RoseAnn Discovers Dominance Pt. 18

My very first university class, Introduction to Calculus I, began at 8:30 am, while I was still sleepy from the night’s activities. I had my notebook at the ready, and wrote down everything Professor Summers said. He spent ten minutes on an introduction, and plunged right into infinitesimals, a concept that completely stalled my brain. There was no way I was going to keep up with the material shoveled at us. But we also had been given a mimeographed list of the lectures and the material to be covered in each. The textbook was easily three inches thick and weighed more than a brick, so what I missed in class, I hoped I could easily make up from the other material.

I probably shouldn’t have worn such a short skirt. I was attracting stares from my male classmates. Even Professor Summers was unable to avoid glancing at me, or rather my legs, encased in tawny nylon. I resolved to sit farther back in the next class, where the bodies of other students would screen me from his gaze.

After class, Summers waved me over to him, as he gathered up his papers.

“Miss Perez, am I right?” He was blushing.

“Yes, Professor.”

“Would you do me a favor in future, and wear something a little less revealing?”

I blushed, too. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t expect the desks to be…well, like they are.”

“Forget the dress code. You’ve probably noticed that most of the girls wear jeans or slacks, anyway. Here in the sciences, we’re not so big on appearances.”

In my next class, I found my thoughts drifting towards Craig. At the moment, he was Professor Craig, teaching a second-year psychology class somewhere on campus. But two hours ago, he’d still been Contrite Craig. He’d brought me a breakfast of eggs, toast, and juice, and kneeled beside the bed while I ate.

“I love you,” he said at one point, out of the blue.

“Uh, huh,” I said, past a mouthful bursa escort of toast.

Unbelievably, he asked to lick me again before walking to the El station. The man’s appetite had no limit.

I turned him down. “I appreciate the offer,” I said, “but it’ll have to wait until tonight. I’ve got too much on my mind. I mean, this is my very first day of University.”

I hoped that, while teaching his class, he was still thinking of me. Perhaps I’d go back at the end of the afternoon and arrange myself on the bed, awaiting his return. But then I had a different thought. I owed Candy a visit.

The afternoon lab was Drafting. The tilted drafting tables were arranged in pairs. I arrived early and chose one near the window, where the light was good. I sat on the little wooden stool and spread out my drafting tools.

As the other students entered and occupied the desks, I realized that all were male. I’d known that, but it hadn’t hit home until now. All seemed to be younger than twenty, too, and some were blatantly curious about me. Some gazed frankly at my legs; others were more furtive. Some clustered in groups of two or three, and it was clear from their murmuring that I was the chief object of curiosity. Finally, I slipped from the stool and stood up at the desk, so that less thigh would be on display.

From now on, it would be jeans. Preferably baggy ones.

The desk next to mine remained vacant until the classroom was nearly filled, but then a boy appeared. He was nearly my height, dark-haired and handsome.

“Is this desk taken?”

“Not yet.” I smiled.

“Greetings,” he said. “It seems I get to sit with the only lady in all of Engineering.”

“So I understand. I seem to be attracting a lot of attention.”

He arched his eyebrows. “Well, you are a curiosity. There were two women in engineering last year, but they both bursa escort bayan transferred to other classes at mid-year. These kids didn’t expect to find a good-looking girl in here. Or any girl, for that matter.”

I felt myself blush. “Why do you call them ‘these kids’? You’re one, too.”

“This is my second year. I was in pre-medical last year but I never wanted to be a doctor. I disappointed my parents and decided to go into engineering. Anything I can do to help you get settled, let me know.”

“I’m RoseAnn, by the way,” I said.

“Paul Winters,” he said, and shook my hand. His grip was firm.

The class started, and after the routine introduction, we were taught the rudiments of mechanical drawing, using needle-sharp pencils, T-squares, and protractors on tilted drafting tables. We had to practice making mechanical drawings of various odd-shaped pieces of wood. It came easily to me, although I began to see its value when I saw that some of my classmates had great difficulty picturing objects in three dimensions.

After a hour, Paul and I took a break and found the coffee machine in the hall.

“Do you like jazz?” he said, sipping the too-hot drink.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I haven’t listened to enough of it.”

“Do you want to come to a concert with me on Friday night? Educate yourself?”

I smiled, as sweetly as I could. “I’m flattered, Paul, but I’m taken.”

He shrugged. “I could have guessed. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.”

I laughed. “Don’t worry. Somewhere out there, your soul-mate awaits.”

He rolled his eyes and drank his coffee.

I finished before the allotted time and took the El back to Craig’s apartment. Leaving my books and a note for Craig, I caught a bus to Candy’s place.

“Well, look who’s here,” said Candy. The apartment reeked of cigarette smoke. Behind her, at the kitchen escort bursa table, sat Chuck, her blond-headed boyfriend. He was smoking, too, and an open case of Bud sat on the table between them. The place reeked of smoke and stale beer. So much for moving back, if it became necessary.

“So did you rent the place?” I asked.

“I did better than that. Chuck’s moved in with me. Between us, we can afford the rent and maybe a little something extra now and then. He smokes, too, so I don’t have to hang out the window to smoke. And get this–we have a guest room if you want to stay over. For instance, if you and the Professor have another fight. Want a beer?”

The case was already half full of empties. I twisted the cap off a full one and took a long swallow.

“We didn’t have a fight.”

“Um, he was mad enough to drive off and leave you in Bitumen.”

I let myself smile, but not too broadly. “Well, it’s only a fight if I fight back. I have ways of making him come around. Problem solved.”

“You made him come around? Or made him come?” Candy laughed at her own joke. Chuck’s lips turned up slightly. I smiled and drained half my beer. I was thirstier than I thought.

“So what did you learn at University today?” she asked.

“That I should wear jeans and not a short, tight skirt.”

“I knew those legs would get you in trouble some day.”

“Right away, some guy asked me on a date.”

“And you said…?”

“C’mon, Candy! I’m not a slut. I turned him down. Gently, because he’s a nice guy.”

She tapped the ash from her cigarette into an empty bottle. “You know that you’re going to have guys after you the whole time you’re in college. Are you sure you can stay faithful to Craig all that time?”

“I…” I paused. Could I?

“Rosie, you went all weak in the knees when Mike came on to you yesterday. Who’s to say you won’t meet some student who’ll do the same thing to you.”

“Mike and I have a history. It was all old stuff coming back.”

“You just watch out. Craig has gotten your hormones all bubbling. But they can bite you in the ass.”