! BAD GIRLS ! BAD GIRLS !

( a sex and the city fic )

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
new york, new york
10am

i walked alongside charlotte, carrie, miranda, samantha, and jemma into the main campus's office to check jemma in for her shadow day.

"i don't exactly understand why we all have to be here for this." said samantha.

"because her dad has his first day at his new job and couldn't make it and i just want her to know she's loved, you know...it's important for a kid undergoing divorce to know that." charlotte said in a hushed tone so jemma wouldn't hear.

i nodded in agreement with her and gave her a reassuring smile, "totally agree."

miranda, who had been silent the whole trip up to columbia, finally spoke up. "she'll be fine. she has us."

we all stopped outside the office of admissions where jemma was set to start her shadow day. jemma gave us all an anxious look.

"you got this, kid." i said, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. the girls all chimed in with words of praise and encouragement as well.

the words of support must have helped because her shoulders relaxed and her nervous expression morphed into a nervous smile.

"thanks, guys. you really have my back, don't you?" she said.

we all shared a knowing look and smiled back.

"of course we do!" carrie said enthusiastically, the others nodded in agreement.

"who's mom?" the woman behind the desk asked the five of us.

the five of us turned our attention to the woman behind the desk, who looked slightly annoyed that we were standing there.

i cleared my throat and walked to the front, "none of us, but i'm aunt. her mom and dad couldn't make it." i explained.

the woman gave us a look of irritation, clearly not happy to be working here. "and you are?" she asked with a huff.

i was taken aback by her obvious hostility, but i kept my cool. "jamie boyd." i said in a professional manner.

the woman rolled her eyes but complied and handed me a name tag with my name on it. "you'll need to wear that and stay with your niece all day." she said impatiently.

"of course." i said, keeping my annoyance in. i put the name tag on my shirt and turned to the others with a look that said, 'see, i told you.'

the others all looked surprised that i actually had to stay with her all day, but they also looked amused.

"if i didn't make myself clear, only one person is to stay with jemma throughout the day." the woman said to the four ladies.

the girls nodded and said their goodbyes to jemma and i before reluctantly leaving.

now it was just me and jemma. it was quiet for a few seconds before i turned to her. "welp, looks like i'm stuck with you." i said jokingly as i gestured to my name tag.

jemma chuckled and nodded. "guess so." she said with a smile.

"well, let's get this over with." i said.

"here's the schedule you'll have to follow today. if you have any questions as to where to find anything, there's a map on the back." the lady said as she handed jemma a packet.

jemma nodded and glanced through the packet. "looks like we start with a tour." she said as she looked up at me.

i sighed in anticipation for the long day ahead. "then lead the way."

~~

after the lengthy tour filled with too much information and interesting anecdotes, jemma and i arrived at her first class, psychology 101.

i was a little annoyed that there were no seats left for me in the class, so i stood off to the side of the room.

i leaned against the wall, silently observing the lecture. i had to admit, the class was interesting and the professor was engaging.

every now and then, i would glance over at jemma, who was listening intently to the lecture, taking notes.

i smiled to myself; she really wanted to be here, that much was clear.

~~

after what felt like an eternity, jemma and i arrived at her next class, english 101.

this time, i was lucky, and i managed to find a spare seat in the back of the lecture hall.

i sat down and looked over at jemma, who was sitting a few rows in front of me. she looked focused and engaged in the lecture.

i leaned back in my chair and got comfortable as the professor began talking.

the english 101 class was just as engaging as the psychology class, with a professor who knew how to keep the students engaged and interested in the topics being discussed. like before, jemma was taking notes and actively participating in the class.

the only difference was that i was able to sit down and relax while watching her learn.

~~

after the english class, we headed to the next class on the schedule, environmental science.

unfortunately, we arrived a little late, and all the seats in the classroom had already been filled. jemma snagged a seat in the back while i leaned against a desk off to the side.

as i leaned on the desk, some pens fell and i awkwardly tried to pick them up, drawing the attention of the professor, who had a nerdy, yet charming look.

as i scrambled to pick up the pens, i glanced up to see the professor standing in front of me, watching me intently.

he had a look of familiarity on his face, but i couldn't quite place my finger on it.

"need a little assistance over there?" the professor asked with a slight chuckle. his voice was gentle and smooth, like velvet.

i looked up at him and blushed slightly, embarrassed to be caught making such a mess. "oh, i'm so sorry! i didn't mean to knock these over." i apologized as i continued to pick up the pens.

he chuckled again, a warm smile on his lips. "it's alright. accidents happen." he said.

i looked up at his face, suddenly realizing where i know him from. "wait a minute..." i said as recognition dawned on me.

he raised an eyebrow, clearly curious as to what had caught my attention. "do i know you?" he asked with a touch of surprise in his voice.

i smiled widely as realization hit me, "oh my god, emmett!" i exclaimed, standing up straight and dropping the pens back onto the table.

emmett's eyes widened, "jamie?" he said, surprise evident in his voice.

i nodded and couldn't help but grin as i looked at my old college classmate, who had grown into a handsome and brilliant man.

"wow, it's been ages!" emmett said as his eyes roamed my features. "what are you doing here?" he asked.

i couldn't help but chuckle at his question. "i'm here as a chaperone for my niece, jemma. she's doing a shadow day today." i explained. "but hey, i don't want to hold you up...you have a class to teach."

emmett glanced at his watch and then at his class. "right, you're right." he said. then he looked back at me and gave me a small smile. "can we talk after class?" he asked, his gaze locking with mine.

i couldn't help the flutter in my stomach at his question, but i tried to play it cool. i nodded in agreement. "yeah, i would love to." i said, a hint of excitement in my voice.

emmett smiled and nodded before returning to the front of the class. the class continued as i leaned back against the desk, watching him lecture.

i tried to stay focused on the lecture, but my mind kept wandering back to emmett and our upcoming conversation.

STARBUCKS
columbia university campus
12pm

after the environmental science class had ended and the lecture had wrapped up, emmett and i had agreed to meet up at a nearby starbucks.

jemma, on the other hand, had made some friends and gone to eat lunch with them, leaving me to meet up with emmett alone.

i walked into the bustling starbucks and spotted emmett sitting at a table near the window. he was sipping a cup of coffee and looked up as i approached.

he gave me a warm smile and gestured for me to sit down across from him.

i sat down, my heart racing a bit at being in his presence. "it's really good to see you, emmett." i said, feeling a mix of nostalgia and excitement.

emmett smiled and set his coffee mug down, his gaze meeting mine. "it's great to see you too, jamie. it feels like ages since college." he said, a touch of longing in his voice.

i chuckled softly, my mind drifting back to our days in college together. "it has been a while, hasn't it? it's been what...eleven years?" i asked, a hint of disbelief in my voice.

emmett nodded, his eyes twinkling with familiarity. "eleven years. it's hard to believe it was so long ago." he agreed. "you look good, though. better than ever."

i felt a blush creep up my cheeks at his compliment and i tried to play it cool. "thanks, you look really good yourself." i said, trying not to sound too flustered. "so, you're working at columbia...how'd that come about?"

emmett smiled and leaned back in his chair. "well, after i got my phd, i was offered a teaching position at columbia and i couldn't turn it down." he explained. "plus, i've always had a thing for academia." he added with a chuckle. "and remind me what it is you do?" he asked before taking a sip of his coffee.

"oh, right..." i said, feeling slightly embarrassed that i had forgotten to mention my job. "i'm actually a high school teacher." i said with a smile. "i teach humanities."

emmett's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "oh really? that's impressive. i'm sure the students love having you as a teacher." he said, and i could hear the genuine admiration in his voice.

i blushed again, a bit thrown off by his compliment. "i mean, they're not so bad most of the time." i replied, shrugging slightly. "i really love it, especially watching the kids grow and learn."

emmett nodded in agreement. "i can completely understand that. that's one of the things i love about teaching as well. seeing that lightbulb moment when a student finally understands a difficult concept." he said, his eyes sparkling with passion.

"yeah, exactly!" i said, feeling a kinship with him in that moment. we had always been kindred spirits in college, connected by our love for learning and teaching.

as we continued to chat and catch up, i couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia for our college days.

suddenly, emmett looked at me with an impish grin. "speaking of students," he began. "i have a proposition for you."

i raised an eyebrow, intrigued by his proposition. "alright, i'm listening." i said, curious to hear what he had to say.

emmett leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "i was wondering if you would be interested in speaking to my class sometime. not as a guest lecturer, but as someone who can give insight into life after college." he explained. "i think it would be really valuable for the students to hear from someone who has gone down the teaching route."

i felt a mixture of surprise and nervousness at his proposal. "emmett, that's a pretty big ask." i said, a hint of doubt in my voice. "aren't there more qualified people you can have come and speak?"

emmett shook his head and leaned back in his chair. "no, i think you would be perfect. you have the experience and the passion for teaching. plus, i know firsthand how good of a speaker you are." he said, a playful smirk on his lips.

i couldn't help but laugh a little at his compliment. "flattery will get you everywhere." i teased, although i was touched by his words.

emmett chuckled and shrugged. "i'm serious! you always had a way of captivating an audience, even back in college." he said, his tone sincere.

i felt a wave of flattery, but i still wasn't sure. "i don't know anything about environmental science, though. wouldn't the students rather hear from a scientist?" i asked.

emmett shook his head again. "trust me, they don't need to hear about the nitty gritty details of environmental science. they can get that from me or their textbooks." he said, his tone growing more eager. "what they need is someone who can tell them about the real world, about what it's like to be a teacher and the challenges and rewards that come with it. and who better to speak on those topics than you?"

i couldn't help but be swayed by his persuasive argument.

"well... i suppose i could give it a shot." i said, giving him a small smile.

emmett's face lit up with excitement. "great! i knew you would say yes." he said, clearly pleased with himself. "i'll set it up for next week, if that works for you."

i nodded, feeling a mix of nerves and excitement at the prospect. "yeah, that works for me." i said, mentally preparing myself for what was to come.

emmett grinned widely, clearly pleased that he had convinced me. "fantastic! i know the students will really benefit from hearing about your experiences." he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

~~

a/n

small intro to emmett!- we'll be seeing more of him. how do we feel about him??