Within the Crystal Read online

  Chapter Eleven

  Arriving at the university for my first day as a teaching assistant is scary as hell. This place is posh and full of stuck up people. Even the main entrance looks pompous; it has columns for crying out loud, like actual Roman style columns. But even before you reach the tacky columns, you are greeted by a huge fountain with a giant brass bell in the middle of it. I hope I'm never standing next to it if or when it rings. Poking out of the top of the main building looks like what used to be a bell tower, that is void of a bell. Oh, why ruin a perfectly good looking bell tower by moving the bell all the way down here? There is no way it functions like this. Very strange indeed. I’m guessing that if I want to learn all about this place, which for the record I do not, I bet there are hundreds of history books in the library just dedicated to this campus. I’m just not that much of a geek to go and find out.

  Walking with my mom through the main entrance, she then leads us into a surprisingly modern reception with white walls and chrome lights. We head over to the circular reception area and Mom introduces me to Mandy, the receptionist. With the way she is glaring at my clothes, I'm going to say she doesn't like me very much. But me being me, I splash a big smile on my face, as if to say I'm welcoming, warm and very friendly. Nope, that didn't work. In fact, I think I just scared her some more. She hands me a badge and I’m stunned to see that it has my photograph on. Strange, very strange. How were they able to get a picture of me so fast? Hmmm, I would bet on my mother again. Mandy also hands me a packet containing my mom's teaching timetable and other information I will need, like how to access their online portals and grading criteria. Well, I guess there’s no backing out now.

  Glancing down at the schedule, I see we don't have a lecture until eleven, so I imagine we will head to her office first. I have never been to her office before, in fact this is the first time I’ve even been to this campus. With the hours that the shop is open, it’s always made it impossible to come to campus when she’s here. Even if I wanted to check out where Mom works, it just wouldn’t be possible. I’m lucky Mom was able to get a friend to fill in for me at the shop while I came to do this, so we can keep the shop open still. Right now I am wishing I was back in the safety of the shop. I can’t help it but i'm feeling a little tense. Ok, maybe not a little, maybe a helluva lot, I can barely move my muscles. Each corner we pass, I keep expecting to see the guys standing there. Oh God, what are they going to think when they see me here? Those asshats will no doubt accuse me of stalking them. I don't remember them leaving yesterday, so I don't know if they left happy or mad. Then it hit me that I still don’t know if they put me to bed or helped me change. My shit memory is not helping with my nerves. We make it all the way to Mom's office with no incidents and no running into any unbelievably hot but infuriating guys.

  Once we’re inside, the space is how I expected it to be. It's like a miniature version of the shop. There are a-strew of pictures on the walls showing the different phases of the moon and the planets. The other wall displays the picture of the wheel of fortune with the different astrological star signs on it. The shelves along the last wall have an abundance of different books and files, with large standing crystals in between. Walking past the wooden desk, I head to the window and look outside; it’s overlooking a circular courtyard with trees and cement benches. In the center of the yard sits a beautifully sculpted bird bath.

  “I'm supposed to have office hours, but I tend to just let the students come and speak to me when they need to. While I’m not here, you can use this room. We have our own lecture room, as we use the special roof projector. The lecture hall was specially built just for this course,” she says, while rolling her eyes. At the last school she used to teach at, she had used an old school projector. She has always hated the thought of wastage, and having a room which no doubt cost millions would be a waste in her eyes.

  “Fancy showing me where I can get some coffee?” I ask. My nerves are starting to get the better of me and I have never really been good at public speaking. Or even being the center of attention. Why did I agree to this again?

  “Oh yes! Sorry, honey, I have a kettle and peppermint tea if you want that instead?” she says absentmindedly while flicking through some paperwork on her desk. “It's just down the corridor on the left, each floor has its own kitchen that we can use,” she seems deep in thought so I just leave her to it.

  “You want anything from there?” I ask, but I don't expect a response and I don’t get one. When she is focused on something, the rest of the world doesn’t exist to mom. After waiting a few seconds, I head out of the office. Heading down the long bare white corridor, there is nothing but windows on one side and wooden doors on the other. No pictures, no students’ work, no pinboards. Absolutely nothing.

  When I reach the end of the corridor I try to remember Mom's instructions, but she only said the door on the left. All the doors are on the left and they all look identical. Shit on a popsicle stick. How will I know which door to choose? I don't want to start opening random doors till I find the right one. Who knows what I will find, or even see. I dread to think. Just as I'm about to turn around, one of the doors opens just down the corridor and a man walks out holding a silver travel mug.

  “Excuse me, Sir, where can I find the kitchen?” I ask in my most pleasant tone. I don't want to start making a bad rep for myself with the teachers before I even get started.

  “I'm sorry, you will find the students’ cafeteria in the next building over, '' he responds, dismissing me faster than a hooker with crabs. This causes my hackles to rise. I really don't like being spoken down to.

  “I'm not a student, I'm a TA,” I snap back. I don't mean to be so harsh, but I'm really in need of some coffee.

  “Oh I’m sorry, I’ve never seen you here before, I just assumed,” he responds embarrassed. “The kitchen is just behind that door, would you like me to show you how to use the machine?”

  “That would be nice, thank you.” By the time I have finished the sentence, he has managed to meet me at the door. From where I was standing I hadn't realised just how tall he is. He must be at least 6’ 3. I’m not a small girl by any standards, but he makes me feel short as hell. After I have followed him into the kitchen, he abruptly turns to face me while holding out his hand. Looking at his face I think he must be mid thirties, but I have always struggled to tell people's ages, I guess younger or older than they actually are. Normally the first thing I notice about people is their eyes, as they can tell you a lot about someone's personality. For instance, if that person is nice, they will tend to have warmer looking eyes and visa versa. But on this guy, the first thing I see is his long pointed nose. In a way it kind of reminds me of a bad cartoon witch, all he is missing is the wart. I don't really get a chance to study him more, before he is introducing himself.

  “I'm Andrew, I teach folklore and mythology,” he says proudly. Looking up at the roof, I sarcastically thank the Fates for this one. I bet this is some cosmic joke for them. Odds are this guy doesn't even believe in what he teaches most of the time.

  Holding out my hand to meet his, I return the greeting. “I'm Alexandrite, I’m the TA for astrology,” I respond, heading over to the coffee machine. If I don't get some soon, I’m going to pinch his cup. I can smell the alluring aroma of coffee coming from it.

  “Oh for the lovely Aurora,” he beams. Looks like someone has a crush on Mommy dearest. Muahaha. Wonder if she knows, I’m so going to tell her and make her all embarrassed. She hates it when guys have crushes on her, it makes her feel all uncomfortable. She hasn't dated or looked at another man since my Dad.

  “Is she nice? I haven't really had much interaction with her,” I usually try not to lie, but I want to find out what he really thinks of her. I can always use this type of information to my advantage. He finally takes pity on me and starts the coffee machine up. I'm sure as soon as the smell hit my nose I released a moan. “Sorry, I’m a coffee addict,” I say trying to cover for my embarrassment this
time. I probably shouldn't be making moaning noise in the staff room. I'm sure that's how rumours get started.

  “Aurora is wonderful. So pleasant and nice, always willing to help people out. But she also runs a shop and has a daughter I believe, so she is usually very busy.” I wonder if he has asked my mom out on a date. With the wistful way he speaks about her and the fact he knows that she is too busy to do anything other than work, I would say it’s a good guess. This just got a little creepy.

  Grabbing my now full travel cup, they have a whole cupboard full of them, I thank him over my shoulder and run out like my ass is on fire. I arrive back at mom’s office just as she is packing up to head to our first lecture of the day. This blows, I was going to use my new found information to tease and embarrass her. Well, it will just have to wait now, but don’t think I will be forgetting this.

  Chapter Twelve

  Standing at the front of the lecture hall feels very strange indeed. My nerves are on edge waiting for the guys to come in. They have no idea that I’ve become mom's teaching assistant. Every time new people come through the door at the back of the room, my heart leaps into my mouth and I expect to see them, but it’s never them. When it is two minutes till the lecture is due to start, all four of them stroll in together without a care in the world.

  First Nunu walks in with light brown khakis and a blue checked button up shirt on. He is talking to Tek so his back is to the room, but Tek spots me straight away with a smile lifting up the side of his mouth. I raise my finger to my lips in a ‘shhh’ motion, trying to tell him not to let the others know. Nunu heads straight to what I would imagine is their usual seats with his head bowed down. Next in walks Jasper, and behind him comes a blonde girl who has Cal’s arm wrapped around her shoulder. She turns and plants a kiss straight on his lips. I feel the room slightly tip as the coffee in my stomach wants to head straight back up and out of my mouth. Seeing him with his arm around another girl is like a kick to the head. The girl is the complete polar opposite with me. Where I am laid back and easy, she looks like she has a broom shoved up her ass, which is keeping her back straight. Damn, Alex, put those kitty claws away. It would seem jealousy brings out the nasty in me. Yep, green is definitely not a good colour for me. I'm not really used to situations like this, how am I supposed to act. Do I act as if I'm unaffected by this, or do I try and stake my own claim to him?

  Fuck, the guy has a girlfriend! I can't do this, I can't break up his relationship, that's just wrong. Tek must be able to read the emotions scrolling over my face as he decides at that point to clear his throat very loudly, causing everyone to turn and look at him. He must signal something to the guys because in unison they all turn to look directly at me. Their emotions stem from shock to anger. Mom chooses that exact moment to turn the lights down, which causes the ceiling to light up like on a starry night. Thank the Gods she picked that precise moment as I can feel the red creeping up my cheeks, and I know if I had a mirror right now the tips of my ears would be just as crimson too.

  Mom starts speaking while the ceiling displays the different star signs. “Last time, I asked why it was life changing when they found the words “Know Thyself” inscribed at the entrance to the Temple of Apollo, which was believed to be the centre of the ancient world?” Oh crap, not this again. She loves rubbing the Fates in everyone's faces and starting the argument between freewill and fated. I give everyone a few minutes to answer, but no one speaks out.

  “It’s basically a big fuck you to the Gods. Know Thyself means to understand your own choices, your own actions. That our fates are not predetermined. We are who we are; we are not a skin colour, we are not our culture, we are all just human beings. Ernest Crawley said that humans will always try to create a label for themselves. He called it narcissism of minor differences.”

  Okay, I think I have just geeked out on everyone. Damn, now the guys are going to call me a nerd. Well, fuck them very much, I have always loved the stars.

  “Thank you, Alex,” Mom says, pointing towards me. “Alright class, I would like everyone to meet my new teaching assistant, Alexandrite, Alex for short. If you have any questions about assignments or need help please speak to her. She knows her stars better than anyone else I know.” A few whispers go around the room but nothing else is said, so Mom carries on teaching the lecture about Knowing Thyself. I just faze out and watch the different constellations showing on the ceiling.

  Let's be honest, the woman couldn't have picked a worse lecture to teach the guys. All about how fate is crap and we lead our own lives, but I basically have to tell them that fate has a plan for all four of us. One that could change the world. I'm just hoping I don't crash and burn because Mother Nature is relying on me. Can she send me to hell if I don't succeed? Damn, I didn't even ask if there was a hell. I really should write a list of questions to ask the next time I see her.

  I’m so deep within the recesses of my brain that I don’t notice when the lights come back on. It's the noise of everyone packing up their stuff that brings me out of my thoughts. Glancing up, I watch as the class empties out. Mom walks over to me and lets me know she is heading back to her office. Gripping my coffee like it's a lifeline, I watch as the boys approach me.

  “Are you coming, Cal?” the blonde girl asks from the door, standing in her short jean skirt and tight crop top with a pink bra peeking over the top. She is a walking Barbie, not that I’m being judgemental, but I bet she is really intelligent and tries to sound stupid to pull guys. Ok, so that may be a little judgemental, but she really does look like Barbie. So, I am keeping that as a fact.

  “No doll, I have some stuff to sort with the boys,” he says back to Barbie, without taking his eyes off of me. How ironic that his nickname for her is doll. I try hard not to snigger at that under my breath. Obviously I failed, but at least I tried! I can feel her eyes burning a hole in the side of my head like laser beams.

  “Want me to wait?” she asks sweetly, so sickly sweet it makes my teeth ache.

  “I said no,” Cal snaps back. Her eyes dance between Cal and I before she flicks her hair over her shoulder and leaves the lecture hall with a slam of the door. The sharp bang makes me flinch.

  “No need to piss off your girlfriend on my behalf,” I say sarcastically. Wow, I really don't wear the colour green all too well. Wait, why am I feeling so jealous? This guy acts like a dick to me all the time, but yet there is something in me slightly attracted to that. I feel as if one minute we could be throwing insults at each other, and then fucking each other’s brains out the next. See this is one of the biggest problems with knowing your own future. Would I be feeling and acting this way if I hadn't seen the vision of us all tangled together. That vision has given me hope of a relationship with these guys. If I hadn't seen that vision and he had been acting this way towards me, I could have found it a huge turn off and not wanted a relationship with him and his friends. But I have seen the vision and right now my body and mind is telling me I want him. I want to lean forward and capture his bottom lip between my lips and gently bite. Lets see if he is still so cocksure when I have my lips around his dick.

  “She isn’t my girlfriend,” Cal shoots back at me with a wink. “I don’t do relationships, so if your crystal showed you that, it's wrong,” he smirks while checking out his nails.

  “So anyway, want to explain to us why you’re now your mom's teaching assistant?” I swing my eyes towards Tek at the accusing tone I hear lacing his words. “Wait,” he says holding up his palms in a peaceful gesture, he must have seen the shock in my eyes. Tek was the one I had pegged to be open and on my side about all this. He has that carefree aura about him. “Not that I'm complaining, you're definitely better to look at than the last TA,” Tek says eyeing me up and down, taking in my ’smart’ TA clothes. I raise one eyebrow back at him, in a ‘are you really checking me out right now’ kind of look. But it does make me want to spread my legs open a little and push my chest out.

  I don't feel like myself dressed like thi
s; I feel like I'm playing a part. I guess in a way, I kinda am, but still I feel weird. I'm wearing a black pencil skirt which falls just above the knee, paired with a low fitted white vest top, but that is where the smartness ends. Over those I have a long, chunky, knitted cardigan with loads of different colours from browns to blues. It's my accessories that have me standing out though. I have a large, thick chain around my neck with a big chunk of Alexandrite hanging down over my boobs. My pink dreads are tied into a loose braid down my back. I couldn't change myself completely. I want the boys to fall in love with me, the me I am in real life, not the TA version of me.

  Walking over to the table at the front of the lecture hall, I decide to perch on the end. These guys put me on edge. Every time I see them I am reminded of my first vision of us all naked and twisted together. The more I see the vision, the hotter I get and with the guys around me, it's like the vision is playing in my mind with surround sound. I can hear the moans and slapping of skin. I can feel the heat rising in my body. I think if you were to look into my eyes the pupils would be big and black. I can feel myself panting. If I wasn’t perched on the desk, I would be a puddle of liquid on the floor. I'm sure all the guys can see my nipples standing to attention though my white lacy bra and cotton vest top. But let’s not kid ourselves, even without having seen that vision I would still have been thinking and feeling like this. These guys just bring something out in me.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” Nunu asks with a worried look on his face.

  “Oh, Nunu, you dont want to know what she is thinking about right now,” Jasper says with a smirk. Fuck, can they all see how turned on I am right now? What the hell is happening? All the guys seem to be crowding around me. I could reach out and stroke my hand down Tek’s chest, he’s that close. I can see his erect nipples standing to points inside his cotton t-shirt. Would he shiver if I ran my nail over every single defined pectoral muscle? Would he release as sigh or a moan? Before my brain can catch up with what my body is doing, my hand is already in the air and heading towards a very sexy chest. The chest in question seems to be panting as much as mine. Looking down at Tek’s jeans, I can see he is already bulging. He must be as affected as I am.