Chapter 5

　　A giggle escaped Maya's lips as she read through the comment section of her post on Instagram, she was proud the pie came out even more perfect than she would have expected.

　　Her thumb clicked on the heart button on one particular comment and typed a short response. The knock on the window startled her and she almost dropped her phone as a result, she glanced up to see who it was, and squinted when she recognized the grinning boy waving energetically,

　　"Did you really have to fucking knock on the window?" She muttered, poking her head over the window and looking at him disapprovingly, "You know how sensitive Charlie is."

　　Jason rolled his eyes and walked one to the other side, opening the door and plopping onto the passenger seat,

　　"I don't know which one is worse," He began to say as he handed her a cup, "The fact that my car broke down last night or that you refer to yours as an actual person."

　　Mays gratefully accepted the cup from her friend, to be honest, she didn't like the frat house that Jason stayed at but the coffee there was to die for. She held up a finger at him and gingerly took a slow sip, moaning loudly when the creamy liquid touched her tongue.

　　Jason chuckled, shaking his head in wonderment, "You're crazy."

　　She grinned at him and placed the styrofoam in the cup holder, her fingers quickly finding the key and starting the car,

　　"I told you, Jason, Charlie is more than just a vehicle to me, he's a-"

　　"Friend and companion, yeah I've heard that too many times." He finished with an eye roll and the engine sputtered to life instantly,

　　"It's a shame. Charlie really likes you." She chuckled when he groaned in distress, banging his head softly in the window at his side.

　　Her fingers went to the radio, searching the dial unto she found that she needed,

　　"When do, you think your car will be fixed?"

　　"What?" He drawled, tilting his head to look at her, baby blue eyes sparkling innocently, "Tired of me already?"

　　Maya looked to the road, keeping her palms on the wheel, "You know that's not what I meant."

　　She heard him blow a tired breath, "I know, it's just...the car was beaten up pretty badly y'know and I'm low on cash right now -"

　　"I could always lend you some."

　　"No!" He protested quickly, too quickly that she caught it, "You know how I feel about my friends lending me money." He smiled and Maya rolled her eyes, this was the first time it had happened and she knew it would be the last either but it never once stopped her from offering,

　　"Whatever you say..." She shrugged nonchalantly before turning onto the road and pulling into the school's parking lot. "We're here."

　　"Yay." His tone held no enthusiasm as he climbed out of the car, Maya shook her head fondly as she followed, grabbing her bag and the cup along.

　　She made sure to lock the door and deposited the keys into the purse she had slung on her shoulder,

　　"I have mixed feelings."

　　Maa gave Jason a quizzical look when she reached where he stood, "About?"

　　He turned to face her, the pink highlights on his hair glinted in the sunlight, "I know I did well on the questionnaire but I can't help but feel worried, you know?"

　　Her eyes softened at that, she knew exactly how he felt, she'd been having similar doubts ever since she submitted her answers to the professor,

　　"I'm sure you'll do well." She offered gently and placed a hand on his cheek. It was so soft under her palm, "Come on-"

　　"Wait!" He grabbed her wrist gently but firmly, "We can't leave yet."

　　Her brows furrowed and she analyzed her friend carefully "Why not?"

　　He clicked his tongue, eyes darting to the device in his hand, "He should be here any moment now." He whispered to himself but she heard clearly,

　　"Who are you-"

　　"Hey, guys!"

　　A voice called out excitedly and they both snapped their heads around to look at Derek, a wide smile was on his face as he raced towards them. She noticed he wore a beanie again today,

　　"Hi Derek," Jason purred seductively, walking past her to greet the newcomer, "You're late."

　　"Yeah, I missed the bus." He panted out as he reached them, smiling shyly at Maya and rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "Sorry about that."

　　"You don't need to apologize." Maya offered, offering him a small smile, "We just got here anyways."

　　He grinned again and Maya concluded the boy was a cheery fellow. She found his excessive need to smile annoying at first but slowly found herself enjoying the cheerful energy he emitted.

　　"So!" Jason clapped loudly, squeezing himself into their middle and grabbing both their arms, "Who's ready for some psychology?!"

　　She and Derek simultaneously frowned and they all fell into fits of laughter.

　　"How much longer do we have to wait exactly?"

　　Maya was absorbed in the game she was playing and ignored the question, her fingers rapidly tapping on the screen of her phone,

　　"Twenty," Derek provided after a moment and she glanced up at him to see his eyebrows raised questioningly, "Why? Is something wrong?"

　　"Nope," She answered confidently, popping her p. "Just trying to beat my current level."

　　"Ohhhh, well that makes sense." Jason teased.

　　Maya glared at him playfully, "Since our professor has made it a habit to come late to each class, I might as well do something productive."

　　She returned to her game and her eye widened when she saw it'd ended already. which meant she failed...again. "Shit!"

　　"I think this should be classified as abuse." Jason suddenly said and Maya sighed, rolling her eyes and throwing her phone off her lap and onto Jason,

　　He caught the device and sent a glare in her direction, "No, I mean think about it. He makes us wait in class, knowing fully well the torture it does to us."

　　"I agree," Derek chipped in, closing his laptop and sliding it back into his backpack, "I thought professors would lay good examples to their students. What kind is he laying if he keeps coming late to every class?"

　　Maya puked in her mouth when she saw the smitten look Jason was giving Derek, she coughed and looked away,

　　Her eyes darted to the door for the umpteenth time that morning and she was beginning to feel dejected,

　　Would he skip class today? After what he'd told her two days ago?

　　Maya would be lying if she said she wasn't anticipating what he had in-store today. Despite the full class, she'd managed to secure a space at the front row just so she could catch his expression clearly. Two minutes had gone by and disappointment was slowly creeping into her heart when there was still no sign of him showing up, the lecture theatre was now filled with the chatter of students, Jason and Derek had fallen into a conversation about last night's game while Maya had long since given up and buried her nose in one of the textbooks sitting on top of her bag.

　　She was suddenly roused from her reverie by the sound of someone gasping loudly behind her,

　　"I was hoping he wouldn't show up," Jason murmured dejectedly and she rose her head to look towards the door,

　　She bit her bottom lip on seeing who'd arrived and watched intently as he slid into the room slowly. Her heart sped up at the sight of him, Maya couldn't tear her eyes away from the professor- she wasn't sure she could even if she wanted to and ignored Jason's grumble, instead choosing to watch as the older man walked over to the front to stand behind the lectern, looking at his class expectantly.

　　A few moments passed and Maya still found herself staring at him intensely, unable to move.

　　After several more minutes, her thoughts were abruptly interrupted when he cleared his throat, catching her attention.

　　"I'm surprised more people showed up this time."

　　Her heart sped up when his eyes fell on hers, it was a quick look but it made Maya's stomach flip.

　　"I had the chance to look over every one of your responses to the questionnaire and…"

　　Maya swore the whole class held their breaths, herself included, as they waited for the man to continue,

　　"I honestly am disappointed. Although few of your answers were honest," He took slow strides to walk down the center aisle, stopping in front of the class and accessing them with a piercing gaze, "Most of them were too simplistic and lacking. I asked you to use references not copy them."

　　Everyone's breathing stilted and Jason audibly sucked in air through his teeth beside her, making Maya squeeze his shoulder to calm him down.

　　She watched as he crossed his arms across his chest,

　　"That's why," he paused and inhaled deeply, "I decided to review each of your works personally, if you've checked your emails then you'll see the appointed day and time set aside for your assessment. I believe you all know my office?"

　　There was a brief murmur amongst the class.

　　"Good," He clapped once and returned to the podium at the front of the class and picked up a small black item, outstretching his hand, the projector screen lit up as he pressed the button, "Psychological responses to traumatic stress." He announced and Maya leaned back in her seat, intrigued by the topic already.

　　The image on the projected screen showed a young girl sobbing as her father attempted to comfort her, he seemed very distraught and his arms were wound protectively around the little girl. The image flickered and the girl disappeared leaving behind another image, the picture switched to a woman sitting at her desk, her shoulders stiff, her hands tightly curled into fists, her cheeks streaked with tears and her brows furrowed in deep contemplation.

　　A frown tugged at Maya's lips at the sight of such raw anguish, the woman looked utterly terrified.

　　Maya took a peek at Jason and was less than surprised to see his body was ramrod straight and his eyes were glued to the screen in concentration. Derek's eyes were also fixed on the projection, one hand on his laptop and the other underneath his chin, his brows were drawn together in a tight line and his lips puckered in contemplation.

　　"I'm certain we are all familiar with the term 'trauma' or 'traumatic stress disorders'? " He spoke again, breaking Maya from her reverie, "Or perhaps, some of you have encountered such before, such as when one of you was hurt during an accident. Perhaps a person or persons has caused you pain, either by negligence or malicious intent, and has hurt you beyond repair." He paused slightly as if to let that sink in before continuing, "That is when the human mind begins to develop reactions and emotions that are very difficult to control-" His steel-like gaze scanned the crowd before resting on hers and Maya felt her breath hitch in response. She averted her eyes, suddenly finding the floor fascinating.

　　"Unpredictable behaviors, anxiety, fear...these are all common reactions after trauma and these may become more frequent or more dangerous if untreated. It is particularly difficult to avoid these effects in society because many of us, most likely those who suffer from these symptoms may have been neglected." He turned to face them and locked eyes with Maya again, "Yes, Peterson?"

　　Professor Grey looked over her shoulders to address who'd raised their hand,

　　"If PTSD is a diagnostic disorder, shouldn't a diagnosis be based on how the person reacts upon having an episode? Shouldn't that help us get better treatment, even though the symptoms can be severe?"

　　Professor Grey nodded once, turning to face the entire class.

　　"Indeed. As with everything regarding any disorder or condition, therapy should ideally focus on helping prevent the episodes from becoming severe enough to endanger the patient's life. Therapy often helps us overcome our triggers and in time we can overcome them completely." He looked down at the Ipad in his hand before lifting his head, his gaze meeting Maya's and she saw something glower in them before he looked away. "But, it is not advisable to pressure the patient or a traumatized individual to talk about their reactions until they feel ready."

　　A brunette boy seated two rows ahead of Maya raised his hand immediately, "What do you mean by that Professor? How can it possibly make things worse if we don't talk about it?"

　　The corners of his lips twitched upwards slightly and his eyes fell on the gold watch around his left wrist, "I'm afraid I have to end the class here, but -" He looked up again, staring directly at the boy, "I promise I'll answer your question and other ones you might have on our next class."

　　The boy visibly deflated, dropping his arm to his side and the rest of the class murmured in disappointment, Maya was not much different, she didn't want the class to end either.

　　"So," He continued when no one seemed to be saying anything else, "This class is dismissed for today." He said before gathering his materials and placing them neatly in his bag, "Don't forget to check your emails for your scheduled appointment. I don't appreciate tardiness."

　　Maya had to hold back a scoff at that, from her peripheral vision, Jason rolled his eyes dramatically and her lips tipped up into a small smile. She returned her gaze to the professor's, stunned to see that his eyes were already on her. Maya's cheeks flammed in embarrassment and she lowered her gaze quickly.

　　What was she thinking, of course, he could tell what she was doing and it made her feel stupid. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and looked at the man expectantly only to see him walking towards the door, her eyes fell to his ass and she bit her lower lip to stop herself from moaning softly.

　　He had a nice ass. All taut and defined muscles under his fitted clothes, the curve of his ass was quite pronounced when he strode and Maya swallowed dryly at the way the suit pants hugged his lean form so well. She shook her head lightly to rid herself of her unwanted thoughts; she didn't need her hormones going off, especially when the man in question was off-limits.

　　She looked at the class first, then at her friends to see if anyone had noticed her blatant ogling. Thankfully, they all looked busy checking their email.

　　"Fucking bitch." Jason cursed loudly, rubbing his eyes in agitation, "My review is today."

　　"What?" She and Derek yelled simultaneously and Maya quickly placed at him and then back to Jason.

　　"I'm apparently his 3 o'clock." He raked his fingers nervously through his blonde hair, Maya sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder,

　　"Hey, I'm sure you'll do great!" She said cheerfully and Jason gave her a weak smile,

　　"Thanks, Maya."

　　"She's right Jason, you're a smart guy. I'm sure you blew his mind out." Derek said, eliciting a chuckle from Jason and she shot him a grateful look.

　　"When's yours?" Jason asked, his eyes fixed on the brunette beside her.

　　Derek's eyes fell on the laptop screen and he pursed his lips when he looked up, "Tomorrow. 9 o'clock." His eyes fell on Maya's, "When's yours?"

　　"Uhh-" She glanced down at her phone and quickly opened her mail, her finger tapping on the recent message. She quickly scanned the short text and exhaled tiredly, "Wednesday, 6 o'clock."

　　Jason rose a brow, "He wants you in that early?"

　　Maya shook her head and showed him the phone, "It says pm."

　　Jason's brows furrowed and she said nothing when Derek grabbed the phone from her hold, his brows also coming together in confusion,

　　"That's strange, why would he set you up that late?"

　　"Probably a typo?" Jason added, adjusting the strap of his backpack on his shoulder, "There's no way he would make any student wait that late."

　　"I could ask if the time frame was a mistake," Maya said slowly and both guys nodded.

　　As she glanced back at her phone once more, her nose scrunched slightly as she read the message again. The professor didn't seem like the type to make mistakes or typos, he definitely wanted her in his office by that time.

　　But why?

　　'See you on Monday, Miss Greenley?'

　　His words floated around in her head and a smile threatened to break free from her lips. She tucked her phone back into her bag and turned to her friends,

　　"Let's go, guys."