In the living room, both brothers, Austin and Billy, sat on the sofa, catching their breath. The room was a mess, clearly showing signs of a major scuffle. Billy held an ice pack to his cheek, while Austin glared at him, clearly frustrated.
"Do you know? You don't have to show this much anger towards me!" Billy said, looking straight ahead, still trying to process everything.
""Are you crazy? What is this, some kind of social service?" Austin asked sarcastically, with a tone of annoyance.
"Come on, I just told her how I felt," Billy said indifferently, as if he was saying something very trivial.
"Who in their right mind proposes to a professor? And that too, on the first day of class, in front of the whole university?" Austin yelled, his voice rising as he lost his patience. Billy quickly covered his ears to shield himself from the shouting.
"I'm sorry, okay? I just thought it was my one chance. I acted on impulse," Billy said, though his apology didn't sound particularly genuine.
Is this my fault that you couldn't keep your mouth shut?" Austin sighed, shaking his head. "Now, how are you going to fix all this?" is what he wanted to say, trying to steer the conversation away from the mess and onto damage control.
"What's there to fix? What's broken?" Billy asked, still bewildered.
"You idiot, Miss Anderson has probably already filed a complaint against you. Suspension is practically guaranteed at this point," Austin said, exasperated. Billy covered his ears again, refusing to face the harsh truth.
"What if we ask Dad for help? One phone call from him, and everything will be taken care of," Billy suggested enthusiastically, as though it were a foolproof solution.
"And risk Mom and our sister finding out? Are you insane?" Austin shot back, his eyes narrowing. "If Mom hears about this, she'll drag both of us back to Serenthia immediately, and you know it," he added, shaking his head in frustration.
"So, what do we do now?" Billy asked hopelessly, leaning his head against the sofa. "Do you think Miss Anderson hates me now?" he added, sounding genuinely worried.
"Is that a new concern now?" Austin sneered. "Anyway, it's not about what we do. It's about what you do."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Billy asked, his confusion deepening.
Austin looked at Billy and smirked. "What else? Go apologize until she convinced," he suggested with a hint of amusement.
End
Billy and Austin arrived early in the morning at the university-not for studying or anything related to the syllabus, but to meet with the principal to clear up the mess Billy had created. They had just come out of the principal's office, and both their faces were filled with confusion.
Wow, Amy madam has so much consideration for me," Billy said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "She didn't even file a complaint against me."
"Consideration, my foot. She probably just let it slide because it's your first time," Austin countered, unimpressed.
As they walked through the hallway, a few students passing by stole glances at Billy, whispering to each other and laughing.
"Hey, there he is—the Romeo who proposed to the new professor," someone murmured, snickering as he passed.
"Wow, they're comparing me to Romeo," Billy said proudly, looking at Austin.
"That's how you understood it?" Austin sighed, shaking his head. "Forget all that. The important thing now is to meet Miss Anderson in person and apologize before she changes her mind."
"We can handle that later," Billy said as he tried to walk away, but Austin pulled him back by the back of his collar. "Where do you think you're going? We're doing this now," Austin told him, squinting his eyes. "She might be busy with her class or something," Billy said nervously, his voice full of hesitation.
"She'll have free time between classes. We can find her in the staff room," Austin said, leaving no room for argument.
"But I don't want to go!" Billy protested, still trying to resist, though Austin was having none of it and continued dragging him along.
It wasn't long before they ended up in the stuffy staff room, where professors and students alike thronged the usually quiet space.
"How are we supposed to find Miss Anderson in such a huge room?" Billy scanned the whole area and seemed disappointed. "Let's just come back tomorrow," he said and took to leave, but Austin caught him by the back of his collar again before he could take one step forward.
"You must already have seen Miss Anderson. Don't even try to escape. Move forward," Austin warned firmly.
Cornered, Billy huffed and reluctantly agreed. "Okay, let's go," he muttered.
"The plan is simple," Austin said, taking a deep breath. "You walk up to Miss Anderson, you apologize in person, and when she calls you out, you suck it up. When she doesn't forgive you, try again—just don't blow this up any further. And, for God's sake, don't say anything moronic that might garner you another swat on the cheek.
"You're not coming with me?" Billy asked nervously, his voice tinged with panic.
"Why should I? It's your mess, not mine. I'll stay at a safe distance and watch. Just do it and come back," Austin said, shaking his head.
Billy steeled himself and started walking toward Amy. Amy sat at her desk, framed with curved glasses, deep eyes that celebrated rumination, tied-back hair revealing, in the gentle curve of the neck, some serene grace lacking spoken word. The laptop cast gentle light on the limbs and softly glorified her face in a quiet brilliance capture.
As Billy approached her, every step made his heart pound more in his chest. The closer he drew the hotter his body felt. He looked at her an innumerable number of times, but the same feeling pounded back inside his chest.
"Ex… excuse me, ma'am," Billy stuttered, nervously addressing her.
Amy looked up from her laptop and at him. "Oh, Mr. Billy Scott, here to present another proposal today?".