Return

She walked in silently, her skirt's hem tight around her knees, her bag over her shoulder and jingling down her back. She didn't raise her head until she was behind her desk, at which point she found herself bagged eye to eye with Mark. He put her arms around her and squeezed, his grip tightening as she squeezed back. "I'm glad you're back," he whispered into the brown silk that was her hair.

"Me too."

Mark returned to his seat without looking at any of the other students. As Professor Eden turned to the blackboard and began to write the title of their latest book for study and analysis in grimy, yellow chalk - Department Head Schiztomeur's latest foray into the wild world of urban young adult publishing, Niggaz and Wiggaz - the slender, manicured fingers of Dick Cox flipped a small square of folded paper under Mark's nose and onto his desk without a sound. Mark quickly opened it:



To which he scribbled and tossed back:



Mark didn't have time to gauge Dick's reaction, as the chubby, clit-calloused fingers of the neighbor to his right, Dill Doublepound, were dropping him a second note:



And right back at her fat, smelly ass, which she probably hadn't washed since he last came in it:



Mark didn't have time to gauge Dill's reaction, as Bette had turned from the blackboard and was looking right into his eyes. "Does anyone have any questions?" she asked the class.

Without raising his hand, Mark spoke: "Yeah. Um, no offense, but are we going to read anything but Dr. Schiztomeur's young adult novels in this class?"

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The rest of the class rose and filed out the door. But Mark stayed behind, his eyes fixed on Bette. As she put the last of her papers in her bag and slung it back over her shoulder, her eyes fell on Mark without a start. She smiled. Then sighed, blowing her bangs up to the top of her head, where they balanced for a couple seconds before falling back just above her eyes.

"Want to get some coffee?" said Mark.

"Yes. Please."

"I'll go upstairs and get our favorite out of the machine and meet you in the Commons in about fifteen?"

"Excellent, Mark." She bit her bottom lip and briefly closed her eyes. "That'd be great."

Mark popped his bag onto his shoulders and escorted Bette into the hallway, his hand brushing hers as he turned towards the stairs - and saw Dick and Dill inches from one another, her arm tugging at his sleeve as they both giggled like schoolgirls discussing their first periods. He swallowed so hard he couldn't feel it and walked past the two without looking at them or hearing a word they said, confident that neither saw the 4-inch hard-on poking at his zipper.