"Miss Stanley, could you stay after class a moment?"
Amanda's heart sank. She was not doing well in this class and tried to keep a low profile. Professor Wilkins was straight-laced and taught a very boring class in a boring manner. She worked her way through the crowd that was filing out of the room. She felt self-conscious as their eyes stared at a student who had been singled out by the professor. She held her books in front of her and looked at the floor until the last student left.
Looking up she saw that the professor was looking at some paperwork and making some marks. "You wanted to see me, Professor?"
He seemingly did not hear her as he continued his work. Amanda shuffled her foot in a small circle waiting for a response. He finally looked up and took his glasses off. "Do you know how bad your grades are in this class, Miss Stanley?"
She flushed red and looked down again. She knew they were pretty bad. "Yes," she said in a low voice.
"They are at a failing level. I don't know how you're going to pass this class unless you get straight A's for the rest of the semester." Amanda was nearly in tears. She really needed to pass this class or else she would have to spend another year in school and she could not afford to do that.
"Is there anything I can do to get a better grade? Like extra credit?" Amanda's voice had the mixture of desperation and fear. Her eyes met the professor's. He gave her a warm smile.
"Yes," he said in a creepy, sickening tone. "As a matter a fact there is. Why don't you come by my office this afternoon around four. You and I will have a 'tutoring' session. See you then." The professor then returned to his paperwork. Amanda stood rooted to the spot. Her head felt light as she took in the meaning of his words. He wanted to have sex with her. The room began to spin ever so slightly over and over again.
"See you this afternoon, Miss Stanley," the professor said as he breezed by her on his way out the door. Amanda remained unmoving as a solitary tear trickled down her cheek.
Amanda headed back to her dorm room in a daze. The hundreds of other students that walked by her did not even seem to exist as she walked through them. She could not think about anything else. It seemed her entire future came down to sleeping with her professor this afternoon.
Amanda got her keys out and unlocked her dorm room door without thinking. One thought filled her head and ran through it over and over.
I must sleep with my professor, I must sleep with my professor.
She lay down on her bed. Looking up at the holes in the ceiling tiles made her dizzy again. She closed her eyes and sleep quickly came to her mind's defense.
Amanda awoke but her eyes remained closed. The thought immediately came back into her head:
I must sleep with my professor.
She briefly tried to fool herself that it was a dream but she knew it was true. Opening her eyes, she looked over at her clock to see it was just past 3:00. Decision time. Go to the professor's office and play his game or spend the rest of her life flipping burgers having wasted thousands of dollars on an education she would never get to use.
Amanda slowly took off the blouse and pants that she was wearing. She stood in front of the mirror over the sink in her room looking at her body. Her bra nicely supported her large chest. Boys usually fixated on her breasts, speaking to them instead of talking to her. Her white panties were nothing fancy, just that necessary part of everyone's wardrobe. They certainly were not some outrageous color or a thong like some of the girls on her floor wore. She was in good shape, but she always considered herself a little overweight. Her stomach pooched out just a bit over the waistband of her underwear. She thought this was the reason boys kept away from her. They would never want a fat chick, she reasoned.
Amanda looked at her face. Her blue eyes and wavy brown hair were her best features, she thought. Friends told her she had a pretty face but she never believed them. That's what friends are supposed to say. She took a wet washcloth to her face to wipe away the dried tears. The coldness of the water refreshed her. It gave her a new determination. She would bear the indignity just this once and move on with her life.