King of Campus

Another round of groaning along with disbelieving chatter grips the class. “I cannot emphasize enough how important this project will be to the overall grade you earn.” Her eyes slowly encompass all of us. “The end result of your time and energy spent researching will be a thought provoking paper of about twenty pages in length.” Holding up her hand, she cuts off all the sudden conversations that have sprung up.

“Okay, quiet down. Quiet down, please.” She clears her throat before glancing at the clipboard she’s holding in her hand. “I’m going to run through the class list and couple everyone up today. We’re going to spend about ten minutes going over my expectations in more depth and then you’ll have about fifteen minutes of class time to work with your partner.”

Feeling just as stupefied as the rest of the class, I sit silently in my seat as Professor Paulson runs through the list of students enrolled in her course. After she reads off the second set of names, it becomes apparent she’s pairing people up alphabetically. Something in my heart clenches as she reads off my name because unless there’s someone else with a last name that falls between Kaster and King, I’m-

“Ivy Kaster and Roan King.”

-screwed.

My gaze reluctantly cuts across the room to Roan. I’m startled to realize that he’s already angled his body towards me. There’s just a hint of a smirk sliding its way across his impossibly handsome face.

I gulp.

No.

No. No. No. No.

I can’t work with him.

This is a massive project and there’s no way in hell I’m going to get stuck doing all the work by myself. With the eighteen credit course load I have and working ten hours a week, I don’t have the time it would take to complete a project of this scope and magnitude on my own.

Before I can work myself into a tizzy, Professor Paulson hands out a packet to each of us regarding what we’re going to be working on for the next six weeks. My heart sinks even further when I see exactly what the expectations are.

Shit.

Sixty percent of my grade is riding on Roan King. I almost start to laugh at such an absurd thought. The freaking King of Campus, with his- what did Finn call them? Oh, yes, his pussy posse, is holding my grade for business ethics in his huge hulking hands.

Nope. I can’t allow that to happen. I need to work with someone who actually gives a damn about their grade and is going to do their fair share of the workload. I need someone who is serious about this class… and school, for that matter.

And I just don’t think that’s the resident demi-god football player.

I mean, he barely takes notes in class while all I do is tap away on my laptop from the very start to the very end of class. My guess is that he’s probably here on a football scholarship. From what I’ve heard, he’s not even going to finish up his degree before he turns pro. So he probably doesn’t give a crap if he passes or fails.

But I do.

I’m here on an academic scholarship and I can’t afford to lose it.

Once Dr. Paulson goes through the packet and we’re allowed to get together with our partners, I scurry up towards her desk. Not wanting to catch Roan’s eyes, I keep my gaze trained straight ahead of me.

That unfortunately doesn’t work.

“Hey, where you going?” He calls out the words as I hustle towards the front of the room.

Feeling somewhat guilty for what I’m about to do, I shoot him a quick look but don’t allow my eyes to linger. “I have a few questions for Professor Paulson. I’ll be right there.”

Once I’m besides her, I give her an apologetic look because this is only the second week of school and I don’t want her to think I’m trying to be difficult. But on the other hand, there’s no way I’m getting stuck with dead weight either.

I really hate group work…

Sitting at a desk off to the side, she glances up at me over the black frames of her glasses. “Question, Ms. Kaster?”

Feeling suddenly awkward about discussing this when Roan is sitting about twenty feet away from me, I clear my throat. “Um, well, I was wondering if it’s at all possible to be reassigned to a different partner.”

If the slow blinking of her light blue eyes is any indication, then I’ve completely thrown her for a loop. She’s probably assuming I’ve scurried up here to thank her for partnering me with him. She couldn’t be farther from the truth.

“Do you have a problem working with Mr. King?”

At the mention of his name, I can’t help but hastily glance over my shoulder to where Roan is sitting. My face floods with heat as my eyes catch his quizzical ones. Turning back towards her, I lower my voice before admitting my concerns, “I, ah… this is a really huge project and I want to be paired with someone who is going to do their share of the work.” When she doesn’t immediately respond, fresh nerves spiral through me as I shuffle from one foot to the other.