His Obsession POV
I walked towards my class, spotting the familiar sight of long, wavy auburn hair tied up in a ponytail. Lily Thompson, Her sparkling green eyes lit up as she saw me.
Before I could reach her, my Literature Professor, Percy Mendes, cleared his throat with a dramatic cough, making me halt in my tracks.
I squeezed my eyes shut, mentally facepalming myself for not asking for permission.
"Shit, how could I forget that?" I berated myself silently. The heat of embarrassment crept up my neck, making me feel like a spotlight was trained on me.
Turning around, I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of everyone's gaze.
I hate being the centre of attention, guess what?
My day is getting better and better.
"Excuse me, Calista. I think you forgot something," he said, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, umm, yeah, I'm sorry, Professor. I didn't see you," I replied hesitantly, feeling everyone's eyes on me. The awkwardness was like a heavy fog settling over me.
"I don't think I'm that small, Is 6 '2 small class?" he directed towards class and some gay guys hooted and Replied "No."
My heart pounded in my chest, and I could almost hear the ticking of the clock on the wall, each second stretching out painfully.
"So Calista, walk back in and ask for permission. Come on, try again," he replied sternly, clearly not in the mood for fun this early in the morning.
I turned around, trying to suppress a grin.
Seriously, what happens to him in the mornings? He's usually such a jolly person,I thought to myself.
It was like dealing with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Walking back to the door, I made an exaggerated show of it, straightening my posture and giving a slight salute.
"May I come in. sir?" I asked in an exaggerated military tone, hoping to defuse the tension. My voice sounded louder than I intended, and I winced inwardly.
A few of my classmates snickered, and I saw the corners of Professor Mendes' mouth twitch, though he tried to keep his stern expression.
"Permission granted, Calista. Now, please take your seat," he said, his tone still serious but with a hint of amusement.
I walked to my desk, feeling the tension ease slightly. As I sat beside Lily she gave me a sympathetic smile. "Nice save," she whispered.
"You know my day is already shitty and this added a cherry on top of it," I whispered back, sliding into my seat.
I glanced at Professor Mendes, who was now rummaging through his notes.
The lectures flowed seamlessly, professors drifting in and out like the tides until the break bell rang, signalling freedom.
The moment it did, the guys in the class bolted from their seats like a pack of wolves on a hunt. Like today was a free refill-drinks day outside, and they weren't about to miss out.
"Why do these guys turn into such animals when it comes to the food?" I remarked to Lily, who was already nudging me in the back.
"Bitch, hurry up! We gotta get food. I'm starving and I can't stand in that long queue," she exclaimed, hurriedly slinging her bag over her shoulder and tapping her feet impatiently on the floor.
"Another guy disguised as a girl," I teased, slowly packing my bag just to annoy her more.
She glared at me. "Bitch, I'm going." With that, she took off like a rocket.
"Hey, waittt!" I shouted, scrambling to catch up with her.
We dashed through the hallway, dodging groups of students.
"You better not get in my way, Calista. I will trample you for a burger!" Lily yelled over her shoulder, her eyes wide with faux madness.
I laughed, speeding up. "Like I'd let you get away with that. I've got elbows, and I'm not afraid to use them!"
We burst through the doors and into the cafeteria area. The line was already starting to form, a writhing mass of students jostling for position.
"Why do they always act like it's the last meal they will ever get?" I muttered.
"It's like they forget they've got parents at home who actually feed them," Lily quipped, pushing us forward.
We finally got to the front of the line and grabbed our food. "Victory!" Lily declared, holding her burger aloft like a trophy.
I rolled my eyes, grabbing my own food and an iced coffee. It's a MUST!!
"You're such a drama queen." I sipped on my coffee.
"And you love it," she shot back, biting into her burger with relish.
We found a spot to sit and dug in, laughing about the stampede we had just survived.
Lily eyed me over her burger and asked, "So, what's your plan after finals?"
I shrugged, taking a sip of my iced coffee. "I don't know, get admission to college. What else?"
She gave me a look. "No, I mean, aren't you coming to prom? What are you going to wear?"
"Oh, well, I don't know. I don't wanna do this socialising thingy, you know me," I said, trying to dodge the topic.
Lily glared at me, her eyes narrowing. "Don't even try it. You are coming to prom, Calista."
"What? What did I do?" I asked, feigning innocence.
"Don't you dare say you're not coming because you definitely are," she insisted. Lily was the epitome of a social butterfly, always the life of the party.
"I really don't know. I don't know what I'll be doing there. Just let me be in my place," I pleaded.
She wasn't having it. "You know what? I think you shouldn't go to prom . You should come to my house. We can watch movies and eat junk food. Doesn't that sound great?"
She made a ridiculously funny face, and I couldn't help but laugh. I nearly spat my water but managed to control myself.
"Don't even try this, Calista. If you're not coming, I will drag you out in your nightie and pyjamas, and you will attend the prom in those," she declared, wagging a french fry at me. "So, you are fucking coming."
I laughed. "Okay, okay, I'll see, Lily. But don't push it." I gave her a serious look, and her expression softened.
"What happened? Are you okay?" she asked, concern evident in her voice.
"You know my family... I just don't want to ruin anyone else's mood. So I don't know if I'm coming or not," I said quietly.
"Look, this is your final prom. We don't get these times again. Your parents can't control everything. I don't understand why they're so strict with you. Do they put these restrictions on your siblings too?" she asked, frustration creeping into her voice.
"Hey, stop. It's not like that. They didn't say no yet. I haven't even talked to them about the prom, so I don't know what I'm going to do. You don't have to talk about them like that," I defended.
Lily shrugged nonchalantly and started eating her fries. "You know, Calista, I'm actually really concerned about how you manage to live in that toxicity. I mean, parents can be protective, but this is over the top. It's like your normal routine, and I don't know how you stay sane. I'd go crazy and rip my hair out!"
I laughed, shaking my head. "It's okay, really. They're not that bad. At least they are worried about me and we have some good family times too. It's not always bad. So don't worry."
The bell rang, and we hurried to dump our trash before rushing off to class. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, the usual drag of lectures and note-taking.
After school, I walked home, the afternoon sun blazing overhead. By the time I reached my front door, it was almost 3 PM.
As soon as I entered home, I met with the familiar face that I least expected to see.
What's he even doing here…!?