Campus King | 18+

Chapter Six

My knee bounced to an unidentifiable rhythm as I fixated on the safe sex poster across from where I sat, my fingers digging into my thighs. The girl in the picture wore a wide smile as she embraced some half-hidden guy. A wave of weird questions plagued my mind.

I wondered what the models were doing right at this very moment — and if they knew they were on a safe sex poster. You'd assume they'd know, but a friend in marketing had once told me that models often found themselves unknowingly featured in an array of ads. How freaky was that? You casually flip through a magazine only to stumble upon your own face, grinning back at you from an advertisement for hemorrhoid cream or who knows what else.

The click of the door opening had me jerking out of my stupor. I watched as another student, a girl in a long flowery dress and combat boots, stepped out of the office. She gave me a friendly smile and sauntered down the hallway. I cleared my throat and stood up, grateful for a reprieve from the horrible airport bench they used as waiting chairs. I walked over to the now-closed door and knocked, waiting for permission to enter.

"Come in," a woman's voice answered.

I stepped into the room, closing the door behind me. My advisor's office exuded a sleek modernity, adorned with geometric shapes and a palette of neutral tones. The walls had numerous mounted shelves, proudly displaying an array of books and fake plants, interspersed with framed certificates and awards. The overall aesthetic conveyed an air of professionalism and taste.

My college advisor — Aubrey Harold — sat behind her sleek office desk, looking beautifully prim and proper. But she wasn't just a pretty face; she was also a very accomplished businesswoman and well-known author. She only worked as an advisor because she had a special relationship with Dale University's Dean and, if you believed rumors, Professor Coleman — our school's psychology professor. Professor Coleman had been my second-year professor before I got stuck with Professor Haynes this year. And he was... very good-looking. A girl in my second year got in trouble after she got undressed and waited for him in his office, only for him and the Dean to walk in. I never saw her again after that.

Right now, Ms. Harold held my future in her hands.

Smiling politely, I went to sit down on one of the two dark green visitor's chairs. I put my bag on the floor by my feet and folded my hands in my lap, waiting for her to talk first. Ms. Harold watched me with a small smile, one corner of her red lips lifted.

"Hello, Hannah." She greeted, reclining in her chair. "How are you doing today?"

"Uh... good. Normal. It's Monday, so... I'm busy with schoolwork and stuff like that." I shrugged, running my hands up and down my thighs.

"Anything interesting happen lately?" She reached for her drawer, blonde hair cascading flawlessly over her shoulder.

Her question lingered in the air as she retrieved the folder. My mind raced, replaying the events of the last week.