If Saturday was the most fun Zelda had had in a while, Sunday was an absolute nightmare. Boone didn't come to visit causing Eden to have a fit. Eden also had a project due, and she refused to take Zelda's advice or help, which meant that there were tears and more fits when it didn't work out the way she wanted.

They had stayed up late to get it done, which meant that they were both grumpy the next morning and were rushed to get out the door, but at least it wasn't raining. That made Zelda think of Boone, and she was smiling as she entered ZaZa's.

A smile that grew forced as she entered the small coffee shop and noticed Simone and another fellow student sitting at a small corner table while Boone waited on his drink order.

Tiffany looked up at her and smiled. "Hey Zelda, same as usual?" she asked as she passed Boone's coffee to him.

"Sure, thanks, Tiffany," Zelda confirmed. "Professor Norris," she greeted, catching Tiffany's surprised look in the mirror as she said it. It had to sound odd. Last time they had seen each other, it was evident that they were old friends.

"Mrs. Strauss," he returned. She swore she saw his lip twitch.

"Good morning, Zelda!" Simone called from her table.

"Good morning," Zelda called back, she couldn't call them by name because she couldn't remember the other student's name.

As Zelda looked up, her eyes encountered Boone's gaze in the mirror. He had moved to the condiment station and his back was to the girls who couldn't see the mirror from where they were sitting. He gave her a questioning look before turning to leave the shop without a word.

Simone looked at her watch and grabbed her bag, motioning for the other girl to follow her. "We have to go, otherwise we'll be late for class," she hissed. As she reached Zelda she stopped, taking her time to study her with a head tilt. "I didn't know you came here, Zelda. I've never seen you in here before."

"Zelda was one of my first customers, she comes almost every week," Tiffany assured Simone, her voice frosty.

Zelda didn't say a word as the two girls left the shop. She wasn't intimidated by the girl, but she could see that she was out to cause trouble. What Zelda couldn't figure out what was she could have possibly done to earn the girl's hostility. Boone had been right when he said certain people weren't to be trusted.

"What was that all about?" Tiffany asked as she passed over Zelda's cup of coffee.

"They're in one of my classes, the one that Boone happens to be teaching this semester," Zelda explained as she dug through her purse.

"Did you forget your wallet again?" Boone asked as the door to the shop opened.

"Very funny, Boone." Zelda rolled her eyes as she pulled out her wallet and waved it at him. "Why did you come back?"

"That's Professor Norris to you, Mrs. Strauss," Boone whispered in an aside. "I came to make sure that you had your wallet, but don't worry. I waited until the coast was clear." He all but twirled an imaginary mustache.

"Are they out to get you or something?" Tiffany asked with a frown as she took Zelda's proffered money.

"Not me, him. They're in love with Professor Norris's irresistible charm," Zelda said as she moved to the condiment station.

"Is that a problem you have all the time, Professor," Tiffany asked in a pretend aside.

"For everyone but the right girl." Boone nodded while watching Zelda,

Zelda's back was to Boone and Tiffany as she worried about the problems that Simone could make for Boone, so she missed Tiffany's surprised look as Boone's comment went right over Zelda's head.

"Boone, I really do think they're out to cause trouble for you," Zelda concluded as she turned to face the other two, who were staring at her. Tiffany wore a look of complete disbelief, and Boone looked resigned.

"Not me, love. You," he said gently.

Zelda's heart turned over at the way he had called her love. How she wished it was true, but she stayed focused on the conversation and didn't let her mind wander.

"Why on earth would they be out to cause trouble for me?" she asked, clueless.

Boone and Tiffany's only response was to look at her in disbelief. "Because they think you and Boone are having an affair and are jealous," Tiffany supplied.

"But that's not true!" Zelda denied. "I was thinking that they could try to place you in a difficult position by saying that you tried to take advantage of them or something like that,but either way, they could get you fired, Boone."

"So, I have a couple of other jobs to fall back on if they do. As I mentioned before, I didn't really want the job, and I probably won't keep it after this year." Boone sipped his coffee while he watched her take in his comment.

She remembered that he had said he only took the job so that he could see her and it caused her to flush a little.

"You, on the other hand, want the degree, and if they get you kicked out, you won't be able to finish. Which a rumored affair with one of your teachers could do." Boone paused, deliberating his next words. "Let's be honest Zelda, it would be history repeating itself as far as some people are concerned."

"But I haven't done anything to get myself kicked out!" Zelda said hotly, realizing what he said was true. They hadn't stuck around long enough last time to let them kick her out or fire Collin.

"Yet," Boone replied, his voice a little huskier than usual, and they stared at each other as Boone's comment fell heavy in the air.

Zelda's heart skipped, but she did her best to play it cool. Boone had to be teasing her because after all of these years, she couldn't think of one reason why he would be interested.

"This is serious, Boone!"

Boone didn't argue that he was serious, confirming that he had only been teasing her. "Tell me, did you just now piece all of this Simone drama together? Is that what the earlier frown you gave me in the mirror meant?" He threw his empty cup away in the trashcan by the door.

"Yes, I mean no. I did just piece it all together by Simone's snide comments as she was leaving, but that wasn't why I was frowning," Zelda said absentmindedly.

"What did she say?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Something along the lines that she had never seen me in here before." Zelda said offhandedly while her mind was focused on Boone's 'yet' response. He had to be teasing her, she argued with herself,  even when he had called her love. She refused to get her hopes up that he meant more than teasing with his throwaway statements.

"I had never seen her in here before last week, so how she can say she has never seen you in here before now is beyond me," Tiffany said, walking over to the table where the girls had been sitting and wiping it down before returning to the counter.

Zelda frowned again as she thought about it. Could they be following Boone and trying to set him up, or did they think that the two of them were having an affair? Other than their brief interaction in the bar, there was no cause to think such a thing.

"Then why were you frowning when you saw them earlier?" Boone asked, returning to his original question as he smiled his thanks to Tiffany while she passed him another cup of coffee, waving him off as he tried to pay. Tiffany was probably hoping it would keep them there longer so she could hear more.

"I have a habit of giving people nicknames when I can't remember their real names, and I realized I couldn't greet Simone and the other girl by name because I couldn't remember the other girl's name." Zelda sipped her cooling coffee, looking at her watch. She was going to be late.

"Do you have another meeting to go to?" he asked, watching her and noting that her stress was growing by the minute.

"Yes, the Halloween Ball planning committee. They want something big this year, but I don't think they will beat last year when Zebadiah proposed to Lucy." She grinned at the memory as she moved towards the door. She would have to think about everything when she had a quiet moment, now was not the time.

Boone didn't attempt to stop her as he held it open for her, letting her pass. "It's a shame it's not raining today," he said as she brushed up against him while she said goodbye to Tiffany.

"Goodbye, Boone." Zelda refused to play his flirting games. She knew it came to him as easy as breathing, but it only made her feel what she didn't have more acutely. If it came to an affair with Boone or staying in school, Boone would win hands down, but that wasn't an option on the table.

"Goodbye, Zelda. I'll see you later in class. I'm looking forward to hearing your poem."

Zelda cringed at the reminder. She had written a poem but she hated it, and she knew he would too. She was dreading having to read it. She knew Boone would be as hard on her as he was on the others, perhaps even harder.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up, Boone." She gave him a weak smile then darted off down the sidewalk and away from his disturbing presence.