Shadows

Chapter 6

The rest of the class passed by in a blur of trying to concentrate on what the professor was saying; however, I was immensely failing and instead of taking notes, I filled a whole page with doodles. Not to mention that the stares of the boy, whose name I don't know, were literally burning into my side.

So, it's safe to say that when the lecture finally ended I was more than ready to flee the room and go hide somewhere, preferably in one of the unnamed trails in the woods. But instead, I stayed seated in my place to speak with the professor when all the students leave as she asked me too.

"Isn't it funny how we managed to stumble into each other two days in a row?" The boy, who for some reason didn't leave along with the others, asked with an annoying smirk.

"I don't think it's funny. If anything, I think it's creepy," I mumble while packing my bag.

"I've spoken with you only twice till now, and I think you insulted me both times even though I've been nothing but nice to you. You really need to work on your socializing skills if you want to make any friends here."

The professor cleared her throat loudly saving me from continuing this awkward conversation, making me quickly gathered my stuff and make my way to the front of the hall without sending the boy a second glance. 

I was walking very slowly because the last thing I wanted to do right now was to get scolded by anyone, and I had high hopes that this petty attempt of mine might give the professor time to calm down in case she's mad.

I was also walking slowly to give myself more time to try and recall the professor's name. I was planning to read her name from the nameplate outside the lecture hall in the morning before class. However, since I was panicking for being late, checking the nameplate completely slipped my mind. Reaching the front of the hall, my final thought was that I guess I'll have to refer to her as professor or ma'am all through the conversation.

"Hello, Ms..."

"Aurora Valencia, ma'am"

"You're the girl who's staying in that missing girl's room, right?" she asks curiously.

I didn't know that professors gossip too. I thought people outgrow the gossiping phase while they're in university, but turns out I was wrong. Lucky me, even the professors will give me those dirty looks and stares. I wonder if Lena is going through the same thing too...

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well, Ms. Valencia, I heard about the dorm incident, and I know that you did not exactly get a warm welcome from the other students here. But, you have to know that this doesn't give you an excuse to be late or to not focus in class. This attitude of yours will only help you in failing this class. I will ignore what happened today, but I do hope that this won't happen again. This university is not like other universities. Here, attendance on time is mandatory."

"I'm really sorry. I just went to sleep late last night because I was writing an essay, and I lost track of time, but I'll be more careful from now," I say apologetically.

"I do hope so. Now go, you don't want to be late to your next lecture."

I murmured a thank you before leaving the class. Thankfully, I had half an hour break before my next class, so I immediately decided to go get the coffee that I desperately need to stay awake till the end of the day. The walk to the café passed by quickly, and the next thing I know, I was sitting on one of the benches with a large cup of coffee beside me.

I was debating taking out the journal to look at the note or to read one more entry, but I didn't want to risk it in case anyone recognizes the journal or Alexis's handwriting. So, I decided to just sit and enjoy the nature surrounding me.