261
Lucy
As the morning sun cast its warm glow over the campus, I met up with Sarah and Amy near the corridor that led to where our algebra class was. The campus was buzzing with energy, and it was contagious as we started to head to class together. Amy waved at a few people as we passed, but Sarah was clearly in a bad mood.
"Ugh, algebra awaits," Sarah groaned dramatically, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Who even came up with algebra as a thing. Who made them so miserable that they would just pass on this misery to everyone else? Who did they pay off? Who did they kill?"
"This isn't a Shakespearean tragedy," Amy said. "It's just class."
"I'd prefer Macbeth to equations," Sarah said. "Michelle's so lucky."
"She's taking Accounting 101," Amy said. "That's more math, and you hate literature, too."
"I said prefer, not like." She wrinkled her nose. "And at least her professor is hot."
I laughed, shaking my head. "Did you go look?"
"I looked up all of my professors," she pouted. "Not a single hottie."
"I'm sure the universe got together to make sure you could actually pay attention, and it's not that bad," Amy said, don't be a baby."
Sarah pouted. "You're just saying that because you like math."
I couldn't help but laugh as they continued to bicker.
"Admit it. If you weren't a math wizard, you'd agree with me." Sarah huffed, poking Amy playfully. "For the rest of us, algebra sucks. Math is the most civilized version of torture."
Amy shrugged, her grin undeterred. "You want to go into business, you'll need algebra."
"I'm hiring someone to do all the math."
"What about measurements?" I asked. "Figuring out how much fabric you need? Isn't that math, too?"
Sarah narrowed her eyes at me. "Whose team are you on, Lucy?"
I laughed again. "I'm just asking."
"Well, don't!" She cried. "I rather not think about it."
"Math can be fun!" Amy said. "Think of it less like torture and more like... cracking a code."
She wiggled her eyebrows. "Remember when we used to play spies?"
Sarah rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and I remember never being good at it."
"That's because you didn't want to," Amy said. "I bet if you had to... crack a code to meet a hot guy, you'd be more interested."
"Guilty as charged."
"Everything's more interesting for Sarah with better scenery," I said, adjusting my backpack as we neared the right classroom.
"Imagine all the things you could hide in a math problem. I read a book where an undercover agent had to solve a bunch of math problems to diffuse a bomb."
Sarah groaned. "I remembered you reading that book. I'd rather not think about it ever again. You ran around pretending to be a spy for at least a week."
I smiled. "Sounds like fun."
"It was fun," Amy stuck out her tongue. "Just because you lack an imagination..."
Sarah rolled her eyes. "I have plenty of imagination. I just don't use it for math."
We reached the door of the classroom, and Sarah slumped, letting out an exaggerated sigh.
"May the numbers be ever in our favor."
Amy scoffed. "We all know you wouldn't volunteer."
I had no idea what they were referencing. The banter continued as we filed into the classroom, the air humming with the typical pre-class energy. As we found our seats, I noticed Sarah's eyes widen with surprise as she looked toward the front of the room.
"Is it just me, or did we step into a different dimension?" she whispered, her gaze fixed on the man standing at the podium.
I followed her line of sight and was surprised. Our usual professor was missing, and in his place was another man, but something told me that it wasn't the fact that he was unfamiliar that was getting to Sarah.
Our usual algebra professor was an older man with graying hair and glasses perched on the tip of his nose.
This man was young, not much older than us, with dark, tousled hair and a laid-back demeanor that seemed out of place in a math classroom. Dressed in a crisp shirt and jeans, he exuded a casual charm that seemed to be setting everyone in the room on the edge of their seats with interest.
"He's gorgeous," Sarah sighed. "This is going to be the best class ever... You think he's going to be teaching the next Algebra level, too?"
Amy shot me a playful glance, clearly sharing my amusement at Sarah's reaction. Her eyes sparkled like she'd found a treasure or something.
"Are we sure we're in the right classroom? Did we accidentally wander into a Modeling 101?" Sarah asked. "Maybe Romance Hero 205?"
Amy chuckled. "Maybe we just lucked out with the 'handsome math professor substitute' lottery. Think you can keep from falling asleep now?"
"I am wide awake."
I shook my head.
"Glad to meet you all," the man said. "I'm sure you've noticed that I'm not your usual professor. I'm an adjunct, Daedalus Faust. I'm not too much older than most of you, so let's not do the professor bit. I'll be filling until the end of the semester."
"Jackpot," Sarah whispered.
I looked at Amy. "I don't think you'll need to crack many codes about this."
Amy rolled her eyes. "I should be careful. She might actually get good at math...."
I snickered and turned back to the front. Daedalus smiled and turned to the board.
As Daedalus started the lesson, Amy nudged me with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I take it back. She's not going to remember much of anything by the end of this but the fit of his pants."
"I take offense to that," Sarah said. "What if he asks me questions, and I can't answer?"
Amy cocked an eyebrow at her. "… I'm surprised that you're thinking about that since he probably has office hours."
Her eyes widened and sparkled. I shook my head. "You have class during his office hours."
Her shoulders slumped as she looked back at the board to where he'd written out his office hours. She sighed.
"The whole universe is against me."
Despite her saying that, she seemed unusually attentive, even if her gaze lingered more on him than the words and equation he wrote on the board. I shook my head, taking note. While I was glad that he was a good professor, I wondered if this was really going to help Sarh get through the class so she wouldn't have to retake it.
Though... maybe she wanted to retake it if Daedalus was going to be teaching it.
Daedalus wasn't a boring professor. It was nice not to have to fight through a monotone lecture to pay attention, but the longer I sat there, the more uncomfortable I felt. There was something lingering in the air that I couldn't place.
Then, the eerie feeling spiked as the glint of his watch almost blinded me as he gestured through the air. It wasn't that it was particularly shiny but that it emitted a glow that grew sharper every time he gestured or wrote on the board. The way his eyes occasionally flicked in my direction added an unsettling edge to the class, so much so that I tried not to look up as much as possible.
"And with that, we're done," he said. "I've got handouts for you to prep you for the midterm coming up. We'll be working through these concepts over the next few weeks. Just to let you know, I'll allow you to bring any handout I've given you for your exams, so don't lose them." He smiled. "You should probably also complete them."
My head was throbbing as people started to get up and head down the stairs.
"Did you see the way he explained that quadratic formula? It was like poetry," Sarah whispered as the rest of the class started to file out. Her eyes were still fixed on Daedalus.
Amy playfully nudged her. "I think you just found a new reason to love algebra, Sarah. Forget 'x' and 'y'; now it's all about Professor Faust."
Sarah sighed. "I'd study very thoroughly..."
I shook my head and gathered my things. The glow of his watch seemed to be growing brighter the longer we lingered in the classroom. We joined the line to collect the handout. My headache was only growing worse. I felt shaky. The atmosphere of the room seemed to be shifting, and a strange tension hung in the air. I felt... on edge and wary. There was something in me telling me to get out quickly that I was in danger, but I couldn't place why.
As I approached the desk, I felt a sudden jolt, like a static charge running through me. It was a sharp, pricking pain that lingered as an ache. Startled, I looked up to find the professor regarding me with an unsettling gaze.
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