Chapter 56 : An Empty Lecture Hall
HAYDEN’S POV
I’m halfway out of my seat when I hear it. “Mr. Carter, a moment please.”
My shoulders tense. Of course.
The lecture hall is already emptying, chairs scraping against the floor while students shuffle toward the doors. I sling my backpack over one shoulder and glance back toward the front where Professor Adler stands behind the podium, flipping through a stack of graded papers.
Great. I already know what this is about.
I walk down the steps slowly, trying to ignore the way my stomach tightens with each step. Professor Adler is one of those professors who looks permanently disappointed in the entire human race with gray hair and wire-rim glasses. That expression that says he’s already decided you’re an idiot.
When I reach the front, he slides a paper across the podium. It had red ink everywhere.
My jaw tightens. It was 62%.
Damn.
“You failed the midterm,” he says plainly with no sugarcoating.
I lean against the edge of the desk and let out a slow breath. “Yeah… I figured.”
He studies me over the rim of his glasses.
“You’re capable of much better than this.”
I almost laughed. Capable and motivated are two different things.
The last few weeks have been chaos. With practice, games, the drama with Stephen, and the whole situation with Lilian exploding across half the campus. I’ve barely slept, let alone studied.
But I’m not about to explain my life story to him.
“So what happens now?” I ask.
Professor Adler taps the paper with one finger.
“Normally, a failed midterm would significantly impact your final grade.”
My chest tightens slightly. Football keeps me in school. If my GPA drops too far and suddenly I’m having a very different conversation with the athletic department.
“But,” he continues, “I’m willing to offer you an alternative.”
That gets my attention. I straightened a little. “Alternative?”
“A retake.”
Relief loosens the knot in my chest. “Seriously?”
He nods once.
“You’ll have one week to prepare. However, there’s a condition.”
Of course there is. “You’ll work with a tutor,” he says.
I shrug. That’s manageable. “Fine with me.”
He pulls another paper from the stack and writes something down. “I’ve already assigned one.”
Something in his tone makes the back of my neck itch.
“Who?” I ask.
Professor Adler hands me the slip of paper. I glance down and the moment I read the name, my entire body goes still.
Ella Knox. For a second, I think I’m hallucinating.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mutter.
Professor Adler looks unimpressed. “Miss Knox has the highest grade in this class. She is already part of the peer tutoring program.”
Of course she is. Of course, she freaking is.
My brain flashes back to last night, when I was kissing Lilian, and Ella was watching everything like she was enjoying the show. And now this?
I drag a hand down my face. “There’s really no one else?” I ask.
“No.” He says it immediately. “Miss Knox has already agreed.”
Something about that sentence sits wrong with me. Already agreed? Meaning she knew before I did. Fantastic.
“You’ll meet twice this week and twice next week before the retake,” Professor Adler continues. “Attendance is mandatory.”
I stare at the paper again, as the name might change. It doesn’t. It was Ella Knox. My ex-fling and my brother’s ex.
The walking disaster is currently sitting in the center of every problem in my life.
“Mr. Cross?”I look up. “Yes?”
“I expect you to take this seriously.”
I nod automatically. “Yeah. Sure.”
But my brain is still stuck on one thought. I’m going to be stuck in a room with Ella. Multiple times. This was Perfect.
The afternoon sun hits my eyes the second I step outside the building. I shove the paper into my backpack and pull out my phone. There were three messages.
One from Jake about practice, one from Stephen, and one from Lilian.
My chest tightens a little when I see her name. I clicked on her message.
Did you survive your midterm?
I stare at the message longer than necessary. Last night was… complicated.
The kiss and her shocked expression turned into something softer.
The way she looked like she was trying to believe it meant more than it did.
I told myself it was a reaction. The fastest way to shut down the tension between Stephen and me before it exploded. But when I kissed her…It didn’t feel fake.
And that’s the part I don’t want to think about.
I type a quick reply.
Barely.
Then I shove the phone back into my pocket before I can overanalyze anything else.
The campus path is crowded, students moving between buildings in clusters. I’m halfway across the quad when I see her.
Ella.
She’s leaning against the stone railing outside the library like she’s been there for hours.
Her arms are crossed loosely, one ankle hooked over the other.
And the second our eyes met…She smiled and it was not a surprised smile. A knowing one.
My steps are slow. She already knows. Of course she does.
I stop a few feet away. “You set this up,” I say flatly.
Ella tilts her head slightly. “I don’t know what you mean.”
I pull the paper from my bag and hold it up. “Don’t play dumb.”
Her eyes flick down to the name, then back up to me, still smiling. “Oh,” she says softly. “That.”
I feel irritation rise in my chest. “That?”
She pushes off the railing and walks closer. “Professor Adler asked if I’d be willing to tutor someone struggling in class,” she says lightly. “I said yes.” Her gaze sharpens. “I didn’t realize it would be you until this morning.”
I don’t believe that for a second.“You expect me to buy that?”
Ella shrugs. “Believe whatever you want.”
She stops directly in front of me now. She was close enough that I could smell her perfume.
God.
I forgot how much I hate remembering things like that.
“So,” she continues casually, “looks like we’re study partners.”
My jaw tightens. “This is a bad idea.”
Her smile widens slightly. “Probably. So, shall we begin?”
For a moment neither of us speaks. Students pass behind us, voices blending into background noise.