Can't Stop [James Franco Fanfiction]

Ch. 9

Chapter 9

"What the hell was that?" Tatum hissed, nudging me with her elbow.

I could feel myself blushing and my temperature rising. "First day," I mumbled as I buried my face in my notebook. No wonder this class was so popular -- James taught it.

After forty minutes of awkward lecturing and occasional eye contact, James ended the class early. "You're free to stay in here and work on your projects, if you'd like."

I slammed my notebook shut and stuffed it into my bag, slinging it over my shoulder.

"Miss Teller? Could I have a word?

I snapped my head up at the sound of my name. James was staring right at me. I gave him an exasperated look and said goodbye to Tatum before slowly trudging up to his desk. It was cluttered -- piles of stacked books covered most of the desk, and loose papers strewn about covered what little of the surface remained. I recognized some of the tattered poetry books from the plane. James was preoccupied shuffling through a file of papers. I surveyed him as I approached the desk; he looked different. Older. He was wearing a button-down shirt with a tie, slacks, and glasses. He looked like he was an actor playing the role of a teacher -- which he basically was.

I cleared my throat. "Yes... Mr. Franco?" I asked, scowling at him.

He looked up at me, taken aback. "You don't have to call me that," he said quietly.

"I'm dropping this class," I blurted out quickly. There was no way I could sit in this hall three times a week and look him in the face. I couldn't pretend like I didn't know him, or act like he hadn't lied to me about his entire life. I had to drop it from my schedule, there was no other option.

James ran his hands across his face. I noticed those two worry lines reappear between his brows as he took a deep breath. "Cass, please. This is a great course, and you deserve to be in it. I was just surprised to see you here. They told me I had a new student, but they didn't give me your name." His voice was so soft I could barely hear him.

"I don't think you understand," I said, this time more firmly. "I don't want to be in your class."

He scratched his head, thinking for a moment before he spoke. "I won't sign your drop form. You'll get an incomplete in the class. It'll tank your GPA."

I stared at him in disbelief.

He stood up from his chair and looked intently at me. "If you really don't want to take this class, we can talk about it. Come get a coffee with me. My treat. I promise I won't storm out this time." His lips formed into a pout as his eyes stared into mine pleadingly.

I bit my lip to keep from smiling. "Fine," I finally caved in. "Just a coffee."

His grin lit up his face. "Just a coffee."

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I blew across the top of my steaming mug, attempting to cool down my latte. James had led us to a small cafe just a few blocks away. The place was cozy -- lots of dark woods and tapestries hanging around. It would have been dark inside if it weren't for the large windows covering all the walls, allowing for the sunlight to stream in.

"Listen, Cass, I want to apologize," James began, setting his coffee back down on the table. He had ordered it black -- no cream, no sugar, nothing. "I know I should have told you the truth..."

I scoffed. "You think?"

He cleared his throat and took another sip from his cup. "I really am sorry. But, and I'm not trying to use this as an excuse, but you don't know how refreshing it is to meet a cute girl who doesn't immediately recognize you. I wanted to see if you'd like me for just being me." When I didn't respond, he continued. "And I really was going to tell you. I'm sorry that you had to find out the way you did."

I gazed out the window for a few moments, collecting my thoughts. He called me cute. That's the second time he's done that, and I still didn't know what he meant by it. "Okay," I finally said.

He stared at me. "Okay?"

"Yep," I responded simply. "Okay. I get it. I don't like it, and I still think you shouldn't have lied to me, but okay."

James smiled, shaking his head in amusement. "So, you'll stay in my class?"

I pressed my lips together and nodded. "Yeah, okay."

"Okay. Okay, yeah. Great." James held up his coffee cup as if he were giving a toast, and I clinked my own against his.

I laughed at him -- he looked so unbelievably happy, like a little kid who just found out they could go to Disney World. "Just don't let it happen again, professor," I winked at him.

A/N: James is BACK! I know I've missed him, what about you guys? Please keep commenting and voting, your feedback means so much to me! Xo