Chapter 4

About fifteen or so minutes passed, and Doctor Grey was still absent. By this time, a few people had already begun to leave the hall while the others who stayed behind were talking amongst themselves. Some had plugged in their earphones and were bobbing their heads lightly, others were walking around aimlessly. Maya could practically feel the tension rising as the time ticked by.

"What kind of person comes late on his first day of class?" Derek's voice piped up, a frown contorting his face.

Jason scoffed, his eyes closed, his body leaning against the chair, "Doctor Grey apparently."

Maya was about to continue her game when the hall suddenly fell quiet, the chatter died down and everyone stopped their movements, their gazes shifting toward the door at the entrance.

"Holy shit," someone muttered under their breath and Maya's jaw dropped to the floor. She knew she was staring, but there was no denying the fact that she couldn't stop, and judging by how many pairs of eyes had locked onto the professor at once, he probably thought so as well.

The man standing in front of the doors was a sight to behold, with dark wavy hair and sharp, piercing eyes framed by a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, he had an intimidating air around him and it wasn't because of his muscular stature or the way his stubbled jaw ticked ever so slightly as he scanned the room, but the fact that he was currently wearing a black suit jacket with a white dress shirt underneath it, tie neatly knotted around his neck, and a pair of khakis over polished loafers. He looked like the picture of professional.

Maya was too far to discern his eye color, but she could imagine it was dark, the color of her favorite type of coffee, she was sure one look from those orbs would send you running for the hills but the thought of him staring at her, it made her stomach churn.

His footsteps echoed loudly as he walked to the lectern that had been set up in the center of the hall, a large file folder tucked under his arm.

"I apologize for my tardiness," his deep voice reverberated and they sounded sincere enough. But something told Maya that this man was not sorry at all. "My name is Doctor Alexander Grey but you can call me Professor Grey." He pushed the bridge of his glasses further up his nose, looking at each student in turn. "We only have a few minutes before this class will be over so I'll try and rush things."

He turned to the large screen behind him and pressed a few buttons on the keyboard before placing his hands on the desk in front of him, eyes flitting across the screen and the projector on the other end. The professor began explaining the outline for the course and what they should expect for the semester, as he droned on about why they shouldn't slack off on any research given to them.

Jason leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Do you think it's illegal to ogle your professor's ass?"

Maya snorted... loudly, and everyone's eyes turned towards her, including the professor, who now had an eyebrow raised. Why did that action remind her of someone?

"Is there something funny in what I just explained?" the professor questioned, his tone firm.

"No," she squeaked out, watching as he inspected her.

"If you ever find the need to laugh in my class again, Miss-" He paused, and she hurriedly answered, "Greenley."

He nodded, "I believe the performance theater is that way." Half the class chuckled at her expense, and she felt like dying.

Maya's cheeks heated in embarrassment, ignoring Jason's apology, and glared at Derek's teasing smile.

"Now," Professor Grey cleared his throat, tapping on the heavy folder on top of the lectern, "I'm aware that this is half the students that registered for this course, and I did expect something like this, so-" He paused, and Maya twisted her fingers together. "I'll be giving you all a little project. I want you to be as truthful as possible, with no internet searches or anything of the sort. Trust me, I'll know." Almost everyone, including Jason, groaned. "Each of you will take a file and give honest feedback on whatever subject is given to you."

Someone raised their hand, and he gave a single nod, "Yes?"

"I know you said not to use the internet, but what if we're not familiar with the area given to us?" She cleared her throat before continuing, "Can we at least search for references?"

Collective murmurs circulated the halls, and Maya found herself agreeing with the girl. Professor Grey nodded, his face scrunched in deep thought, "Alright, you can do that, but I expect you all to quote your references."

That was easy.

Silence fell across the hall, and his eyes skimmed over their faces. On seeing the unenthusiastic looks shared, he added, "This will also serve as five percent of your grades."

Maya's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets at his words, and her mouth hung open. Five percent was too much for an assignment that required them to use their brains for once. Well, she didn't have a problem with it, but the same couldn't be said about the rest of the class, "Five percent for an assignment is a literal death sentence, Professor." A girl from the front row pointed out, and murmurs of agreement echoed around the hall.

However, the man simply smiled, "You have your references," he said and leaned forward, "yet you still have that little faith in yourselves?" Everyone instantly fell silent, and he smirked. Maya could've sworn she'd seen him do it before. A few moments of deliberative silence passed before some of the students nodded and murmured in approval and agreement. The rest of them remained silent.

"Very good," Grey said finally, nodding to himself. "You can come up here and pick a file each."

Derek sighed heavily, "Why do I have a feeling that he'll be worse than Davis."

"Grumpy bachelor," Jason replied.

"Whatever, let's get this over with," Maya grumbled and rose from her seat, Jason following suit with a smirk on his face.

As she walked towards the podium, she couldn't help the way her heart raced the closer she got to the professor. A redhead passed by her, clutching her own copy of the file to her chest. Once she was in his line of view, Maya noticed the scowl he sent her, and she frowned. Was he still offended by her actions earlier?

She thought of apologizing for laughing so loudly, then decided against it. She crossed the first two steps and was about to climb the third when she tripped over the ceramic tile. Her legs gave out beneath her, and her hand shot out to grab the desk and missed terribly. She closed her eyes instead, bracing for the impact of the ground, but it never came. Hands shot out to grab her carefully; one was wrapped over her waist, and the other held her left arm tightly.

Maya slowly fluttered her eyes open, staring into the dark depths of the professor's eyes. Even with the glasses on, they still shone with intensity, and they were directed at her. His lips moved, and she heard each word clearly, "You have a knack for tripping people over, Miss Greenley. Including yourself."

She frowned at his words, confused by what he meant when it suddenly hit her. Maya's memories from the previous night flooded back, and she gasped.

His lips curled into a smirk, and she could see his eyes dancing with dark amusement. The man she'd flipped over last night was him; he'd obviously not forgiven her for what she did, and she still dared to giggle in his class?! The sudden realization that this man was going to be her psychology professor for the rest of the semester hit her, and she suddenly felt woozy. One thing was certain though. Maya was officially screwed.