Johnny Deeper: A Sports Romance Read Online Free

ain’t.
    “If no one has any questions, then that’s it for today,” she says, trying to raise her little voice over the sound of people standing up. “Or you can come see me during office hours! I’ll be in there today from now until three!”
    I toss my notebook into my backpack and wait, watching eagerly as the other students beeline for the doorway. Dr. Zach rises from the front row and walks up to her, instantly bringing a smile to her cute face and her cheeks turn an even darker shade of pink. I saw it in her the entire hour; that adorable, nervous twitch. This must have been her first day teaching, the poor thing.
    I stand up and hold my backpack in front of me to hide the possible bulge as I make my way up to the front of the lecture hall. Dr. Zach leaves with his band of admirers just begging to throw their panties at him. That guy must be getting some undergraduate tail on a daily basis. He’d be stupid not to.
    As I approach Rose, she pauses and her eyes slam to the floor to avoid mine.
    “Hey, Ms. Hawthorne,” I say.
    She clears her throat and shoves her books into her bag. “Hello, John.”
    “Did you get my email?”
    “I, uh…” She looks up. “Yeah. Sorry. I saw you sent one but I’ve been swamped. You know… lesson plans and… stuff.”
    I smile, easily reading the embarrassment in her little eyes. She got the email, all right. She definitely did. “That’s okay,” I say. “You’ve probably been busy freaking out over your first time.”
    She raises a brow. “My what ?”
    “Teaching,” I grin.
    “Oh…” She lets out an awkward laugh but it quickly dies as she lowers her voice. “Was it that obvious?”
    “Nah.” I shake my head. “Well… you are a little pink.”
    Her head falls to hide her face. “Crap…”
    “Don’t worry about it,” I laugh. “I’m sure teaching is one of those things that gets easier the more you do it.”
    “Hopefully.” She throws her bag over her shoulder. “Until then, I’ll just keep imagining people in their underwear.”
    “Well, if I’d have known you were doing that, I would have sat in the front row.”
    She presses her lips together, holding back her smile. “I should get going. I have office hours today…”
    “I’ll walk you there,” I say. “I actually have a few questions to ask about the lecture.”
    “Really?” she asks, stepping towards the door. “Like what?”
    “I’m gonna need you to explain Atomic Theory to me again.”
    I hold the door open for her and she pauses, staring up at me with unblinking eyes. “All matter is made up of tiny, indestructible particles called atoms ,” she says.
    I nod. “Okay…”
    “That’s about it.”
    “Wow,” I chuckle. “You’re an excellent teacher, Ms. Hawthorne.”
    “Thank you.” She walks outside and I follow, taking wide steps to keep up with her quick feet. “So… do you have another question?”
    “Yeah. What are you doing tonight?”
    She doesn’t stop walking but I notice her posture stiffen. “I have a class.”
    “Tomorrow night?”
    “I have to review lesson plans.”
    “How about Friday night, then?”
    Finally, she pauses on the sidewalk. “John…”
    “I told you to call me Johnny.”
    “Well, I’m calling you John.”
    I smile. “So, you did get my email?”
    She takes a steady breath. “Do you have any more questions about the lecture today?”
    Her eyes tremble with a touch of anger and I wonder if I’ve pushed her too far. “No, Ms. Hawthorne,” I answer. “I do not.”
    “Then I will see you in class on Friday.”
    I nod as she turns away, once again disappearing into the crowd without even a quick glance back at me.
    Well, shit.
     
    ***
     
    “Hey, John. Can you spot me?”
    I nod at Junior and step off the treadmill. I haven’t exactly made good use of my gym time today. This whole Rose situation has me pretty fucked up in the head. No girl has ever given me this much trouble before but, mostly, I can’t get that look