“Why?” Blayne asked, drawing the word out.
“People think there’s a celebrity hiding here in Pennington, but it’s just you. I want to post your picture on Twitter, telling the world who you are.”
“I’m not sure I like this idea,” Blayne said.She’s going to make this easier than me walking around all day.
“Trust me, Mr. Dickenson. It’s in your best interest to do this.”
“Okay,” he said, giving her his best awe-shucks look.
She snapped his photo a couple of times with the chalkboard behind him. She had him take off the hat and sunglasses and snapped a couple of more pictures. She then uploaded them to Instagram.
“This is going to double the amount of my Instagram followers,” Blayne heard her say as she returned to her desk.
Blayne turned his back to the class and glanced down at his watch.And I still have five minutes to spare. Blayne pulled out Ethan’s phone and sent him a text, letting him know what the student had done.
Ethan texted back.
She already has one hundred likes and a few dozen forwards. In the next hour, this will explode all over social media.
Why don’t you post something from my social media accounts in an hour confirming it’s me? You think this will stop the paparazzi from following me all day?
Wait! You have multiple social media accounts?Pulling up the app now.Awe, you were a cutie in high school.
Blayne rolled his eyes and was glad his back was to the class because he felt the heat increasing in his cheeks. He typed a quickThanksbefore pocketing the phone and turning to the class.
“Okay, so today is going to be a writing workshop day. I hope everyone has their outlines ready to go. If you forgot to print off three copies of your outline for your groups, there’s a computer lab down the hall. Go do it now. If you don’t have your outlines finished, there’s the door,” Blayne said. “Go to the library and get it done now. If you’re not ready to work, you’re wasting yours and your group’s time.”
Blayne watched as one student left with his book bag and a couple of others walked down the hall to the computer lab.
“Okay, break into your groups.”
* * * *
After class, Blayne pulled out Ethan’s phone and told him he was heading back to Dream Bean to meet up with Kira and Dr. Reich to discuss Jamie’s situation.
Tell them I said hello and wish I could be there.By the way, congratulations. You’re trending on Instagram and Twitter.#SexyProf#NotEthanBond#CanIGetExtraCredit?
Blayne groaned as he read the text.I don’t know how he lives like this. Thankfully, Blayne saw no more paparazzi on campus, so the Instagram posts were working.
He made his way off campus and enjoyed the stroll in the afternoon heat. He unbuttoned the cuffs on his long shirt and rolled up the sleeves while walking. When he rounded the corner to The Dream Bean, no paparazzi were hanging out this time. He walked up the stairs and went inside. Neither Dr. Reich nor Kira had arrived, so he ordered a mint-infused iced tea and went to sit outside under one of the umbrella-shaded tables. The outdoors would give the trio more privacy than sitting in the closely packed interior.
He kept the Oakleys on and hung the baseball cap off one of his knees. He thought about putting the hat on the table but found it disgusting. Of course, Blayne had been wearing Ethan’s sweaty hat all day without complaining. Every time he put it on or took it off, Blayne smelled Ethan’s scent, which Blayne had grown to enjoy. As much as he loved having Ethan’s hat near, he didn’t think Kira and Dr. Reich would react similarly to the sweaty ball cap.
Kira arrived a few minutes later and put her bag in the chair beside him. “Whatever you did, the leeches stopped following me about an hour ago,” Kira said. Blayne explained how the student had posted about him on Instagram and how he was now blowing up on social media.
“Is it a good or a bad thing?” Kira asked.
“I’m not sure, either,” Blayne admitted, opening his eyes wide and shrugging. “I’ve been assured by Ethan it’s a good thing.”
Dr. Reich arrived as they were talking. Blayne noticed the dark bags under her eyes. He doubted the poor woman had rested.
“How’s Jamie?” Blayne asked.
“He’s doing much better than I am,” Dr. Reich admitted.
“Madeline, I’m going to get something. Can I get you anything?” Kira asked.
“A large coffee with cream. You can bring me a couple of packets of brown sugar if they have them.”
