Office Hours Ch. 11

All characters are at least 18 years old.

------

Jean

I stared hard at my phone screen, eyes panning over the same few messages. This was such a dumb idea. Why the fuck was I gonna go through with it? 'Cause prof suggested it. Yes, but why with this bitch? 'Cause there's legit nobody else. I groaned, and prof turned to look over his shoulder, idly stirring lunch on the stove.

"Something wrong, Jean?"

Goddamn, the way he was always so caring made my cold-hard-bitch heart melt. At this rate, I was never gonna be strong enough to be with him. But this first step to being better was gonna suck ass.

"Nothing, nothing," I replied. "Just, uh... Could I go out today?"

Prof burst out laughing. "You make it sound like I've kidnapped you or something."

I shrugged, scrunching my mouth up. "You know what I mean."

"I don't. Jean, you don't need my permission to do anything. I mean, obviously don't break my stuff, things like that, I hope is a given. But if you wanna go out, go out." He gave me another one of his dazzling smiles, and I felt butterflies. "Of course I don't expect you to stay shacked up with your professor all day."

"'Kay," I mumbled, eyes darting back down to my phone. Sometimes it freaked me out that prof was so nice, like it all had to be fake. Life didn't suddenly get this good out of nowhere. He was so sweet to me, letting me stay at his place, paying for stuff, even playing along with my crush on him. Like what the fuck. I was just waiting every day for the other boot to drop. Where was the catch? There was always a fucking catch.

"I gotta ask, where are you going, though?" Prof plated our lunch and brought it over to the table, sitting down so we could eat. "I'm not trying to track where you go, but just in case of emergency, y'know?"

I know other folks my age might've been bugged by any kind of surveillance, but after all my foster homes, it was nice to know somebody gave a shit. Either they didn't let me go anywhere, or they just let me run off, not even worried if I didn't come back for dinner. Or curfew. Yeah, a real fucking travesty. Buck up.

"A friend's house," I answered. Prof looked surprised but nodded.

"Wow, that was quick. But that's good. You see, Jean? People are willing to be your friend if you just give yourself a chance." Another smile, more butterflies. He feigned a stern tone as he continued, "Be home by nine, young lady."

I snorted. "Yes, sir."

He gulped, eyelids fluttering a bit. Without fail, he got hot and bothered every time I called him "sir," and his reaction was always the same. It was cute as shit, and I wish I was less shy with it so I could do it more, just to trigger him.

"Hey, we didn't get a chance to watch a movie last night, 'cause of... reasons." I blushed. "And I prolly can't do one tonight either 'cause I'm going out. Do you think we could...?" There was a honk from outside, and I glanced over toward the window before scowling. "Stupid whore is early," I muttered fiercely.

"Uh... Maybe don't call her that," he advised. "Even behind her back, 'cause you'll get used to it and slip up and say it to her face. Besides, isn't... she supposed to be your friend?" He looked perplexed, which was fair. And he was right, I had to cut back on the cussing. Well, at least until people learned that's just how I talked.

"Right, right." I shoveled a little more lunch in my mouth before giving up on the rest of it. "I'll probably be back for dinner, that okay?" I said with my mouth full.

"Sure. I can work on the quizzes I'm giving you guys after the holidays. Couldn't work on 'em with you around, y'know? Can't have you cheating." He smirked and waved me off. "And yeah, we can watch it tomorrow or something. Now go on, don't keep them waiting. I taught you how important first impressions are, remember?"

I nodded and began walking to the door, then stopped. It'd be nice if... Taking a deep breath, I turned and walked back over, leaned down and kissed him on the cheek before dashing out the door. Fucking God, that was so cringe.

I walked out to the street, spotting a white sports car waiting for me. I stood next to it, taking a moment to work up my nerve. Damn, this was so dumb. I was having second thoughts when the window rolled down and Little Miss Perfect leaned over to peer at me.

"Door's open," said Lexi, a smirk plastered on her stupid face. Smart-ass bitch.

I climbed in and folded my arms, staring out the windshield. Yeah, great idea, act like you hate being around people. That's step one of making friends, after all. We sat there in silence for a few seconds, and when I looked over at her, she was watching me with an amused expression. And not driving. "Go," I said.

"Seat belt, Jean," she replied. "Gotta make sure I bring you back to the professor in one piece." Ugh, this manipulative cunt. She knew she was getting on my nerves and she fucking loved it. I strapped in and she chuckled and finally pulled away. "Loosen up, girl. None of them bite, so you don't need to come out the gate swinging."

I taught you how important first impressions are, remember?

I steadied my breathing, looking out my window. Humans could form impressions in as little as one hundred milliseconds. That's as fast as a quick blink. People could have an opinion of you in literally the blink of an eye; the eggheads had timed it. I had to make sure these guys didn't clock me as a rude bitch on arrival. Just do it for prof. Prof would probably tell me to do it for myself, but doing shit for myself didn't get the results I wanted. Just do it for prof. I can do this.

Thankfully, Lexi left me alone for the rest of the ride. I think I would've flipped out if she had run her mouth the whole time. We pulled up to a swanky house in the suburbs, and I almost expected white picket fences and a swing hanging from the tree. She was being unusually quiet now. I was ready for her to start briefing me or some shit, but nope, nothing. She was just checking me every now and then as she walked us up to the door, then into her living room. And the goddamn tribunal was waiting for us.

A group of four teenagers were sitting around Lexi's living room and chatting, and they quieted down when I walked in. And remember that thing about first impressions? Well, in one hundred milliseconds, I already hated them. They just looked like a bunch of cool kids, and I fucking hated cool kids. They were all attractive, well-dressed, in great shape, had confidence, and were probably rife with inside jokes. Oh my God, this was a mistake.

"Sup, Jean," Drew called. He was the only one I knew, since he was in our psych class. Easily over six feet tall, messy dirty blond hair, full of weird-ass ideas. I didn't know he and Lexi were friends, but now them sitting together in class made sense.

"Hey," I replied. I swear it came out strangled, but nobody reacted, so maybe not.

"Guys, this is Jean," Lexi introduced, standing next to me like some kind of saleswoman. "Jean, Cherry." She gestured to a petite redhead, and I only realized exactly how petite when she stood up. She couldn't have even made five feet, and with her slim figure she was seriously tiny. Probably had a lot of guys -- and pervs -- hitting on her all the time. Her long copper hair was beautiful, and looked natural too. She came over and gave me a hug, and I had no idea how to react. This was way too friendly for me.

"Um. Hi," I managed.

"Cherry's a hugger," Lexi explained with a grin.

"Hi Jean," Cherry said, all bubbly and shit. She sat back down, cute as a button.

"And these are the twins," Lexi continued, pointing to the other two who were sat on opposite ends of a love seat. "That's Stef..."

"Yo," said the guy. Medium-length black hair, slightly more buff than Drew. He wasn't as tall, but he had model proportions. Had a bit of a playboy air to him too.

"...And that's Brie."

"Hey Jean," said the girl, waving from her spot on the couch. She had long silky jet-black hair that looked glorious. Her body type was about the same as mine, maybe a bit shorter, but that hair of hers was to die for. It made me realize that I was envious of the hair of every other girl in the room. I was the only brunette here, and seriously, who wanted shit-colored hair?

"I'm older," Stef added.

"By, like, six minutes!" Brie snapped.

"The point is that you're gonna be the little sister our whole lives."

At this, Brie climbed on top of Stef and started wringing his neck. All of us just watched as Brie rocked Stef's head back and forth, gritting out, "You don't need to be such a. Dick. All. The time."

And I couldn't help it. I snickered.

Time seemed to freeze as I realized I probably just fucked up. I couldn't even go five minutes around a new group of people without reverting to my old self. Apparently even being better for prof wasn't enough motivation to change who I was. The self-loathing was coming back.

And then Drew chuckled as well. Cherry cheered on, "Get 'im, Brie!" Brie stopped strangling Stef, sitting back in her spot and pretending to still be angry. Stef was laughing and straightening back up. What the fuck? Was that one of their inside jokes? And now... I was in the loop.

"Come sit, Jean," Lexi said airily, walking past me and gesturing for me to follow. "Get you something to drink?"

"I... Nah, I'm good," I managed. I took a seat next to Cherry, who was beaming at me like I was a puppy or some shit. She really was adorable, and I couldn't help smiling back.

"So Jean, you're in psych with Drew and Lexi?" she prompted. Drew, Stef, and Brie started a conversation between themselves, which helped since then it didn't feel like they were all staring at me, waiting for their turn to pick at my bones.

"Uh, yeah."

"That's cool! Lexi says you're really smart, and that's saying something 'cause she's..." She glanced at the others before leaning in conspiratorially, prompting me to lean in as well. "She's probably the smartest out of the group, but don't tell her that. Her head would get even bigger than it already is, and we'd rather not deal with that epic smug."

I snickered again, and she giggled along with me. Alright, time to employ some tactics. "So you go to the same school? What are you studying?" I asked.

"I'm studying dance! I danced before, and my dad says I'm pretty good. Though he says that about everything I do, so who knows if it's true. I could look like a scarecrow for all I know." She chuckled, and I smiled back. She had some confidence issues too, I guess, and her dad supported her kinda like how prof supported me. More tactics, more tactics. People generally liked talking about themselves, so asking them questions to let them do so led to a greater chance of them liking you. Just had to make sure not to overdo it, otherwise it felt like an interrogation, or it made them feel like you wanted something.

"So you wanna be a dancer in the future?" I asked.

Cherry tipped her head back and forth, signaling she was unsure. "I mean, being a backup dancer to a pop star or something is a one-in-a-million thing. And performing on stage... I don't think that's my thing. But there's a dance studio near school, and people come in to learn how to dance and stuff. The instructors choreograph dances to popular songs, and we all learn them and just have a good time. It'd be cool if I could work there, come up with some choreos of my own. Daddy-- My dad doesn't push me too hard, like not super ambitious or anything, and he's cool if I just become an instructor in the future. So, y'know, we'll see."

She still called her dad "daddy," I noted. Honestly, if I were a guy and had a daughter who was cute as shit, I'd probably be thrilled that she called me daddy. Wondered how he dealt with all the guys who were probably after her. I'd have a gun by now, if I were him. The thought made me smile.

"Hey, scooch over," Brie said, and Cherry shuffled over next to me to make room for her. Brie propped her head up and just studied me, and I was about to break the silence when she beat me to the punch. "I don't understand how your hair is so pretty."

That took me by surprise. She liked my hair? "Not gonna lie, it's just grease buildup."

"You're kidding," Brie chuckled hesitantly.

"I'm actually at that sweet spot right now," I confessed. "Day two or three after washing my hair, it gets glossy like this and gains some substance, so it's easier to style. Too dirty and it looks gross and all sticks together, freshly cleaned and it's a bit too soft and... poofy?"

"What conditioner do you use?"

"I... don't use conditioner." I couldn't afford it. Wasn't about to tell them that though.

"You--!" Cherry pouted, head whipping to exchange looks with Brie. "I have to condition every day!"

"Can we trade?" Brie asked me teasingly, and I fucking blushed. Was this really happening? This was so not me. I was fucking talking hair with a couple of pretty girls, girls that probably had guys lining up around the block. It... was a much-needed ego boost. The subject moved on to clothing, and ordinarily I woulda puked at this chain of conversation. But these two were so easy to talk to, as if we'd been friends forever. I also seriously couldn't detect any amount of venom from these two that I had from the girls I went to school with. They were just fucking nice, and I could feel myself going soft.

Would prof prefer if I were more girly? I could always give it a try.

"I actually really like the hoodie look too," Brie admitted. "I used to dress like that a lot, but then Ste-- my boyfriend picked some stuff out for me and said he loved it." What the hell was that just now? It almost sounded like...

"I keep telling Brie to get into modeling," Cherry said. "Can you imagine? Stef's getting into photography, and they could be a killer duo, right?"

"You really do look great," I agreed, and Brie smiled and waved the compliment off. "But how would your boyfriend feel about that?"

She probably didn't think I noticed, or could only hope I didn't, but for a split second Brie froze at my question. "He's cool with it. We've talked about it a little."

Strange. Very fucking strange. I didn't want to dig too deep though, since it was the first time meeting them. I glanced over at the guys and accidentally locked eyes with Stef.

"Yo, Jean! You play Funny Sword Game?" he asked.

"Um, can't say I have," I stammered. "I've never played video games at all, really."

"C'mon," Drew said. "We come hang out here so often that Stef and I have a little gaming set up. Ditch the girls and come try it out!"

I looked back at the girls, and Cherry turned to Brie with a grin. "Oh no, we're losing her," she giggled.

Brie chuckled too before waving me off. "Go ahead, Jean. Put those little boys in their place."

"Uh, well, I'll try," I mumbled. The guys brought me to what looked like a game room, with a pool table on one side and an impressive TV gaming set up on the other. Seriously, this was Lexi's place? It was more like a clubhouse.

Drew handed me a controller and began teaching me the controls. It was a lot to take in, and I instantly forgot half of it. "This is how you dodge. Light, heavy attack. Parry. And now you know the whole game." Drew proceeded to kick my ass, as if he'd been itching to destroy a newbie player.

"Wow, dude. Real classy, stomping the noob," Stef chastised.

"Coddling doesn't breed champions," Drew countered, leaning back cockily.

"Rematch, bitch," I barked, and he raised a brow, seemingly impressed.

"Aight, let's see what you got, Jean."

I lost again, but at least managed to actually win a round.

"Go again," Stef instructed before turning to Drew. "She's a fast learner, huh?"

"Beginner's luck," Drew scoffed, both narrowing his eyes and smirking at me.

I grinned. "It's not luck, pussy. Prepare to get fucked."

We went one more time, and Drew was about to win when I started making a comeback.

"Dude... Dude. Dude!" Stef said excitedly. "She's fucking kicking your ass."

"Oh my God, she learned how to spam," Drew groaned. "The cheese!"

"Should I not do this?" I asked with a grin, glancing over at him as he struggled.

"Nah, keep going, Jean," Stef laughed. "Serves him right for earlier. Okay, now grab him. Heavy, light, heavy. Nice!"

"Bruh, don't help her! What the hell!" Drew shouted, and I grinned as I won a round.

"Alright, now you gotta start mixing up your moves, or he's gonna read your patterns and punish you," Stef advised. The next round started, and now it felt like Drew and I were on more equal footing. "Oh, here come the mixups!"

The game room was reduced to a lot of excited yelling as we played. I managed to tie the match, but Drew still won the tiebreaker. It felt good to know I actually managed to make Drew work for it.

"Damn. GG." Drew fist-bumped me before setting his controller down. "This game fucking sucks."

"You're just salty 'cause the noob almost beat you," Stef jeered. "That's what happens when you only play against bots. Now move, I'm playing her next."

Before I knew it, we'd played for half the afternoon. Brie had to come get us because they were headed out to dinner. I thanked the guys for playing with me, and they invited me to come again, perhaps trying other games too. We headed back to the living room where the girls were. I looked over at Lexi, who was still draped across an armchair, like a languid cat or something.

The entire time before I'd headed off to play games with the guys, I'd felt her watching me. But whenever I had looked over at her and the guys, she had averted her gaze in time that I couldn't catch her even once. She hadn't spoken a word to me since we'd arrived. It was like... she was observing how I interacted with her friends. The other four seemed genuine enough, so aside from the feeling that they were trying to make me feel welcome, it didn't seem like they were coached to behave a certain way. It was an uncanny feeling, both unnerving and heart-warming at once.

Prof had said I should make friends, and here Lexi was setting me up with a group of new friends. Were she and prof working together? No, that was impossible. Prof seemed more spooked about her than even I was. But it just left me with more questions.

We said our goodbyes and the other four headed off to dinner while Lexi drove me back to prof's place. Again, she didn't speak, except for one line. "You're always welcome to come hang out whenever." I still didn't trust her, but a fun afternoon with her friends was hard to ignore. I actually had fun. And now, with the tips on prof she had texted me before, I had no idea what to make of her.

But one day... One day I was gonna figure her out.