It Started With a Whisper

"You finally dumped Brandon on his ass! I'm proud of you!" We were finally a full two weeks into school. The only down side to that was the fact that our psychology papers were due today. I was stressing about it because Mr. Franco said he would be expecting a lot from me. What if my paper wasn't good enough? What if I failed? I had gone over it nearly a million times, and I didn't have anymore time to do it again, so what I had would just have to suffice.

"Thanks." I slipped all my books and folders into my backpack before following Amelia out of the apartment. Without her rambling about Mr. Franco all the time, things were pretty silent between us, and I was starting to get worried. I knew she still had a lot to say, but I didn't want to hear it. I liked the fact that she kept her comments to herself, just like I hoped she would.

"What made you finally get rid of him?" Amelia was never a fan of Brandon. She said he was too needy and annoying. I should have listened to her the first time she said it, but I always came up with excuses for him. Yeah, I was done doing that.

"He was under the impression that I was having sex with someone other than him." I turned a corner and pulled into the parking spot I always hoped to get but was never really successful. It was as close to campus as I could possibly get so I wouldn't have to walk hours to get anywhere.

"What would give him that idea?"

"I didn't want to have sex when I got home last week. He flipped and accused me of messing around with someone else. I told him to get out and changed the locks. Haven't heard from him since. How'd you know I got rid of him?" I asked as we made our way towards Mr. Franco's class. It seemed as if my paper was burning a hole in my backpack. It felt like there was a huge weight in there, and I was honestly a little terrified.

"I saw him yesterday while I was out with Billie. He begged me to tell you to take him back. I just laughed in his face and told him I was happy that you finally called it quits. He wasn't too happy about that." I shrugged. I knew he wouldn't be, but I wasn't changing my mind. He was way more drama than he was worth.

"Ooh! Who is that hot hunk of man waiting outside Mr. Franco's classroom?" I looked up to see who she was talking about, smiling when I saw Daniel. Our plans for the weekend had gotten cancelled because he had another practice.

"Hey Daniel," I said, wrapping my arms around him in a quick hug.

"Hey. I was hoping to catch you before you went into class." Amelia cleared her throat and kicked my ankle. I knew she wanted me to introduce her, but there was no reason for violence. I glared over at her before turning back to Daniel.

"This is my best friend, Amelia. Amelia, this is Daniel." He smiled at her and shook her hand. I watched her swoon, and I pretended to gag.

"It's nice to meet you, Amelia."

"It's very nice to meet you, too, Daniel. I'll see you inside, Aria." Amelia winked before walking into the classroom. I watched the door close behind her before looking back up at the boy in front of me.

"So, did I forget we were supposed to meet up or something?" I asked, wondering why he was standing outside of my classroom.

"Oh, no. I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch again today since our plans for the weekend got foiled." I had managed to play catch-up and even got ahead a few sections in my Calculus homework, so there was no reason for me to say no.

"That sounds great. Meet you here when I get out?"

"I have class right now, and it's a little bit longer than yours, but I shouldn't be more than fifteen minutes."

"Alright. See you when you get here." I gave him another hug and walked inside. It was exactly like you see in those cliche movies when someone walks into a room late. Everyone's eyes turned to me. You would think that once you hit college, stuff like that would stop happening, but no. I had to remember that these were the same people that graduated with me. Old habits hadn't been broken yet.

"You're late." Mr. Franco said, giving me a stern look. I felt my cheeks flame, and I made my way to the empty seat next to Amelia.

"Sorry," I mumbled, sliding into the seat.

"Alright. Pass your papers up." I heard a collection of groans, but people took out their essays nonetheless and passed them toward the front.

"How do you think you did?" Amelia asked, settling back into her seat.

"To be completely honest, I think I did great, but I know he expects a lot from me so I don't know if it's up to his standards." I sighed, resting my elbows on the desk.

"You've always been smart. I'm sure you did fine." I could only hope that she was right.

"Alright! Along with your readings, we will be watching a series of movies this semester, starting with Girl, Interrupted. If you ask why we watch any of the movies we do, you clearly don't belong in this class." People chuckled, and Mr. Franco was smiling, but I had a feeling he was serious. Girl, Interrupted was a movie about psychological disorders. If no one understood that, what the hell were they doing at USC?

"We'll watch half of the movie today and half of it on Wednesday. Friday you will be tested on the movie and your reading so please come prepared and on time." He looked directly at me and Amelia, and I frowned. I had only been late to class once, so why point the finger at me? It's not like it was my intention to be late in the first place.

"If I had known we were going to be watching a movie, I would have brought popcorn." Amelia whined, sinking down into her seat. I just laughed and leaned against the desk as the lights went out and the movie started. Girl, Interrupted was one of my favorites because I loved Angelina Jolie's performance. I could feel someone's eyes on me while I stared at the screen. I averted my gaze to Mr. Franco's desk, and there he sat, staring directly at me. Thankfully the room was dark because my cheeks got hot, and I quickly looked back at the screen.

"Why is he staring at you?" Amelia leaned over and whispered in my ear. I shrugged and prayed that he would find something else to stare at because he was making me uncomfortable. When class was over, the lights came on, and I squinted against the glare.

"We'll continue this later. See you guys Wednesday." I tried to be the first one out of the classroom this time, but that didn't work.

"Aria, could you stay for a moment?" I groaned loud enough for everyone that was left in the room to hear and placed my hand over my eyes. I swear, he held me after class nearly everyday. I was starting to get sick of it. What if I had other things to do?

"Do you want me to wait for you?" Amelia asked. I shook my head.

"No, go ahead and leave. I'm meeting Daniel for lunch." She smirked and nodded her head, walking out of the room.

"What's up, Mr. Franco?" I asked once the door closed behind the last person out of the room.

"Why were you late, Aria? That's not like you." I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. I really didn't owe him an explanation, but I probably wasn't going to be able to leave the room until I gave him one.

"I was talking to someone outside. I didn't think I'd be late."

"Was it the same guy that you were talking to last week?" I didn't really see how that information was valuable to him.

"Not that it's really any of your business, but yes, I was with the same person." I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to figure out where he was going with this conversation. I was late one time. So what.

"I just don't think he's good company if he's making you late to class." I rolled my eyes. He couldn't be serious right now.

"I was late one time. It won't happen again." I was ecstatic that Daniel decided to open the classroom door at that moment.

"Hey. You ready to go?" He asked, smiling lightly at me.

"Yeah." I turned back to Mr. Franco, finding him glaring in Daniel's direction. My eyes widened a little, and I quickly walked towards the door.

"I'll see you on Wednesday, Mr. Franco." I pushed Daniel out of the room and let the door fall shut behind us.

"Why'd he keep you later than everyone else?" Daniel asked as we walked through campus to the food court. I was in the mood for Panda Express today.

"I was late to class. He was just asking why."

"I wasn't aware that professors cared like that." I laughed and shook my head.

"Neither was I, but apparently he does."

"Did I make you late?" I shrugged because it honestly wasn't a big deal. Mr. Franco was just being a pain in my ass for no reason.

"It doesn't matter." We got our food and sat down. Daniel had a weird look on his face, and I was a little worried.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, taking a sip of my soda.

"Is there something going on with you and your professor?" I choked on my drink so hard that my eyes started to water. Was that really how it looked to everyone else?

"No. Why do you ask?" I said, trying to catch my breath. I took another sip of my soda, hoping that it would soothe my burning throat.

"I don't know. He just seems more concerned about you than his other students." I shook my head.

"No. There's nothing going on." Had Amelia been right this whole time?