by the door even though there’s no line or anything stopping me from just enrolling.
“Can I help you?” the lady at the desk calls out and I startle into action, stepping forward with my files.
“Uh yeah, I called earlier? About, uhm—”
“About transferring credits? Do you have all of your paperwork here with you?”
I nod and hand it all over to her. She sifts through it all and types into her computer. I rub at my arms a little, the cami I’ve got on not doing much against the cold in the office. God, from one extreme to another.
Finally, after like a half hour of typing and frowning at what I’ve given her, she looks up at me and says, “Okay, I think that’s everything. Let me call you an advisor. I’ve assigned you to Finley, he’s good at the more… challenging cases.”
I swallow and try to smile back at her.
How exactly am I a challenging case?
I don’t get the chance to question her before she gets on the phone, her tone cheery and a little flirty as she speaks to this Finley guy. She motions for me to wait, like there’s anywhere else I could go right now, and I take a seat. It’s times like this I wish I had a phone to mess around on or a book in my bag to bury my nose in but instead I’m forced to stare around the office at the inspirational posters and event fliers.
I wish I were normal enough to enjoy something like a freshman mixer or to join a sorority. It would be nice to have friends.
A man steps into my eye line, a big grin of his tanned face. “Hello there! Welcome to Southern Miss. I’m Finley, you must be Angel.”
I smile and tuck a stray strand of my hair behind my ear, nervous as hell about this entire process. “Uh, thanks! I’m not going to be on campus, just here for like… exams or whatever.”
He grins at me and motions for me to follow him down the hallway. He’s dressed casually but it’s all nice clothes. Designer without being flashy. He obviously comes from money because he carries himself with that lightness that comes from not ever having a single thing to worry about or prove.
I’m jealous as hell.
“Are you sure online classes are for you? The workload can be hard to juggle, there’s still room in the dorms here. Not a lot but there’s some options I could sneak you into,” he says as he opens the door to his office, throwing me a wink as he opens the door for me.
My skin crawls.
It always does around this sort of attention. I hate men taking notice of me in any way, let alone this friendly sort of banter, the type where I’m not sure if he’s flirting or just always like this.
I’d rather be on stage dancing in panties and pasties than be in this small room with this guy. The stage is safe and quiet and like an island out to sea in comparison to the intimacy of this space.
The chairs are next to each other on one side of the desk.
“I’m not really into the formal stuff. I’m pretty hands-on with my students’ schedules and we need to be on top of your course load so this setup and my laptop works best. Do you have yours with you?”
I left it in my car, hidden under my pillow in the trunk. “No, sorry. I didn’t realize I’d be talking to someone today. The last time I transferred I didn’t have to.”
He takes a seat and grins at me when I get myself settled. He’s pointedly not looking at my bare arms and legs but that only makes it worse because it’s clear he wants to. Hell, I should have worn more clothes but the temperature here is like nothing else. I’m not used to the air feeling like hot soup to walk through.
It’s gross.
“You’ve transferred once already? Not enjoying the classes or other interruptions?”
I rub my palms down my thighs. “I’ve moved a couple of times. I’m… I’m staying with family now. I’m here for good.”
It feels like I should say something to reassure him that I’m not going to flunk out or run away from this. I don’t want to look unreliable or like the gutter rat I really am.
My dad used to call kids on the streets that, but he said it with that sorrow in his voice like he wanted so