The Devils Of Harvard

Chapter Fifteen

Staring out the window of my class I was partially zoning out at the city around me that I could see.

My mind for the past few days was cycling between Derek and Nathan. They were similar but in different ways. Derek had a sense of casualness to me that Nathan didn't, along with how he didn't fill a room, he was just sort of there and quiet always appealed to me. I didn't terribly love the parties since I knew there was illegal things that happened there but I couldn't be a hypocrite since I went and got drunk just a few days ago. Nathan was the sort of opposite; he could dictate and control any situation, he could make me feel safe in any situation, and make sure nothing happened to me. He was the first person to make me feel safe and I knew that, along with the person to take my virginity. Nathan was cautious and patient which Derek could be though hosting raves made that debatable even if they were private events.

The negatives for Nathan were also some of his better traits, he was cunning and precise which made him extremely reclusive and reserved, along with how he internalized everything which led him to drinking, and hiding away from people when things went wrong. Derek didn't really have any, at least that I knew of, the tattoos weren't a red flag I thought the creativity made it really fascinating and he had always treated me with nothing but respect in all our interactions.

I just didn't know what he did during the day, he wasn't a student as far as I knew, his parents were also never around and he didn't talk about them.

What if he enjoys his privacy.

"Louviere eyes up here" the professor says and I pull my eyes from the window to see her staring at me along with most of the class.

If only I could tell them all to fuck off.

"What is the answer to the question that I just wrote on the board?".

Looking past the curly haired professor I stared at the question for a moment analyzing the graph with multiple small paragraphs written around it pointing to different parts of the data.

"The graphs are about sales to cost, the main question is how do brands counter or balance this, which doesn't have a specific answer some brands use really cheap materials, others produce in house, some just outsource through inexpensive labour. Sales has to be broadened price effects sales, if something looks, and feels, or even is associated with a variety of tropes reliability, durability, who more often buys it, how does colour affect the target group, does the design allow for functionality, and easy usage. Simplicity even can make or break a sale regardless of the pitch used to get it on shelves and into people's homes. It's just common sense" I reply leaning forwards slightly.

"Pay attention Miss Louviere" the prof says turning back to her board and for a fleeting second I could remember the way Nathan would tease me. There was nothing like it, and considering how often he guarded my purity waiting for me to be sure that I was willing to give that part of myself to someone.

Nathan was like that he knew how to make people feel safe, and I felt careless for just walking away from someone who could do all the things so many looked for far too late. I could still picture the look on his face the winning smirk and how he could make all my problems go away, how he would always put himself in the way of anything that could possibly harm me even though he knew I could defend myself. I could remember sitting next to him in his car and him purposely going slower then normal to make sure that I was comfortable at all times.

Eventually when class ended I stood slowly and made my way out of the class towards the parking lot where my car sat gleaming in the sunlight, I could even spot the other cars sitting around the lot and felt periodically normal seeing some of the luxury vehicles just not in the same way I could look at Thornbrook which made Yale feel tiny, but that private school was a different breed of money.