Hooked

Chapter 7

Grace

My back hurt after tossing all night. Sleep had been elusive. It was hard to focus on my classes. Thankfully, there was a coffee cart. I inhaled the sweet cinnamon and cloves from my chai tea, and that helped me get through the morning. I went through the motions, smiling at people I knew and ducking from people I didn't. Nothing had changed and everything had changed. Before I went to my final class of the day, I saw Nolan across campus.

He stood with several other guys equally fit. I recognized a couple of them as his teammates. One was Evan, and another was Wyatt Birch, a hotshot sophomore who had great stick handling skills. I never missed one of their games if I could help it.

A woman walked up to Evan and smiled. For a second I thought it was his girl of the week, then she turned around and I recognized her as his friend Josie. It was funny how much I knew about the team when I wasn't involved. Rumors spread fast, and I listened well.

Dark circles haunted Nolan's eyes. He didn't smile or talk to his friends. I paused and noticed his phone in his hand. He kept glancing at it as he stood off to the side, not quite in the group and not quite out of it, either. I wondered what he was waiting for, but I didn't have a lot of time to figure it out. My next class started in five minutes across campus, and I needed to hurry to get there. I hated being late.

I tore my gaze away and hustled, barely making it into my seat before the professor strode in with his brown leather satchel that he never opened. Dr. Kinston was in his early thirties and non-tenured, something he was working hard to change. Getting tenure wasn't as easy as most people thought. I liked him, even if he was tough on his students. He jumped into his lecture without looking at any of us. It didn't take long until I was lost in my studies.

"Grace, a word," Dr. Kinston said as soon as the class had ended.

I stood and waited for everyone else to leave the room before approaching the front of the room.

"Did Professor Miklovich talk to you?" he asked as he stood with both hands on the top of the satchel.

I nodded, hugging my books tighter to my chest.

"Are you going to take the position?" He stared at me with intense green eyes, and I wanted to look away. My grandmother had green eyes.

"Maybe." I shrugged and stared up at him. "She emailed me this morning to set up a meeting to discuss it. As long as it doesn't interfere with my work at the library, I might do it."

He smiled, and his too white teeth almost blinded me. Dr. Kinston was nice, but sometimes he tried too hard to relate to the students. At least, that was my read on him. I could be totally wrong. My people skills were not the best these days. "Good," he said. "It'll look great on your resume for grad school. It's a lot of work, but I know you can handle it."

"Thank you," I whispered, unsure why it sounded like a question.

"I'll see you at the library later." He picked up his satchel then strode out of the room.

Shaking my head, I took my phone out of my bag and turned it on now that I was done with my classes for the day. A text popped up, then another. My few friends forgot too often that I turned my phone off during my classes. It was a distraction, especially when my coworkers at the library were constantly asking me to cover their shifts.

Three from Kelly asking just that. She wanted me to cover her four to eight shift, but I was already going to be there. I texted her back, telling her I was on until nine. She sent a thumbs up.

One was from Professor Miklovich confirming our two o'clock meeting. I'd given her my number in my email response this morning since I didn't keep my email on my phone. It was just another distraction.