Chapter Nine: Professor Liz:

Liz fluffed up the black waves in her hair. She always liked the start of the new semester. Each fresh face brought her a new challenge. She couldn’t help but think what today would be. Maybe there would be some cute boys today. Liz smiled to herself in the mirror.

“Show time,” she said to herself. Liz turned and walked out of the bathroom. Yes, she loved her job that much. She didn’t know what the next day would bring her. Some days filled her spirits to the sky. Others made her question why she got out of bed in the first place.

“Professor Liz, good morning!” a couple of juniors greeted her as walked down the hall.

“Morning,” she said back. Her high heels echoed down the crowded hall. Sure, she had to look professional for her job but that didn’t mean that she had to lack style. First, there was her hair. Liz took such good care of her hair. Every woman wanted her long black wavy hair. She flipped it back with pride. She smiled to herself as she walked by. The red frames of her glasses made her round face so much more inviting. The professor took just as much care of her appearance as she did with her hair. Liz didn’t have to be a size six to turn heads. She just knew how to work it.

Her first class of the day? Introduction to Film. Not exactly her first choice but she knew how to make it more interesting. She came into conference room 235. Her class would be at the end of the hall. It was going to be a small class this semester. About twenty students. This wouldn’t be too bad. Though, Liz preferred a traditional classroom. Made her feel more professional. Right now, she had to set that aside.

“Here we go,” she said to herself. Liz opened the door and walked inside.

Only about sixteen people were seated at that long conference table as they looked up and saw her. Did the lighting in here have to be so dim? It didn’t do well against the faded green walls in the room. Who picked up that paint job anyway? The professor tried to shove all of that into the back of her mind. Couldn’t focus on that now. She had a first day to dive into. Liz broke into her famous bright smile.

“Good morning, everyone!” she said. The large professor was met with mumbles and half-asleep chatter. Liz put her hands on her hips. This wasn’t going to do, now would it? The professor shook her head.

“Come on now,” she said. “I know it’s morning, but can’t you look a little bit up for it?” Liz walked over to the whiteboard on the other side of the room. Her high heels against the titled floor consumed the silence in the room. She picked up a marker and wrote down her name.

“My name is Liz Hawall,” the professor said. “I will be your Introduction to Film professor for the rest of the semester. But you can call me Liz” She turned to her class. Sixteen pairs of eyes stayed locked on her.

“We can do this one of two ways,” Liz said. “The boring way where nobody wants to be here and nothing gets done. Or, we can make this class entertaining and everyone is happy. The choice is yours.” She looked at each one of her new students.

That’s when she saw him.