Faking the Play (Hot Mess Harems #2)

6. Amelia

Chapter six

Amelia

I floated on a warm cloud, drifting comfortably. Far more so than usual, which was strange. While I’d become accustomed to my dorm room mattress, I still wouldn’t describe it as comfortable. Dorm room. Right. I was dreaming.

Except dreaming didn’t explain why the mattress was so fluffy, or why the sheets were so soft.

Or why there was something poking me in the middle of my back.

A soft sound behind me had my eyes flying open and my entire body going stiff as my brain scrambled to wake up enough to figure out where I was and what was going on.

Light gray walls with football paraphernalia didn’t really narrow it down to anything but “not my dorm room.” Thick mattress with soft cotton sheets. Again, no help.

And there was an arm around me.

My pulse kicked up as I looked down at the muscled forearm resting on my waist. A small burn scar on the tanned skin told me it was Ethan’s arm. Which meant I’d fallen asleep in Ethan’s bed last night.

And, unless I was mistaken, that was Ethan’s erection pressing against my back.

Shit.

I needed to get out of here before Ethan woke up and things got really awkward for both of us and not just for me. I’d probably blush like crazy the next time I saw him, but at least he wouldn’t know why.

Hopefully.

Not wanting to wake him up, I eased out from under his arm and managed to slip out of the room without him being any the wiser. I paused in the hallway, listening hard for the sounds of his roommates being up and about. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I was shocked to see the time. Of course Ryan and Logan weren’t here. They were already in class.

And my first class started in just twenty minutes.

Dammit!

If I were in my dorm, that wouldn’t be too bad, but I wasn’t on campus, which meant I didn’t even know where the closest bus stop was. Since I didn’t have time to go home and change, let alone shower, I worked on straightening my clothes and hair as I made my way to the lobby. Popping a piece of gum into my mouth, I knew I was as ready as I was going to get, and I just hoped that any disarray could be credited to my rush across campus.

The way people watched me as I hurried to the Behavioral Sciences building made me think I either looked more of a mess than I thought…or people were still all about yesterday’s gossip. I hoped it was the latter, because if it was the former, I’d have a hard time convincing anyone that I was a professional.

I made it to my first class with a few minutes to spare and found a seat at the back to avoid walking past the other students. It wasn’t until the professor walked into the room that I realized I didn’t have any of my books or my laptop. Fortunately, I always carried a small notebook and some pens, so I wasn’t completely at a loss, but this was definitely not how I’d wanted to start my senior year.

Still, it was just one class and I had two more today, including the class where I’d officially be introduced as Dr. Isenberg’s TA. I managed to run up to my room before my second class to change my clothes and grab my bag so I’d have all my books and things. Not seeing Megan there gave me hope that things were on an upward swing, but the moment I stepped back into the Behavioral Sciences building, I knew that wasn’t going to be the case.

Most of the students I passed either stared at me right away, or did a double take as they passed. The ones who seemed clueless quickly had someone pull them aside to tell them what was going on. I couldn’t hear the words, but I didn’t need to. They were saying the same things people had said yesterday, and no one was on my side this time either.

Reminding myself that I hadn’t done anything wrong and Jason was the asshole, I lifted my chin, squared my shoulders, and walked to my second class like nothing was wrong. I ignored the stares and the whispers of my classmates as I took my seat, and kept my focus on the front of the room. It didn’t stop me from feeling them burning holes in me through the entire introductory lecture, and it was all I could do not to run when the class ended.

One more. I had one more class, and it was the most important one. Fixing what I hoped was a calm, professional expression on my face, I went next door to the lecture hall where dozens of freshmen were already finding seats. I smiled at a few who looked my way before it became clear that my peers weren’t the only ones in on the gossip.

Setting my bag down on the table next to the lectern, I rummaged through it more than necessary before pulling out my laptop. I didn’t raise my head until I saw Dr. Isenberg out of the corner of my eye. The nod he gave me was stiff, but he didn’t seem angry, which offered a little relief.

Even if he knew I wasn’t the one spreading the rumor, it’d be easy for him to blame me for it. Hell, I had to keep telling myself that Jason was in the wrong.

He cleared his throat as he moved over to the lectern, making sure to cut a wide path around me. One nervous hand patted down his mousey brown hair while the other pushed his glasses up higher on his nose.

“Good afternoon.” He offered his usual smile even though it wasn’t as bright as usual. “I’m Dr. Isenberg and this is Psychology 101, also called Introduction to Psychology. Hopefully, you’re all in the right place.” He gestured to me without looking at me. “This is Miss Fine. She is my teaching assistant, so you’ll be seeing a lot of her this semester. She’ll also be helping grade papers, and perhaps teaching a class or two. I expect the same amount of respect for her that you have for me.”

Normally, the professor’s words would’ve warmed me, but I saw the glances many of the students gave each other. Respect wasn’t a word they were thinking in relation to me or Dr. Isenberg.

No one said anything though, so the class went smoothly enough, and by the time it ended, I almost felt some of my original excitement about this opportunity. Then, a pair of serious-looking forty-somethings came down the stairs to where Dr. Isenberg and I were packing up our things.

“Amelia Fine?” the woman asked.

“Yes?”

“I’m Sonya Smythe and this is my colleague, Jefferson Hardwicke.”

Judging by the way Dr. Isenberg stiffened, this wasn’t good.

“How can I help you?” I asked, giving them both polite smiles.

“We’re part of CSU’s ethics committee,” Jefferson said. “We need to ask you a few questions about a recent incident.”

My hand tightened around the strap of my bag, but I refused to let anything else show. “I’m finished with my classes for the day, so now’s a good time.” I pulled my bag and my purse over my shoulder. “Where would you like to talk?”

By the time the three of us settled in an empty classroom, I knew how rough this would be.

“Are you sleeping with Dr. Isenberg?”

Sonya didn’t pull any punches, but I didn’t expect her to. As women, we both knew that using sex to get ahead was always an accusation waiting to destroy us, and every time a woman actually did it, the rest of us had to work twice as hard to prove we didn’t.

“No,” I said firmly. “Dr. Isenberg is my professor and my mentor. That’s all.”

“And the pictures? Are those of you, or did someone photoshop them?” Jefferson asked.

“My boyfriend—sorry, ex -boyfriend—took them a few months ago,” I said. “As far as I know, he’s the only one who’s ever had a copy. I don’t even have them on my phone.”

“But you could have deleted them,” Sonya suggested.

“I could have,” I agreed, “but I didn’t. Because I never had them.”

It went on like that for more than an hour, each question harsher than the last, filled with doubt and skepticism that cut to the bone. I couldn’t tell if they were doing it intentionally as some sort of tactic, or if they didn’t believe me. Either way, by the time they said that was all for now, I could barely breathe and my eyes blurred with unshed tears.

How I managed to keep myself together until I stumbled out of the building and away from that pair, I didn’t know. As soon as the wave of hot air hit me and I knew I’d made it out, I started looking for somewhere to hide where I could quietly fall apart.