Elizabeth

"At this point, I am never going to find her again," I muttered to Joanne as we sat in the front row seats of our Psych class.

We were the first to arrive and as usual, for the past weeks, we sat in the front row, where we could see the professor upclose in the auditorium. It was a large class, filled with approximately two hundred students, to the point where one of the smaller auditoriums were needed to hold this many students.This particular class was especially popular, as the professor taught Abnormal Psychology, one of the most intriguing topics. It was also a class that was hard to get into, and it meant that we would have to register the moment we were allowed to, assuming the class was not closed off already.

Professor Marion was equally as popular as the subject itself, known for his passion on the topic and actual experience on the field, where his previous profession was being a psychiatrist in an asylum. He would recount his stories in a dramatic yet passionate tone, and it always related to the topic he would be lecturing on. The class syllabus was perhaps one of the easiest as well–with assignments due on a weekly basis, exams on a biweekly basis and a main project assigned as part of the finals. He was relatively straightforward with his lessons and oftentimes, had powerpoints on the stage so that the students could read and take notes while he spoke. It was, overall, a great class to complete my prerequisites and I was glad Joanne had convinced me to take it with her.

"It's only been a few weeks, just give it some time," Joanne muttered back to me as we pulled out our Macbooks.

"Have you seen her, by any chance?"

"No, I mean, I don't really look at people like that," she whispered as Professor Marion began to fiddle with the projector, plugging in his laptop to the projector.

"I'm never going to get my revenge at this point," I sighed, anger flashing suddenly when I pictured the smug smirk on Leo's face.

"Maybe it's just not meant to be, Liz. Why are you still clinging on to it? Holding grudges isn't good for your mental health." Her voice was soft and rational, and I could feel her gaze on me.

"I know," I admitted, lowering my voice as the students began to pile in, their excited chatter echoing in the auditorium. "But, I can't seem to let it go either."

It was to the point where I stayed up night after night, just reliving the fight over and over my mind. Remembering the moment she had ruthlessly stomped on my glasses, the moment I had launched myself at her to pummel her face with my fists, the moment her ugly words had pierced through my control and temporarily rendered me insane with rage, the moment she had grabbed my hair in a way that...it was hard to forget it. It was equally hard to revisit the scene.

She had so easily grabbed my control before I could regain it, and something about her got under my skin, like a tattoo needle consistently drilling into my epidermis. All I wanted was to make her regret her actions and if I had to go down to her level and become a bully, then so be it. It was the only way I could let go of it.

"I know what can make you forget," Joanne answered a beat later, as the class started to settle down.

"Don't you dare say it," I growled, focusing on Professor Marion as he began to speak.

"I'm going to say it regardless. Let's hit the clubs this weekend...We had postponed it four times already."

I shook my head vehemently but when I peeked back at Joanne, she had a strangely stubborn expression on her face. Her slanted dark-brown eyes narrowed at me, her lips turning down in annoyance. Unwilling to speak while the professor was lecturing, she fiercely typed on her Macbook, sending me a message.

I'm not taking a no for an answer. Steph is pissed off.

Great. An angry Stephanie was never a good thing. Angry Steph would do absolutely anything to convince me–and I had been through that before. It was better for me to concede to her demands before she went off like a bomb.

It looked like I had no choice.

🍓🍓🍓

"That will be all for today, everyone. Thank you all for diligently participating. This week's assignments are due by Sunday at midnight. If anyone needs an extension, send me an email or meet me at my office hours. Before you all go, I want to let you know that it is time for you all to start thinking about the end of semester project. You can check the list in the syllabus of the case studies for examples or to implement as an idea. You may also take it a further step and research your own case studies, whether it is fictional, historical or real-life. If you decide to do so, it will be counted as extra credit and bring your grade up a point. You can choose to work on it alone or with another person, but the limit is two students for the project with an essay included. If you have any questions, please let me know," Professor Marion announced, looking over the auditorium with a broad smile. His glasses glinted in the lights and he seemed pleased as the students around me began to respond rather enthusiastically.

"I'm guessing you're planning to do it by yourself," Joanne stated as she began to pack her bag. She looked at me sideways as I stared at my screen thoughtfully.

"You already know but we can always bounce ideas off each other," I muttered, my mind whirring with potential project ideas.

She chuckled knowingly, rising from her seat slowly, turning her head slightly to face the exit of the auditorium. She stood there, her body suddenly tensing up as she looked far off into the distance, her eyes squinting closely. I followed her gaze curiously, wondering what had her looking so spooked. The doors swung open continuously as the rows of students lined up to leave but I didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"What?" I questioned, looking up at her face.

"I just saw someone that...looked like..." She began slowly, looking down at me. Her dark eyes scanned my expectant expression and then she shook her head, letting out a weak laugh. "Oh, it's nothing!"

I didn't think much of it, assuming that she might have seen a familiar face, perhaps a crush or something.

"Okay, cool. Let's go get something to eat then," I finally said, as we headed out the auditorium.

It was strange to see Joanne refuse to disclose any information to me, but I had known her long enough to know that it was better for me not to pry into her business. Once she was ready to say anything, she knew I would be there to listen to her with open ears.

We conversed as we exited into the hallway, trying to figure out what to eat. She was looking around as we spoke and unable to avert her glance quickly enough, I had already followed her eyes, wondering what had her attention elsewhere. She tugged my sleeve in an attempt to distract me but it was already too late.

I caught a glimpse of the darkly-cladded figure standing by the water fountain and instinctively knew who it was.

What a perfectly imperfect timing.