At lunch time, Cosima dragged herself to the cafeteria, joining the line of fellow students that was beginning to form. The first class of the day never leaving her mind.

Did I hear the new professor laugh at me? The sound continuously vibrating through her spine.

She found her usual seat in front of Scott, in one of the ends of the big room, next to the window. He was already there, looking at her with his usual smile.

"Hi! Where have you been? Haven't seen you all day, not since first period." He asked with inquisitive eyes.

"Long morning!" Cosima replied. "Tried to go after you after first period, but someone knocked me and my glasses flew of my face." Scott started to laugh out loud. "Stop it! I'm serious, it's like they grew wings!" Her friend tried to stop, but snorts escaped his lips, only to make Cosima grew madder. "I mean, I know I'm small but that was ridiculous, it was like I was a ghost, did they think that they could go through me?" Cosima's speech growing louder and faster, her hands flaying all around, with erratic movements.

She reached for her water, opening the bottle with a sullen face. "So what are your thoughts on our new immunology professor?"

"Hot!" a simple syllable came out of his mouth.

"Yes and…? I mean you must have other adjectives to describe her. You got a closer look, right there in the first row!"

"Exactly!" Scott answered "Exactly because I was so close, all else escaped me."

"Hm…" Cosima started to pick at her food. Of course she was hot, anyone with eyes could see that! But Cosima had a feeling that the Frenchwoman could be so much more. After all, Dr. Cormier was now a professor in one of the most prestigious scientific departments in the country. She was young and already had a PhD, she had to be smart…right? If not smart at least incredibly well driven.

She made a mental note to google her new professor, not wanting to do that on her phone, in front of Scott. It was embarrassing and she wanted to navigate the life of her new teacher with ease.

"You seem distracted." Scott's voice brought her to reality.

"Tough night. I think I'm getting old!"

"Yeah, right." Scott smiled at her. "I don't think that's it. You're elsewhere."

"Sure, Mr. Inside. Let's go! We are going to be late for lab." Cosima said, starting to get up, picking up her tray.

Lab was also slow, the first class vibe. Occasionally Cosima caught Scott looking at her sideways, she was aware that she was acting strange. In fact, she was not feeling quite like herself, quiet and introspective, finding her mind drifting to the darkest places of her soul. And she was just like that the remaining of the school day, when it was done she left by the main door, with Scott already waiting for her, as usual.

"I think I'll take advantage of the rest of the day light and catch up with some reading outside." Cosima directed to Scott, resulting in him giving her another strange glance.

"You what? It's going to get cold!"

"Yes, but I don't feel like going home just yet. You can leave if you want, I won't hold it against you." She said, settling in one of the stone tables that faced the main entrance and removing one of the textbooks from her bag.

"I can't believe you still use those! Haven't you heard of e-books?" Scott joked pointing at the book with a leather cover that Cosima was holding between her hands.

"Yeah, well, I'm old school!" she grinned "Besides, this it's an old edition, you can't get that in e-books."

"Ok, I'm gonna go, then! Enjoy freezing your ass off." He said taking his leave.

"Ok, bye!" She waved him off.

Cosima tried, she really did. But she could not focus her attention on the book in front of her, every time she sensed someone walking out the door she stopped reading, only to return her eyes, seconds later, to the book with a disappointed frown. She was conscious how idiotic it was, even if the blonde was still inside, there was no valid reason for her to use that exit, even because the faculty parking lot was in the back of the building.

And Scott was right, it was freezing, the late afternoon progressing colder. She started gathering herself, her back stiff from the cold.

Starting to get up, something was picked up at the corner of her eyes. A tall, elegant blonde was making her way out of the building. Cosima directed her attention to the older woman.

She had a long, light brown coat over her suit combination. Her purse on her shoulder and her right hand carrying a stylish computer briefcase. Cosima's professor walked to the parking lot that was destined for the students. Raising her eyebrow, Cosima keep looking, as the French, with steady steps, reach a small electric car, deep red.

Stopping in front of the car, she placed the case on the roof of it and went through her purse until she produced a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

Lighting one of the sticks she leaned on her vehicle, looking around.

Cosima couldn't help but look directly at her professor, she couldn't care less that she got caught gawking, it was no longer in her power to restrain herself. The French's eyes eventually meet Cosima's, form across the small plaza, as lean fingers took the cigarette to her lips, blowing the smoke with a steady exhaling through slight parted lips. Cosima could swear she saw a smile playing on the other woman's mouth, but she was too far away to be sure.

They looked at each other for, what it seemed to Cosima, a long time, but it could not have been that long, just small seconds between drags. The blonde did not break the eye contact, it was Cosima that, eventually, looked down at her hands.

Soon she saw the high heel crushing the butt against the pavement and her new immunology professor entering the car, start it and drive it away, silently.

When Cosima arrived at her small apartment she dropped her coat and bag on the small sofa that stood in the middle of the living room/study room/place where her friends hang out when they visited/basically where she lived when she was home and not sleeping or attempting (and failing) to cook.

She threw herself at her big bed with a loud groan. Remembering her mental note from earlier she reached for her computer that was on the floor next to the bed, from the previous night, or was it the one before that? She couldn't quite remember; her days passing like a haze, one after the other, nothing changing much.

She googled Delphine Cormier, some results appeared. Her new professor's CV was available online: born and high school in Nice, moving to Paris for University, where she stayed her entire academic career, until now. There were also some papers available and some references in scientific journals, mostly in French. And even if Cosima could read them, she would not be interested: immunology was not close to her heart.

She shut the computer feeling exasperated. There was nothing useful there, those were not the aspects of her new professor that interested her; she wanted to know her mind, not some papers she wrote to get a higher grade. Besides looking for someone online always felt kind of stalky.

She reached the bedside table, opening the top drawer, removing the small bag with the green leaves and the box where she kept the remaining of her "relaxing technique". Skilled fingers rolled a joint fast.

Deep inhaling and slowing exhaling, she looked at the cloud of smoke that was forming all around her, letting her mind ramble freely, resting unavoidably on Delphine.