The Assignment Ch. 02

Chapter 2.

--book--

Teagan cursed as she raced up the steps of her high school already late by 15 minutes. She was not ready for a Monday morning after spending all weekend online searching for different profiles on serial killers. She slid up to the office window and smiled at Miss. Deas the office aide, "Good morning Miss. Deas."

"Late again Miss. Moseley," the woman said censure in her voice as she printed out a late slip.

"Mondays," Teagan shrugged and laughed off the women's scowl.

"Your new chemistry teacher started this morning," Miss. Deas said as she buzzed Teagan into the school. "He doesn't seem the type to take being tardy lightly."

"Great", Teagan thought as she walked calmly through the office corridors towards the senior wing of the high school hallway. She had forgotten the new chemistry teacher was going to start today, hell she had forgotten Ms. Kennedy had passed away until just now. Once in the high school hallway Teagan looked both ways before sprinting down to the chemistry lab door. After taking a breath to calm her racing heart she opened the door and attempted to slip into the back where her seat was unnoticed.

"May I assume you are Miss. Moseley?" A deep amused voice from the front of the classroom asks.

Teagan mutters shit under her breath before pasting a smile on her face and turning around. "Yes, I am sorry..." Her voice trails off as she stares at her new teacher. He is wearing a pair of dress slacks and a blue button up t-shirt and he is smirking. She blinks and shakes her head as she practically falls into her chair.

"I expect punctuality from my students, Miss. Moseley. After today the door to this classroom will be locked at precisely 8:05 AM. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir." Teagan squeaked still trying to calm the fuck down.

"Professor Jackson," he says before turning back to the board and writing a chemical equation on it.

Teagan stares at his back, her hands shaking. Her luck had to be the absolute worst in the world. She knew that the bad guys could be anyone and more often than not they were in the most unexpected places but holy fucking hell. He didn't even let on that he recognized her whereas she was shaking like the last leaf on an oak tree in the middle of winter. "That is why he is the fucking serial killer dumbass", she scolded herself as she reached into her bag to grab her notebook and a pen. He was telling them to take notes and God forbid he focus his attention on her again, she might do something really embarrassing like faint.

"Miss. Moseley, please see me after class," Professor Jackson says when the bell rings. Teagan grimaces and thinks she would rather bite off and swallow her own tongue. After everyone has left the classroom she walks to the front and stands near the corner of his desk. "Can you tell me why you were late to class?" he asks as he sits on the corner of his desk and a places one arms casually over his left leg.

Teagan licks her lips and nods, "I was up all night researching."

"Researching," he says softly a smile in his voice. "I am guessing that research has very little to do with your upcoming chemistry exam."

"In all honesty I forgot I even had one," she whispers as she wrings her hands in front of her.

"So I would be correct in assuming your research was on a more interesting topic, kidnapping perhaps?"

Teagan blanched and backed up away from the desk slightly, "uh. I am not sure I know what you are talking about."

Professor Jackson flicks an imaginary speck off his perfectly pressed pants and stares intently at Teagan before breaking into a smile that could only be described as shark like. "It is probably best that you don't. Remember what I said earlier Miss. Moseley, I don't accept tardiness."

"Yes sir, I understand." Teagan walks quickly back to her desk and retrieves her belongings feeling his eyes on her back the entire time. Strangely though it isn't fear she feels as she closes the door to the classroom and watches him as he watches her.

--reality--

I'm not going to lie, romance is so damn difficult to understand. There are like 500 different genres of fucking, from soft core young adult bullshit to popular smut like fifty shades and everything in between. I never read any of it before this stupid ass assignment and now I am not even sure where to start. I scan over the spines in front of me worrying my lip between my teeth, I know Jack shit about this but am not willing to subject myself to asking the clerk for a recommendation. I take out my phone and text my roommate.

At bookstore, what erotica would you recommend?

She replies rather quickly with an eggplant emoji and I roll my eyes.

Seriously? It is for my English assignment you ass.

That is an interesting assignment. Whose the teacher?

Dr. Robinson.

Wtf? He made me read House of the Seven Gables and write a 10,000 word report. How the fuck did you get so lucky?

His wife left him. Guess he is feeling bitter.

She sends another eggplant emoji, he needs to get laid more like.

Anyways...a recommendation please, I don't know where to start.

It depends.

On?

Are you looking for a quick fuck, a bodice ripper, age gap, taboo?

Err...what is a bodice ripper?

Historical romance where the hero rapes the heroine in the name of love.

The fuck?

LOL literally everything written in the 80s was a bodice ripper.

Lovely. What is taboo erotica?

Like kidnapping or reluctant sex.

Ok, know any like that?

Captive in the dark or Consequences.

You're a life saver thanks.

I put my phone away and scan the shelves for either of those two books. It takes a few minutes but I find both of them and walk towards the counter. Of course Dr. Robinson is also there a stack of books under his arm. "Ahh finding research material Miss. Galloway?"

I nod and fan out the books with a fake smile, "yes I can't wait to read these chicks make kidnapping sexy."

Dr. Robinson laughs and looks down at the books, "they make the hero sexy Miss. Galloway not the kidnapping. If the hero is appealing to the heroine he can do whatever he wants to her and she will still melt like a popsicle on the fourth of July for him."

"Girls are fucking weird," I mutter giving the books in my hand a disgusted look.

"Humans are sexual beings," Dr. Robinson puts his books on the counter and turns towards me as the cashier brings them up. "Pain, pleasure, hate, love, they all go hand in hand. Take your hero for instance he is a killer, the worst kind of person imaginable. Your heroine is going to see all of this, the darkest part of him and she is still going to want to ride his dick into oblivion, why?"

"I honestly have no idea," I grumble. Dr. Robinson is a fucking freak, for real the guy needs to see a shrink. There is no way anyone thinks that shit and isn't secretly a fucking psychopath himself.

"You're a smart girl, you'll figure it out." He pays the cashier and gives me a small smile before exiting the store.

I am even more confused after I read the first book Consequences, there is nothing at all redeeming about the hero in the book. I would have loved to see the heroine cut off his dick and shove it up his ass. The sex scenes weren't even worthy of those young adult books in their lameness. It was like the book was written with the sole purpose of being one giant mind fuck. Maybe it was, I don't fucking know. Tossing the book down on the bed I walk into the living room and then the kitchen in search of some much needed caffeine.

--book--

Teagan drops her belongings on her bed and flops backwards on it starring at her ceiling. "He is totally fucking with me," she tells Heath the poster on her ceiling above her bed. "There is absolutely no way he doesn't recognize me." It has been three days since he took the woman in the parking lot and so far no news source has found her body. So either she is still alive somewhere or he disposed of her remotely. After meeting him Teagan would say he was definitely arrogant enough to dump the body in a public space, he doesn't believe he will ever get caught. Teagan is unsure why he believes that but she doesn't know much about him. Sitting up she goes over to her laptop and googles his name, the only thing she finds is what she expected education credentials. "No Facebook, no Twitter, no snapchat," she mutters closing the computer and starting to pace her room. "How does he find these women? Are they really completely random abductions? If that is true then it would be a lot harder for the police to catch on, that is after all how Bundy got away with it for so long." Teagan jumps when her phone rings then rolls her eyes at her ignorance before answering the private number. "Hello?"

"Teagan?" A women's voice come through on the other line, she doesn't recognize it as being someone she knows.

"Uhh, yes."

"He says it was nice meeting you today."

"What the fuck? Is this some kind of a joke?" Teagan swallows the bile rising in her throat.

"I'm sorry Teagan I have to go now."

"Go? No wait Candance, that is your name right?"

"Goodbye Teagan."

The line clicks off and Teagan stares at her phone in horror.

--reality--

"The perfect novel has everything. Pain, conflict, love, sex, betrayal, death, every aspect of life will be engrained within the words so that the reader feels as if they've been transported into that world." Dr. Robinson says this as he drinks from a coffee canister. It is not coffee, I am not an idiot. "Any book that does not accomplish this is garbage and should be used as a fire starter. So far only 3 of you are even coming close to accomplishing this task. Of course one of you is writing horror porn and the other two (he grimaces) fucking coming of age bullshit that will probably make me want to kill myself."

Well at least I can say I am not inducing my teacher to commit suicide. I am not writing horror porn though, I don't even want to think about what that would be. Probably along the lines of that IT fanfiction I accidentally came across while researching. People are fucking weird. "Dr. Robinson," I raise my hand.

"If it isn't Stephen King herself," He drawls before offering a toast with his canister.

I roll my eyes, "I have a question about plot twists."

He raises a brow, "pray do continue."

"If an author wanted to shock the reader, really shock them how soon in a story can that happen?"

"Whenever you want, I would recommend waiting until after introducing all the main characters but barring that."

"Thanks for clarifying that."

"No problem, that is why I am the teacher after all."

Way to ruin the helpful attitude asshole. I narrow my eyes at him and fight the urge to give him the finger, he would probably enjoy that little act of rebellion. He ignores me for the rest of the class and scolds those other 13 students who haven't quite gotten their novels up to his standards yet. You'd think he was teacher at Harvard or something. I grab my bag when class is dismissed and a girl I have never talked to walks over to me and cocks her head to the side.

"So what makes your book so special?" She asks disdain dripping from her voice. She had the look of Mommy and Daddy paid good money for my spoiled ass to be here.

"I don't know what you mean," I says casually trying to walk around her.

She holds out a hand to stop me then looks down at her well manicured nails as if to make sure they didn't actually touch me. "Dr. Robinson seems to think so. And look I can't fail this class again," she let's out a long suffering sigh. "So like I asked before what makes your book so special?"

I am getting really irritated by Miss. Perfect Princess and her shiny glittery nails, "Listen Princess I have worked very hard on this book. I have done more research in the last week than I have the whole fucking time I have been in college. If you want to know what makes it so special ask our professor he is the one with the hard on for it not me."

Princess gasps like I have somehow offended her tender sensibilities and scoffs off. I roll my eyes and turn around to find Dr. Robinson chuckling and giving me a silent applause. Wonder-fucking-full.