The V- in 403C - Jess Bryant Page 0,15
old enough to drink.
This had to be a trick.
“Reed.” Star hissed from the second chair in the row, right next to the empty one she’d saved for him, “Sit. Down.”
“I…” He blinked and glanced from her, back to Jonah.
He wanted to say something but from the look of dread that was clearly visible behind those thick, black-framed glasses it was clear that Jonah couldn’t and wouldn’t have any sort of conversation with him right now. He tried not to frown. He wanted, more than anything, to go to Jonah and pull him into his arms, to earn another of those shy smiles instead of this horrible look of fear, but he knew if that was even remotely possible, he had to play it cool for now.
He cleared his throat, “I’m sorry I’m late.”
Jonah’s throat bobbed though Reed didn’t think anyone else was watching him closely enough to pick up on it. He gave a small little nod and his shoulders relaxed with clear relief. He met Reed’s gaze again before he spoke and when he did his voice was that same firm, commanding tone that he’d used when Reed snuck in late, not at all like the quiet, seductive voice he remembered from the night before.
“Don’t let it happen again Mr….”
“Matheson.” Reed winced, realizing this man knew the taste of his tongue but not his last name. “Reed Matheson.”
“Very well, Mr. Matheson. Take a seat.” Jonah cleared his throat, loudly, and then purposefully turned away from him to pass out papers to the other side of the classroom.
Reed slid down into his seat with a groan. This wasn’t happening. This was the kind of thing that only happened in movies or bad dreams. The cute guy he’d made-out with at the club last night was his teacher? He couldn’t have been more surprised if he’d walked into this classroom and found a talking monkey at the head of the class handing out lollypops.
“What the hell?” Star slapped his arm and Reed winced.
“Shh.” He growled, “You’re drawing attention to us.”
“Me?” She shot back with a glaring whisper, “You’re the one sneaking in late and then making the teacher go all googly-eyed over you. Jesus, Reed. Can’t you keep it in your pants for five minutes?”
“Shut. Up.” He hissed right back at her, ignoring her death glare and taking the stack of papers that were coming from across the aisle and continuing to pass them along.
“What is your problem? You…”
“Star, stop.” He shot her a warning look and then did a quick glance around to make sure nobody was paying enough attention to him to hear his next whispered words, “It’s him.”
“Him, who?”
“Him. The guy from the bar last night.”
Star’s eyes widened and she glanced around quickly, “What? Where?”
Reed grit his teeth and closed his eyes, pushing a breath out through his clenched jaw, “Him. Up there. The….”
“The teacher?” Star covered her own mouth to silence herself and Reed glared at her when a couple of the students in the row ahead of them turned around to see what all the commotion was about.
Reed stared at his hands, too scared to look up and find Jonah watching him again. Last night, he couldn’t get enough of that gaze but one look into Jonah’s wide and terrified eyes today and he couldn’t stand to look again. He didn’t want to see the regret he knew was lurking in those dark depths.
“Oh my God.” Star whispered again a few moments later, after everyone had turned back towards the front of the class, listening to Jonah go through the papers he’d handed out, though Reed couldn’t have repeated anything the man was saying because the blood rushing through his ears sounded like a freight train. “It IS him, isn’t it? I didn’t recognize him. Oh, but he recognized you. Reed…” She smacked his arm again and he glared at her when she bugged her eyes out dramatically, “You made out with our TA.”
“TA?” he repeated, not understanding, though from the way Star rolled her eyes, clearly he should have.
“Teaching Assistant. He’s Lambert’s TA.”
“That’s impossible. He looks younger than us.”
“If you’d been on time…” Star gave him a pointed look and he would have rolled his own eyes if his head didn’t hurt so damn bad. “You’d have heard him tell us all about his past and how he’s basically a child prodigy who is a doctoral candidate even though he’s like, our age.”
“Jesus.” Reed blinked and shot a quick glance towards the front of the