10. Pearl
Pearl
The campus was exactly the same as when I left it. I didn’t expect schools like this to change much, but it was nice that I wouldn’t be feeling like a fish out of water.
I already had so much anxiety building up because of… well, everything. And I was painfully horny after Emerson decided to leave me hanging.
My mind replayed the moment in my apartment over and over again.
The feel of her hot tongue against my skin. Her mouth on my nipple. Her hand cupping my cunt as I ground against her.
She was an expert and knew just how to play me. And she made it obvious that she wasn’t going to give in.
Delayed gratification. I deserved it, and that made the whole thing even hotter.
It was easy to let her run around in my mind, but there were other things I needed to focus on. School. And if I was being honest… I was excited to start my degree again.
It was the one thing that lightened the weight enough for me to breathe.
I finally had something to look forward to—other than getting fucked every which way by Emerson. Something for me.
I was exhausted from the days working with Emerson plus working at the steakhouse, and I still had another shift tonight, but I knew it was worth it.
I was taking control of my life after years of feeling like I was flailing. After it happened, I felt like I had taken a nosedive off a cliff and was doomed to spend forever freefalling.
Until Club Pétale. Until she came back into my life.
It was my choice to work for Emerson. My choice to keep the steakhouse job. My choice to go back to school.
And this time, I vowed to finish what I started.
A part of me felt self-conscious for being this old and coming back to school to finish my degree, but I tried to push that in the back of my mind as I came up to my class.
It was in an older brick building with windows all along the side. There were vines running up the sides of it. The windows were shiny, but the sills were cracked and damaged from the weather. I wouldn’t be surprised if it had once been student or staff housing.
This is it. No going back.
Once I stepped into that classroom, I would be resuming my journey to my degree.
I’m ready.
Just as I was about to step inside, my phone buzzed. Annoyed at whoever was messing with my before-class ritual, I huffed and dug for my phone.
My heart skipped a beat in my chest when I saw it was Emerson.
Emerson
Good luck today.
At first, my mind couldn’t comprehend it. Did someone steal Emerson’s phone?
I’m sure I stared at the message for at least a full minute before my fingers started to type a reply. I could be snarky, considering how I was left wanting, but I chose to take the high road.
Me
Thanks :)
Originally, I wanted to add a heart, but I got nervous and sent the smiley face instead. Then a picture came through.
My bed at her place. The pile of clothes she picked out for me—the ones I wasn’t wearing—and a nice white bag with a familiar tech logo on it.
Emerson
For when you get back. Though I’m not too happy you didn’t wear what I picked out for you today.
My face heated, and I looked down at what I was wearing. The flannel. Her flannel. The same one I’d taken and never given back.
It was silly, but when I attended class before, it was one of my favorite outfits. Sometimes it made me feel like I wasn’t so alone.
There is no fucking way I’m telling her what I’m actually wearing.
I typed back a quick reply. Something I normally wouldn’t say, but I felt emboldened given it was just text.
Me
I’ll wear it the next time you make me come.
Thanks for the computer… it means a lot.
I hastily put my phone in my pocket before I could see her response and focused back on the classroom, a newfound giddiness lighting up my chest.
Get your head back in the game, Pearl.
Taking a deep breath, I shifted my backpack on my shoulder and went inside. It was a smaller, intimate classroom setting with only a few tables and chairs. Given that this was one of the higher-level classes and how many students attended, they didn't need a huge auditorium.
There were two students inside, one at the very front and one at the very back. The teacher was at his desk, focused on one of the required readings for the class.
He looked up when I came in, and I smiled at him, but his face twisted as I got closer. It made me regret trying to go for one of the front seats.
Deep breaths, no big deal.
I ignored it and grabbed the stuff from my backpack, placing one thing at a time on the table in front of me in an attempt to stall.
“It's Pearl, right?” he asked. His voice made me jump. I looked back up at him, and this time he was looking at me from over the glasses that were perched on his nose.
He seemed nice enough. One of those professors who would be chill with anything as long as you showed up to class.
“You know me?” I asked with a nervous laugh. It had been years since I’d been on campus, and I wasn't what you would call popular back then.
“Of course!”
He wheeled his chair from his desk toward me in an oddly comfortable gesture that made me a bit nervous inside. He dropped his voice to a whisper.
“I'm glad you're back,” he said. “I heard about… You know. All the teachers knew. I expected you to join my class that year. I saw you were enrolled, but you never showed up.”
Oh. Dread filled my stomach. This was not what I wanted to be talking about on my first day back.
From the moment I was sold at Club Pétale’s auction, my life has taken a different turn. Everything I never thought possible started coming true. So I allowed myself to forget as much as I could about what had happened.
It seemed the faculty never would.
“I took a break,” I replied, shooting a glance at the other students. Luckily none of them were looking. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to come back.”
He gave me a concerned look.
“The faculty… Well, most of us felt really bad about what happened. It definitely could've been avoided. So if you need anything this semester, or just a place to hide out if you feel unsafe, let me know, okay?”
I nodded but was unable to say anything over the emotions clogging my throat.
I hadn't expected any of the teachers to be so caring. Had they always been like this, and I just never knew? It never occurred to me to reach out to one of them. Until the incident, I wasn’t even sure they knew my name.
But somehow, years later, this one still did.
Emerson was right about my hiding in the shadows, but it would seem there were more people looking out for me than I originally realized.
He gave me a sincere smile and wheeled away back to his desk, just in time for other students to start filing in.
When everyone was seated, he stood up with a large smile.
“Hello everyone, I am Mr. Baker. Welcome to one of the last classes you'll need for your degree. Let's get started, shall we?”
To everyone else, that might have seemed corny and annoying, but I was beyond excited to get on the path to finishing my degree.
So I sat up straighter and shot him a beaming smile.