Chapter Text
Things are unexpected.
Things are definitely turning out unexpected, from being a loud and obnoxious student in a small town of Doncaster to becoming an actual university professor myself. Weird, innit? No one would know. Always, I've told people how I wanted to be a teacher but never have I imagined being one.. Except, not in the field that I prefer.
"Louis!"
I turned my head around to get a view of my dark haired, tan skinned, twatty friend.
"Zayn!"
I called back out to him in a mocking expression, he curled his lips to what I believe is a little smirk before giving me a quick glance. I dropped the books that I was holding, down on to the table infront of me as Zayn walked into my office.
"Are you quite finished with these shit load? My car broke and I need a lift."
My eyes rolled at his words before nodding, giving into his request. "Spare me a few minutes so I can sort out the few papers I need to take home."
"Seriously? Come on, man. You just got back from a leave of absence and you're already taking home papers? Awful. I hate your class."
I sighed at his comment. I was a literature professor. Yeah, I originally wanted to be a drama professor or director or anything related to theater really, but this is the job that I landed which is a bit close to what I wanted so I ain't complaining. Zayn, however, is an arts professor. Paintings, symbologies and shit. I swear, he's like Robert Langdon from that Dan Brown books, except he's more good looking.
But he was right, I did just get back from one bloody month of leave of absence. Thanks to my weak little streams of blood, I now recently discovered that I am a diabetic. No more sweets for me! Bullshit. I also have to be regularly visiting a hospital now. More bullshit.
Gathering all the papers that I need and leaving a small pile on my desk, putting the stapler ontop of it for good measure so none would fall off (just in case), I quickly slinged my satchel over to my shoulder before fixing my glasses onto my nose. Walking out of the room with Zayn and calling it a day.
********
The next day, for the first time in history, I came in LATE. I never got the chance to reach my office by the faculty area and instead rushed to my first class that I have on my schedule. Why was I late? No one has to know. Even I don't know why I was late but it definitely isn't how I do it. Took me all my morning classes before I'm able to drop by my own office, that means I had to carry my satchel and a pile of papers I had to take home last night to finish grading.
A sigh escaped my lips but my eyes suddenly grew wide at the view infront of me as I stepped into my office. "The fuck?" was all I was able to mutter as I look around. Papers scattered all around the floor, papers that I have purposely and neatly tucked ontop of my desk with a stapler ontop because I hate this sight in the morning.
I'm a bit of a neat freak, but I don't have OCD, don't worry.
Nothing else was out of place. I just grunted out the frustration I'm feeling, maybe Zayn was pulling a prank on me, messing up my own office because he knows how I hate having a mess in my own office. I shouldn't have given him a copy of my key.
Whatever happened in my office, I didn't bother mentioning to Zayn during lunch time. The day went by quickly and it's almost to an end, so is the week.
I'm all huddled up in my office, grading the rest of the essays that my students wrote about the sonnet that we talked about yesterday. Bullshit. Bullshit. Kids are so bullshit.
Bullshit is one of my favorite words, by the way.
I was too deep in my own world, not really, I was just running my thumb absentmindedly through the stamp of the University's logo on my own vest when I was startled by one of my books falling on the floor. I'm too tired to even figure out HOW the book fell but I immediately got up and picked it up but as I was doing so, I heard a loud thump on the floor. I looked up, looked around, looked at the door and there it was.. A quick moving figure of a man that seems to be running away.
I quickly made my way to the door and opened it, trying to catch the man but all I saw were empty halls. I shook my head in annoyance. Teenagers, probably spying on me. Why would they spy on me? Oh, Louis Tomlinson, you need a rest! As I retrieved back onto my room, closing the door and turned around, I was greeted by a man. A boy. A man, yes, a man. Tall, curly hair sticking in all directions, skin so pale, lips that is a shade of a dark red to almost purple, eyes so dilated with the glint of green around them, staring at me with great intensity. I felt my own body almost collapsing. I can't even hold his stare back. How did he get in here? What is he.. He's slowly approaching me. But he seems like he's floating. I looked down and he is floating. I swallowed the lump in my throat and I think I'm going to faint. Am I going to faint? I am going to faint.
Blackness.
Then. A light tap on my cheek.
Followed by a HARD slap on my cheek.
"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUC--"
My own words were cut as Zayn spoke. "Louis, what the fuck? I know you're tired but napping on the floor? Really?"
I was staring at him in confussion til the events of earlier dawned on me.
"There was someone in my office, Zayn! Like, literally! He was right infront of me and he was floating and he looks scary and I... I think I fainted"
I tried to explain what happened but I don't think he was getting it. Zayn was looking at me like I was some weird psycho path til he spoke up. "Are you saying you saw a ghost? Oh, come on Lou. Three years of working with you and now you're rambling about a ghost? You're just tired. Tell you, what. Go fix yourself, we're going out. No, no take homes this weekend. You need to loosen up. Let's go. Up. Now." And he was pulling me to my feet.
I just willingly followed Zayn's orders and sighed. He was right, I was tired. And he is right, I definitely need to loosen up. But there's one more thing that he was right about, I definitely did see a ghost.