Chapter 2. The Bully of My Bully

After Hammond left us yesterday, I helped Austin grade his papers. When we finished, he told me there were no classes scheduled for the day and sent me home. I could tell Austin was already building up a barrier between us. It was unexpected but made sense. I was up this morning at dawn. Our first class today was an early one, so I woke up early enough to eat and make sure all my stuff was prepared for the day. I headed out to my car as the first beams of sunlight broke through the dawn.

“Good morning, Edgar!” I heard my name called from across the street. I was surprised to see Austin’s father, Mr. Keeler, walking over to my driveway.

“Good morning, Mr. Keeler,” I said to him.

“It is so good to see you. I heard you bought this home from your parents yourself. Is that true?” Keeler asked.

“I did. I had earned a good amount of money during my stay in Europe pursuing my PhD, so I used it to put a down payment and get a loan approval,” I explained.

“How nice. Where are you working now with that PhD? Are you a doctor in the city? You must make a fortune,” he chuckled.

“No, I am not a medical doctor. I am a professor at the University of Watermill,” I told him. His face dropped.

“That is an awful place to work,” he scolded me. “You know, they took my son away from me!” he shouted. “That boy, so ungrateful, I have not heard from him since his first year attending that damn university. To think he would abandon his own family. I do not know where I went wrong with that boy; he was always stubborn.”

“I see. Well, I know nothing about him. He must be long gone from the university at this point,” I lied.

“Yeah, but you be careful. Those people are not meant to be trusted,” he warned before walking away. I got in the car and sat there for a few minutes. I realized that Mr. Keeler’s words rubbed me the wrong way. He spoke so rudely of his own child.

“Did I just meet my bully’s bully?” I asked myself as I headed out.

On campus, I made a beeline to Austin’s office. This time, he was in his office. I surprised him by accidentally slamming the door open.

“Jesus Christ, Edgar! Know your strength,” Austin scolded me. I blushed in embarrassment.

“I-I am sorry, but I have a burning question!” I blurted out. Austin looked at me in annoyance.

“Well, hurry up and ask your stupid question; we have a class to prepare for,” he replied. I closed the door behind me and took a deep breath.

“I…bought my childhood home,” I started.

“Good for you,” Austin quipped.

“It seems like some of the people from our childhood still live there,” I continued. His eyes narrowed at me. I shrank before his gaze but continued. “I ran into your father this morning, and he said some really nasty things about you,” I exclaimed. Austin sighed.

“Of course, he did. He is the reason I am an asshole. I take after him despite my best efforts,” Austin confessed. I relaxed a bit.

“Did you really stop talking to him when you started here?” I asked him.

“My father never liked the fact that I was a genius. He pushed me to be an athlete because he always wanted to be one himself. Hammond got me out of my father’s grasp and helped me pursue a degree I wanted. That is all I wish to say on the matter. Do not bring it up again,” Austin glared at me. I realized he was telling me a sugarcoated version of his life. I felt something heavy on my chest.

“Your project is so stupid!” Austin yelled as he grabbed my display.

“No!” I cried as he ripped my volcano from the display. I tried to stop him, and he pushed me to the ground.

“Nobody cares if you’re smart!” Austin yelled as he kicked me repeatedly.

“Austin! You jerk!” Jessica appeared with her brother Joshua. Joshua, who was much bigger than Austin, pulled him away from me and punched him square in the face, breaking his nose. “Are you okay, Edgar?” Jessica tended to me as I lay crying on the floor. I never understood why he was so cruel to me.

“Hello?” Austin pulled me out of my flashback. “Dude, you have a bad habit of spacing out,” he complained.

“I apologize,” I said as I shook my head. I went over to the second desk and set up my stuff.

“I was saying we have four classes today. Each one on a different topic. Do you feel comfortable teaching the 101 class? I will be observing you and can step in if you need it, but I think it will be good for you since you need experience being in front of a class,” Austin said.

“That is our third class of the day, correct?” I asked.

“Yes. So, you would see me teaching two classes beforehand, and it will give you time to review the lesson plan for the day,” Austin explained.

“Okay. I will do it,” I smiled at him. I noticed he blushed lightly at the sight of me smiling. He looked away quickly, though, returning his attention to the pile of papers on his desk. I giggled lightly. Austin was anything but unattractive. He was tall, with short, spiky red hair. He had bright green eyes that looked like emeralds encased in flawless ivory stone. Even though he was a full-time professor, he had a built figure that showed he took diligent care of himself.

“I suggest starting to work on learning today’s material rather than staring at me with that pitiful gaze,” Austin said to me after a couple of minutes. I blushed bright red.

“I was not staring!” I said, flustered that he had caught me gawking at him. Luckily, he thought I was staring at him in pity and not admiring his good looks. “Wait…that sounds terrible!” I said to myself.

“Shut up and get to work!” Austin yelled as he tossed a packet at me. It hit me square in the face. I did not complain and just started reading the packet. We fell into silence as we were both absorbed in our work.