#shellbow

Taking a deep breath, she paused at the door. Rey could hear him lecturing the class, his voice echoing throughout the hallway. It carried such confidence and control that she nearly lost all train of thought—until he spoke to her directly.

“Ms. Kenobi, would you like to join us or would you prefer to gawk through the window?”

Immediate embarrassment and anger caused her cheeks to flush as she opened the door, purposely ignoring the man standing at the board. Sending a frustrated glance at Finn, he sent her an apologetic smile and a mouthed ‘sorry’ her way. Rey knew it hadn’t been entirely his fault that she was late for class. She had been up tinkering on an old engine she found at a junkyard. It gave her something to do while Finn was out with Poe Dameron, the football star.

Deciding now was the best time to take a seat, Rey sat across from Poe, legs crossed with a hand supporting her head. Looking defiant was the only option she had at the moment, heated glances stolen at the dark haired man in the center of the room who paid her no mind. After all, he should have been used to it by now. Rey and Kylo had never got along in the entirety of her college career. Sure she had been at fault for that, but his cocky and arrogant ways was enough to fuel her ire. Not only that, but he tried to outwit her in every opportunity he had. Kylo Ren was the most infuriating man she had ever met.

“Ms. Kenobi,” he began, drawing her out of her reverie, “would you like to tell us of the peace treaty that signified the end of the War of 1812?” All eyes turned her, waiting for whatever response she had to give. Kylo knew she hadn’t been paying attention which was why she was in her current predicament. It was rather amusing, watching her squirm in her seat. Noticing that Poe was going to try and help her out, Kylo spoke once more, “Dameron, I specifically called on Ms. Kenobi.” This in turn made Poe face the front, a scowl gracing his lips.

Clearing her throat, Rey leveled her eyes at him, noting the amused expression he wore, “Excuse me? I didn’t catch the question.” She responded as calmly as she could, exhaling through her nose. He was really trying her patience it seemed.

“Perhaps if you had been listening, you would have heard. I asked for the peace treaty that signaled the end of the War of 1812.”

Lifting a delicate brow, she answered simply, “It was the Treaty of Ghent, signed on December 14, 1814.”

“Hm.” Kylo was impressed, but then again, Rey was one of his better students, scoring higher than most on his written exams. “Correct. Thank you, Ms. Kenobi.” Turning his back to the class, he began writing notes on the board, stoicism in place once more.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Rey thanked the heavens she had actually read the chapter last night. Looking to her left, she noticed that Finn gave her a thumbs up and a grin. She had won this battle against Kylo but knew it was far from over. Hiding a smug grin with her hand, her attention once again went to the dark haired man clad in an expensive grey suit. Rey had to admit. He was remarkably handsome in his own right, not that it would ever be admitted. His unique features and tall stature made him stand out in a crowd rather easily.

The rest of class flew by with Rey taking notes and answering any question he threw her way. Lately, it seemed that she was the only one he targeted and it was getting quite frustrating. Why was he suddenly hounding her? It wasn’t as if she was failing his class, far from it. It really didn’t make any sense. Just as she was getting her bag to join Finn, she heard her name being called. She knew it was him without even having to look. “Is there something you need, Professor?” A neutral answer would suffice. She was in a hurry to get away from him as quickly as possible, not get into another ten minute lecture about how to ‘properly’ address the faculty and staff. Pizza was calling her name and she wasn’t about to deny her stomach any longer.

“Actually, there is something I need Ms. Kenobi. Would you mind staying for a moment?”

I would mind, thank you very much. Her mind screamed at her, but she thought better of it. With a forced smile, she turned to her best friend who looked concerned. “Finn, I’ll meet you out in the hall.” Before he left, he gave her one more look to make sure she was going to be okay before he stepped out, the door closing behind him.

“What is it you needed? They’re having pizza in the cafeteria and I would really like to enjoy it before my next class.” Aside were the mannerisms that were in place while students were present, a frown marring her pink lips.

Not being able to refrain, dark eyes traveled to her soft lips briefly before meeting her own. Ignoring her tone, Kylo began, his voice low, “I know that you are financially struggling so I have a proposition for you.”

Rey blinked. How did he know? He was never around her so he had no idea what was going on in the background. While he was not wrong, she was struggling to make ends meet. Coming out of the foster system, she had nothing but the determination to live and succeed in life guiding her on her journey. She had no parents, no family, nothing to her name. Coming to college had taken everything she had ever saved and then some. Her little part time job was barely getting her through and Finn was helping the best he could with his job. Cheap noodles and cereal was good as meal as any. Today, thankfully, she had an extra dollar or two to get pizza from the cafeteria. Her mouth nearly started watering at the thought. Narrowing her eyes, she asked, “And how do you know what I’m going through? And how could you possibly help me? We barely know each other outside of this college.”

“I’ve seen you go all day without eating, I’ve noticed you wearing the same worn out shoes and clothes, and your notebooks are all beginning to get full due to you not having more than two,” he answered quickly, eyes boring into her own.

Rey stared. Either he was very observant or he was creeping on her. She couldn’t decide on either for the moment. “Uh, okay…” Honestly, she wasn’t even sure how to proceed. Did she even want to hear his offer? It seemed she had no choice in the matter as he spoke up once again.

“Ms. Kenobi, the proposition I have for you would to become my work study or aid.”

Work study. She would have to work for him, with him. Closely. In an office. Him. Kylo Ren. Icy professor. College nemesis. Okay maybe not that far. “Why me? You could have asked anyone else.”

“I chose you because I knew that you could handle the job. You would only work on your breaks and you will get paid for it. All you would need is someone to show you the steps. A teacher perhaps.”

Her mind was racing. Was he doing it because he felt bad for her? Or was it to cause her further torment outside of the classroom? What exactly was he aiming at? No matter how hard she tried, she could find no valid reasoning behind the decision. There was no way she was buying his cheap one. Chewing on her bottom lip, a sudden nervousness came over her as she noted the intensity of his gaze. Against all better judgement, Rey began,

“When can I start?”