Chapter 1
When I got called out by Marcus Novak, Professor Nightmare, I was busy confessing my feelings to my online boyfriend, Yonder.
He went on and on, lecturing us about focusing on our studies and not getting into online relationships.
So, to shut him up, I deleted my online boyfriend.
One second, Marcus was still righteous and preaching. The next, his phone buzzed and his face went pale.
Later, he cornered me, eyes red. "Justine, can you add me back?"
*****
"Justine!" The sudden shout made me nearly drop my phone.
I jerked my head up and met a pair of eyes as cold as ice.
Up on the podium stood Marcus Novak, the youngest associate professor in our law school, known as Professor Nightmare. He was staring at me with a frosty glare.
Marcus was dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. Behind those gold-rimmed glasses, his gaze was as sharp as a scalpel, like he could slice open my skull and see for himself how much knowledge—or how much mush—was in there.
"Justine, is my class so dull that you need your phone to stay awake?" Marcus asked.
His voice wasn't loud, but the entire lecture hall went silent.
I could feel all the gloating stares coming at me from every direction.
Crap, I was screwed.
Everyone knew Marcus's "Economic Law" was the course with the highest failure rate on campus. In his class, even breathing felt like it had to be on a timer.
And here I was, daring to mess around on my phone in his class. I must have a death wish.
I stood up stiffly, my brain scrambling for any halfway decent excuse.
"Professor Novak, I-I was researching something a-about unfair competition," I stammered.
"Oh?" Marcus adjusted his glasses, a smirk on his lips. "Then tell us, what earth-shattering legal code did you discover that required you to tap away on your phone with that pink bunny case, all while grinning like an idiot every few seconds?"
I was speechless.
A wave of barely suppressed laughter rippled through the class.
My face turned a deep shade of purple with embarrassment.
Pink bunny phone case. Grinning like an idiot.
My toes were curling so hard I could've dug a hole in the floor.
On my phone screen was a message from Yonder, my online crush of three months.
Yonder: [It's getting cold here. How's the weather over there? Make sure to dress warm. Don't catch a cold, you silly girl.]
Yonder: [Stay focused in class today, okay? Don't let Professor Nightmare catch you again.]
Yonder: [Be good. We'll talk after class.]
Reading his sweet messages, I felt a cozy warmth in my chest, and couldn't help but smile.
Little did I know that my smile would turn into my death sentence right in front of Marcus.
Seeing me stay silent, Marcus doubled down, his criticism getting even harsher.
He strode down from the podium, his tall frame looming over me with a sense of oppression.
"College students these days can't stay focused on what actually matters," he said. "You're all glued to your phones, either gaming or chasing after some online fling.
"Is any of that virtual nonsense going to feed you? Is it going to bump up your GPA? Is it going to help you graduate?
"Especially with online relationships. For all you know, the person on the other end could be anyone, even a scumbag."
With every sentence, he kept getting closer.
Finally, he stopped right in front of my desk, towering over me, his voice dripping with contempt.
He said, "Justine, I don't care if the person on your phone is your 'baby' or 'sweetheart.' Put the phone down and pay attention. Don't waste your precious youth on all that pointless nonsense."
His words hit me like a bucket of ice water, drenching me from head to toe.
I had to admit, he had a point.
But I was still pissed.
Why the hell should I put up with this?
Yeah, I was on my phone in class and I messed up. But why did he have to go after my personal life?
And he even criticized my online boyfriend, calling him a scumbag.
Yonder was thoughtful, talented, and way more considerate. He was a million times better than Marcus, who only knew how to spit poison.
A spark of defiance shot up inside me.
Staring at Marcus's holier-than-thou, uptight expression, a crazy idea suddenly popped into my head.
Fine. So he thought I wasn't focused on my studies? That I was obsessed with my online boyfriend?
Today I'd show him what it really meant to make a clean break.
With everyone staring at me in disbelief, I slowly raised my phone.
Right in front of Marcus, I pulled up my conversation with Yonder.
Then, I took a deep breath and, with everything I had, shouted at the top of my lungs, "Professor Novak, you're absolutely right.
"I messed up. I shouldn't have wasted my time on pointless online romance. To show you I'm serious about changing, I'm breaking up with him right now."