I had told Victoria I was just going to get a coffee from the café outside the library, but when I walked into the dimly lit casual café and saw a bunch of open tables and a few secluded booths, I decided to sit alone to study at one of the tables instead of rejoining her and her friends in the library. I ordered an Americano before setting my things down at a booth near the door. There were windows out to the bustling lobby, but the relaxed ambiance of the café made me feel comfortable like I was hidden from view. I always enjoyed people-watching. Maybe it was a result of growing up in the city. Call me creepy, but to be able to watch others and not be watched back- that was my favorite. I missed the fashion in Miami and even New York City. People-watching at the school was definitely not the same. Most of the students rushed by with their uniforms on and most of the teachers were older and not at all as well-dressed as the rich people I was used to being around when I worked with Papi.

My eyes got caught on one of the few well-dressed, very attractive men as he came walking smoothly from the direction of the library in an Armani suit with Louboutin's on his feet. It was of course, Mr. Montgomery. How could I think it was someone else? He didn't notice me until after he had joined the line up to the counter and scanned the café. I was sure he hadn't caught me looking, but I could easily feel his gaze on me as I looked down at my work.

"Do you mind if I join you?" I looked up in surprise at his smooth, unmistakable voice. His presence had lingered, making me struggle not to look up, but I hadn't expected his words.

"Sure." I shrugged, taking a sip of my coffee as he slid into the booth across from me. My eyes left my work to look out distractedly at some loud heels thundering over the tiled floor of the bright lobby and when the heavy faculty member had gone, I found him watching me.

"How's school going?" he asked with a genuine look in his grey eyes as he leaned on the small table towards me.

"Fine." I sighed, pursing my lips as I thought about my grades with distaste. "Honestly, you are my worst critic." I blurted out with accusation, making his lips pull into a smile as he gave me an inquisitive look. "Do you really think it's fair to take ten points off because I made an assumption, even though the facts support my assumption?" I asked, pointing at the essay question on my test that I was still annoyed about.

"I grade everyone that harshly." He defended in his smooth velvet voice, before his eyes went down to study my answer. "You are picking and choosing which facts to use and ignoring the bigger picture. There's more evidence against your assumption." He explained, looking back up at me as I digested his information.

"I couldn't possibly memorize the whole book to be able to know every instance I'm right versus every instance I'm wrong..." I defended.

"Not memorize- You just need to make sure there is more evidence on your side than there is against. You tend to pick the least probable assumption."

"Hmm." I just made a noise as my eyes wandered my test and digested his advice. "I hate how subjective your grading is..." He uttered a sexy laugh, that made me smile at the beautiful sound.

"How are your other courses going?" he asked after a sip of his coffee as he leaned back with his elbows on the back of the booth. The way his body spread out made the urge to touch him worse, but lessened the burning desire to kiss him since his handsome face wasn't so close to mine anymore.

"I'm doing the worst in your course." I laughed, seeing his perfect lips curve up in a half smile as his grey eyes looked at me from under his long dark lashes. "Calculus and Spanish are fairly easy. History is boring, but at least Grenier grades easier than you. I'm terrible at Chemistry because I'm not that great at following instructions during the labs, but the tests aren't bad and I've been doing well on my homework assignments." I reported lazily, as I shuffled my notebooks around to check my planner to see what homework I had left.

"Sounds like you're adjusting well. Golds is known to have a difficult curriculum. Most new students struggle for the first year before they're able to get the hang of it." He said smoothly, making me feel like I was talking to the principal. "Have you made any friends?" he asked, making me raise an eyebrow.

"A few." I answered. "How about you? Have the other teachers been welcoming?" He smiled and breathed out like he was trying not to laugh.

"I've made some acquaintances." He nodded, his hooded grey eyes still looking at me like he wanted to devour me. I licked my lips as I tried not to read into his naturally sexy gaze and to my dismay, my mind went blank even though I had never had such a hard time making conversation with anybody before. Before I could regain my composure, another faculty member approached our table and we both turned to her. She was young and fairly beautiful, with her blond hair pulled back in an uptight bun, a formal red pencil skirt and fitted black blazer hugging her thin frame to make the most of her slight feminine curves. Her sharp blue eyes glanced at me before she focused her seductive gaze on Mr. Montgomery.

"Getting to know the students, Mr. Montgomery?" She seemed to have an insinuation in her question and I tilted my head a fraction as I tried to decide if she was accusing him of getting too close to me.

"Ms. Chernoff is new to Golds. It seems we have that in common. I was just asking her how her classes have been going." He answered smoothly in the cool, professional voice he used in class. The contrast of how his voice sounded when he spoke to me alone was something that didn't escape my notice and I wondered if what's-her-face noticed too.

"I'm Kate. We haven't met. Are you a teacher?" I spoke up, getting her lusty blue eyes off him and seeing the slight discontent in her countenance as she turned to measure me up. I was wearing a fairly casual outfit with tight black pants and a black and gold long-sleeved top.

"I'm Ms. Smith. I teach Biology and Physiology." She explained.

"I'm sure I'll see you in class next year, then, Ms. Smith." I answered with a slightly sharp tone to my overly confident voice.

"I look forward to it, Kate." She lied with a cold smile on her thin lips. She had sharp features- high cheek bones, a pointy chin, and a thin, pixie-like nose. Her over-plucked pale brown eyebrows seemed to enhance the shrewd look of her face as they were severely arched. I could tell she relied on mascara to make her scanty lashes stand out and it seemed she wasn't the best at applying her make-up which only lightly shaded her lids in an off-color that made her skin look paler.

Though, I wasn't sure if perhaps I preferred darker make-up since I myself tended to use eye-liner and ten shades of eye shadow on my olive-toned skin, I wondered if more make-up would be beneficial to softening the features of her face and making her more approachable. Thanks to my Italian-side I had thick dark eye-lashes and full eyebrows and I figured they were the reason I could wear more make-up to compete with my stronger features without looking too phony.

"I was invited to a dinner tonight with some other faculty members," Ms. Smith had turned her attention back on Montgomery and he listened with seemingly half-interest. "I'm sure they would be delighted if you joined us." He took longer than I expected to answer and I wondered if he was not interested in going or if he had some work to do for his other job.

"I'd be happy to. You can send me the details over text?" he confirmed, making me suppress a scowl about her having his number. That is, until I saw the flustered look on her face that told me she didn't.

"Y-yes. I have my phone right here-" she stated, as she put her coffee down on the table for a moment to dig her blackberry out of her over-sized black and white Kate Spade. She handed him her phone and her blue eyes seemed to glance at me like my gaze was making her self-conscious. I leaned back and took a sip of my coffee as my eyes went to Mr. Montgomery as he focused on typing his contact into her phone. I almost wanted to try to steal his number by looking at which keys he pressed, but blackberrys were hard because they had way too many buttons. He didn't say anything as he handed it back and she had an awkward smile on her face under his intense eye contact. "Alright- uh- I guess I'll see you later." She told him with her voice going a little high-pitched like she was unsure of what to say. He nodded back as she took her coffee and then walked away with a straight posture as if she knew we were watching her still. Though I was just judging her shoes, Mr. Montgomery seemed to be judging her body. Her heels weren't very nice. They were blocky with closed toes and I didn't know who made them, but I knew for sure they weren't by any high fashion designers. While I did love a pencil skirt and how it fit her slightly too skinny body, I wouldn't have chosen red with a black blazer and a white blouse. Perhaps with a red blouse or maybe a red blazer, although that was a little clownish to have a cherry-red suit.

"You into her?" I probed, before I could resist. He seemed to try to be resisting his smile and his eyes danced with amusement as he turned them on me.

"Not really my type."

"Oh? What's your type?" I asked, unable to stop my intrigued grin from spreading on my lips as I leaned on the table to speak in a lowered voice.

"I tend to go for the bad girls." He joked in almost a whisper after he leaned close to me, making me utter a surprised laugh. He smiled at my response, but when an older man with a suit looked over, he sat up straight and resumed his cool attitude. "I'll let you get back to studying, Ms. Chernoff." He told me, as his phone vibrated in his pocket. He didn't even check it and I guessed it was Ms. Smith.

"It was nice talking to you. I will... see you in class." I answered smoothly after a nervous glance at the man who was eyeing us with a stern look on his face. I was actually disappointed when he got up and left me alone. I tried not to let my eyes wander down the mouth-watering lines of his body in his black suit with his deep red dress shirt as he left since the older man was still watching me. I let my eyes fall unseeingly on my notes as Mr. Montgomery walked out smoothly and the older man strode stiffly towards the door with an uptight greeting for him.

*

"Kate, can I talk to you?" Coach Beals sounded stern and it made me swallow in apprehension. I stepped away from the others. We had just finished practice and were going back to the dorms, but as my friends turned to watch me, Coach Beals led me into the Sports Complex and I shot them a wide-eyed pleading cringe when I looked back as I followed him through the door. He led me to his office and my heart was pounding as I put my bag down and dropped into a chair as he pulled the door closed. I chewed on my lip as I looked up at him and instead of sitting at his desk, he was close in front of me, leaning back on it.

If I wasn't so concerned about what I was in trouble for, I would've changed my position so he wasn't looming over me, but the fact that he was leaning back was a good sign. Maybe it would've been worse if he was leaning forward facing me. I was always very aware of body position in a room. It meant a lot more than most people realized. I had taken a few classes on the psychology of body language and it was one of the things I had picked up quickly. I tended to twist meetings by changing how I stood or where I sat to prevent people from feeling like they had authority over me. It also worked on everyone without me having to say anything or break any rules. It was subtle, but it made a difference in many situations.

"The boy you pushed into the pool the other day..." the one phrase made my heart drop and guilt pulled at the features of my face. "He wasn't seriously injured, but you really knocked the wind out of him." His voice had softened a little bit and I almost sighed in relief that I hadn't broken ribs or something. "I didn't see the whole thing, but from what his friend told me, he was trying to throw you in the pool?"

"Yeah, I didn't mean to hurt him. I just kind of... Sparta'd him into the pool..." A smile tugged on Coach Beals' lips. Clearly, he had seen 300...

"You were just defending yourself, but I just want to express my concern... to you because physical violence isn't tolerated at Golds..." he had turned stern again and I nodded vaguely.

"What was I supposed to do? Let him throw me in?" I asked sincerely unsure.

"If you called for help, I would've been able to stop him." He said sympathetically as he sat down next to me and let his knee touch mine as he angled towards me. I pursed my lips and avoided his intense gaze, by body still angled straight facing the desk.

"I didn't really need help..." I muttered, making him chuckle.

"I'm sorry I didn't prevent it. He was in the wrong and I didn't file a report because honestly, it sounded like he deserved it." He had a smirk when I looked over at him, but I still felt crappy. If a report got filed about me being violent, Papi would be pissed and it wasn't because he'd be mad about me taking out a guy who was touching me, it was more serious than that. I wouldn't be under the radar if I got in trouble with the dean. Getting kicked out would suck.

"Next time, I guess I will try to call for help?" I guessed.

"There shouldn't be a next time." He sounded almost angry, but I looked over at him to see him looking at the floor.

"There's always going to be a next time. I really didn't mean to hurt him. I'm glad it wasn't serious. It's not the first time I've defended myself from a guy..." His eyes met mine and he looked sincerely worried about me.

"I want you to take my number." He said to my dismay. "You can call me if you're ever in trouble." He told me, getting up from the chair to write his phone number on a sticky note, before handing it to me.

"Okay." I answered in a murmur when he handed me the paper.

"I also..." he was hesitant and I wasn't sure what he was going to say next and worried it'd be him making a move on me. "-wanted to talk to you about... Mr. Montgomery." He said finally, making my eyebrows press down in worry and confusion.

"Mr. Montgomery?" I asked for him to elaborate.

"If he makes you uncomfortable... I noticed he was talking to you..." he was trying to ask me if Mr. Montgomery was pursuing me. God, I hoped Mr. Montgomery was pursuing me. I remembered our last conversation in the café.

"We're both new to Golds." I started with a shrug. "He thought it was odd I wasn't wearing work out clothes or a bathing suit so he just came to see what I was doing..." I blurted out, before looking over to see the dark discontent on the coach's face.

"He seems to be... showing favoritism towards you." He practically mumbled, his voice as dark and discontent as his expression.

"It's not like that. I'm a bit of an oddball. I think he just wants to make sure I'm fitting in." I said with a laugh. My answer seemed to make his expression lighten a little bit.

"If he does anything to make you uncomfortable, you can always tell me." He insisted, putting his hand on my back. I almost wanted to say something like 'Like you? Touching me even though I'm not interested.', but I held back and just turned to him with a nod.

"I know I'm a magnet for trouble." I smirked, making him laugh. "I really just want to get good grades and make friends." He sent me an overly warm smile and stood up.

"Come here." The sound of it made alarm bells go off in my head, but I stood up anyway and let him pull me into an uncomfortable hug.

"Thank you." I murmured, trying desperately to sound professional and not too sincere as I pulled away to look up at him. He had a half smile on his face and lust in his eyes.

"No problem, Kate. I'll see you tomorrow." He put his hand on my back to guide me towards the door before he opened it for me and I grabbed my bag before leaving the office with relief that he hadn't totally crossed the line yet. I couldn't decide what to do if he tried to kiss me. I could still feel where he had had his hands on my back even as I stepped into the locker room.

*

I made my way back to the dorms and looked down at my phone. I hadn't put Gregory Beals' number in and had no intention of ever using. I was almost a little disappointed that I didn't have 'Montgomery's' number, but I knew having a Russian gang member have my number wasn't the smartest anyway. I spent the short walk to Hothmore hall and up the stairs to my floor trying to decide what to do to prevent Beals' imminent advances.

Shane was in the shower when I got back and Melissa was watching me even though she had been doing her homework when I came in the room.

"What's that look? What took you so long to get back from practice?" her tone wasn't accusing, but it definitely wasn't worried. I looked up from my phone with pursed lips.

"What do I do to stop a guy I don't like from making unwanted advances without having to be too direct?" I blurted out, seeing her eyebrows press down and her eyes go far away in thought. Instead of asking the annoying 'Oh, who is it?' she actually came up with a likely solution.

"Start dating someone else." She said emotionlessly. My eyebrows raised.

"That's actually a really good idea..." I answered, thinking about how easy it would be to find some dumb guy to string along. Though it would probably ruin my chances with the guy I actually liked and maybe it'd be uncomfortable.

"Are you talking about Dwayne?" she asked. There was something about how her voice went high like she was trying to sound uninterested, but had a reason she wanted to know.

"Uh, him too, I guess. I'm not sure what to do about that. I don't want to cause drama if I fake-dated one of his friends..." I sighed. "Maybe I'll just think about it more..." I felt a little defeated as I thought of my options and pictured Dwayne's upset face if he found out.

"Dwayne's a good guy. He might understand if you just tell him you're not into him." She suggested as Shane stepped out of the bathroom buck naked. I blinked and Melissa spun in her chair at my expression to start screaming at her to put clothes on.

"Alright! Alright, I'm going! Jeese!" she exclaimed as she went to her wardrobe and I grabbed some clothes and slipped into the bathroom before closing the door. I could still hear them arguing even with the thick door closed and I had gotten almost used to their squabbles. At first, I was worried Melissa would turn her disapproval onto me, but other than showering too long, we hadn't had many disagreements. She had even let me use her fridge for a few energy drinks and water bottles.

*

Mr. Montgomery was ghosting around the classroom as one of the students read aloud one of the paragraphs in the book and I was acutely aware of him as he stood close behind me. His cologne was an intoxicating smell and I wondered if there were pheromones in it, making me crazy. I could feel the warmth of him as he stood so close he was almost touching me. I was trying desperately to focus on the small print with my glasses on, but I couldn't help turning my head to look up to see what he was looking at when his presence didn't move on to someone else. He was peering at my book like he was reading over my shoulder.

"You know, you're very distracting!" I blurted out in annoyance, making his grey eyes turn to me as a smile tugged at his lips.

"Oh, am I?" he asked coolly with a rhetorical tone to his sexy voice.

"Yes!" I waved a hand like I was swatting him away and he couldn't hold back his smile as he obliged and moved around my desk towards the front of the classroom. When I turned to watch his dark form, I made eye contact with Victoria and she had a look on her face halfway between shock and jealousy. I turned back to my book and damn Mr. Montgomery made me read the next page like he was punishing me.

*

I turned to see his perfectly proportioned, toned body next to me and tried not to let my imagination make him any more undressed. His pitch-black t-shirt fit him perfectly in a not-too-tight and definitely-not-too-baggy way which showed off his chiseled upper body so well I thought I could be drooling. His shorts were loose and I had to avert my eyes to stop from getting caught picturing his privates like a pervert. His arms were muscular but not too much to unbalance him and I couldn't help admiring the cryptic tattoos on his arms and even some on his legs.

"What are you thinking about?" Mr. Montgomery asked as he stared ahead at the TV screens that were playing the news, sports, or commercials on silent. He glanced at me and I'm sure I wore a blank idiotic expression while I tried to come up with something logical other than the truth.

"I hate it here. It's too damn cold." I blurted out as I felt like my nipples were showing through my shirt, and struggled not to look at him to make it worse.

"I thought you were from New York. It's just as cold there." He asked suspiciously.

"I grew up in Florida. I hate the winter." I announced, looking up at the vents above my treadmill to avoid looking at his face.

"Aren't you Russian? What Russian hates the cold?" He asked with mirth.

"Every Russian! Why do you think I'm in the States? Russians don't want to stay in Russia!" I exclaimed making him laugh out.

"I guess that could be true." He said with smirk. "A ty govorish' po russki?" 'Do you speak Russian?' he asked slyly in his dark velvet voice. He must've seen the look on my face that said yes even though I was avoiding eye-contact and looking ahead at one of the TVs.

"A little bit." I answered, stubbornly.

"Did you grow up in Russia?" he probed, with a darkness in his unconvincingly innocent question.

"Did you?" I evaded, looking to see the slightest hint of alarm in his expression. He must've been placed to keep an eye on Amelia, I guessed. I must've looked like I knew the truth because he smiled uncomfortably when I glanced at him.

"I'm American, actually." He lied, stiffly.

"Me too." I said sincerely.