Buns for the Professor Read online

  As the clock neared 10:30am, a familiar face walked in. Adam, the dreamboat she met at the bakery, held a large stack of papers and sped his way up to the podium at the front of the classroom. He must be a teaching assistant in his free time, Sophia thought. But then he stood at the front of the class and introduced himself as Professor Heisen.

  Sophia’s eyes widened and she let out a groan that attracted attention from the few pupils sitting close enough to hear it. Of course, he’s my professor. Because a normal relationship wouldn’t be complicating enough.

  He walked around the class handing out the thick stack of papers she assumed were syllabi. It horrified her to learn what they really were.

  “So, before we get started, I wanted to get a gauge on the class’s general physics knowledge,” Professor Heisen explained. “What's being passed around now is a practice test that I’ll use to inform myself on how much you already know and which parts I’ll need to cover in more depth.”

  He laughed as a few students groaned, “But don't worry about it, I will grade and return them, but they won't count toward your grade.” Don't worry about it? Sophia thought, exasperated, oh just let me make myself look like an idiot on my first day of class. Yeah thanks professor! Off to a great start, we were. Her feelings of despair only deepened when Adam reached her. At least he was just as appalled as herself, he eyes went wide for just a moment but the blush on his face stayed.

  “You’re taking this class?” he whispered. Sophia gave a quick nod, and he sighed. “That complicates thing,” was all he said before moving on. Complicates things? You mean like how a surprise test complicated my morning?

  Sophia started to look over the test and realized she had no idea what any of it was talking about. Then she felt worse again when the surrounding students seemed to get straight to work. She knew she stood at least some chance with the multiple choice and true/false sections, so she started with those. “Is gravity a force of attraction?” Uh yes, I think so. “Is an electron an elementary particle?” Sure, seems simple enough to me. Are photons considered fermions or bosons? ...Ok let’s skip that one.

  The rest of the test follow a cycle. A few questions that seemed obvious, and then one where she only recognized half the words. After about half the class period she wasn't even almost done but when the professor asked if anyone needed more time, no one else raised their hands, and Sophia didn't want to draw attention to herself like that so neither did she. He collected the tests and Sophia wondered if hers would be the only one unfinished.

  Much as she already hated the class, the lecture portion wasn't nearly so bad. They were starting with one dimensional motion, so the second half of the class served almost as a pallet cleanser that left her more comfortable, if still angry with the professor for his first day ambush.

  Still a bit worked up, Sophia had time to cool down before heading to her next class, Introduction to Microeconomics. After the walk to Laurel Hall, she decided to wait outside the class and play on her phone. It was the most relaxing part of her day. Colorful flowers and trees filled the campus, which had a small city feel to it. She was surrounded by research labs and lecture halls. Students and professors rushing between work and class. It was nice to have so many people there doing the same thing as her, learning. In a weird way it even helped to see that some of them were in a stressed rush. Some were clearly feeling the pressure more than herself at the moment and it helped her calm down.

  She reached her next classroom with time to spare and the seat choices overwhelmed her. It was a large auditorium that could fit hundreds of people, with a podium and projection screen at the front. She doubted it would fill up and took a sit in the center of the lowest section, but sure enough students steadily streamed in and filled almost every seat. A girl who looked too young to be in college sat to her left in what might as well be the school's uniform; black leggings, gray boots, and a dark sweatshirt.

  The boy to her right looked like a model or an athlete, tall and fit with long brown hair. His well-defined muscles and a solid jawline could have come straight out of a magazine. A hockey player, according to his jacket. He let out a soft “Hey” as he lowered into the seat next to her.

  Sophia tried to think of something clever to say but knew almost nothing about hockey. She settled for “Hi,” then got open her notebook and put the date on the top of the page. The boy watched her for a moment before doing the same.

  He held a soft smile all the while, commenting “I hate these required courses. I mean if I wanted to learn about microeconomics, I'd be a business major.”

  Sophia laughed a little, “Well I am a business major, business management actually so maybe I’ll be able to help you trudge through the boredom.”

  His smile widened at that, “Well I'm a Kinesiology major so I don't care about any of this,” he gestured toward the professor who'd begun writing notes on the board in preparation.

  “Yeah, well I don't know what that is, but it sounds stupid.”

  He laughed at that a little too loudly and caught a few looks, “It's like the study of anatomy in motion. Professional sports are extremely competitive so in case I don't make it to the NHL I can fall back on this degree and be a physical therapist for one of the teams. Plus,” he held up a finger, “I figured I could use some of what I learn to prevent myself from getting injured.”

  “And how's that turned out for you?”

  “Well I don't look injured now do I?” he said with a cocky smile.

  Sophia laughed, “Ok you've got me there. Really though, that sounds like a good plan, even if playing hockey doesn't work out you can still be a part of it.”

  “Exactly, even if I do get into the NHL all, it takes is one hard hit to end my career. That's why the smart ones have a backup plan,” he tapped his left temple as he added that last part.

  Just as Sophia opened her mouth to reply, the professor began class, so she whispered, “I'm Sophia by the way.”

  He returned the smile and held out his hand, “Brent.” She let his hand engulf hers and was comforted by its warmth and slight roughness until the professor's voice brought her back to the present. As she pulled her attention back to the class, she thought about how today might not be such a bad first day after all.

  Chapter 4

  Sophia drove back to the bakery and thought about her day. After the first two classes, the rest had gone by uneventful. Just a couple of professors handing out the syllabus and talking about the class's material. She took some notes but nothing substantial and took comfort in a mostly easy day. She held on to some latent frustration at the morning's surprises, but they had mostly faded as the day progressed.

  But really, maybe Adam wasn’t all she hoped he was. Maybe he’d just end up as a crush she’d look back on and laugh at herself about. Seriously, a test on the first day? Maybe the class was over-enrolled, and he was trying to scare a few students into dropping. Or maybe he enjoyed seeing them panic and reading their ridiculous answers to questions that were obvious to an expert like him. Yeah probably that one.

  But at least she had Brent as a highlight. Sophia knew there would obviously be many guys on campus and had even hoped to meet one to distract herself after Adam ended up being her professor but didn't expect it to happen on the first day! Brent seemed interested too, I mean he laughed at my jokes, so that must be a good sign.

  But for all she knew he acted that way toward all girls in his classes. For some people, flirty is a default setting and it may mean no more to them than a little fun. He could have already forgotten her name, never mind whether he's thinking of her just then, as she was of him. She was half expecting that next time she walks into class she'll see him sitting next to a different girl, one of the many that seem to think there will be a spontaneous fashion show that they'd need to be ready for.

  Luckily, the drive from Uconn to the bakery was a short one. Before Sophia’s self-deprecating thoughts could psyche her out too much, more usual, bakery related concerns distracted her.

  The morning rush was several hours gone and, in its wake, came the lull that was the rest of the day. Compared to the rapids of the morning, this was a lazy river. Most of the customers at this time of day were making or picking up orders. Cakes, customized pastries, and donuts for the next day were all typical.

  For Sophia however the afternoon often meant decorating cakes and having lunch with her night owl friend Lily. She was a bartender at a local place typically populated by college students. As a result, she worked very late hours and often came to the bakery to have “breakfast” with Sophia around 2pm.

  Today was no exception, as Sophia parked next to her friend's old red corvette. She noticed the rust on the hood had been spreading; a sign that Lily had been picking at it again. Sophia parked and waved to her friend through the front window before heading around to the back entrance. After a cursory glance at the orders that came in, she set aside a frown for a very detailed cupcake order that Sophia knew would take up more time than it was worth and grabbed a few chocolate croissants to share with her friend. Maria smiled at her and Carlos gave a nod, both wore headphones while they worked, and Sophia noticed Maria’s feet tapping and hips swaying to the music.

  As Sophia approached her friend, Lily launched into a tirade, “Why do only the drunkest guys hit on me? I swear, the last five guys I gave my number to didn't even remember me when I texted them the next day. The. Next. Day. Soph!”

  Sophia laughed, “You're just such an amazing, beautiful person that they need to build up the courage to talk to you! And apparently, they failed.”

  Lily stared at her unamused and pursed her lips, “Yeah I'm sure that's it.”

  “I mean you are meeting them at a bar. You know, one of those places people usually go to to drink and have one-night stands? You're literally the person getting them as drunk as they are, so you only have yourself to blame!”

  Sophia broke out laughing which only made Lily narrow her eyes in response, “Oh yeah laugh it up,” she picked up a croissant and squeezed it to squirt out some of the chocolate sauce within, “but I've got a chocolate croissant and I'm not afraid to use it!”

  Sophia calmed down a bit and held up her hands in surrender, “Alright, alright. At ease, I like this shirt. So, what, I guess the guy you texted this morning didn't know who you were?”

  “No, his whole response was 'which Lily?' Like, is that a common name around here or something?” She angrily tore into her food as she continued, “I mean it’s not like lilies are the only flower native to Connecticut!”

  Sophia smiled, “You just need to get to them before the alcohol does, then they'll remember. Maybe even be a little forward instead of waiting for them to come to you.”

  “Is that what's been working for you?” Lily said, clearly trying to shift the subject of the conversation.

  “Well, it turns out Adam, you know, that guy I met here?” Sophia looked to her friend, who nodded in confirmation that she remembered him, “He teaches my physics class. Unless he doesn’t mind getting fired, I don’t think there’s a chance of that working out. So, nothing's been working for me. I guess I'm doing no better than you are,” Sophia laughed, joined by her friend this time. “Though, I did meet someone else today that could be interesting.” She finished with a sly smile and didn't continue until urged on by her friend.

  Sophia went into detail on Brent and the rest of her first day, though Lily was mostly interested in her potential romances. She agreed that Brent was flirting back but considered her own experiences with guys around Uconn and didn't want to get Sophia’s hopes up. After seemingly exhausting herself of questions toward Brent, Lily pivoted in a way Sophia didn't expect, “Well I think you shouldn’t give up on that professor so easily.”

  Sophia paused, “Why is that?”

  “Well you mentioned he's not much older than us and he sounded cute. Plus, you're pretty smart and since he's a physics professor, I'd guess he is too. There’s always after the semester if you decide you want to date him. For now, you should get to know him more! Professors usually have times where they're open for students, so go talk to him, maybe he watches that show you like! Or you can ask him if he can, I dunno, probe your particle accelerator or something,” Lily winked.

  Sophia scoffed, “I don't think that makes sense, but even if it did, I don’t think his particle is interested in my accelerator anymore!”

  Lily laughed, “Well it made enough sense for you to get it!”

  Sophia got up hastily, feigning anger “Isn't it about time for you to go to work, anyway? I have some cakes to frost.”

  Lily winked “Yeah I bet you do,” she laughed, “but no, not quite yet. You go ahead though; I can get some reading in.” Sophia giggled as she and her friend said their goodbyes then she headed to the back of the bakery to get to work.

  Chapter 5

  Since Sophia only had 4 classes, she was able to get them all on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Classes met every day of course, but she crowded them in to the same block of days in favor of having the extra two days off. The first day of classes was on a Friday, so she had the weekend to relax before her next school day. She relished this extra time as it enabled a softer transition into school life.

  There was not much homework yet. Most classes hadn't covered enough material to assign anything, so she completed it Friday night when she imagined most of her peers were out at parties or clubs. Sophia knew she could be doing the same and that it would be a great way to make friends but never felt comfortable in those situations. Loud music, people constantly bumping into you, yelling into each other's ears in every attempt at conversation; not her ideal setting for meeting people.

  Now, if only she could get more students to come into the bakery, that would be far better than some party! It’s quiet, the food is way better, and she'd even have plenty to talk about since her family owned the place. She could describe how to make anything in the shop or talk about what it's like to work at a bakery, plenty of options. But at a party? In some random person's house? Not so much.

  But that's a part of what was good about going back to school, or so she told herself, meeting new people. Plenty of people came into the bakery but even the few that were around her age were customers. People treat you differently when you're behind a counter. Sometimes it's like you're just a program they're interacting with. They'll be friendly but there's no real warmth behind it, no interest.

  Sophia was looking forward to some more natural interaction. Just two people going about their lives, like leaves bumping into each other in the wind, ready to blow away at any moment. She spent most of her weekend working at the bakery and reading the first chapters of her textbooks, with plenty of breaks for watching funny animal videos and rewatching the first two seasons of the Atavistic Cycle while browsing forums for theories on season three.

  While she enjoyed her last weekend without much homework, she couldn't shake that 'Sunday' feeling that foretold the end of her fun and a return to work. Except instead of a weekend closing it was a portion of her life. An era in which she was comfortable, albeit not entirely satisfied, and had plenty of free time was fading out and being replaced with the busy balancing act that was going to school while working. She fidgeted and bit her nails when she thought about the transition but tried to stay hopeful and optimistic about the new path she was on.

  She even spent some time thinking about Brent and what she could say to him on Monday. For ideas, she found him on Facebook, after just a minute of searching, and was not surprised to find that he was primarily interested in sports. Mostly hockey but also football and soccer with a smattering of other sports as well. She thought about learning more about hockey to impress him but didn't want to come on too strong.

  In Sophia’s streak of curiosity, which she assured herself was not creepy at all, she also looked up her professors. Professor Dineskog, her economics teacher, had a stereotypically boring professional page. Posts about going to conferences or sharing articles whose names gave her hardly any understanding of their contents. 'Likes' included the Securities and Exchange Commission and John Maynard Keynes. Exciting. Probably what she should have expected. When she got to Adam, or Professor Heisen as she called him now, she was surprised to find a page that more resembled her own. He was about her age after all, so he'd grown up around social media and kept it up to date, whereas her older professors had to adapt to it, and were failing. Adam's page mentioned professional interests much like Professor Dineskog's but also rock climbing, hiking, and fantasy novels. He had even liked the Atavistic Cycle. She kept him in mind while watching it so she could get back on his good side if she ever actually went to his office hours as Lily suggested.

  But it turned out that would not be an option. Not an option, an obligation. For when she arrived at her first class on Monday, Adam was handing back the practice exams. As if it wasn't already something to dread, her professor was going through the tests and calling people up by name so he could 'get to know the class.'

  When her turn came around, she rose from her seat and meekly met the man in the front of the class, mostly focused on making sure she didn't trip over the several backpacks whose straps splayed out into the aisle like tentacles. When she reached him, the professor smiled just as he did for any other student, handed her her test, and said, “Nice to meet you Sophia.”

  She arched an eyebrow and nodded, only replying “Uh, yeah, you too,” as she took the test and tried to hide her despair as she headed back to her seat. Not only did she get the worst grade she could remember, a 22, there was a note on the top of the page that every student, or at least this one, fears most.