The dorms began to fill up and Alice stood just inside her room with the door slightly open, peeking out every now and then, gathering up her courage.

I can do this. This shouldn't be hard.

Alice placed her hand on the wood and pushed it open to see a blonde girl with a pixie cut push open her own door, followed by two other girls holding bags. She didn't look to be in the happiest of moods so Alice decided to wait before introducing herself. Luckily, the girl right next to her room had just come out to grab another box.

"Hi," Alice spoke, maybe a bit loudly as she made the girl jump. "Sorry, I'm Alice. Would you like some help?"

"Max," The girl said and smiled, gesturing to the last small box on the ground. Alice brought the box inside and lay it on top of the nightstand beside the bed. There were hundreds of polaroid photos scattered on her bed. Alice's smile widened and she went to pick up a few.

"Are you here to study under Mark Jefferson?" Alice asked.

Max nodded and opened the box on the nightstand to pull out an alarm clock and plugged it in.

"It's so exciting. I can't believe he's here teaching. Are you taking his class too?" Max said. She handed her some tape and a stack of photos. "You can just put these up randomly."

"Yeah, I thought I might as well."

They began to place the photos above Max's bed. Alice learned how Arcadia Bay was her hometown, but she had moved to Seattle with her parents five years ago, leaving behind her best friend. Alice would have inquired more, but it seemed like a touchy subject to bring up as Max went eerily silent when the subject of her best friend was brought up.

As they worked for the next hour, a girl named Kate came by and offered cookies. As she introduced herself, the door across from Max slammed open obnoxiously.

"Are you trying to break my door, Courtney?!"

"Sorry Victoria." Two girls stepped out first. The third girl with the pixie cut stepped out with her hands on her hip before following the other two down the hall.

"That's Victoria," Kate said with a small smile, "She's a little difficult to deal with, but you get used to it."

Alice cringed. She was hoping there wouldn't be a stereotypical bitch she'd have to avoid. She made a mental note to watch herself around Victoria.

Kate left after chatting for a bit and after they finished the photos above Max's wall, Alice took her leave as well.

Alice stepped out of Max's room just as Victoria was coming back. She tripped and the box in her arms hit the ground. The blonde huffed and bent down to gather the fallen items. One rectangular case hit Alice's feet and Alice reached out to pick it up.

"Wait, just leave it!" Victoria yelled quickly darting forward just as Alice's fingers wrapped around the offending item.

"Final Fantasy?" Alice questioned curiously. Victoria snatched it out of her hand, red in the face and the next second Alice was staring at Victoria's door.

Left blinking at nothing, Alice shrugged to herself and entered her own room.

Mark had yet to see the girl. First day of classes and he was becoming antsy. He had gone through the school records, searching for the new students, but had yet to pinpoint who she was. He wanted to smack himself for not trying harder. Though he could also blame Nathan for being as stubborn as ever and refusing to answer his texts. He started his class trying not to let his irritation show. He did manage to pick out a few prospective students from the bunch that would match his criteria, but that did little to ease the frustration that wracked his mind.

He called names and noted that one student seemed to be missing.

"Tardy on the first day of class? That's a gutsy move." He joked to the class.

He handed the syllabus to the more than eager blonde with a pixie cut who made the effort to tell him that she'd never miss a class of his. He almost rolled his eyes at the way she eyed him and fluttered her eyelashes. Girls like her were a dime a dozen. He easily became bored of them early on in his career. It was rare to find ones like her who had actual layers to their personality instead of the same dull media driven crap you could find everywhere.

He walked back to his desk for a moment to grab something when he heard the door quietly open behind him. As he turned around to reprimand the student, who was failing comically hard at sneaking by him, he saw the girl. His lips quirked up in a smirk, trying to hide his uplifted mood at finally finding out her identity. He masked it with a stern lecture.

"Ah, how gracious of you to join us. I'm assuming," He glanced at his class list, "Alice Thurner?"

Alice had her books clutched to her chest. She was in the midst of sneaking by, crouched a little, bent slightly at the knees, but shot up as she was caught.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry," she stammered, "I got lost. Some guy told me the wrong way to go and I ended up on the other side of the building."

A few students chuckled as her face glowed beet red. He smiled along with them.

"Don't let it happen again." He gestured to the desks and she zipped forward as she maneuvered between the desks, "There's a free seat beside Maxine."

Alice's shoulders relaxed as she recognised the girl. As she practically threw herself into her seat, her mousy brown-haired neighbour muttered under her breath, exasperated.

"Sorry?" She whispered back. Max smiled at her.

"I said its Max, never Maxine."

Alice went to speak up, but Jefferson addressed the class again, and instead shot her a smile and readied her notebook.

Alice Thurner. Jefferson thought smugly. Thank you for turning this dull teacher's job into an interesting one.

"Want to go get tea with Kate and I? Since our rooms are so close to each other, we should get to know each other better and maybe go out for a photo session around town." Max said as they both packed up their belongings. The class was fun so far. Everyone was able to compare their portfolios and see what kind of styles everyone one had.

"Yeah sure, that sounds great!" Alice said. Finally. Maybe she'd make friends that wanted to hang out just for the heck of it every now and then. Max texted Kate, who had left quickly to put up fliers around the school for the meals on wheels program.

As they headed for the door, Mr. Jefferson stopped her.

"Alice," he called, "I'd actually like you to help me with a few things after class."

Alice glanced at Max. So much for their tea time. Alice's heart raced. She really wanted to start saying no to people for once.

"Um, actually sir, I –"

"Think of it as punishment for being late to my class." He joked. Alice's shoulders drooped slightly in defeat and Max rescheduled for another day. She placed her bag onto the nearest desk and began to sort through a few papers he had given her. He sat at his desk, going through their portfolios and making notes. A half hour later, Mr. Jefferson handed her a stack of books to organise on the shelves. She placed it on the desk and opened the glass sliding doors on the cabinets.

"Before you do that, I'll get you to grab a few books from the library for me." He handed her a list. "Meanwhile, I need to refill on coffee. Would you like one?"

"Tea would be fantastic, thank you sir." They walked through the door, Jefferson letting her go first and then locking the door behind him.

"Ugh, sir. Please don't call me that. Makes me feel old." He chuckled.

"Yes sir-, I mean Mr. Jefferson" She stuttered.

"Well, it's a start!" He said, amused, "Just meet me back in the class when you're done." He walked off to the teacher's lounge, swinging his keys around his finger as he left.

Oh crap. I forgot to ask him which way the library is. So much for coming early and taking a tour. Can't even remember where everything is still. Alice sighed. The halls were empty at this point and she decided to just wing it. She pulled a lollipop out and unwrapped it. She quickly walked down the hall and turned the corner. Except as she did, she knocked into someone else. Just as she was about to fall, hands stretched out and gripped her arms.

"Fucking hell. You better not be stalking me." Nathan exclaimed, letting go of her as soon as he realised it was her.

Alice pulled the candy out of her mouth and spoke, "Well we do go to the same school, its kind of inevitable that we'd see each other again." His attitude was beginning to annoy her. It's not like she was trying to get in the way.

"Classes are over nerd. What are you still doing here?"

"I have to grab some books from the library. Though I've already forgotten where it is. . . I was late to my last class so I'm helping out." She laughed nervously.

"Why? Got caught up blowing someone in the bathrooms?" He sneered. Her face heated up.

"For your information, some jerk told me the wrong information as to where Mr. Jefferson's class is" She huffed. "and I've never done that." She mumbled.

He looked taken aback for a moment, also noting the latter of what she said and mentally saved that piece of information.

"You're helping him out?" to which she nodded.

"Because you were late." He stated. She nodded again.

"Oh, for chrissake, do you not know how to say no? You don't always have to please everyone."

If only she knew.

"It's not like I do it purposely!" She wagged her lollipop at him. "I'm trying. . ." She muttered.

"People pleaser!" He scoffed and snatched her candy just as they touched her lips. He began to walk away and stuck it in his mouth instead.

"H-Hey!"

"Library's that way loser," He yelled, jerking his thumb behind him as he walked away. "end of the hallway on your left."

She seethed, crumbling the list in her hand in anger. What a jerk!

"T. . . Takes one to know one!" She called after him. His laughter filled the hallways.

"Oooh, burn!" he mocked. The entrance door slammed behind him.

Alice stomped through the hallway and found the library. There was no one at the front. She slammed the piece of paper down onto the front desk and began to angrily smooth out the wrinkles.

"Stupid. Jerk. Taking my candy. Buy your own!" She muttered furiously.

"Oh dear, someone's not in a good mood today." The portly librarian walked up suddenly, making Alice jump. She spoke with an English accent. She looked kind, her curly hair bouncing as she walked. Her eyes wrinkled as she smiled softly. Her grey cardigan was pushed up at the sleeves.

"No, oh, I'm sorry. Someone just got on my nerves." She said, practically tripping over her words. The librarian chuckled, telling her not to worry about it, and grabbed the list from her.

"Oh, these are for Mark. Wait just one moment, dear. I had them put aside." She handed Alice the list and turned to the cart next to desk. "Ah, here they are." She grabbed them and stacked them on top of each other. Alice ran behind the counter and held out her arms.

"Would you like a cart, love? They're awfully heavy!" As she began to place them in Alice's arms. She shook her head.

"No that's okay! It'll be a good work out for me!" Alice grinned. "Thank you!" She walked out, the librarian quickly shuffling to the door to hold it open for her.

Alice quickly made her way back, grateful that the door was slightly open so she wouldn't have to use the knob. She nudged it open with her foot and walked through, also nudging it closed again with her foot.

"I have the books Mr. Jefferson." She called. He walked out from the door behind his desk, holding two cups. He gestured to his desk and she happily plopped them down. "Though I did run into a few . . . hindrances."

"Oh? Like?" He asked. She opened her mouth to tell him about Nathan, but closed her mouth again. It might be better not to bad talk others.

"I forgot where the library was." She said, embarrassment marked on her face. That and stupid jerk stealing my candy.

"I wasn't sure if you took your tea with anything." He set one down for her. She eagerly grabbed it and inhaled happily. He smiled and took a sip of his coffee.

"No, I prefer it black," She took a sip, wincing as she burned her tongue. "I don't like to take away from the taste."

"Same here." He chuckled. He took a sip from his mug. "Also, feel free to call me Mark when we're not in class. I'm still not used to the Mr. and sir thing everyone keeps throwing at me."

"Mark," She tested, before laughing. "I don't think I could get used to that" She was glad he was so laid back. She thought for sure a famous Photographer turned teacher would make for a difficult class and almost dropped the class out of intimidation. She stared at him over the rim of her cup as he busied himself at his desk. She absentmindedly wondered if he was married. He was pretty good looking and wouldn't be surprised if he had crowds of women lined up in hopes of him noticing them. She never actually knew what he looked like before now.

When she had perused his work, she focused on his work, not even thinking about what the person behind the lens looked like. She thought the other students murmuring about his looks were just exaggerating as hormone driven teens tend to do.

She realised she was staring for too long when he glanced up to see her blatantly staring. She immediately got back to work, pretending that she wasn't just ogling her teacher.

Mark watched from his desk as Alice stood on a stool and reorganised the shelves. He began to type her name into his laptop. Of course, he'd have to do a more intense research once he got home and used the better programs, but a simple internet search would satiate his curiosity for now.

Alice suddenly yawned and he smiled to himself.

"Long day?" He asked out loud.

"I guess the first day of classes can do that to you." She stretched her limbs and went back to sorting. Yes, it could. Or a few drops of something else could tire you out as well.He didn't put too much so she wouldn't be suspicious.

The first link he found was of her social media account. He clicked on the link and his eyes wandered to Alice as the page loaded. She picked up 2 books and stepped onto the small stepladder. She placed the books on the top shelf and reached for the cameras on the same ledge. She struggled as she stretched and stood on the tip of her toes. Her skirt lifted slightly and Jefferson grew hard at the small glimpse he received. She was wearing tights, to his dismay, but they were slightly opaque making it all the more inviting.

The little minx has to be doing it on purpose. His eyes darted back to the screen in front of him. Alice's main photo was of her and another man. The two were sitting in a restaurant, leaning into each other. His eyes narrowed in on the arm that snaked around her shoulders. The two had no similar features. A current boyfriend, perhaps? He clicked on the photo and the picture instantly became bigger. The photo wasn't tagged, but someone had left a comment, "Wow, for once Wesley smiles in a photo." And under that Alice replied "It was one of his birthday presents for me haha"

Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be anyone on her friend list named Wesley.

"I'm done!" Alice called. He quickly closed the window and smiled.

"Wonderful. Just one more thing to do and I'll let you go."

"Okay, I'll just be right back." Alice said, quickly jumping up. "Bathroom."

He waited a few seconds after shutting the door then slipped a few more drops into her drink. He brought out a metal stand that held different coloured folders. Students would be able to hand in their homework and it would serve as a folder to build their portfolios. He carried it over to the closest cluster of desks. Alice came back and sat down in the opposite desk, grabbing her drink and downing the rest of it. He pulled the coloured folders out and handed Alice some labels to write down each name. Alice sat down to work, going down the class lists and giving each person their own folder. She set them all neatly in a pile as Mr. Jefferson would pick each one up and find said students already submitted work into it before placing them into the stand. He refilled her drink and they got to work.

It was quiet at first, just the sound of shuffling papers, the occasional sip of their hot beverages and the sound of Alice's marker squeaking as she carefully wrote each name out neatly.

"Would you mind helping me out once a week?" Mark asked. "You're here on scholarship, right? I could mark it as you working as a teaching assistant. Would look good on your record and I promise it won't be as much work as today."

"Sure, that'd be great!"

"Great. We'll figure out the details next class. Maybe at the end of each week or something." He said. Alice nodded and looked back down to focus on her writing. She took a big swig of her tea, savouring the taste. As they worked, Alice asked about his schooling and career, intrigued as to why he chose to go into teaching.

Jefferson watched discreetly as Alice continued to work. She began to work slower, her movements becoming sluggish. She yawned once more, this time not holding back, forgetting that someone else was still in the room with her. She stretched out her limbs in an attempt to wake her self up, tilting her head from side to side. Proving to be fruitless, she began to use her right hand to prop up her head. Her writing began to slow.

She's left-handed. Cute.

He continued speaking all while watching her struggle to stay awake. He felt a little bad. She must be feeling guilty, thinking that his words are putting her to sleep. As he spoke about how his interest in photography was solidified, moving his major from the sciences to art, her head finally dropped from its makeshift perch on her palm. Her left hand still held the pen, but stopped in the middle of the name, leaving a growing ink spot from the marker.

He gently called her name a few times and pulled the marker from her fingers, making sure that she was fully out. He stood and locked the door, pulling the blinds closed as he went. Thankfully as the window on the door was frosted and textured, there would be no chance of disturbances.

He reached into her bag and began sifting through her things. A few surreal art and photo books caught his eye as he rummaged. He found her wallet and opened it. Nothing of note except a photo of a couple. He assumed her parents. The photo well worn, judging by the multiple creases across the once stiff paper. He returned it to its place behind her school id and placed the wallet back in her bag.

She stirred, a small sigh coming from her lips. He smirked and lifted her head, gathering the loose strands and laying her hair over her shoulder. He adjusted her arms so that she lay her head comfortable on top of them.

I might just decide to keep you. He decided as he brushed a thumb across her cheek, pushing a stray hair out of the way. He grabbed the camera off his desk and quickly snapped a photo of her serene face.

There was something off about her. He would find out just what it was to satisfy his curiosity. Even if she didn't turn out to be as interesting as he suspected, she could always have a place in his photos for him to remember her by.

He had just finished labeling all the folders and putting everything in their respectful place when Alice finally woke up. She groggily opened her eyes, yawned and sat up, staring off into space.

"Hello." He called to her. She turned to him, her brain still slowly catching up, before her eyes snapped open wider and she began to apologise profusely. He laughed and told her it was okay.

"You should have just woken me up! I'm so embarrassed." She covered her face with her hands.

"Really it's okay. First day of classes, you must be exhausted with everything. You were only asleep for half an hour at best."

She eyed the clock, sighed, and apologised again.

"I managed to finish everything, don't worry. You can head back now." He said. She nodded again and grabbed her things and made her way to the door.

"Sorry again, Mr. Jefferson." She said sheepishly as she shut the door behind her.

A/N:

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas! Happy New Year everyone!

Please leave a review if you can! I'd love some feedback.

I feel like the beginning of this chapter was rushed, but let me know what you think!