This Lawless Love [wlw]

Chapter Three: The Empty Chair

Anxiety gripped Almenira as she forced herself to step off the train platform and begin the trek to campus.

How should she react when she saw Professor Goldberg? Should she ask for a word and apologize? Should she glare at him as she walked to her seat?

In the end, all delusions of her being a hard ass bitch or putting on her 'white' voice to beg for mercy left her when she arrived in front of the classroom door, she decided to just keep her head down and take her seat.

The knot in her stomach immediately unraveled when she saw that the Professor's seat was empty.

Strange, she thought, there has never been a day where Professor Goldberg was even a minute late to class and that man must have had the immune system of an immunologist's wet dreams since sick days were unheard of.

The students that filtered in after her though, still took their seats. No one wanted to risk assuming class was cancelled and leaving.

She sat down as well, deciding to use this time to get started on all the rapidly approaching assignments she had.

"Woah, no Mr. Trunchbull?" Almenira heard behind her, recognizing the voice to be Chang.

"He's probably so pissed off he's devising a plan to make us all drop out." Another voice joked.

"Like that's funny? I just know I flunked that quiz. I don't even wanna know what my grade is going to be, I deleted the goddamn grade book app." Said someone else.

"Ay! Almenira nice f-cking going!"

Almenira's eye twitched, knowing exactly who was speaking to her. Her chest started to feel tight both from the anxiety of confrontation and growing anger.

She turned around to face the source of the voice, "Gee, thanks Connor because I'm the one who's f-cking up grades."

"You couldn't help but mouth off, huh?" The broad man with a baby face retorted. His volume rose as he sensed more eyes turning towards their little scene.

"Uh, yeah I couldn't! He let someone else in literally three seconds before me yet I was the one who's late. I'm sick of his bullsh-t and him getting the f-ck away with it!" She barked, turning away in hopes he would get the hint the conversation was finished.

"We're all sick of it yet you don't see us acting ratchet." Came a new, nosy ass voice.

Valerie.

"Fucking excuse me!?" Almenira exclaimed, whipping back around and rising from her seat. She glanced at the only other black person in the room but he was resigned to sitting there with his mouth stuck in a shocked O.

"Are you gonna fight me?" Valerie asked cockily, leaning back in her chair as if she was relaxed but Almenira could tell she was getting nervous by the way her arms were crossed tightly and her eyes darted back and forth, searching for a sign that Almenira would attack.

"Yes, Valerie, get the fuck up!" Of course, Almenira had never fought anyone a day in her life but she could tell Valerie hadn't either and she seized the opportunity for the upper hand.

Valerie's smile dropped at the confession and she sat up defensively.

"Stop making everything about race, geez! It was a joke!" She exclaimed, an uneasy smile returning to her face as if she made a poor joke.

"You're the only one who just mentioned race. Shut up, you racist b-tch." Another voice chimed in, Almenira didn't have to break the hard stare she held with Valerie to sense Mei-Song sauntering up to the scene.
"Even you know what you meant and you should get your ass beat for it. You're not in the ass crack of Mississippi anymore."