Were it not for the excitable jock constantly chomping at the sexual bit, Pauline would’ve chosen to get a lobotomy over taking this lecture. It was a required class, but it didn’t require much attention.<br/>The trouble with freshmen classes, Pauline surmised, was the freshmen. At their age a matter of a few years was a giant gap in conceptualized identity and emotional growth, but this wasn’t typically considered, especially when it came to her competition. Many of the pretty girls that giggled at today’s subject had just as much, if not more, attractive features that were consistently being ogled at by testosterone filled males like Matt Byers. This made them dangerous to her relationship, but not in any way that Pauline could control.<br/>Her thoughts raced on and on, spiralling into unreasonable levels of resentment until the man of her dreams spoke in that smooth baritone that reminded her of bourbon.<br/><br/>Pauline rolled her head back to better receive the excessive and sensual kiss, her eyes fluttering as she softly sighed. His arm was a comfortable and warm support against her otherwise aching back, a medical problem that had yet to be diagnosed.<br/>A shift in the chair to her right and one row down caused her to peek past her nose. Pauline had wondered if she’d see any familiar faces and was pleasantly surprised to see none other than Chloe Stevens. They crossed paths at the Halloween party, but that night was more full of holes than actual memories. God only knows how much Pauline had drunk that night. Still, this context made today all the more livable. Stevens was a cut above the rest, she actually had a brain in that pretty head of hers. The way the freshman had turned away gave Pauline a wicked plot to further drive the social discomfort in the moment, “Hardly a challenge when your touch causes me to open like a dissected frog.”<br/>Pauline Hemsworth couldn’t help Matt from getting in the crossfire of her distasteful humor, but it was a small price for the way they played with one another.