Someone in the front row cleared their throat.
She finally looked up and locked eyes with me. And I was pretty sure she looked even angrier than she had when I first walked into the room.
"I am currently majoring in marketing. And for some reason I'm having a really hard time remembering why I chose it." She lifted her paper off the podium and waved it around. "I have a whole list of reasons on here why marketing is a great major, but I'm not sure how much of that I can believe anymore.”
Am I marketing in this weird metaphor?
“Because sometimes you think you know something, but actually you have no idea what it's really like. Marketing is like that. It's a complete lie. I mean, we're all taught that marketing is sexy, right?" Her cheeks flushed. "But it's really not. Marketing is ugly on the inside. Hideous, really."
Ouch. I wanted to believe that she really just hated her major. But when she was looking at me like that? It was me. I was definitely marketing in this scenario. Her words echoed around me. There wasn’t any hiding from her words. Hideous on the inside. I told her the truth and that’s what she thought? What the fuck? Where was this coming from? I thought we were on the same page. We were in a good place when I saw her on Saturday night. A great place. What the hell happened between then and now? It was impossible to sit here and listen to this. I wanted to make it right. But all I could do was bite my tongue.
"Marketing lures you into getting something that you don't really need or want,” she continued. “A product can't cheat on you. A product can't lie to you. But a marketer can.”
It felt like she’d slapped me across the face. I’d just opened up so much to her.
“And a marketer doesn't blink an eye when they lie and cheat. They hook you in and sell you awful products that you don't even want. You know what? I'm actually thinking about changing my major because of this assignment. Because I can't for the life of me think of a reason to continue pursuing marketing. Because marketing is a fucking joke."
"That's enough!" I slammed my fist on the desk. Jesus. What the hell was I doing? I couldn’t talk to a student that way. But she wasn’t just a fucking student. She was Penny. She was mine. I was losing her. And I couldn’t do anything about it right here.
"Marketing can go to hell." She grabbed her paper and ran out of the room.
"Penny!" Tyler yelled from behind me.
The whole class was silent. What the hell do I say now? A chair squeaked across the floor. A pen dropped. I could feel my pulse ricocheting around my body. I did the only thing I could do. I called the next name on my roster. “Tyler Stevens.”
What the hell just happened?
Tyler made his way to the front of the room. The last thing I wanted to do right now was listen to his speech. I wanted to run after Penny. I needed to run after her.
“I chose to major in economics because a major in business seemed like a logical choice,” Tyler said. “A safe choice. And I added on a second major of finance because it was easy to get both at the same time.” Tyler laughed even though what he just said wasn’t funny.
I looked up from the blank sheet of paper on my desk.
He was glaring at me. It looked like he wanted to wring my neck. “But fuck the safe choice,” he said.
Had all my students lost their minds? I was about to tell him to watch the language, but he started talking again.
“I think I really chose the majors I did so that one day I can be rich.” He shook his head, still staring daggers at me. “Because rich guys can get whatever girl they want, even if he’s a manipulative piece of shit."
Oh fuck.
“Because apparently women love rich assholes.”
He knows. He knows I’m sleeping with Penny. Christ. I looked back down at the blank paper in front of me. Was it just him that knew? Did the whole class know after Penny’s outburst? After Tyler’s too? The room was completely silent. I quickly called the next name so that Tyler wouldn’t continue his rant.
My heart was pounding faster than it did after running for miles. Seriously, how many people knew? Was it already all over social media? I knew the repercussions of all this. My job was finished. But I wasn’t even worried about that right now. I just needed to speak with Penny. I needed to make this right.
Time ticked by slowly, the speeches taking forever. I focused on writing up Penny’s grade. Because if I didn’t focus on something I’d get up and run after her. And I couldn’t do that. If my students hadn’t put it together that I was sleeping with her, they’d put it together then. Breathe.
Student: Penny Taylor
Topic: Marketing
Miss Taylor,
You don't know how much it pains me to see you hurt. Just give me a chance to explain. I can't lose you.
As for your speech, I am in awe of you. Your passion is inspiring. Even though you strayed off topic, the whole class could learn a lot from you. And the fact that your passion is for me makes everything more real for me. I feel the same way about you. Minus the anger.
But it is usually best not to cry and curse during presentations, Miss Taylor.
Grade: A-
Right before class was over, I heard the back door open. I glanced behind me. Tyler was gone. So was all of Penny’s stuff. Fuck.
“Class dismissed,” I said after the last speech. I tried to call Penny as I gathered my things, but she didn’t answer. Did she even have her phone? I pressed on Ian’s number.
“What’s up?” he asked after the second ring.
“I need your help finding Penny.” I maneuvered through the crowded hallway and pushed the door to get outside. A light rain had started to fall.
“Already on it. She was just standing outside her dorm in the rain for a long time. She must have lost her keycard, but someone eventually walked out so she could get in. Everything okay?”
“Is Tyler there too?”
“Yup, he got there a few minutes ago. Penny’s roommate let him in.”
Shit. There were students everywhere. I couldn’t move fast enough without causing attention. And there was a chance it was only Tyler who knew. Maybe. Hopefully. I ran to my car instead. “Cancel my classes for the rest of the day.”
“Is there something…”
I hung up the phone before he finished what he was going to say. Maybe Tyler was just an unhinged crazy person. But it seemed more likely that he knew what was going on with me and Penny and was pissed off. And I wasn’t going to let him swoop in and steal her out from under me.
When I pulled up to Penny’s dorm, Tyler was walking out. Son of a bitch. His head was down because of the rain, so I couldn’t see his expression. But he wouldn’t be leaving if their conversation had gone well. Right?
I tried to call her again, but she didn’t respond.
Fuck it. I walked up to her dorm and waited in the rain. It was all I could do. And I waited. And waited. People would see me, but I didn’t fucking care. I needed to see her. Comfort her. Figure out what the hell was going on.
Finally a student walked out. I grabbed the door before it could close again. Luckily the student didn’t seem to recognize me. I wandered through the first floor. Most of the doors had the residents’ names on them. Hopefully hers would too. I walked up a set of stairs and kept wandering through the building until I found her room. Penny and Melissa. That had to be her room. I knocked on the door.