8am Monday morning came all too soon. As Anna shut off her alarm, she wondered what compelled her to schedule Business Law, of all classes, at 9am. She quickly showered and got ready so she had time to stop at then coffee shop on the way, as caffeine would be vital in keeping her awake in this class.
Anna arrived in the lecture hall with 10 minutes to spare, and found a seat towards the middle. As the hall filled in, a pretty girl with long, black hair and dark brown eyes sat in the chair next to her.
“You look like someone I could get along with. Hi, I’m Annabelle.” The girl had a spirit about her that put Anna at ease.
“Hi, I’m Anna. Just Anna, no Belle.” She laughed nervously at her lame joke.
“You’re adorable. Nice to meet Anna…So, are you new here? I haven’t seen you in any of my classes before.”
“Yeah, I just transferred from Columbia. I decided to completely change course from majoring in dance to business. I decided to make my father happy and go to law school to fulfill the family legacy,” Anna explained.
“Not to stereotype, but I thought there was something different about you.” Annabelle glanced obviously around the room. “You stand out…in a good way.”
“Thanks…I think?”
“Trust me, it’s definitely a good thing.” Annabelle winked at Anna.
“You dont strike me as a typical business student either….As you said, not to stereotype or anything.” Anna giggled.
“You mean because I’m not a total bore? Oops did I say that out loud?” Annabelle’s lips curved into a smile. “I’m a marketing major actually, so a little more on the creative side of things, but this class fills a requirement.”
“Well, since I’m going into corporate law, I should probably pay attention and try to do well. Speaking of which, looks like it’s about to start.
Anna watched as a man about her father’s age approached the stage. He wasn’t bad looking for an older guy, but he had an air about him that screamed conceited more than confident, and when he spoke this was confirmed. “Good morning and welcome to Business Law. I’m professor Richards. I’m teaching this class as a favor this semester, so you all have the privilege of being taught by one of the top professors at Harvard law, which is not something most undergrads get to experience. I’m a busy man between teaching law school courses and consulting on high profile cases, so I will be relying heavily on my teaching assistants for gradin and any assistance needed outside of class hours.”
Annabelle snorted. “We are all should be honored to be in the great professor’s presence…right.”
“He seems a little full of himself.” Anna observed.
“Hah, a little? He has quite the reputation around here as I’m sure you’ll find out. Sounds like we are lucking out that he doesn’t have to time of day for us.”
“And now to introduce my teaching assistants, all of whom are all second year law students. Hamid Prince…”
A tall, dark, and handsome man with black hair and deep brown eyes stood up in the first row and turned to wave to the class.
“He’s cute,” Anna muttered under her breath, unintentionally loud enough for Annabelle to hear.
“I suppose if you like that type,” Annabelle replied.
“What type?”Anna questioned.
“Male.” Annabelle chuckled and Anna followed.
“Well then we won’t ever have to worry about falling for the same guy.”
“Nope Anna, you can have them all.”
“…And then we have Luke Harper.”
“Oh my god, I know him!” Anna exclaimed. “He was my brother Harry’s best friend.
Annabelle cocked her head to the side. “Was?”
“It’s…Anna struggled to find the right words. She didn’t feel like crying in her first class or putting a new friend she’d known for 15 minutes in the awkward position of not knowing how to respond to her depressing story. She been through that enough in the past couple months. “I’d rather tell you later if you don’t mind.”
Annabelle must have sensed something in Anna’s demeanor because she was happy to change the subject. “Not a problem.”
“…And last but not least, Ernest Sinclaire.”
There was something very familiar about the man, and as he turned around, it hit her. “Oh…I know him too. Well kind of. He almost trampled me in the book store. He could hardly be bothered to say sorry.”
“Sounds like he left quite the impression on you.” Annabelle smirked. “He’s that handsome, broody type that comes off all serious but is probably wild in bed.”
“Annabelle! Hush…Fine, I think he’s kind of hot, but he seems like a jerk, so none of that really matters. Plus, what kind of name is Ernest anyway? Are we in the 1800s?”
“Uh-huh.” Annabelle wasn’t buying it, and Anna couldn’t blame her. Anna was inexplicably attracted to this man who would probably never give her the time of day. It didn’t even make sense. Ernest seemed too serious, maybe a bit pretentious, and not her typical type at all. He had a handsome face, but didn’t ooze sex appeal like Hamid. For all she knew he didn’t have teeth because he didn’t appear to know how to smile. He was dressed nice in a white button-down shirt and khaki’s but he stood out as being a bit overdressed compared to Hamid and Luke who wore jeans and t-shirts. But she’s felt something in that brief moment in the book store, and seeing him now stirred up those feelings again.
“Anyway, I wonder Professor Richards doesn’t have any female T.A.s,” Anna pondered, trying to change the subject as quickly as possible.
“You know how I said he has a reputation?” Annabelle answered. “I don’t think you could pay most of the female law students to work with him. If the rumors are true, he’s a real scumbag.”
Anna shuddered. “I kind of get that vibe.”
The rest of class was uneventful – mostly just going over the syllabus and getting an into to the class subject matter with more than a couple tales of the professors personal accomplishments thrown in. This was going to be a long semester, but thankfully she had Annabelle to suffer through class with her.
“I’m going to go say hi to Luke.” Anna told Annabelle as soon a class ended.
“I’ve gotta run to my next class, so I’ll catch you later. Annabelle pulled out her phone. “Here, give me your number and I’ll text you mine.”
Anna made her way to the front of the class after the numbers were exchanged. Luke’s face lit up when he saw her. “Hey, little Edgewater! Bring it here.” Luke opened his arms and Anna leaned into his embrace. Luke and Harry had become fast friends their freshman year of undergrad. Since Luke’s parents were across the country in California and didn’t have money to fly him back during breaks, he often came home with Harry. Anna hadn’t seen him since Harry’s funeral, and it brought up a mix of emotions, but mostly she was happy to have another reminder of Harry nearby.
“Edgewater?” Anna hadn’t noticed but Ernest was still standing at the front of the room near Luke and Hamid. “Are you Harry’s sister?”
Anna, shocked at both his interest in the conversation and hearing her bother’s name come from his lips, turned to Ernest. “You knew Harry?”
“Of course he did.” Hamid chimed in. “Harry was friends with everyone – even with recluses like Sinclaire over here.” A scowl crept up on Ernest’s face but he didn’t respond. “I knew Harry had a sister, but he never mentioned how stunningly gorgeous she was.” Hamid’s smile was as charming as his words.
“Come on, Hamid,” Luke shook his head. “Anna’s like my little sister.”
“I’m sure Harry would appreciate you looking out for me Luke, but I’m not 15 anymore.” Although Ernest was silent, Anna couldn’t help but glance out of the corner of her eye to see his reaction. His features were still, as if set in stone, but his piercing blue eyes were fixed on her. Did he see her as Harry’s kid sister like Luke did? Or did he agree with Hamid and see her as an attractive woman? Maybe he was glaring at her because she was getting in the way of whatever he needed to discuss with the other two. All Anna knew was she cared too much about this mysterious, surly guy who had hardly said two words to her.
“I have a feeling this girl can hold her own.” Hamid gently nudged his shoulder against hers. “Did Luke tell you about the party at our place Friday night?” Anna didn’t look over at Ernest this time, but she swore she could feel his eyes boring into the side of her head.
“No, I didn’t get the chance. Anna you are welcome to come. You too Sinclaire, even though I know you won’t show up.” Everyone laughed but Ernest who was still stone-faced.
“I’m shocked, Luke. You are going to let me attend a college party?” Anna teased.
“Hey, if you are with me, you can’t be getting into trouble elsewhere. I can keep my eye on you this way.”
“Heh. You make it sound so fun.” She said dryly. “But since I don’t have a lot of friends here yet, I probably won’t have other plans. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to be graced by my presence.” She might have imagined it but she thought she saw the faintest hint of a smile on Ernest’s lips, if only for a second.
“There’s the Anna I know and love.” Luke clapped her on the shoulder.
“It’s great to see you again Luke…and nice to meet both of you.” She looked to Hamid and then Ernest.
“I look forward to getting to know you better Anna.” Hamid flashed her another toothy grin.
“As her _instructors, _I’m certain we’ll all be seeing her frequently. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get to my next class.” Ernest smiled thinly at Anna and went on his way.
Hamid and Luke exchanged looks, and Anna had no clue what to make of things. But as Ernest had so clearly emphasized, they were her instructors and partially responsible for determining her grade in the class. She was there to learn, and she just needed to focus on that.