"Ah, that was good. But back to work, yeah?" McKenzie took a long stretch before walking back into the building, smiling at Jason as he held the door open for her. "Thanks," she said.
"No prob," he replied, smiling back. They were both Teaching Assistants in the math department of their college, working under the same professor. They were working on grading the latest test and had taken a break for dinner. After a burger and a couple of beers, they both felt ready to dive back into the workload.
McKenzie and Jason laughed over some of the answers they had seen while grading the tests as they climbed up to the third floor of the building. They shared an office here where they worked during the week tutoring students, grading homework and tests, and answering any other questions the students might come up with. Jason pulled out his keys and unlocked the office door and turned on the lights as he entered. They pulled off their coats and moved to their desks.
They both sat quietly, scoring the tests and marking the grades in the gradebook. Jason looked over at McKenzie now and then. He felt very lucky to be teamed up with such a hot girl. She was a year younger than him, but she looked like she was still in high school. Her limbs seemed very long and slender, although with her shortness (5'2" at the most), her limbs couldn't really be all that long. Her hair was a light brown, with most of it pulled back into a tail high on the back of her head, with the rest hanging down as bangs. The final inch of the bangs was dyed purple, a throwback, she had once admitted to him, to her high school years. McKenzie's green eyes sparkled with fun and mischief, and her smile made her whole face just light up.
When she flashed him one of those smiles, Jason realized he had been staring at her. Giving her a slightly embarrassed smile back, he returned to his work. After a couple of hours, Jason stood and stretched. "All done," he sighed. He collected the pile of papers and tossed them in a desk drawer, locking it.
McKenzie sat up straight and rubbed her back a little. "Lucky you, I've still got a few more."
"Give me a couple and I'll help you," Jason offered.
She shook her head. "No, you know how insistent Burns is about people doing their own work. If he found out I didn't do my full share, he'd give me one of his lectures." Jason knew she was right. Professor Burns was a bit of a stickler, and was always quick to point out when he was "disappointed" in someone. Ten minutes later the person was free to leave, if they hadn't committed suicide out of sheer boredom. "Go on, get outta here. I'll lock up."
"If you're sure," he said. At her nod, he put on his coat and grabbed his bag. "Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," replied McKenzie, who stood up and followed him to the door. After he left the room, she locked the door, and gave him a smile through the small window. He smiled back at her and made for the stairwell.
****