𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐏𝐄𝐓 (joel miller) ✔️

chapter nineteen: happy halloween

Millie and Joel didn't speak to each other for the next eleven days. They didn't necessarily ignore each other, but she always left the room immediately after the lectures and they didn't meet for TA stuff either.

Today, however, she needed to see him again, and probably talk to him, since today is NYU's annual Halloween parade. Which Millie and her friends always participated in.

"Oh my good, we look so good, Kurtis would you please take some pictures of us?" Linh said excitedly and gave Kurtis her phone, whose costume was Ash from Pokémon.

"Sure Baby" he said and took about 50 photos of the girls.

"Let me see," Linh said as Kurtis gave her back the phone. 

"Oh man Millie, I can see your bruises in almost every photo. That looks like someone beat you up, I can't post that, can I?" Linh asked with a laugh. 

"Fuck you Linh, you hurt yourself too" Millie said back with a grin.

The group went ice skating two days ago. And actually Millie and Linh could skate very well. But Kurtis didn't, he has never ice skated in his life. And he fell, dragging both down with him.

And now Millie had a big bruise on her thigh, which unfortunately could not be covered by her skirt. Linh had more luck, she fell on her ass and that's why luckily you couldn't see her bruise.

„I'm sorry guys" said Kurtis embarrassed.

･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

"So you really think it won't be a problem if we join you?" Jess then asked Millie and Kurtis as the group made their way to the Washington Square Park.

"I don't think so. Millie you asked him, didn't you?"

„Huh?"

"You asked Mr. Miller if the others could join us to collect donations for the children's hospital, right?" Kurtis asked her.

„Oh, no uhm, i didn't" she replied.

"What? Why not?" he asked confused.

"I forgot, sorry. But it won't be a problem. Ms. Gilberts always allowed it, she was even happy because more people were there to collect donations"

The students and professors of the history department have been taking care of the donations at the parade for several years. Millie and Kurtis have always volunteered and enjoyed it. They liked the task, other departments had it worse, a few had to run in the parade or help in the children's costume contest.

And luckily, the parade only lasts from 3pm to 6pm, so they still had plenty of time for Halloween afterwards. After a few minutes they arrived at the park and Kurtis immediately greeted their professor.

„Hi Mr. Miller"

„Hello Kurtis. Millie" he said back while his eyes were on her a little longer. He knew she would look good today, which she does every day. But today she looked really really good, that fairy costume really suited her and she looked very cute in it.

"Can our friends help? They were always allowed to do with Mrs. Gilberts," Kurtis asked.

"Uh yeah sure. It's for a good cause anyway, You're welcome to help"

The group was collecting donations until 4 pm when Linh saw a booth with fries. 

"Okay, I'll get fries, you want some too?" Linh asked them. They gave her some bills and Linh walked over to the booth with Kurtis.

Meanwhile, the others sat down at the table with the professors. And of course, there was only a free seat next to him.

"Do you study history too?" Layla asked Millie's friends.

While her friends were talking to Layla, Millie caught someone looking at her out of the corner of her eye. She then saw that it was Joel who was looking at her in concern and she raised her eyebrow in confusion. 

"Millie are you okay?" he asked her quietly. Thankfully - so that the others didn't notice, because her friends and Layla were engaged in a deep conversation.

"Yes?" Millie replied confused.

"What happened?" he asked, wanting to put his hand on her thigh, a few inches below her bruise, but his hand stopped a few inches before touching her. He remembered the conversation eleven days ago that in a platonic teacher-student relationship he shouldn't touch her thigh.

"Oh that, nothing bad," she replied, not wanting to tell that she and Linh fell over because of Kurtis' ice skating. He was embarrassed enough and almost cried when he saw that the two got hurt because of him.

"Did another person do that?" he asked concerned. Why was he so worried? They had decided not to have anything to do with each other anymore.

"No, I fell," she replied, realizing that it really sounded like an excuse.

"Are you trying to protect the person who did that?"

"No I fell, okay? For real. We went ice skating the day before yesterday. There was a little accident and Linh and I fell" she answered.

„Okay" he replied kinda relieved.

"You think I can't take care of myself?" she asked back.

"No that's not what I meant. I just want you to know that you can talk to me if you have something on your mind or if you're not feeling well, okay?" he said and it was difficult for Millie to meet his eyes. Why did she have to get so nervous again just because she was sitting so close to him? She had ignored him for eleven days and it was no problem for her. Now she sits next to him for a few minutes and immediately got nervous again.

"Thank you. But you don't have to."

"But I want to"

"Why?"

"Because i care for you"

"You do?"

"Yes, i care for my students. It's important to me that they are doing well. The bruise just looked like someone else had put it on you, that worried me."

„Okay sure. Was that all?" she asked.

She wasn't annoyed by him, nor did she mind that they were talking. Quite the opposite, she kinda enjoyed talking to him again after eleven days. But right now, she shouldn't do it anymore. She shouldn't be happy to talk to a teacher. But in Millie's mind it was just because he was her favorite teacher, nothing more.

„Yeah, I guess" he replied.

It was quiet for a few seconds before Millie started talking again. Yes, a few seconds ago she didn't want to talk to him, but somehow she liked to have conversations with him.

"Do you still have the cat?" she asked curiously.

"Jiji? Yes"

"You called him Jiji?" she asked surprised.

"Yes, I kinda like that name" And that wasn't a lie, he liked the name because it was her idea and because it reminded him of her.

And when he saw her start to smile, he couldn't help but smile too.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ