This is a work of fiction and any resemblance of these over 18 year old characters or situations in this story to anything real is purely random chance. The seed of inspiration for this story came from reading a couple of other stories with similar themes that melded nicely with my own recollections of daydreams and wishful thinking about the assembled array of co-eds as a teaching assistant in college. Alas, none of it is personally true. The story takes a while to build. I put this one in the Romance category because there is a lot of character development and I think it transcends the sex but it isn't really a classic romance.
Chapter 1 -- First Day of Class
Paul Weller strode into the cavernous lecture hall, trying to emanate a sense of purpose and determination that would mask his shear terror. Careful not to betray his shaking hands, he placed the copies of the syllabus on the corner of the podium and began to organize his notes.
As he shuffled pages and made sure his notes were more organized than his adrenalin-charged brain, he was vaguely aware of the parade of students filing past to get the syllabus. Almost unconsciously at first, he gradually registered that the warm weather had influenced the state of dress of many of the students and that most of the students in his class were women.
Panic began to set in with a vengeance. Paul realized that facing a large class of mostly women dressed for the unseasonably warm weather while trying to keep his mind focused on Intro Biology was going to be a challenge. He reminded himself to check the demographic info on the class list and see if the students were generally first timers or repeaters of this course. He knew that Intro Biology had a reputation for being a weed-out course for the biology majors and he hoped he wasn't faced with a large number of last chance students.
Paul began his introductory comments by introducing himself as a sessional lecturer for the course while he was working on his Ph.D. in cell biology. He reviewed the main points of the syllabus, paying special attention to the details of how the marks were calculated. Right away, several hands popped up.
Turning towards the closest hand he said "Yes?"
She was dressed for the warm weather but the air-conditioned lecture hall was playing havoc with her thermostat. Her tank top was stretched delectably over her firm breasts, her nipples clearly sensing the A/C and betraying her lack of a bra. The little desk attached to the seat heightened the illusion that her long tan legs stretched back into some dark and mysterious place. Paul dragged his eyes back to her face and reminded himself to maintain eye contact while listening carefully to her question.
"Professor, do we really have to pass the final to pass the course?"
"Yes, Miss ..."
"Jessica"
"Yes, Jessica, you do. This course has always carried that stipulation because there is plenty of opportunity to collaborate with your fellow students and yet the university requires that we assess your individual performance accurately. If you work on the assignments and gain a good understanding of the material, you should have no problem with the final exam."
Just as quickly as they shot up, the rest of the hands went down. Apparently the final exam was already the main source of concern.
Paul finished up his description of the course mechanics and launched right into a review of some basic high school biology. The chorus of groans was noticeable.
"I know you think we don't cover course material in the first class but this is a challenging course for some people and I want to use all of the class time productively."
This statement brought another round of groans but Paul soldiered on for the full class time. To cap off the allotted time, over the rustle of books and backpacks, and chirps from music players and cell phones he raised his voice and assigned readings and practice questions out of the textbook.
The departing students had looks of disbelief plastered on their faces and a few comments bouncing between students filtered back to him from the departing crowd.
"Do you believe that shit. Expecting us to, like, take notes and do homework the first day. Like, what kind of a fucked up class is this?"
"That's bullshit. I wanna hit the beach this weekend, not the books. Like, what the fuck does he think he's doing?"
"Man, if I didn't have to take this, I'd, like, drop this shit in an instant. Fuck, this is nuts already."
Paul smirked inwardly to himself. Part of his strategy as a rookie lecturer was to be seen as a no-nonsense kind of guy. He figured they wouldn't walk all over him if he started off firmly in charge of things. As the departing din lessened and he gathered up his notes, Paul noticed that Jessica was lingering waiting to approach him.
"Yes - Jessica is it?"
She beamed with pride that he remembered her name and then blushing at the realization she was acting like a high-schooler, hurriedly stepped forward with her question.
"Professor, I'm really worried about this final exam thing. This is my second and last chance for this course and the final is what bit me last time. Is there any way around that rule? Can I do extra credit to show you I know the stuff even if it doesn't come out on the exam? Please? Anything?"
He let the professor thing go by. Students did it automatically and truth be told, he rather liked the title even if it wasn't true -- yet. His mind quickly processed the "anything" but he dismissed that as academic desperation and not an open invitation into her shorts.
Trying very hard to focus just on her face, he said "Jessica, why don't you work hard on the assignments, make sure you come to my office hours if you have any questions and we'll see how it goes. If you're understanding the material that way, we can make sure the final isn't an issue for you."
"But I did that last time" she said with a sense of defeated hopelessness. "I did fine on the assignments all by myself but in the exam something didn't click and it all fell apart. Please, I need this course to stay in college. My parents'll kill me if I bomb out."