A Worldly Education

[ms_tiff]

(Closed for FireyIce)

“Ooooh. Ooooh god yes!” Cries of pleasure mixed with the steady squeak of bed springs. “Mmm oh fuck.” The squeaking sped up as the moans grew louder. “I’m close. Oh god!”

The metal bedframe rattled around Josie as her roommate climaxed in the bed above hers. She watched the bedsprings expand and contract in the glow of her alarm clock. Restless, Josie turned onto her side, trying to be as quiet as possible. Something her roommate didn’t seem to worry about.

This had been the nightly routine now in the last two months since school started. Every night since the Freshmen Mixer, Marissa would bring a guy back to the dorm room. Each night a different guy, as if she were trying to sleep her way through the freshmen class. The first night it happened, Josie had lain awake, wide-eyed and terrified to move. Had Marissa forgotten she was there? Surely, she’d be embarrassed if she knew Josie could hear every little breath and sigh. But the next morning, as Josie slipped from her bed, Marissa and her “gentleman caller” had wished her good morning as they lay tangled, naked, in the sheets. Now, Josie still laid awake, but more so out of annoyance at the quaking of the bunkbed and the loud noises Marissa always made.

That night, Marissa and her latest conquest didn’t seem to be ready to settle down any time soon. No sooner had Marissa climaxed and the squeaking eased for a few moments before they were at it again. Even with a pillow over her head, Josie could clearly hear each moan, each breathless demand for Marissa’s lover to fuck her harder.

There would be no rest for her that night. So, tired and with the knowledge that she had a test early the next morning, Josie slipped from her bed. Grabbing her pillow and a blanket she tip-toed out of the room and into the hall, letting the door close softly behind her. She could have let it slam shut and it probably wouldn’t have interrupted Marissa and her paramour.

The lights in the hall nearly blinded her as Josie made her way to the dorm lounge. Curling up on one of the sofas, Josie struggled to find a comfortable position.

Growing up in a conservative family and having been homeschooled her whole life, Josie didn’t know what to expect from college. But she had not expected to be driven out of her own dorm room by a roommate who seemed to have an unlimited sex drive.

Aside from what she had read in books, Josie didn’t know much about sex. She’d never been allowed to date and the most experience she had with any boy was when she’d let Andrew Maxwell hold her hand on the bus home from church camp when she was sixteen. She had no idea how to talk to Marissa about how awkward her nighttime dalliances made her. She didn’t know why they made her as uncomfortable as they did. She didn’t know why she would replay those sounds later in her dreams and wake up with a sense of longing and an itch she couldn’t – didn’t even know how – to scratch. And so, Josie lived with it, endured it. After all, what didn’t kill her made her stronger and all that other nonsense.

~*~*~

Sliding into her seat, bleary eyed and not at all awake enough for her test, Josie resisted the urge to rest her head on the desk and take a nap until class started. She had finally fallen asleep sometime around four, only to be rudely awoken by two drunk guys stumbling into the lounge around five. Knowing that sleep was no longer an option, Josie had slunk back into her room, Marissa and her companion sound asleep if the sound of snoring was any indication. She’d showered and dressed and headed down to the cafeteria for breakfast and coffee.

So much coffee.

Now, seated in the classroom, Josie wished she’d brought along a mug of the coffee no matter how weak and watery it had been.

“I hope you all are rested and ready,” the professor walked in, a little too perky for Josie’s liking, “because this is gonna fuck you up.”

 

[FireyIce]

Ezekiel Howard had spent his morning just like any other morning. He woke up, got cleaned up, threw on a pair of jeans and a button up shirt as he left his room, ignoring his roommate that was still asleep, heading to his morning classes and then his work.

Though he was a Junior, not many people would’ve guessed that he was working on his fourth year here. His first year he failed, not knowing what to expect, and took it upon himself to get a job working at the tutoring center. Though his pay was rewarding, he did think it was better helping people with being able to sympathize with where they were coming from. His selection of classes that he tutored varied and he usually saw this as a “silver lining” from his past mistakes.

He had been at his section for a while when he got a notification that there was a student that was requesting help. It wasn’t too unusual for someone like him to have a few open slots after the first two months, when people that didn’t do well tended to drop from the semester. This was a bit of a surprise though, that someone hadn’t given up yet. As he entered in the student ID number, he saw the name and class. “Go figure,” he said to himself after recognizing the course, world religions. It wasn’t a shock at all that he saw the words “ACADEMIC PROBATION WARNING” on the screen as well. He was knowledgeable about the professor and had no doubt that as soon as someone in that course started to sink, drowning was pretty much inevitable. Without any hesitation, he moved the mouse over and selected the box to indicate that he got her request.

A few moments later, he emerged from his area and walked over to where the students typically sat, waiting. He knew there was a degree of embarrassment as he recollected the first time he was in the same position. As he scanned around, he wasn’t sure who the person looked like. “Josie?” He inquired as he looked at what female it could possibly be. He was a bit surprised when he saw her. The way her hair looked in a slight bun, her clothing looking very modest, and her glasses, caught his attention as he saw her come over towards him. “Uh, hi. I’m Ezekiel, but feel free to call me Zeke. Please, follow me,” He said as he escorted her into his work area. Once they got there, he offered her a seat before sitting down himself. “I see you have a bit of a situation with your class. Luckily, I took the same one my Freshman year,” Ezekiel told her, “So, what seems to be the issue that you’re having?” He asked as he placed his hands on the table, looking into her brown eyes.

 

[ms_tiff]

Josie had thought that college, at least the academic side of it, would be a breeze when she was first applying to schools. After all, she had never had trouble in school before. Yes, she was homeschooled and, yes, her mom was the one grading all her assignments, but Josie had never struggled to learn. She devoured books and facts like they were food. She could recite poetry and speeches at the drop of a hat. She knew so many random facts that her family joked she should go on Jeopardy.

So, when Professor Hendrik called her into his office and handed back her test with the big red D on the front, Josie had felt her heart sink. When he told her she was teetering on the edge of academic probation, she could have sworn she felt her heart drop all the way into her stomach. It was barely two months into the semester, how could she be on the verge of academic probation? He’d given her the information for the tutoring center then, telling her that, if nothing else, they could give her some tips on studying. Josie had left his office, crestfallen and on the brink of tears. The idea of retreating to her room for a good cry was thwarted when she reached her door and heard Marissa moaning inside. She spent the rest of the day locked away in a far corner of the library, alternating between silently crying into her textbooks and mentally berating herself for allowing herself into this position.

The day after her meeting with Professor Hendrik, Josie walked into the tutoring center. She had signed up for a session the night before, desperate for any help she could get. If she failed this class, if she was put on academic probation, she would lose her scholarship. And, if she lost her scholarship, her parents would insist on her coming home. Josie wasn’t ready for that. Not yet.

Sitting in the corner of the waiting room, surrounded by other students who looked just as miserable as she, Josie scooted low in her seat, hoping that nobody she knew would come in. With her bag clutched in her lap, fingers fidgeting with the straps, Josie waited for her name to be called.

A young man walked out from the tutoring area. His sandy hair was slightly disheveled and his glasses slipped down his nose, which he didn’t seem to notice.

“Josie?” He asked the room in general, his eyes searching the faces around him. Silently, Josie stood and made her way towards him. He introduced himself and escorted her to the back. Josie, tugged at the sleeve of her cardigan nervously as she took a seat at his work area.

“I see you have a bit of a situation with your class. Luckily, I took the same one my Freshman year. So, what seems to be the issue that you’re having?”

Zeke watched her, a little too intently for Josie’s liking, and she shifted in her seat. She pushed her glasses up her nose, glancing around the room, looking at anything but the man across from her.

“I got a D on my test.” She mumbled, embarrassed to admit the grade out loud. “Professor Hendrik said that I should come here and maybe you could give me some studying tips or…” she shrugged, “I just don’t know what I need to do.”

She felt the familiar prick of tears as she finally met Zeke’s gaze. “I don’t know where I’m going wrong.”

 

[FireyIce]

Zeke saw the tears start to form on Josie’s face. He reached over and grabbed the box of tissues and sat them down next to her. In just two years of working as a tutor, he had heard just about everything that he imagined he would be able to hear. He was at least surprised that she could admit that she wasn’t sure what she was doing, if she was doing anything wrong.

“For starters,” Zeke said in a less serious tone, “You’re taking a class with Professor Hendrick first thing in the morning. I had him for a history class and he was more awake than I’ve seen anyone at such an early hour. I swear, he probably get’s up at 4AM and has a whole pot of coffee before anyone else in the world wakes up.” He was hoping to get a reaction from Josie, pretty much any, where she would at least smile.

“My freshman year, I failed his history course, lost my scholarship, pretty much failed the rest of the year, and took a year off to work to be able to come back and ask for help,” Zeke admitted. “So the fact that you’re here does speak volumes of wanting to get some help. I did notice,” He continued as he moved back over to the screen and pulled up Josie’s class list, “That your morning classes aren’t doing that well. Are you not really a morning person? Are you staying up too late the night before?” The questions were simple, though he was wondering if there was something more going on. “I’m curious because later in the day, you tend to have better grades.”

As he moved out of the way, he took the trash can and set it down next to Josie.