As I sat in the lecture hall, pretending to listen to the droning voice of our chemistry professor, my mind wandered far from the subject at hand.
Chemistry may have been the course I signed up for, but my true passion wasn't the periodic table or chemical reactions—it was Samarth.
I'd known Samarth since high school, and from the moment I laid eyes on him, I knew he was the one.
Sure, I may have only made it onto his friend list so far, but in my mind, I had a whole future planned out with him. I'd be his girlfriend, then wife, then mother of his children, and maybe even a grandmother one day...we'd adopt a cat and buy a house on the beach side.
Okay, maybe I was getting ahead of myself.
While others in the class were busy ogling our attractive chemistry professor, I couldn't tear my gaze away from Samarth. I was lost in thoughts of our imaginary future together when suddenly, a voice pierced through my daydreams.
"Eva!" Someone shook me by the shoulders, snapping me out of my trans.
"What?" I blurted out, startled.
"Professor," Jiya whispered urgently, nodding towards the front of the room.
I cringed as I realized the professor was calling my name. I scrambled to attention, standing up abruptly in my seat. He stared at me with a mixture of annoyance and disappointment, his arms crossed over his chest.
"You scored the lowest in the finals, and yet you have the audacity to sit in my class and zone out," he chastised me, his voice tinged with frustration.
I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment as the eyes of the entire class turned towards me. Why did he have to call me out like this, especially in front of Samarth?
"May I know why you've chosen this stream if you have zero interest in the subject?" he demanded, his tone firm.
I bit my lip, feeling a surge of anger rise within me. Did he really have to embarrass me like this? "Maybe if you actually taught me something instead of just scolding me all the time, I would have scored well," I shot back, unable to hold back my frustration any longer.
The professor's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Are you blaming me for your low grades, Ms. Verma?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes, Professor, I am," I retorted, my voice trembling with anger. "As a teacher, it's your responsibility to teach your students effectively. You can't expect me to excel if you're not doing your part."
"In my office, Ms. Verma," he said sternly, his voice leaving no room for argument.
I sighed heavily, knowing exactly how this would play out. It was the same routine every time—I'd be lectured for the entire class, then summoned to his office for another round of reprimands.
With a deep breath, I made my way to his office door, steeling myself for what was to come. The nameplate on the door read as "Prof. Agastya"
As I knocked twice and entered his office, I braced myself for another round of lecturing.