Nightshade Publishing Company

Chapter 1 - Infatuation

“The bell is about to go. I want to remind you that you have a mid-term exam on Tuesday.”

A collective groan could be heard as the twenty-three third-year students began to gather up their books and notebooks.

“The exam will cover the pre-revolutionary and post-independence periods up to the works of Charles Brockden Brown.”

The bell went as I stood at the side of my desk. It was the last period of the day and the last period of classes for the week even though it was only Thursday. The college had shortened the school week to four days a week three years earlier. Declining enrolments and budgets were responsible for that move which resulted in more than a dozen staff being let go. Since I had tenure, I had been able to keep my job. I teach Eighteenth and Nineteenth American literature, Modern American literature, Greek Mythology, and a creative writing class.

“Bye Dr. Baillie. See you on Tuesday,” Dee Williams said as she turned to give me a smile. Dee was one of those students who needed attention, especially from younger male professors. She wasn’t the weakest nor the strongest student in my class, but she definitely was the prettiest.

“Bye Dee. Have a good weekend.”

With those words spoken, I turned to go to my desk and gather my materials together. I was relieved when I heard Dee’s footsteps recede. I had no interest in having complications in my life, especially a complication coming out of a relationship with one of my students. While I began stuffing my papers into the briefcase with my laptop, I heard another set of footsteps approaching.

“Hey, Bruce. Time for a quick drink before the staff meeting?”

I turned and smiled at the newest member of the English Department’s teaching staff. Avril Sinclair.

“Of course. There’s no way I want to go into the staff meeting with a dry throat,” I said with a laugh.

I picked up my briefcase from the seat of my chair and followed Avril who taught the French courses. The staff meeting was in the Administration building, an hour and half, after the final classes were done for the week. I was lucky to have my last class done by two-twenty. All classes were an hour and twenty minutes long since the restructuring. Well, almost all classes. My creative-writing class was a three-hour evening class, once a week on Wednesdays. That course was only offered to seniors.

Avril and I stopped off at the Sciences building where a small collection of like-minded instructors and professors met to start off every three-day weekend. Despite it officially being the start of three days off, the reality of being an educator meant that most of us would show up for a few hours on Friday morning and again on Sunday afternoon. I was the eldest in the group with Avril being the youngest. Other members of our group were Jessie Lacasse, Derek Brown, Eldon Moore, Darren Kraus, Angie Overton, Alice Baker, and Tom Kirkland.

“Well, as usual, we are the last ones to arrive,” I noted with amusement to the others.

The Arts Building was at the northwestern edge of the campus, with the Administration building positioned beside a small lake at the end of College Drive. The Science Building was located just before the Administration building. Our group had chosen this as homebase because the main staff lounge in the Administration building was always filled. Older professors and instructors gathered there to talk about their courses or gossip about whomever wasn’t in the lounge. As well, one member of our group, Derek, was a Chemistry instructor in the Sciences Building.

“Pull up a stool,” said Derek. “What’s your poison?”

Derek was teaching part-time at the college while he worked on his PhD. Derek was the unofficial bartender for these weekly pre-staff-meeting gatherings. He worked at the college on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He was the tallest in the group, easily measuring over six feet. I wasn’t far behind at five eleven, though I am sure I outweighed him by a good thirty pounds as he was as skinny as a rail.

“Beers!” replied Jessie and Eldon, while Avril called for some rum and coke. I ordered my usual, Vodka on the rocks.

“Did you hear?” Jessie asked, “There’s a rumor that they’ve hired someone to take over Ben Sharp’s classes.

Ben Sharp had died the previous week. The other profs and instructors in the psychology department had been covering Sharp’s classes. Sharp had been the oldest professor on campus, a distinction now passed onto Turk Johnson in the History department.

“That’s a plum position,” Darren from Business Management stated. “Small class sizes and only three courses to teach.”

The gossip continued as the booze flowed until Derek called out that it was time to wrap it up. It was time to head to the mid-term college staff meeting.

* The image is: Ezra Finn and Lucy Hale — Pretty Little Liars