CHAPTER 1
BECKHAM
The rapid thud of my heart pulses in my ears as I struggle to keep my breath under control. My knees feel like they’re going to give out on me any second.
What good is having an alarm, if the damn thing doesn’t go off?
The last thing I need is to be late for my lecture and give the professors of this school another reason to talk. Seeing that's all they like to do at this godforsaken place.
To them, I’m a conundrum. I’m either too young to be a professor, and would be better teaching little kids, or I’m too old to be a single omega without a pack.
If that's not enough to get them talking, add in that I’ve offended a few of the female staff members by turning them down when they asked me out for coffee when I first started.
It’s not like I haven’t made it clear on more than one occasion that I prefer something they can’t offer me. Like a cock.
How many times does one man have to say they’re gay before it gets into someone's head?
A lot, apparently.
I might hate the people I work with, but I love my job. Teaching young minds, helping them take that next step in reaching their goals. The petty workings of this place won’t take that away from me, because I can find that joy in any school.
Bursting through the front doors, I take off down the hallway towards my classroom.
“No running in the halls, Mr. Kennedy!” Mr. Wellington shouts as I run past him.
“I mean this in the most professional way!” I shout back, indeed not doing as he told me to. “Get fucked!”
Was that the best thing to say to a fellow colleague, no. But the man is a prick and unbeknownst to him, I’ve heard him talking about me in a not so kind way more than once. So fuck him.
Rounding the corner, I stumble to a stop. Brows furrowed, I look at the number of students not where they’re supposed to be. “Why is this hallway filled with bodies and not in the class room waiting?” I ask, swallowing hard as I struggle to catch my breath.
“Because the door is locked,” Brent, one of the more disruptive students ever so helpfully points out with a raised brow.
“Ah, well.” I clear my throat, walking past the line of students towards the door. Ignoring the eyes on my back, I unlock it and let them in.
“Not going to lie, Professor Kennedy, was hoping for the morning off.” Brent sighs dramatically as he walks past me.
“Sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Marshall. But I’m here. Ready to teach.”
“Actually, that’s going to have to wait,” one of my good and only friends here, Penelope, says as she makes her way down the hall towards me. “Emergency staff meeting. Did you not get the email?”
“What?” Alarm fills me. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I check my emails. When I see nothing, I check my spam. “There’s nothing.” I show her my phone.
“Huh,” she pulls up the email on her phone and shows me. “It went out this morning.”
“I swear to god, I’m going to lose my fucking shit if they don’t lay off me,” I grumble in annoyance.
Marcy, the school receptionist who is in charge of sending these kinds of emails happens to be one of the oh so heartbroken women I’ve turned down and has been petty ever since. This is the fifth email in three months I haven’t gotten.
I’ve already missed two meetings because of it. I’m sorry if I hurt her feelings, but she’s messing with my damn job.
“Come on,” Penelope says. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Yeah, ah, okay just a moment.” I head into the class, dropping my bag and coat off at my desk. “Class. There’s been an emergency staff meeting called. Please take out your textbooks and review chapters twenty through twenty-five in preparation for the upcoming exams. I’ll be back as soon as possible." Brent raises his hand and starts to speak. “And no.” I cut him off. “You can not leave. If you do, I will mark you as absent, and I know some of you can’t afford anymore missed classes.” I give him a pointed look and he slumps down in his chair.
“I bet it has something to do with Chad,” I hear one of my female students say to the guy sitting next to her as I start to leave. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”
“He did it to himself. Dude was a druggie.” the guy scoffs.
