Chapter 8 DISCIPLINE

MICHELLE's P O V

‘‘Hey, Mike…’’ I was startled out of my seat by Devon's voice, and I quickly turned away from Kaden and his friend.

My head shot up, blinking in surprise as Devon sat down at the empty desk that was next to mine. His blonde hair was pulled back out of his face, and he wore a blazer same as mine. He had an air of easy handsomeness.

I wondered if I looked exactly as polished as he did, but after observing how the blazer on his shoulders tapered off while mine clung to my shoulders, I doubted it.

‘‘Hey…’’ I said, just slightly louder than a whisper. I twisted the pen in my grip before setting it back down as I struggled to keep from staring at my attractive roommate in his uniform. ‘‘Good morning, Devon…''

He grinned readily as he slouched lazily in his chair and greeted me back, ‘‘Good morning…’’ My tummy flipped over itself in response to the warmth in his deep blue eyes as he searched the rest of the room before turning to look at me. I've never encountered somebody with eyes quite like those before. ‘‘You were dead to the world when I left the room. Have you had anything to eat yet?''

I nodded my head slowly, wringing my fingers together when his focus didn’t wander away from me. ‘‘I had a chocolate bar in the dorm…’’

‘‘A chocolate bar?’’ Devon’s brows furrowed, and a twitch of irritation appeared on his lips. ‘‘If you don't eat a substantial meal for breakfast, how are you going to get through your boxing workouts? Do you know that I had a chicken sandwich and two apples, in addition to two omelettes, a plate of bacon! No wonder you have a body like that…’’

When he mentioned the food he ate, I felt a rumbling begin in my stomach. I could have eaten all of those if I wanted to, but because I tried to avoid going out as much as I could, I forced myself to consume only a chocolate bar.

‘‘Maybe, tomorrow...’’ I evaded the question by picking up my pen and placing both of my hands on the surface of my lap before twirling it anxiously over my fingers.

Devon gave another unforced smile and nodded his head. ‘‘You really ought to. You can come and eat with me and my friends if you want to…’’

At his suggestion, both of my hands remained motionless on my thighs, and I inhaled deeply as I did so. My heart skipped a beat before picking up its normal rate. Devon was inviting me to eat with him? But why? ‘‘Really…?’’

His grin grew wider as he spoke. ‘‘Of course…’’

I tried to conceal a smile as I lifted a hand to tuck my hair behind my ear, but I only found a short mess of hair. My face flushed as a result. I scratched behind my ear while clearing my throat and dropped my arm before continuing.

‘‘Thank you…'' I spoke quietly, but I'm sure you could make out the sincerity in my voice even at that volume.

Devon had already turned his back on the conversation, lifting a shoulder as he pulled a notebook from his bag. ‘‘You’re welcome… You know, I’m aware of how challenging it can be to transition to a new school. If there is ever a time when you require something, feel free to consult with me. In case you were wondering, I can make one hell of a friend…’’

It came out of his mouth so easily. As though the possibility of our being friends was a given. As if one could just go and pluck a friend from the branch of a nearby tree whenever they felt the urge to do so.

And I’d love to have him as a friend...

Devon paused halfway up from digging through his bookbag, and it took me a few glances across the aisle before I realized he was looking at me.

Or, to be more precise, on my chest.

Oh my, God! Did he notice that my chest was excessively large for someone as skinny as me?

‘‘D-devon…?’’ I questioned with some trepidation while squeezing my fingers together when all my hands wanted to do was cover myself and check that my bindings were in the correct position. My throat became tight from fear.

He frowned, squinting and leaning closer, making it difficult for me to breathe.

‘‘What happened to your tie?’’ he asked, and my cheeks heated, and I could feel a sense of comfort that he wasn't gazing at my chest but rather at my necktie.

I released my grip on my fingers and then brought my other hand up to cover the knot in a defensive manner before taking a breath. Had I done it wrong? I thought, it was at the very least adequate.

‘‘What exactly do you mean by that?’’ My voice was raspy as I asked the question while concentrating on the surface of the table in front of me, clutching the tie. My tummy began to churn with butterflies.

After a brief moment of silence, he finally responded, but the wait was unsettling. ‘‘It’s just… it’s a little lopsided. Come here, I’ll help you retie it…’’

Before I could even begin to object, he reached out and unfastened my tie so that he could then re-knot it correctly in the same manner as his. Because his knuckles were brushing against the top of my chest, I was unable to breathe normally the entire time he was doing it.

‘‘There it goes…’’ he smiled as he pressed his palm repeatedly against the top of the tie and my eyes widened as he did so.

‘‘T-thanks…’’ I fumbled my words, and he nodded before he looked up toward the entrance of the room.

‘‘Alright, boys...’’ A new voice with a deep tone called out the class.

I averted my gaze away from Devon, focusing my attention toward the front as an older man strolled into the room. He arranged a short stacks of books on his desk, straightening his tweed jacket as I glanced around the now full room of students.

The other boys hardly noticed his presence, and most of them turned around to talk to their buddies or tap on their phones. Only Devon and I were looking at the instructor for direction, while everyone else ignored him.

‘‘Now would be a good time to settle down and take your seats so that we can get started. As long as there are twenty butts occupying those chairs, there is no reason for me to take attendance at this meeting. However, the moment even one of you skips a beat, we will have a problem...''

That particular point was successfully drilled by the teacher's frown, yet none of the students paid heed to it.

‘‘Welcome to Chemistry...,’’ the elderly gentleman with white hair said with an ounce of enthusiasm, and I almost didn't hear him because of all the other people talking. ‘‘Hello, everyone! My name is Professor Roberts, and you'll be spending the rest of this semester with me. Please take a syllabus and pass it back. And be quiet!''

The rest of the boys went silent at his harsh tone, including Kaden’s group in the back corner who’d been going off.

While I fiddled with my pen and tried to pay attention to what Professor Roberts was saying, he walked along the front row of seats and handed each student a stack of packets. Devon was sitting still next to me, and I was acutely aware of his presence.

‘‘No gum allowed in this class!’’ Kaden's friend frowned as Professor Roberts reprimanded him and then spat into a tissue. As soon as our professor turned his back, the young man pulled out a fresh piece of gum, opened it, and put it straight into his mouth. When he noticed that I was observing, he simply winked at me in a humorous manner, which made me blush, and then swiftly turned away from him.

I accepted the packets from the student in front of me while Professor Roberts rambled on from the front of the room about his syllabi and requirements. After taking one of the packets for myself, I passed the other one on to the next student at the back.

Quickly writing down my name, then erasing it when I saw that I had already made a mistake and wrote Michelle on the header, I hastily scrawled Michael down in its stead. When I glanced over at Devon, I found that his attention focused on his own packet.

‘‘Do not use your phone in my class!’’ The teacher scolded another boy for texting, brow lowering further with each show of disrespect.

The Goldstein boys were showing signs of being more rowdy than the students at my last school in West Virginia. However, Devon stood out from the rest of the group because I knew that he is cognizant of the fact that discipline is one of the most valuable skills that can be acquired via participation in sports.

I attempted to pay attention to Professor Roberts while leaning forward and resting both arms on the wobbly desk. At the same time, I kept my eyes on him.

Learning wasn’t new to me like most of Goldstein was, and it kept me occupied before, while simultaneously looking at Devon’s picture in my laptop’s screen saver, making him my inspiration.

My heartbeat was building up speed as the pen whirled faster around my fingers while Professor Roberts went over the course outline, the expectations for the homework, and the mid-semester group project that we would be working on.

‘‘Hey, are you okay?'' The sound of Devon's voice broke through the haze of my increasing uneasiness, and when his finger jabbed my arm, I recoiled like a frightened chicken.

My pen somehow got loose and flew into the air; I stared in fear as it shot across the well-lit classroom like a bullet before landing with a thud on the forehead of Professor Roberts.

Shit!