university | lrh

01 - outkinked

Elise Halder
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As it turns out, the pizza offered at the University of Washington was absolutely not up to Michael Clifford's standards. Which, of course, meant our group of five would spend our remaining four days before classes start by scoping out the best pizza joint near campus.

"Shut the hell up Clifford, this is good fucking pizza and you know it." Calum tried to reason with Michael for the fifth time.

"You're wrong. You're eating the wrong pizza. I know good pizza, and this isn't it, Hood." Michael of course, had yet to be satisfied.

"Okay, look, I'm all for Malum and everything-" Cassie had started, making the two boys shoot confused glares in her direction.

"What the fuck is a Malum?" Calum scoffed.

"-but, can you guys stop acting like bickering boyfriends for five fucking seconds so we can talk about important things? Thanks!" Cassie finished, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Michael had looked at me incredulously. "Malum?" He mouthed.

I simply shrugged and turned back to Cassie.
"What's so important, then, Cass?"

She looked at me dumbfounded. "Are you serious? How about the fact that classes start tomorrow and we've yet to discuss our future professors?" She raised an eyebrow expectantly.

I shrugged with disinterest again. I'd been doing a lot of that lately. "What's there to discuss?"

I didn't see the point really, as we'd have to suffer through our classes whether we liked our professors or not. Plus, I had already researched my professors, and they were all exactly what i'd expected; aged, experienced, dull, and most likely been teaching at the school since it was built.

She cracked a sly grin at that. "So," she started, "I'm guessing someone didn't read the email from our English Lit professor, huh?" She still had that obnoxious smile on her face.

At this, I was suddenly tuned in. After all, English was going to be my major, I was sure of that. I'd wanted to be a writer for as long as I could remember, and I was suddenly anxious that there may be a change of plans I wasn't aware of in the class that was most important to me.

I dropped the half eaten slice of pizza back onto the box and leaned forward, narrowing my eyes at the girl with flaming blue locks. "What are you talking about?"

She snorted. "I'm talking about the fact that our dear old English Lit professor is handing over our class to his IA. As in, the fucking assistant he had last year. As in, we have some random, barely graduated dude teaching the course now. Can you believe that?"

I choked on my own spit, "What?"

They can do that? I wondered.

"That's so unfair! I don't want some kid teaching us! I didn't sign up for this." I huffed.

"Oh please, at least he'll be chill! My calculus professor is like, a million fucking years old. Be grateful. Maybe he'll be kinda hot." Michael shrugged.

I rolled my eyes at this. "He won't be, trust me. I'm sure he'll be some dorky dude just trying too hard to act like he's older than he is."

Cassie waved me off. "Whatever, what I'm trying to say is that we've got a fucking problem, Lisi. What if he is hot? God, do you know how kinky that would be? What if he likes to be called daddy-"

Ashton had snapped up at this. "No. Absolutely not. There's only room for one of us. And I win. Always." He crosses his arms over his chest, not joking in the slightest.