i rediscovered fanfiction last night and said, "hey," why not finish this?

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Roxie paced her porch trying to comprehend the mess she had gotten herself into. It was all so incredible.

"You don't even know how beautiful you are," he uttered into her chest. She couldn't respond. She was too frozen with shock and uncertainty as he undid her blouse. "Jeez...Roxie," he said, meeting her eyes. "This is all to please you." Suddenly animated, she looked at him in disbelief. "What?"

"I could have given you the B, but I decided that I couldn't do that. I had to give you a break. Now we're here, and you won't even appreciate what I'm doing for you."

"You have a twisted sense of right and wrong, Carlin."

"So what can be said for you?" That exposed the regret in Roxie's face. He placed a finger on her lip. "Don't you find me even remotely attractie, Roxie? Just relax."

Sitting on the steps of her porch, she scoffed. "Just relax?"

"Rox, what are you doing out her?" Roxie swung around to the door and saw her best friend in the archway. "Oh, hey Sabrina. I...uh, I...forgot my keys and I was debating whether or not I should ring the bell and wake up the whole house."

"Oh. You're lucky I'm up then, huh?" The two went inside the little house.

"Well, goodnight, Sabrina!" Roxie ran halfway to her room before Sabrina grabbed her arm. "Hey, Roxie, if there was something wrong, you'd tell me, right?"

"Yeah...of course, Sabrina. Goodnight." She closed the door and left her housemate doubtful in the corridor.

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"So between kegs, just ponder over the effects of Gatsby's disillusionment with society. We'll pick up there tomorrow." Carlin kept his eye on Roxie as the class exited. She avoided his gaze and turned out of her desk as he approached her.

"Miss K-"

Professor Carlin, can I speak to you?" Miles interrupted. Roxie paused at the end of the row to see the look of confusion on Professor Carlin's face and catch a flicker of fear before she left the room.

"Ah... Mr. Goodman, how may I help you?"

Miles nervously fidgeted with the straps of his bag and kept his soft-spoken voice to a whisper. "I wanted to talk to you about Roxie."

"Uh, what about her?"

"You can get fired, sir," Miles said flatly.

Carlin pulled up the bud of his tie and snapped the latches of his briefcase. "What are you talking about?"

"I...I know... I know that you're taking advantage of Roxie's position... sir, and you can get fired."

Carlin placed both hands on his briefcase and focused on Miles. "And just what am I doing?"

Miles could feel himself faltering. "You're...sleeping with her." He saw a flash of doubt on Carlin's aggressive expression and felt his stomach twist at the truth of it.

"Why would you think that? I'm a professional, son."

"Sir... sir..." Miles ran ahand through his hair. "I saw you kissing her," he whispered.

"Does that mean I'm sleeping with her?" Asked Carlin in a level voice.

"Isn't it wrong either way, sir?"

Carlin took a breath and put less pressure on the briefcase. "Miles, not to be trite, but you play with fire and you get burned."

"Roxie is my friend and I won't see you take advantage of her or anyone else."

"You have no proof, Miles, and I have tenure. Besides, Roxie is not going to throw everything away for your peace of mind. Have a nice day, Mr. Goodman."

When Carlin exited the room, Roxie came inside. "Miles, what are you doing?"

"What you're not doing," he spat.

"Miles," she said, trying to remind him who he was talking to.

"Roxie, you can't do this. You shouldn't do this."

"Miles, it's not up to you! What would you do if you were "this" close to having to give up your education?"

"I would try to get a better job, or transfer, Roxie. You could even have gone to a community college or something and worked until you had enough money for something else. There were other options..."

"I couldn't give up everything I know."

"So this is better?"

Roxie stared hard at him. "Yeah."

"Roxie... how do you face him everyday? How do you face yourself?"

"I try not to, Miles. I'll see you at home."

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"Yay! You're back! The couch was getting really lonely, Rox!" Sabrina smiled as Roxie plopped down next to her in her pajamas.

"Yeah, well... I was getting pretty lonely without the couch."

As the Giligan traipsed around the island, Sabrina turned to Roxie. "Hey, uh... if you don't mind me asking, what have you been doing every Friday night?"

"Oh, well I've...kind of been seeing somone," Roxie settled. Sabrina's eyes lit up, "Really? Anyone I know? We should triple date!"

"Uh, no. Just some vacant frat boy. He broke my heart. It didn't work out."

"Oh, sorry to hear that, Rox." Sabrina pouted and turned back to the TV, where she couldn't help but smile.

After several TV Land showings, Roxie fell asleep on the arm of the couch. Sabrina tiptoed out of the living room and went to find the other roommates.

She called Morgan and Miles into her room and sat across from them. "Roxie's okay!"

"She told you?" Miles piped out.

"You knew?" Sabrina and Morgan said in unison.

"Well... I just found out."

"Why didn't you tell us that Roxie had a boyfriend?" Sabrina pounced.

"Roxie had a boyfriend?" Morgan squeled.

"But he broke her heart. But now we can relax!" Sabrina beemed.

A confused Miles stayed silent wondering if any of this meant anything for reality.

"What are you guys doing?" A groggy Roxie asked in the doorway.

"Oh, nothing!" Sabrina chimed.

Roxie furrowed her brows. "O-kay..." and walked to her room.

She sat on her bed and threw her head in her hands. She needed to end this thing was Carlin, but what would happen? "I should never have done this," she whispered.

"You said you've done this before," Roxie started, holding a tangle of sheets against her body.

"Oh don't talk about it like an 'experiment.' Yes, Roxie, I have been known to make love to younger women."

"Oh, is that all this is?"

"Why don't you "make love" to women your own age?"

"I do, but every once in a while, I have a student, a little nymphet, who needs to be taught about the reality of life. Have I taught you anything, Roxie?"

Taps at her door threw her out of her thoughts. "Hey...can I come in?" Miles asked from the other side of her door.

"Actually, I'm going to bed now." She said, retreating beneath her sheets.

"Just for a minute, Roxie...please?"

She groaned and answered the door.

"Yes?"

Miles walked into the room and pushed the door closed. "I'm going to tell the Dean."

"What? Miles you can't do that!"

"Roxie, I didn't do it to you! He did!" he yelled in a whisper.

"Oh real nice, Miles. When the Dean finds out, she will expell me, and what school wants to take in the whore who's slept with her professor for grades?"

"Roxie, you're not a whore. She'll see that. Carlin will be the only one who suffers."

"God, Miles! What kind of idealist crap is that? Carlin will get off just fine and I will be the crazy girl committed for wild accusations! You can't tell the Dean."

They stood in the center of the room in silence.

Miles sighed and sat down on the bed. "Why won't you break it off?" Miles stared at her intently. "He won't let me, Miles," she answered, sitting on the other end.

"But you haven't even tried," Miles accused.

"How do you know that?"

"Because you look terrified of him now, Roxie. You never used to be like that. The class used to be this literary sparring match. You're so silent, so afraid of him. Why are you so afraid of him?"

Roxie could feel her throat caving in as she considered the question. She answered inaudibly, keeping the response for herself. "What?" Miles asked, leaning in closer. "He was the first," she said a little louder.

"What?" he asked her incredulously.

"I'd never been with anyone else before him..."

"He...made you... even though he knew? Ugh... but he's blackmailing you!"

"Miles... he knows me in a way that no one else does. When I'm around him, I feel so... exposed, like I'm teetering on an edge that only he can push me off of."

"But that doesn't mean that he can," he gently uttered.

"I know that it sounds ridiculous, Miles, but if you went ahead and told the Dean, I couldn't find it in me to defend myself."

They sat in an awkward silence for some time, avoiding one another's eyes.

Suddenly, Miles blurted, "Why were you home tonight?"

Roxie chuckled, "This just gets more and more uncomfortable, doesn't it?" Miles held a piercing look. "He's... on a date."

"What?" he hissed.

"He's on a date... with Zelda."

Miles arose from the bed in an instant. "Roxie, what the hell?"

"Miles, calm down."

"You should tell Sabrina!"

"What's that going to do?"

"Break it off, Roxie... break it off. Whatever happens happens, but you can't go on like this. You're his sex slave!"

"And so what if I am?" They were both standing now, "What are my alternatives?"

"Me! I'm your alternative!"

"What?"

Miles let his lids fall and whispered, "Break it off," before leaving the room.

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