Page 58 of Class Studies
Professor Garnet’s necklace sparkled at my throat, drawing attention to the unique rimming around my eyes. The wide collar of the dress showed off my chest with a hint of cleavage, and sleeves hugged my arms just below my elbows.
“Aphy,” Saffron said again.
I gave myself a quick nod before pulling open the door. Only to duck as Saffron almost knocked again, this time on my face.
“Ah, sorry,” I mumbled.
Saffron’s usual frown eased. “Don’t be sorry. You’re perfect. Shall we?”
He held out his arm.
I threaded my arm through his and took a calming breath.
It was time to meet Saffron’s parents.
Chapter 11
“Ashe wouldn’t have started a rumor,” I said the moment the door to my tower closed with the Gentle Giant behind it.
Saffron tugged me down the stairs. “You’re sure?”
I scowled at him. “Yes. Ashe is painfully straightforward. If he even thought for a minute you were, he’d have confronted you and probably turned you into Officer Keres.”
Saffron snorted. “That’s not as comforting as you seem to think.”
We hit the bottom floor, and Saffron tugged me in the direction of the cafeteria.
“Did you stay in your dorm last night?” I asked, thinking of Mercedes destroying my hair while I slept.
“No. When I went to get my uniform, someone had bent my bed frame in half and shredded all my uniforms.” Saffron didn’t look at me. “I took what I could salvage and stayed with Professor Garnet.”
I smiled and bumped him with my hip. “Good thing he likes you so much.”
Saffron snorted, but a slight blush stained his cheeks.
As we entered the cafeteria’s corridor, instead of walking to the main room, Saffron led me down a side hall and up a flight of stairs. At the top, he pulled out his phone and typed a code into a door pad.
“Temporary access granted,” a robotic voice said out of its tiny speaker.
I’d never seen the instructors or staff eating. I guess this was why.
Saffron pointed at the metal tags above the doors. “We’re looking for room two o seven.”
As we walked, I scanned the metal tags. Two hundred two stood propped open, and I slowed, peeking into the small square dining space with a single table surrounded by sparse decorations.
We passed a much larger room, and the smell of food made my stomach grumble. The staff’s smaller eatery looked much like the cafeteria but with a splash of color and less noise. A few teachers looked up as we passed the wide doorless entry.
On the other side of it, we found room 207.
“I’ll do most of the talking.” Saffron wrapped an arm around my waist and squeezed me. “You look amazing. My mom will love you, and don’t let anything my dad says get to you. He’ll need more time.”
I wrapped an arm around Saffron and squeezed him back. We released each other before he knocked twice. I didn’t understand the muffled response, but Saffron pushed open the door.
A man and a woman rose from a square table set for four. The man’s blue checkered suit fit him perfectly and matched his simple blue eyes. A few inches shorter than his son, Saffron had his father’s jawline and square shoulders.
The Greek God definitely got his good looks from his mother. A little taller than her husband, her long wavy blonde hair piled on top of her head in a collection of elegant braids and curls. Like me, she wore a dress, though hers clung to her hourglass figure. Complimenting jewelry and make-up brought her slightly olive complexion to life.
She was stunning.