wake up earlier and get to her first class on time just so we would be tortured into taking the same fucking elevator all the way down to the garage.

I had convinced myself I was done thinking about her.

I started to feel I was obsessing over her, and I could almost feel my migraines wanting to come back, knocking on the far back of my brain to let them back in.

I knew I had to clear my mind of things, of her. And the best way I knew how was through adrenaline.

I changed into a simpler outfit, put on my sneakers, got my hair in a ponytail, and left my apartment to dirk bike, but even that reminded me of her.

After almost a one-hour drive, I got to the same track I had taken Cecilia on February. And even if it was not too long it felt like I had not been there in ages.

Today I figured it would be different though because I would have the track all to myself-but I thought too soon.

I almost mistook it to be her, but after a few steps I noticed it was just a younger version of her, a ridiculously hot younger version of her walking my way and rocking my world.

"Hey, I'm Nay, I know you just got here, but do you want to maybe share the track, I hate going on my own, it's always a lot more fun when I have someone to race against." Nay said in a very alluring way, and I could not help but compare her with her older, more collected but just as alluring version.

"Sure. This should be fun." I tried to be as flirtatious as I could. I may have a crush on my professor, but I'm still single. "I'm Remi, by the way." I said as I shook her hand.

We walked side by side to put on our gears, and before I knew it, we were on the track and I was being completely mudded by her. I knew I was good enough for an amateur. But she was a professional.

It did not matter how hard I tried I never once got past her. We were on the track for most of the afternoon, and we just stopped once we saw the sun going down. Honestly, I would have stayed for as long as she would have had me.

Once we got rinsed-mostly me because she looked spotless-we decided to stay by my car talking and getting to know each other.

I found out we studied at the same university, but she was majoring in journalism, which would explain why I had never seen her before. Once we exchanged numbers I got inside my car while she waited beside it for me to leave, but it was no use, apparently my car had decided not to work.

After a few tries to turn my wrangler on I got out to check what was wrong, but I could not figure it out.

All the while Nay and I kept talking about our day to day, I mostly talked about how stressed I was with my tests and how today with her had helped me relax.

"You know, I could give you a ride, you said you lived close to campus, that's on my way home." She offered with the seductive smirk on her face, something she had done all day, and to tell the truth, I felt like going home with someone who appreciated me for a change.

"You sure I won't be a burden?" I asked-even though I knew she would not mind-to which she just answered with a wink before going to her motorcycle beside my car.

Scratch that. She had a freaking blue navy 2015 Softail Slim FLS Harley -I thanked Nero for all those unnecessary talks about his passion for Harleys.

Lucky for me she had a spare helmet. I bet she had it just in case she ended up with some girl, kinda like what happened with me, I guess.

The ride was a lot faster than it would have been by car, obviously! I made the most of it though, by pretending to be too scared, clinging myself on her more than needed. Not that she minded. Nay would caress my thigh every chance she got.

All throughout the ride I could feel my phone buzzing on my pocket, but I figured it was Amy trying to see how it went on my test today.

As we got to the front of my building, I could see Cecilia looking outside her balcony, and even though I had a bloody helmet on, she still managed to recognize me. I figured she just did not care though, because she had vanished as fast as a ghost.

Nay got her helmet back as she stayed on her Harley, and I decided to be bold and kiss her on the cheek just close enough to brush my lips against the side of her mouth. She gave me a cocky smile that disappeared as she stared at something past me-that something being the crazy neighbor, of course.

"I guess there's someone waiting for you to get inside." She said both confused and bothered, and as I looked behind me, I could see a very well-dressed Cecilia Bailey exhilarating power and sass towards us.

"I should get going. But just to make it clear, that's just my neighbor, she can be... I don't even know to be honest." We bid our goodbyes and as I walked inside, I could hear the engine fading away.

I figured I would try to ignore the professor and be on my way, but she was having none of it and followed me back to the elevator, "I didn't know you had a girlfriend." She tried to fish for information, typical.

"I don't. I met Nay today at the track I took you after your breakup." We stayed in silence for a little and I pressed the bottom for my floor. I noticed she had not done the same for hers but figured she would eventually.

Once we got to my floor though she decided to follow me out elevator all the way to my door.

"Do you need something?" I was annoyed. I could not figure out what was wrong with her. She was being down right a mean cold bitch to me up until that morning.

She took a long breath, closed her eyes and pressed the bridge of her nose with her right hand, "I wanted to make sure you were okay? You seemed off today during the test and... I don't know, a little distant maybe." I almost laughed at that. I opened my door before turning back to look at her.

"You're kidding me, right? You've ghosted me for weeks because of something stupid even after I told you Amy wouldn't say shit, which, by the way, she hasn't. And then you spent the morning giving me mean looks and getting me nervous because I hate being stared at during tests, and not to mention... just forget it, okay? I'll get whatever score I get, and that will be it."

I was about to close my door on her face and be done with it, but she basically invited herself in before I could, and even though that was rude, it did not seem rude coming from her-the damn woman has a way of always making her gestures look elegant.

She closed the door and walked to the couch before patting beside her for me to sit, I just hoped she would eventually notice that was my apartment, not hers.

"I'm sorry you felt that way, and I know I overreacted about your friend. How about we forget all that and start over." She said in a calm and caring voice, taking me completely by surprise.

I didn't know whether to believe it or not, but I figured it would not hurt to try.

"Guess we could try that." I could not believe that whole conversation was even happening.

"Great. Friends, then?" And once again, I did not know how to react around her.

"I thought you didn't do buddies with students." I sassed back which caused her to laugh and even blush a little.

"Usually, they aren't my neighbors. Also, you have seen me at my worst." She got up not giving me a chance to respond before she checked the time on her phone.

"I have to go, I'm late already. Miranda asked for another chance. She said it wasn't fair for her to ask me to go back in the closet just because she feared what people would say about her." She confessed giving me a knowing look.

I wondered if the doctor had told her who had said that in the first place.

I tried to say something, but she was already at the door. Before I had the chance, she beat me to it by half shouting. "I suppose I have you to thank for that sudden wisdom coming from her."

And with that she closed the door, leaving me on my own to try to figure out what had just happened.

Once alone I checked my phone and to my surprise all the texts from earlier had been hers, asking me if we could talk. I figured since I could not say a thing while she was here, I would reply her texts with a "friends it is then ;)".

After all that turmoil I decided I could skip dinner just this time and go straight to bed, but not before getting a message from Nay that read, "nice meeting you, I hope everything is okay with you and your neighbor. Also, we should go out sometime."

Remi

But it would indeed hurt to try, I'm only sorry I wasn't the only one to have gotten hurt by that. Nay, was only the first, do you even remember them all?