After the Midterm

I yawned and rubbed my eyes, blinking rapidly at the review sheet in front of me. Beyond the gentle ticking of a dated analog clock, I couldn't hear anything other than the barely audible squeak of a marker on the whiteboard at the front of the room. My friend, Jason, was meticulously drawing, erasing, and redrawing a series of graphs on the board.

It was 9:00 o'clock on a Sunday night, and we were camped out in a little-used classroom tucked in the corner of Smith Hall. Most of our fellow students at Green Valley College were no doubt taking the opportunity to party before a new week began, but here we were, studying.

Suddenly, I became aware that Jason was staring at me, the squeaking gone. "Geez, Eric, I thought you went catatonic."

I shook my head and looked back at him, finally letting a yawn escape my lips. "Just lost in thought. Did you say something?" My arms stretched out over my head as I slumped backwards into the chair.

Jason chuckled as he put the marker down. "I said, I'd rather get a good night's sleep than stay here until my brain melts. You want to call it a night?" He swept up his textbook and notebook into a faded backpack resting on the floor.

I looked at Jason's neat charts on the board, glancing back at the sloppy versions scrawled in my notebook. I shook my head. "I've really got to nail these charts, Professor Whitman is a stickler for notation."

He put on his backpack and grimaced. "Ain't that the truth." Jason looked at the clock on the wall, the glare of the fluorescent lights glinting off of his dusty glasses. "You know Smith closes in an hour, right?"

I nodded, standing from the cramped desk and stretching my legs. "I'll be out of here by then, yeah."

Raising a hand in silent farewell, Jason nodded at me and stepped out the door. As I heard his footsteps echo down the tiles of the empty hallway, I erased his graphs to replace with my own.

I took the case of earbuds out of my pocket and put a bud in each ear as I cranked my study playlist. As the songs started to play, I got into a groove, drawing graph after graph on the board.

Closing the book, I erased them again, trying to reproduce them from memory. As I was labeling a chart, I jolted as I felt a tentative tap on my shoulder. I swirled around, assuming Jason had forgotten something. Instead, my heart skipped a beat as I saw her standing there. Iris.

I had been infatuated with Iris for the better part of a year. She had pale white skin, sparkling green eyes, and long, stunning red hair. She was just an inch or two shorter than my average height, but she carried it with grace. She was thin, but curvy in all the right places, particularly her ass.

Of course, I liked her for more than her looks. Iris was a little reserved, almost demure, but the heat from one of her smiles could melt stone. She had an easy laugh and an impeccable style. More than anything else, Iris was absolutely, one hundred percent, out of my league. I hurriedly paused the music and took out my headphones, wondering what she could possibly want with me.

Iris smiled sheepishly, gentle dimples showing in her cheeks. "Hey, Eric, sorry to bother you."

Picking up my slackened jaw, I managed to shake my head. "No, no! You just startled me a little, is all."

My heartrate quickened as I took her in. Despite the late hour, she still looked gorgeous, wearing a crimson sweater and a dark tan skirt. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, and despite her makeup, I could tell she was almost as tired as I was.

"I ran into Jason outside. He said you were still up here." Iris bit her lip, glancing over my shoulder at the whiteboard. "Do you mind if I study with you? I'm really worried about the midterm."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I took a deep breath. "Wouldn't you rather, uh...study with your friends?" I had to consciously resist from slapping my forehead.

Her smile grew wider, a flash of her white teeth showing between her pink lips. "They're all at that big frat party down on Greek Row." Iris shook her head in disbelief. "Who parties the Sunday before midterms?"

Glancing around the empty classroom, I shrugged. "Most people, I guess?"

Iris' laugh was as easy and gentle as a cool summer breeze. "Seems like it."

She looked at me expectantly as I stammered a response. "Yeah, I don't mind. I was just, uh...looking over the graphs on the review sheet."

Yawning, Iris stepped towards a desk in the front row, her long, smooth legs looking good even under the harsh lights. She took a binder out of her bag and cracked it open, the same review sheet resting within. "Have you done deadweight loss yet?"

Even with a board full of charts, I hadn't drawn that. "No, but that's a good place to start." I started drawing the axes and the curves, labeling where they met. "It's all about tax incidence, really." I had gotten into my explanation, using it as a partial review for myself, barely glancing back at Iris as I finished the graph. Sighing, I set the marker down before turning to see her scribbling intently in her binder, eyes fixed on what I had just written.

Iris stayed locked in concentration until she finished. "Yeah, that makes sense. Here, I'll do the next one." She stood and extended her arm to me as I fumbled the marker from beneath the board to her, our hands tantalizing close to touching. As she walked past me to draw the next chart, the faint scent of her perfume wafted into my nose.

I forced my eyes open, not wanting to get lost in my own head again. PIcking up another marker, I started on another chart next to her. Iris glanced at me out of the corner of her eye as we started talking through the theory, alternating each chart on the review sheet until the board was dotted in a multi-colored array of lines, dots, and dashes.

The clock ticked to 9:30 as Iris sat back down. I leaned against the whiteboard, shaking the review sheet crisply in my hands. "Anything else we should go over?"

She yawned and stretched her arms wide above her head, pushing out her chest ever-so-slightly as her breasts stretched subtly against the woolen sweater. Even though her eyes were closed, I managed to avoid anything other than a quick glance. I covered it up with a quick cough as I glanced back at the sheet.

Then her green eyes twinkled back at me, a subtle smirk playing on her lips. If she suspected my earlier response, she didn't show it. "I'm still a little confused on this stuff about price theory."

I checked the notes I scrawled next to the question on the paper in front of me. "Okay, so, imagine there's a perfectly competitive market..."

We went back and forth like that for a while, quizzing each other and working our way through the sheet, the homework, and a few quizzes from earlier in the semester. I had started to relax against the lectern in the room, still shocked she was spending this much time with me.

Iris was still writing when she looked at the wall above me, eyes widening as she saw the clock. "Damn, the building's about to close."

I whirled around, having lost track of time as I saw the clock a few ticks away from 10. I found myself more bitterly disappointed than I should be to stop studying on a Sunday night. "Looks like it." I started to throw my things into my bag, not bothering to erase the charts on the board.

Standing awkwardly, I watched Iris do the same. Not wanting to stare, I glanced out the windows onto the lamp-lit sidewalks below, trying to see if I could see my dorm from here. Her warm hand gently touching my shoulder was a shock. I ignored the jolt as I turned towards her, trying to act like I had kept my cool.

I couldn't tell whether she saw through it or not as Iris smiled that same tired smile. "I just wanted to say thanks."

I shook my head. "Oh, don't mention it. It was good to review a little more."

Iris yawned again, her words slipping out slowly and sleepily. "Really, Eric, you're a lifesaver. I feel a lot better about the midterm now."

Nodding like an idiot, I cinched my backpack tighter up my shoulders. "Me too, Iris."

We fell in step together as we walked through the hall, down the stairs, and out the door to the chilly sidewalk. Iris shivered as she slipped her hands a little further up in her sleeves, glancing over her shoulder. "Well, I should probably head back to my room and get some sleep."

There was a pause as she said it, an anticipation buried in her words. It took me a moment to realize what she was looking for, and you could have knocked me over with a feather when I did. "I can, uh...walk you home, if you like." I didn't know where she lived, but most of the dorms were clustered on the same side of campus, and it was a pretty good bet that we didn't live too far apart.

As soon as I said it, I wished I could take it back, but thankfully, she just smiled softly at me, her arms stuck to her sides. "You're such a gentleman, Eric. I would appreciate it."

We walked together through a nearly deserted campus, interrupted by little more than swirling brown leaves. "So, are you majoring in econ?"

Iris shook her head. "Finance, but there's a few economics classes that they make you take. What about you?"

"Economics. I'm kind of thinking about going to grad school for it."

I could see her pull an exaggerated grimace. "You like it that much?"

"I really do. There's something beautiful about it. It's like...I don't know, a whole different way of looking at the world. I want to keep learning about it."

Iris tilted her head as we rounded a corner, headed towards the main entrance of the closest dorm. "You're kind of a nerd, huh?"

The blood rushed to my cheeks as I stammered, not sure how to respond. I opened my mouth as I turned to look at her. She saw the look on my face and grabbed my arm, her cold fingers leeching away some of the warmth from my sweatshirt. "Oh, no, Eric, I meant it in a good way!"

I shook my head. "There's a good way to be a nerd?"

She nodded, hand rubbing up and down my arm as we stopped near the front door. "I just meant that you're...you know, passionate. It's cool that you care about something that much." Iris fumbled a keycard out of her bag as she stepped towards the entrance. "Not to mention, it really came in handy tonight."

"Oh, alright. Uh...thanks."

As Iris opened the door, she turned back to look at me. "Thanks again for your help, Eric. Good luck tomorrow."

I managed a smile. "Thanks, Iris. You too."

With a wave, she shut the door. I stood rooted to the sidewalk before ploddingly making my way back to my dorm building. I opened the door to my single room and flopped my backpack on the floor, collapsing into bed with a pillow clenched over my face. But even as I stressed and analyzed every second of my time with Iris tonight, I was smiling.

I wasn't smiling the next morning when I trudged back to Smith Hall for the midterm, wearing a hoodie and a mostly-clean pair of jeans. I sat down in my usual seat in the second row and absent-mindedly fiddled with my pen as the lecture hall started to fill up.

Sensing someone settle in the seat next to me (where Jason usually sat), I turned to greet him. Iris sat in his place, a grim look of determination etched on her face. Before I could say anything, Professor Whitman, looking suspiciously severe for a man wearing a bow tie, entered the room and started handing out the tests.

Iris handed me the pile of tests and our hands brushed together. Her nails were painted a deep burgundy that matched the color of her dress, though not the brown cardigan covering it. I passed the tests down as I cautiously smiled at her, which she returned. Then I got to work.

The minutes ticked by as I focused on the test, almost forgetting that Iris was next to me for the next two hours. Flipping through the pages to check my work, and correcting the notation on a chart, I stood from the desk, hoisting my backpack as I walked to the front of the room to hand it in. Professor Whitman acknowledged it with a nod as I left the classroom, breathing a sigh of relief.

My stomach rumbled as I made my way to the dining hall, loading up with a double cheeseburger, fries, and an apple. I sat alone in a corner booth, tucking into the lunch with gusto.

Then, for the third time in twenty-four hours, Iris surprised me, sitting across the table from me as she plopped her food on the table: a salad, a sandwich, and a cookie. Iris groaned slightly as she picked up her fork. "Could he have made that test any longer?"

I swallowed my bite before responding. "Not if he wanted anyone to finish in under two hours."

Iris shook her head, her tight red ponytail whipping back and forth. "I actually think it went okay, for once."

"Yeah. It was a little easier with the extra review last night."

She gave me a pointed look as she crunched a mouthful of salad, covering her mouth before she spoke again. "Well, it was a lot easier for me. Thanks again."

Controlling the blush that threatened to spring back up onto my face, I nodded at her. "Happy to help."

As the dining hall filled up, Iris and I started talking about ourselves. She was from New England and had two older brothers. Her dad was a lawyer, her mom was a doctor. I told her about my family's tool business and my younger sister, and how I grew up a couple of hours from Green Valley's campus. We were both sophomores who shared a mutual disdain for sororities and fraternities, with a surprising overlap in musical tastes.

Our plates were empty by the time Iris checked her phone. "Oh, shoot, I have a lecture to get to in ten minutes."

I looked around the almost-empty dining area as I glanced at my watch. We had been talking for nearly two hours. "Huh. Time flies." I was done with classes for the day and was planning to take a quick nap.

Before Iris could walk away, I decided it was now or never. "Are you doing anything tonight?"

She gently shook her head. "No, why do you ask?"

I swallowed and took a deep breath, rushing to finish the thought before I could give up. "I was wondering if you wanted to hang out, or something. Maybe get dinner and watch a movie?"

For a moment, Iris looked surprised as she bit her lip, her head tilted as she looked at me like a puzzle missing a piece. After a gut-wrenching two seconds, she nodded slowly, lips curling into a smile. "I would love to."

All the tension coiled in my body melted away under Iris' smile, and my heart thrummed in my chest. "Awesome!" We briefly exchanged numbers before Iris had to leave for her next lecture. I stared at her ass, and her legs, as she walked away from me and grinned.

After my nap, I texted Iris. "Hey, how was your lecture?"

My phone buzzed almost immediately. "Really boring, lol"

"Lame. So, thinking about tonight--pizza and Netflix at my place?"

There was a longer pause. "Low-key, I love it. What time?"

I glanced at the time on my phone. It was only three, but I still had to clean my room and get ready. "Five thirty work? I'm in Frank Hall, Room 202."

"Yeah! See you then ;)"

I grinned as I put my phone away and got to cleaning the accumulated detritus that is a young man's dorm room. I also slid my futon to sit in front of the TV sitting on a desk, before running a load of laundry and spraying the entire thing with an aggressive blast of air freshener.

Before I could put in an order, my phone buzzed again with a new text from Iris. "Hey..."

"Hey."

I watched the chat screen like a hawk. "This is like a date right?"

Cringing, I typed out a reply. "That was the intent, yeah."

The wait for her response stretched out like eternity. "So. There's probably something you should know then. I don't really tell people this a lot, but I'm trans. If you don't want to hang out tonight now I completely understand."

I looked at my phone in confusion. "No way..." I had a few trans friends on campus, so I thought I had become pretty good at seeing the signs. With Iris, there was nothing. She was, quite simply, one of the most beautiful girls I had ever seen. That made up my mind. "Hey, I appreciate you letting me know, but I am completely okay with that."

Iris typed back immediately. "Okay, good. I just had to make sure. See you soon!"

Breathing a sigh of relief, I collapsed onto my newly-made bed, smiling at the thought of sharing it with Iris.

Soon enough I was outside the dorm, grabbing the pizza from the delivery guy. Before I could turn around, Iris came strolling down the sidewalk. She was wearing the same dress, but had ditched the cardigan for a fringe leather jacket. Her hair was still tied up in a ponytail, and there were new glints of jewelry reflecting with every step in the late afternoon sun.

I sighed in relief, thankful I had the foresight to change into a clean sweater. I greeted her with a smile and a wave. "Hey, Iris!"

She smiled back as she approached. "Hey yourself, Eric." She eyed the warm box in my hand. "Big P's, huh?"

I laughed as we stepped through the open door and up the stairs. "Best slice in town."

Iris clicked her tongue at me. "Not Frankie's?"

I shook my head. "Crust's too thick." The doorknob was a little sticky, but I fumbled it open and kicked the door to my room ajar. "Come on in."

She followed me in and clicked the door shut behind her, looking around the room in appreciation. "No roommate? I'm jealous."

I put the pizza down on my desk. "The room's a little smaller, but I like the privacy."

Opening the box and taking out a slice, Iris raised an eyebrow at me, a smirk forming on her warm, pink lips. "Oh yeah?"

"I mean, uh...you know, the space is all mine, and...you know what, I'm going to shut up now." I grabbed another slice of pizza out of the box and took a hasty bite.

She covered her mouth as she laughed deep in her belly. "You're too easy."

Shrugging, I walked over to the mini-fridge tucked away next to the futon. "Can I get you anything to drink? I've got some soda, some sparkling water..."

The sounds of her footsteps were behind me and I felt her hand reach next to mine, brushing against me as she took a can out. As she bent over, I could feel her chest pressing against my back. I hastily grabbed a can for myself and turned around to see Iris taking a sip, licking her lips as she stared me straight in the eye.

The first stirrings of an erection were forming, but I shifted my pants slightly to cover it up. If she noticed, she didn't say anything, but the glint in her eye made me think she had an inkling. I made my way over the futon and clicked the TV on, as Iris joined me.

Through another mouthful of pizza, she nodded towards the screen. "What are we watching?"

I started scrolling through Netflix. "Let's see...seen it, seen it, that's supposed to suck, seen it, seen it..."

Iris let out a yelp and pointed excitedly at the screen. "Mean Girls is back on Netflix!"

I turned towards her in confusion. "You're that excited over a chick flick?"

She fixed me with a withering stare. "Mean Girls is so much more than a chick flick. Put it on, trust me." Iris got up to grab another slice of pizza as I dutifully pressed play. As the movie started, I followed her lead.

Before I could get back to the couch, she looked over with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Could you get the lights, Eric?"

Swallowing, I nodded, flicking the light switch off. Iris and the futon were clothed in the soft glow of the screen as I eased my way back over.

Despite my reservations, I found myself enjoying the movie, though it may have been a little easier to appreciate with Iris next to me laughing at every line. We steadily worked our way through the rest of the pizza as the movie continued, inching a little closer to each other every time we sat back down.

It wasn't until the middle of the movie that I worked up the courage to stretch my arm over Iris' shoulder. I felt her sigh in satisfaction as she shifted on the futon, moving her head to rest on my shoulder as the movie continued.