Chapter 3 - Ric Michael

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High school ended and it was now time for college. Time for a fresh start. Since nothing too exciting happened I'll just go ahead and fast forward to Winter Quarter of my freshman year in college. Abigail (my best friend) and I decided to take the same classes in the winter quarter.
"UGH. WHY DO WE HAVE TO TAKE A CLASS AT 3PM?!" I complained.
"Because we need this class and that's the only time we were able to get it. Now stop being such a baby!" Abbs pointed out slightly annoyed.
I looked out the car window as we drove to school. Who takes late classes during winter?! Um... a normal person would want to be home wrapped in a blanket, drinking hot chocolate, and watching movies. That's what I wish I was doing at least. We finally arrived, only to be greeted by a half empty parking lot. Of course. We made our way to class and I dreaded each step. We walked in and found a seat next to some of my old friends. Perhaps this class won't be so bad after all. It was a computer lab more than an actual classroom. That's when he walked in. Dressed in black slacks and a black collared shirt. My heart started beating faster as he walked closer to us. There was an empty seat and I assumed that's where he would sit. Okay, maybe not. Wait... why is he setting his bag on the desk? Maybe he's the T.A.? OH. SNAP. "Hello class. I am Professor Michael, but feel free to call me Ric." HE'S. THE. PROFESSOR. Just my luck! "OH MY GOODNESS! He is so sexy!" Abby swooned.
"Yeah. He's alright." I lied.
There's no way I'm admitting the professor is surprisingly good looking. I've seen Pretty Little Liars and student/teacher relationships do not end well. Besides there's no way he'd be interested in me. And quite frankly, after the whole Adam thing, I don't think I'm ready for a relationship. We were already half ways into the quarter and I was in a school play called 'The Imaginators' and out of courtesy I thought I should invite him. The day of my performance came and I didn't see him, so I figured he would attend another day. Eventually, all three days passed and he didn't show up to any. I figured he was busy, but that didn't make it any less painful. Why would he want to hangout with me, a college freshman? The quarter ended and I was back to my boring life.
Spring quarter came and I didn't see him anymore, so I focused on my play and got through my first year. One day, I decided to skip class and go grab a bite to eat with Hayley and Jen. I guess I can't really be classified as a nerd now. We were eating at Chipotle when Hayley asked if we could stop at Target for a while. I didn't mind since they didn't have class until 3:30 and I was done for the day. I was trying on hats as the girls looked at phone cases. We later moved to the shoes and for a split second I was about to faint. After all this time, he was there. Our paths crossed once again and I could hear every beat of my heart. His smile made my heart melt as if he had recognized me after all this time.
"Hello."
"Hi" was all I could mumble back.
My voice sounded rather hoarse instead of sexy. I wanted to stop and talk but I was hyperventilating because this admittedly handsome guy was standing in front of me once again. I awkwardly looked away and he kept walking. As soon as he left, I regretted it. The girls looked at me completely dazed at what just happened. Then of course, they began teasing me. "He was my English professor" I explained. They began laughing and me being me, turned extremely red! One could easily confuse my face with a tomato. We finally left the store and all I could think about was Ric. How is it possible that he has the ability to invade my thoughts? That was probably the last time I would see him. That same night I went to rehearsals for the play I was currently in. After rehearsals, I went home and worked on my Chemistry homework. Before bed I checked my email and my heart skipped a beat. An email from him.
'From: Ric Michaels; Subject: Hello!'
"Hi Melissa, after seeing you today, I just thought I'd check in to see how you are doing. Are your classes going well? Are you still performing in plays?" IS THIS REAL LIFE?! DID HE ACTUALLY EMAIL ME? My heart skipped about twenty beats and I carefully planned out what I would respond. After various email to each other, I asked him if it was easier to contact him by email or text. "I think text works best. :)" A SMILEY FACE? MY HEARY STOPPED FOR A WHILE. I suddenly forgot about Derek and Adam and the pain they had caused me. The first time we hung out we went to Panera which was a nice setting. Since he left school earlier than I did, we decided to just meet there. I had an idea of where Panera was located but I had never been there so I wasn't too sure on how to get there. After 10 minutes, I finally found my way around the mini marketplace and parked. I stayed in the comfort of my car as I build up the courage to get off and walk inside. After constantly debating whether I should stay or leave I realized it was too late to back out since I had just texted him letting him know I was there. I walked inside and decided to order a Power Salad since I wasn't too hungry. I later regretted that because the salad was disgusting. It had mushroom, which I despise, and it was drowned in a nasty dressing. I looked at my salad with disgust and I heard Ric laugh.
"Oh you think this is funny, do you?"
"Haha, yes. Have you ever been here before?"
"Nope, if I was I'd know not to order this" I retaliated.
We then broke out in laughter. All afternoon we were getting to know each other a little better. Everything was perfect about him except one minor detail; he was atheist. As much as I knew that was a big issue, I didn't care. I tried to convince myself we could simply be friends. It was now time to part ways, for now. We began to hang out and go to the movies and then have lunch. I was going to be in another school play titled 'Living Out' and I decided to invite him. I feared he wasn't going to show up like last time but before we went out on stage I received a text message from him.
'You'll do great! I'll be sitting in the back row. Break a leg! (:'
My heart skipped a beat and I was even more nervous than before. After we performed, we went out to the stage for one final bow and then went out to the lobby so we could greet everybody. I looked around but he was already gone. My phone vibrated once more.
'You were incredible! Great job! I think your character shinned the most. I had a lot of fun. I'll talk to you soon.'
That's when I realized I had started to develop feelings for him but I tried to push them aside. During that time, my parents were freaking out I was hanging out with a professor. Part of it was because I had specifically told my sister that he was 26 yrs old but when they asked her about it, she said "I'm not sure if he's 26 or 36". Of course, being Hispanic and coming from a religious background, it was hard for them to trust anybody. After constant arguing they set an ultimatum, either they met him or I could no longer hang out with him. I spoke to Ric about it and after two days of trying to explain the situation and letting everything settle down, he finally agreed.
'Well I do enjoy your company. How would it be possible for me to introduce myself to your parents? That seems really strange to me, but I will do that if you want me to.'
'It's not if I want you to. It's if you want to. I know it's strange. I'm still against it but I am their little girl so I understand where they are coming from.'
'Haha, it's okay. I'll meet them. Just let me know when and where.'
'Okay (:'
I set up a meeting at Starbucks and I was incredibly nervous. I could see my father was tense as we entered the cafe. A few minutes later Ric arrived and I pointed him out to my parents. They immediately let out a sigh of relief and they realized this was not a 36 year old man with a bald head and Santa beard. I'm guessing that's what they thought he looked like. As the night went on they talked and laughed. Everything went well and my parents approved of our friendship. One night, we went to go watch 12 Years a Slave and that's when I realized I really liked this guy. The film was emotionally stressing and for a split second I had turned to look at him and I could've sworn I saw a tear roll down his eye. Not many guys show any emotion and for him, a 27 year old man, to be emotionally moved by a film was surreal. We then went to go eat at In-n-Out. What was supposed to be a 30 minute dinner ended up being a 2 hour dinner. It didn't matter because ever second was filled with laughter. We said our goodbyes and as I entered my car I whispered, "Crap". I was already in too deep. We continued to hang out but then, as fate would have it, things were about to go downhill. We went to J's place on Rosedale to eat Chicken & Waffles which was delicious. However the plates were huge so we split one and then we shared a Peach Cobbler with Ice-Cream dessert. I had to tell him how I felt because it was killing me inside. Later that night I decided to text him.
'Hey...'
'Hi. Is everything okay?'
'Yeah... It's just that... Well you know...'
I dreaded saying it out loud because deep down I knew he didn't feel the same. If he did, he would never act upon it because we came from two different world with different beliefs.
'I'm sorry Melissa. I feel like I can't be nice to you without you feeling like I'm leading you on. I did tell you from the beginning that I had many friends that are girls so I am naturally friendly.'
'I know... But I can't help how I feel...'
'I'm sorry. All I can offer you is my friendship. If that's too difficult then we should go our separate ways.'
'I think we should go our separate ways then. It was really great getting to know you. I'm sorry things had to end this way. Goodbye Ric.'
'I'm sorry too. Goodbye Melissa.'
There it was. The reaction I was dreading was the one I ended up receiving. I laid down on my bed and I felt sorrow for losing a great friend. But I knew that my feelings for him would ruin me if I didn't tell him how I felt. I needed to know if the feeling was mutual but unfortunately, it wasn't. This time however, I slept without shedding a tear.

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