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Chapter 4
"So I have decided."
"What have you decided? Nerd."
"That I'm going to use you as my first official student instructor assignment."
Gail just raised her eyebrow giving Holly a questioning look.
"You said that you were having problems writing your paper. Right?"
Gail nodded.
"Well as a grad student part of what they pay me for is helping students in class, such as going over lectures, helping on homework and being available to answer questions."
"Yeah?" Gail said.
"So I'm going to help you with your paper. You'll write it of course and I'll go over it checking to make sure you hit all the necessary topics to get a good grade."
Gail has never been the type of person to ask for help she's always been too proud to do that. But Gail also knows that without Holly's help she would most definitely fail the class resulting in another lecture from her mother. Something Gail desperately wanted to avoid.
Gail briefly weighed her options and decided to accept Holly's offer.
"Okay fine. I'll let you help me."
"A simple thank you would suffice, you know?" Holly said while flashing Gail a hopeful smile.
"Yeah well we'll see about that after I get my grade back."
"Okay, fair enough have a rough draft ready tomorrow. Meet me during my office hours and I'll look over it and give you notes."
"What makes you think I'll be free during your office hours?"
"I don't know, but if you want a good grade on this paper you'll work something out."
Holly then got up waved bye and was heading towards the door not giving Gail a chance to challenge her statement.
While still sitting in the coffee shop Gail looked at her phone for the time. She saw that it was approaching 5:00 and she decided that she was going to at least get the rough draft of her paper done tonight.
With what little will power she could muster up. She began organizing some notes and began her paper for real this time.
After a few hours and about 3 coffees later Gail had a rough draft she was satisfied with. She hit save on her computer and began packing up her bags and started on her way home.
As she walked she couldn't help but feel infuriated by Holly. No one other than her mother has ever made Gail feel inferior. But this was different, Gail wasn't being put down or scolded she was just matched toe to toe in all her witty smart-ass comments.
Gail was trying to sort out her feelings about this little revelation. Should I like Holly because she was fair competition or should I fear Holly?
Gail was still pondering this question when she walked up to her apartment building.
As she unlocked her door she found the boys in the same place she left then 5 hours ago. The only difference is that they had ordered pizza and wings.
Gail sat down on the couch next to Dov and said hello to Dov and Chris.
Gail then picked up a slice of pizza and said, "I have winner."
Both boys just nodded in a silent agreement.
However Gail was still stuck in her head. Was I flirting with Holly? Why was I being nice to her? Well it wasn't exactly nice, but it was nice for me. Maybe I was just being nice because she's kind of like my teacher. Yeah I think that's probably the only possible explanation as to why I was being pleasant.
The only reason why Gail was torn from her thoughts was because Dov handed her a beer and the Xbox controller saying "Your up."
Gail crack open her beer and took a long drink of it before saying, "Lets get this ass whooping over with."
Holly's POV
Holly found herself thinking things very similar to Gail. Why was I acting like that? She's clearly straight; I mean you would think I could tell if she wasn't. Either way why was I acting so suggestive with her? I never act like that.
Holly was sitting on her couch replaying her interaction with Gail when she decided she needed a second persons opinion on the situation. Holly called her best friend Steph to see what she thought about Holly's actions this afternoon.
After two rings Steph answered the phone.
Holly stayed quiet on the other end; she still didn't know how to bring up this conversation. She has never been particularly open about her relationships.
On the other end Steph said "Do I need hard liquor for this one or will my glass of wine do?"
Holly loved that her best friend of close to thirteen years knew her so well.
Holly sighed. "I think the wine will do."
"What's going on poop?" asked Steph.
Now most people would be offended when being called "poop" but for holly and Steph it was a term of endearment.
"Nothings going on per say I just can't seem to figure out where my mind is right now."
"Well is work going all right?"
"Yeah work is fine."
"Classes then? Do you already have a thesis due?"
"No my classes are fine the problem is the one I'm the grad assistant in."
"What is your professor a lazy asshole that expects you to do all the work?" Steph asked seriously concerned.
Steph knew Holly has been taken advantage of before when it came to school, most of the time it being fellow group members not turning in their work because they knew Holly would eventually cave and do it for them. And Steph could see how this could translate into a professor dumping papers on Holly expecting her to do the grading for him.
"No, its not that, I think I might have a straight girl crush." Said Holly as she took a sip of her wine.
After revealing this to Steph Holly buried herself further down into her couch. Waiting for Steph's reaction.
But when the line was silent she continued hesitantly.
"Straight girl crush on one of the students in my grad assistant class." Holly further revealed to Steph.
"Well what is she like?" asked Steph. She knew that Holly rarely admitted to liking someone and Holly being so forthcoming with this information was not like her so Steph knew that it must really be bothering Holly.
Holly begins to give Steph the run down of her last few encounters with Gail.
"And her looks?" Steph asked further
"She's blonde a little shorter than me, dark blue eyes. Like the type that look too blue to be real but you know they are. And she has a lot of attitude, but confidence radiates off of her." Holly couldn't help but smile when thinking of Gail.
"But the weird thing is we have only talked those two times and I can't seem to get her off of my mind, I sound so stupid right now" Holly admitted truthfully to her friend.
"Well my advice is give it time you don't even know the girl and you are already acting all mushy about her."
"Yeah I know and trust me I have zero plans on making any moves, I just can't decide if I'm just reading too much into things since it has been so long since my last relationship."
"I think that's probably the truth, you have been out of the game for a while with how busy you have been the last few years, you may be confusing friendship or a student teacher relationship with something more."
"Yeah you're right." Holly said.
It always seems so strange to Holly how easy it is for Steph to make her see things for a different perspective, Steph and herself are so different but their friendship seems to work out perfectly. They have always balanced each other out. Holly helps wrangle in Steph's party girl ways and reminds her to focus on more important things. All while Steph reminds Holly to have fun and not take things so serious all the time. Steph is one of the few people in Holly's life that she trusts with anything and conversations like this really reminds Holly of that fact.
"I know." Steph said. Holly could imagine her smiling on the other side of the phone and just shook her head.
"You better now?"
"Yeah I just needed to vent" Holly thought about all their late night venting sessions and smiled.
Okay well I'm going to get off of here I have some work that I have to catch up on before I get to far behind. But you'll call me if you need me right?"
"Yeah I have your number, love ya."
"Love you too girl, night."
And with that Holly's mind was at ease.
Holly then decided that she was going to call it an easy night, heat up some leftovers from lunch this afternoon, get herself another glass of wine, and unwind in front of the TV watching one of the many documentaries that she had recorded on her DVR.
After eating Holly slumped down into her couch wrapped herself into a blanket and flipped in her big screen TV.
She watched most of her documentary about Johannes Kepler and slowly started to fall asleep.
Her last thought however was I wonder if Gail will actually show up tomorrow during office hours?