B0161IZ63U (A) Read Free Page A

fighting hit her like a brick. “You know why.”
    He squinted at her and wondered whether he should speak.  “Do I?”
    Without answering, Lila looked towards the grass.
    Her eyes immediately went to Chase, who was in the process of grinding against a redhead who had an ass that should’ve been illegal.  That redhead was one of the many pretty young things that Lila saw Chase running around campus with these days.  As she watched the small smile grow on his face, and the sway of their hips become more intense, she wondered if this was the girl that would finally stick.
    Jack’s eyes never left her. Not even as his baby brother degraded himself in broad daylight.  Not even for a moment.
     
    --
     
    The next morning, Lila couldn’t focus.
    It was the first class of summer semester—a semester Lila had always despised. The students at Harvard were nearly all Type A, so when they felt they were floundering in their work, they immediately began to panic and crumble under the pressure. The summer workload wasn’t just heavy, but fast paced, making the semester a breeding ground for some of Harvard’s most infamous student body breakdowns.  Lila hated it.
    She struggled with keeping her students at arms-length. Young people, especially those who were just trying to get ahead in their education, were easily her biggest weakness.  She yearned to see them succeed.  Watching them stress out in any way was not her idea of fun.
    The fact that this was a Human Sexuality class didn’t make her much more excited.  She’d been hired to teach the course on Childhood Trauma, in The School of Arts and Sciences, during the spring and fall semesters.
    She’d planned on taking the summer off to finish up the final edits of her manuscript. Being saddled with a six-week course that met Monday through Thursday had shot those plans straight to hell.
    The original professor for the course had dropped out at the last minute.  Though she hated the summer session, Lila had to take into account that she was being considered for a full-time assistant professor position. It was one step up from the lecturer position she held now, so she hadn’t had the luxury of saying no when they’d offered her the opportunity to teach this class.
    She could only hope this session went by fast.
    Her eyes traveled over the auditorium that sat 200, easily the largest group she’d taught so far.  The classroom didn’t have individual desks, but long tables in the shape of half-moons, each one growing wider as the rows climbed.  Lila could hardly make out the faces of the few dozen students seated all the way at the top.
    “Good morning class…” Her voice roared out into the auditorium like there was a speaker system in there, and it startled her.  She’d gotten so used to dealing with the shitty classrooms the tenured professors didn’t want that projecting her voice had become second nature.  That apparently wasn’t going to be necessary here.  She adjusted her blazer proudly and lowered her voice.
    “My name is Professor Lila James. You can call me Lila.  I’m pretty laid back...”
    She sat on top of her desk and crossed her legs, not missing the many eyes that fell to them the moment she did.  Perhaps the black skirt suit she’d chosen today was a bit too short.
    “And I’m not that Professor that just says she’s laid back, waits until you get comfortable, and then eats her young out of the blue.”
    Soft, nervous laughter followed her joke, and she was thankful to have a light-hearted group.  Her fingers held the edge of the desk, nerves calming quite a bit at the friendly faces before her.  “I really, really am… very laid back. Having said that, I won’t lie to you guys.  This is a fast paced course. I have a lot of work in store for you. I’m not going to let you skate by, but watching you guys tear out your hair from stress is certainly not my idea of fun, unlike some professors I know.”  She winked, enjoying