3rd Person
Kate, Larray, Dixie, and Richard all exchanged terrified glances. Dixie was enticed by this since she understood why the professor acted the way he did, but the others didn't, and she'd only feed into their ignorance. There was no idle talk, and no one was asleep. Everyone was only waiting for his next words.
"There's a pop quiz uploaded," he grinned evilly, "start that now and finish 50 questions in 15 minutes." "Right now, I'll be marking your papers."
Richard mumbled under his breath, "That's so fucked," and the entire class heard him. He kept walking across the most treacherous waters imaginable.
When Noah overheard Richard's mumblings, he exclaimed, "Say it again?" The class was stunned; no student had ever put Dr. Beck to such a test before, and they couldn't understand why Richard felt he'd be the first.
"15 minutes for 50 questions? I said it was unfair. We aren't machines, we are human beings." Noah's tone was matched by Richard.
"Just do the-," Dixie began, but was interrupted by Richard.
He rolled his eyes and leaned back, saying, "Dixie, save it before you defend your little boyfriend." Dixie exploded with rage.
"Don't make assumptions about my life, especially if you don't know anything about it. Don't blame your rage on me because I didn't do anything to you. Whatever's going on with you, don't say anything to me. But don't listen to me and watch yourself flunk this class," Dixie said fiercely at him. Richard was getting on everyone's nerves, leaving them dumbfounded. Noah, on the other hand, was proud of her, his girl.
Richard began to add, "I—," but Noah interrupted him.
"Mr. Wright, if you can't handle the workload, quit the class and students," Noah stated gently, "be nice, this is still a respectful area."
Richard felt terrible about how he spoke to Dixie, and there was no way she could forgive him now. What did she have to do with anyone if she was dating Noah? It was none of anyone's concern, and that was the thing that irritated her the most.
•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•
It wasn't hard for the scholars to finish their quizzes. Most people finished in under 10 minutes and used the extra five minutes to double-check their work. The quiz consisted of multiple choice questions on units 1 and 2. Noah had completed marking the essays and was dissatisfied with the class's performance.
"You should all be through with the quiz by now," he remarked, snatching a stack of papers from his desk and walking to the center of the room. "I've finished marking the essays, and the work is bad. These were obviously hasty and poorly thought out." Noah was a great teacher, but the students he had in this class didn't put in enough effort to pass.
Dixie whispered, "Shit." She felt certain that hers had been rushed, and she wondered if this was what Noah was referring to.
"Five of you received grades of 12 or above, with one obtaining a perfect score, and the rest received grades of 8 or lower. Let's hope your presentations, which will be graded on a scale of 1 to 5, can improve your grade."
Elizabeth, a student in the middle row, inquired, "Who earned the full marks sir?"
"Elizabeth, Ms. D'Amelio received full marks, and your essay received a 13; outstanding and impressive job. You should be alright if you just improve on your run-ons", he said to her, and she smiled.
"Thank you very much, sir."
"The grades have just been released, so you can see how you did and pick up your papers on your way out."
Dixie was happy with herself, but she wondered if she received this grade because her essay was excellent or because Noah knew she was still mad at him.
"Finally," Kate said, her face lit up with delight. "I received 14 marks, and I'm finally passing," she exclaimed. Dixie was happy for her and knew she had put in a lot of effort into her essay.
"I deserved this 12," Larray replied. "I genuinely attempted to do this essay and received an 80 percent on it; I'm proud of myself." He shrieked, "Girlies."
Dixie was overjoyed for them, knowing how hard they'd worked. Richard was deafeningly quiet for the rest of the class, and she knew it was either because he was resentful of himself or because he had failed the task. She didn't give a damn, not after the way he'd treated her.
The rest of the class was a breeze to deal with. They went over the 50 questions and essay writing preparation. To ensure that these presentations went well, Noah handed them a PowerPoint slide on public speaking. He judged the pieces fairly, putting his emotions aside, and they were still poor. And you'd think a daring student like Richard would be brighter and more substantial.
"That's it for today's lesson," he said, "enjoy the rest of your day." The student hurriedly exited the classroom after making his final statement, leaving Dixie in her seat. Richard was the first to leave, and Kate and Larray were now in Mr. Connell's Portuguese class.
"Did you give me a fair grade on my paper?"
"Yes, I did; you had very compelling arguments, which I'm sure you learned from the Mafusa. Your original grade was 14 1/2 out of a possible 15, but I decided to give you the other half," He laughed and got to work scrubbing the whiteboard.
"Thank you, and yes, that textbook was used."
He asked, "Do you have a class now?"
"Yeah, I have English Lit and Math and then I'm done," she remarked as she gathered her books and bag pack.
"I'll be in my office until 2 p.m. because I have classes until then. Do you want me to drive you back to your house?"
"No, we're going to your place, but because I have my clubs today, I'll drive there. I'll go home the next day," she said with slight laughter.
"All right," he said with a chuckle, and she walked away. Noah had a great plan for her and was eager to put it into action.
•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•
Noah had returned to his house after two o'clock. Dixie was due to arrive at 4 p.m., and he wanted to make things right between then. She was still in a bad mood from earlier in the day. He wasn't the type to fall in love with a woman. This was mainly because he was never required to be one, but times change and things change. He'd have to figure out a way to educate himself on romance.
While Bryce was answering the phone, Noah stated, "I need advice."
"What's up?"
"Dixie's pissed at me, how do I fix that? I already apologized," Noah expressed.
"Haha, look at you being whipped by a woman," Bryce joked, "but speaking of, we need to talk after this."
"Great, but you jackass, help me."
"Cook her a lovely dinner, light some candles, get her flowers, and then make love to her; do not fuck. That's all you know how to do, but make love to her and I promise she'll change her mind." Bryce was the one who knew the most about it. He's been dealing with Halley for a long time and this has always worked.
Noah rolled his eyes and said, "That makes sense, and shut up." "What did you say you wanted to talk to me about?"
He sighed sharply and added, "Halley wants a baby."
"I like it, Bryce the father," Noah said, "but are you serious right now?"
"Yes, I am, and she and I discussed it, but my thoughts are a little hazy. Do you have any thoughts or advice?"
"Do you want to start a family with Halley?"
"Yes, I do," Bryce stated confidently. "I want to marry Halley."
"The next question is whether you believe you will be ready to father a child. Not only put the child in her, but also go through the 9 months of pregnancy and 18+ years of parenting with her?"
"I'll give it my all."
"Then there's your answer, but before you start trying, go to a clinic and talk with a doctor to see if there are any risks, and then make me an uncle. I think you'll have a son first, if all goes well, "Noah prophesied.
"You're funny," Bryce said, "how do you even know so much about pregnancy?"
"I teach psychology and have had to go through various stages of medicine, in addition to having a mother and sister. It's just common sense, isn't it?" Noah remarked.
"Thank you, and let me know how your evening goes. Have you told her of your choice yet?"
Noah answered softly, "No, I'll get to that."
"Remember what happened in Italy, and this time I'm not going to fix anything because I have warned you," Bryce said sternly.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything, and I've got to get going now."
The boys said their goodbyes and went about their business. Noah needed to get this evening started before Dixie arrived, and Bryce needed to discuss his options with Halley. Noah was overjoyed by the news. He wasn't ready to be a father, but he knew Bryce talked about it all the time, and he wanted this for him. As ridiculous as it may sound, Noah could see himself as that cool uncle.
The dinner was Noah's first order of business. He concentrated his mind on something light because it was only the two of them. He knew her preferences because she had gone to the grocery shop earlier in the week. He was an amazing chef who learned his abilities from both parents, despite the fact that he didn't cook very much.
He began preparing the supper by taking the chicken and shrimp, as well as the veggies, from the refrigerator. He intended to prepare Dixie's favorite Parmesan chicken, Cajun shrimp with a side of greens, potatoes, and flaxseed rice. He went to his mother for some advice, which peaked her interest. She was desperate to find out who this mysterious person was and how she had gotten her hands on her son. Amy was pleased at Noah's happiness as a mother. He didn't usually show much concern for these, so she's delighted he found someone to love.
"I'm such a great chef," Noah boasted to himself. He was his most powerful motivation. No one had Noah's ego, but he wasn't wrong; the dish was coming together beautifully. He had finished and was about to start prepping the sides when he received a text message from Dixie.
Dixie D'Amelio: i will be there soon, my club finishes in an hour.
Noah Beck: take your time and be safe.
Dixie D'Amelio: k, whatever.
He knew she was still upset after that last response, but that would soon change. The dinner was finished and the tables were set in less than 15 minutes. Tonight, his best friends were Google and Pinterest. Noah had no idea how to do any of this, but where there's a will, there's a way. He chose a setting he liked and sat at the living room's smaller table.
He placed the two plates, forks, knives, and serving spoons in the glass serving heating pans in the center of the table, together with the dinner, and wine glasses to the side. He poured himself a glass of his finest Cabernet Sauvignon. This was the silkiest, smoothest red wine he'd ever tasted, and he's confident she'd enjoy it as much as he did.
His mother and sisters had always given him candles, but he had never used them until today. He often considered throwing them out or giving them away after spring cleaning, but suddenly he had a need for them. Noah positioned the two taper candles in the center of the table. His mother made it clear that scented candles are not to be near the food as it will throw off the appetite of the people eating. He finished everything and headed upstairs.
Noah owned a flower shop and had a couple dozen boxes of flowers sent to him. This was undoubtedly excessive, but all he wanted for his girl was the best. Yellow, red, violet, blue, white, green, and black blossoms were fragrant and bright in color. Since their trip to Italy, he knew Dixie liked flowers. He hurried upstairs to get ready because the boxes were supposed to arrive in a few minutes.
He made the bed and lit a few candles to set the scene, which he hadn't done before. His "Alexa" was also playing some extremely slow and low-key music, and he had dimmed the lights in his house. This was going to be great for her. Noah went into the bathroom for a quick but thorough shower. Dixie was on the way, and he wanted to be out when she arrived.
His outfit was easy and simple: grey sweatpants and a white T-shirt. He didn't need much to sit at home with his girlfriend and eat. Despite a few problems that cropped up now and again, this teacher and student were having a great time together.
He went into the living room and turned off all the lights, creating a very sexual, sensual, and romantic mood for tonight. He never saw himself as a romantic, but here he is now, planning dates and cooking meals for a special person: his student.
Waiting around a bit longer, he heard the front door unlocked and a very surprised Dixie walked in. It was now or never and this night would be a great one.