Chapter 14

Nikki left her second class of the day feeling great. Despite some awkwardness, the time spent with Thorn that morning had set her up to have a good day on campus. She smiled as she thought about returning to his office after picking up something to eat from the campus café.

              “I hope they have chicken tenders on the menu,” Nikki said excitedly as she headed towards the student center. It was on her way to the science building where Thorn’s office was located, so she planned to pop in quickly before heading his way.

              “Well, well, well.” Nikki instinctively grabbed the strap of her satchel when she heard a familiar voice. She turned to see Kendall sneering at her. “If it isn’t Little Miss Pity.” She mocked her.

              “…” Nikki said nothing as she tried to turn away from Kendall, keeping her head down, hoping to blend into the crowd of students walking along the pathway.

              “Oh no, you don’t!” Kendall snapped as she grabbed the hood of her sweater and yanked it back.

              “Gah!” Nikki cried out as she was pulled backward and pushed down to the ground by the other girl.

              “Who the hell do you think you are walking away from me?” Kendall yelled. “You’re just the daughter of the help!” She spat. “You should remember your place, peasant!”

              “…” Nikki felt her breathing becoming uneven as the crowd of students stopped and watched the exchange. She hurriedly tried to grab her satchel, which had fallen off her shoulder when she was pulled back.

              “No.” Kendall kicked the bag away from her and stood in front of her. “You need to bow before you can leave, peasant.” She sneered.

              “What the fuck?” Several students began to intervene. Nikki did not notice them, however, as she started to have a panic attack. Her fight or flight kicked in, and she bolted up, shoving Kendall out of the way as she ran for what felt like her life.

              “How dare you touch me!” Kendall went to grab Nikki to pull her back, but a male student got in her way.

              “What the hell is wrong with you?” He asked as he shoved Kendall back. His buddy picked up Nikki’s satchel and noted which way she was running.

              “That bitch needed to know her place!” Kendall stated, acting as if she were in the right. “How can a prestigious school like this keep its title when the children of the help are let in?” She frowned.

              “This isn’t the medieval times.” The boy snapped at her.

              “Wow. I knew the Madisons were out of touch, but to think their daughter acts in such a way is disgusting.”

              “Yeah. I know I won’t be extending any club offers to Kendall if she acts that way.”

              “The school should kick Kendall out after she did something like this.”

              “This is college, not high school. How immature can someone be?” The crowd of students began whispering their disapproval of Kendall’s behavior as they dispersed.

              “What is wrong with you people?” Kendall frowned. “I did the right thing!” She exclaimed.

              “Ew.” The two boys looked at her in disgust as they shook their heads disapprovingly. They then turned away from her and headed to the science building that Nikki had run into.

              Nikki ran into the building and down the stairs towards Thorn’s office. She was trying her best to control her breathing, even as tears streamed down her face. She went to his office but found it locked.

              “Shit…” She breathed as she started to tremble. She was beginning to have a panic attack, and her medicine to stop it was in her satchel. “…ha…”

She desperately needed somewhere to hide, somewhere she could have her panic attack without anyone noticing, just like she did in high school. Nikki stumbled back from the door to Thorn’s office and headed towards his classroom door. She could see the professor inside, teaching his class. Her vision was becoming blurry, so she had to step closer to see him through the window of the door.

              Thorn noticed movement by the classroom door as he was teaching his class. He turned and looked at the door in annoyance, expecting a student to arrive late. His eyes grew wide when he saw Nikki with tears streaming down her face instead.

              “Bloody hell, " he breathed as he rushed to the door and opened it. “Uh, pardon me for a moment, class,” Thorn shouted at his students before grabbing Nikki and dragging her to his office. He swiftly unlocked the door and ushered the poor girl inside. Nikki seemed too upset even to notice that he was there with her. He watched her clutching her chest as he sat her down in a chair.

              “You are having a panic attack, love,” Thorn said calmly as he knelt before her. He gently reached out and cupped her face, leaning her forward to open her airways as she continued to sob and gasp for air. “It’s okay, love, I got you.” He told her softly. He did his best to help her through her panic attack, trying to contain his concern as he tended to her. Thorn wanted to know what had happened to cause her to react this way. It was her third day on campus, so he knew that her initial anxiety should have dropped by now.

              “Professor Thorn?” The two male students who had grabbed Nikki’s satchel knocked on his office door before walking in. Thorn was about to shout at them to leave, but then he noticed them holding her bag.

              “Damn.” One of them said as they saw Nikki hunched over in her chair, gasping for air as she sobbed.

              “Give me her bag,” Thorn ordered as he kneeled in front of her. They complied and brought the satchel over to him. He let go of Nikki and began to search her bag.

              “Does she have something she can take?” One of the boys asked.

              “I am praying that she does. Otherwise, I may need to take her to the emergency room.” Thorn scowled. “Ah.” He found a makeup bag containing medicine. He looked over the prescription bottles and found that there were three different medications used to treat anxiety.

              “I have an extra water bottle in my bag.” One of the boys said as he took off his backpack.

              “Thank you…” Thorn sighed as he tried to figure out which medicine to give Nikki.

              “Um, do you need help figuring out which one to give her?” The other boy asked. Thorn nodded. He quickly pointed to one of the bottles. “This one is fast acting and has the least side effects. The other two can be taken alongside this one, but they take longer to work.” He explained.

              “Thank you.” Thorn thanked him as he opened the bottle and grabbed a pill. He then took the water bottle from the other boy and turned his attention back to Nikki. “Come on, love.” He said softly as he showed her the pill and water bottle. Nikki grabbed the pill and swallowed it without hesitation. It took her a moment to register the water bottle. Eventually, she took it and used it to chase down the pill. Thorn returned to cupping her face gently as he made her lean forward. “You two…” he said to the two boys. “You’re in my morning class with her, " he said.

              “Yes, sir.” They told him.

              “Did you see what happened?” Thorn asked.

              “Yeah, it was Kendall Madison.”

              “She attacked her in front of the Student Center, in front of a whole crowd of students.”

              “She what?” Thorn snapped.

              “Several people intervened, but she ran away before we could help her. Luckily, we recognized her from class and saw her run towards this building.”

              “She was probably looking for a safe space…” One of them commented as they looked at Thorn. “…it seems she found one.” The meaning of his words was not lost on the professor.

              “Ah, she’s finally calming down.” Thorn sighed as Nikki’s breathing started to become more even. The three men all let out a collective sigh of relief as Nikki’s sobbing turned into silent tears, and her breathing returned to normal.

              “Sorry, professor.” She apologized as soon as she could speak. She kept her head down, too ashamed to look him in the eye.

              “No need to apologize, darling,” Thorn assured her as he moved one of his hands from the side of her face, then gently lifted her chin to make her look at him. “Are you all right?” He asked softly.

              “I’ll…be fine…” Nikki replied, shaking slightly. She was coming down from a panic attack and an adrenaline rush all at once. Thorn frowned as he let her go. He stood up and faced the two students.

              “I want you two to report this incident at once.” He ordered. “I need to dismiss my class for the day so I can take Nikki home to rest.” He sighed.

              “Yes, sir.” The two boys nodded and then walked out of the office with him.

              “Stay put.” Thorn turned back and ordered her. “I’ll be right back.”

              “Yes, sir…” Nikki sighed.

              “Class dismissed,” Thorn announced as soon as he walked into his classroom. The students began to murmur as they watched him pack up his things and rush back out. He returned to his office, putting it on his shoulder and adjusting it across his body as he walked over to her.

              “Are you feeling well enough to walk to my car?” He asked.

              “I’m fine.” Nikki sighed. “We don’t have to rush anywhere.” She frowned. She leaned back in her chair. Her head spun, but she was not about to tell him that. Thorn noticed how weak she was looking and scowled at her. He debated for a moment before deciding to take charge of the situation. He grabbed her satchel and handed it to her.

              “What are you doing?” Nikki asked. Without saying a word, Thorn crouched down and slipped his arms underneath her. “Professor!” She exclaimed as he picked her up, bridal style. “Put me down!” She complained as she blushed bright red.

              “Hush.” Thorn scolded her. He left his office, not even bothering to lock it or the classroom up as he exited the building.

              “Professor!” Nikki hissed as he carried her through campus, blushing more and more as her fellow students stopped and gawked at the pair as they passed. She was thankful that the faculty parking lot was not that far away from the science building. Thorn’s long strides made the journey even shorter than usual.

              “In you go.” He said as he managed to open the passenger door and sat her down in her seat. He handed her his satchel and gently closed the door before walking to the driver's side.

              “God…could this day get any worse?” Nikki complained as they drove off.