Broken Horse

Chapter 8 - Jacey

Monday morning, I walked into class a minute late and he was watching me. My heart was beating hard as I slipped into the seat in the back next to my usual partner for lab. Talking with Sergei the Friday night, I felt something more opening to him knowing it was near impossible to ever be anything more to him than a student. Though, I was the one he stopped and talked to about why he was gone for almost two weeks. Before I left that night, I urged him to take some more time off, but he said he was ready to come back to class. Maybe a part of me wanted him to quit so I, at least, could be friends with him. But the other half needed him to be the teacher so I didn't fail this class.

Just sitting with him Friday, I saw more of him open up as we talked about his father and his brother, but the loss was still deep inside, grief he was trying to hold in as best as he could. Holding that pain in would only land him back into the place where he was before and I didn't want to see that part of him come back. I just shouldn't have stayed as long as I did, but I really didn't want to leave either. I enjoyed talking with him, seeing him on the verge of tears over his loss, managing a smile when he was talking about his brother the hockey player, and everything in between.

"Miss Montgomery, you are late." His voice was deeper and stronger than I ever heard in him before. I was late for class, but before he didn't say anything. Now, he was...'Professor Johnston'? "See me after class."

Heat pooled in my cheeks. Maybe he was drinking again or maybe he wasn't and this was the true Sergei I met Friday night. That man I did meet, I felt something strong for, but I would never be anything more than a student to him. I couldn't even think about there ever being a chance, if there was one at all.

With power and grace, he stood wearing a nice black and red checked shirt that hugged his shoulders nicely accenting the muscles underneath. His jeans shaped his backside perfectly showing off just how fit he was. As if he couldn't look any hotter, that sexy smirk came back damn near knocking me off the chair. As he went through the slides, he talked about each one, throwing out little funny remarks, a few comments, and a couple lame jokes. Like usual, at the end, he started to ask questions to see what we learned from his lecture. When it came to me, I sat there as if I hadn't heard a word he said.

"Miss Montgomery, would you answer the question?" His sapphire eyes fell on me waiting, expecting me to answer, but I hadn't heard a word he said today. I was far too busy watching him, drinking in all of the beautiful man that he was. I saw a side of him I didn't known was there and it was side that I wished I could have in my life. "No?" He asked the question slower as if I had a hard time understanding his English. "It is easy. I give you the easy question, but you have not answered yet." He asked again as his eyes narrowed on me, his brows pinching in the middle, and his voice stiffening up.

"I don't know." Tears actually started to sting my eyes. Why was he acting like this today? A couple of the other girls hadn't known what he asked them and he didn't make a big deal about it. He simply guided them into the answer little by little until they got it. Why was he humiliating me today?

"Have you not listened to anything today?" Shoving his hands deep into his pockets, his looked stayed on me, intimidating me, waiting for me to answer yet. Nothing. No hints came out, no section of information he was talking about at the time, or no little tips that included one of his jokes or little lame remarks as he did with the other girls in class. His eyes just stayed on me, cold and hard, with nothing more coming. But I forgot what he even asked. How could I answer him when I couldn't remember the question? "We will discuss this when you see me about being late."

Turning around, he headed back toward the front smiling, looking at the girls up there all flaunting their stuff to them. One hadn't known the answer and she giggled like it was a big game. Then, he laughed and flirted with her to get the answer. Back and forth they went, him giving her hints and she playfully answered, wrong, but she at least answered. When she finally answered right, he winked and moved on. "When we actually read the textbook, this is more understandable. We have the test coming up. This test, you need to be ready for. No one in here can miss much. Maybe I will give more bonus questions to help if we all get here on time and answer the questions."