THE RISE OF DAVID LANCASTER

Chapter 4: A Strange Connection

We continued eating, the atmosphere between us surprisingly light despite how unusual this situation felt. Jenny had this way of making things seem normal—even though nothing about this was normal.

“So, tell me about yourself,” she said, twirling her fork between her fingers. “What do you like to do when you're not fighting in lecture halls?”

I smirked. “You make it sound like I do that often.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you?”

I sighed dramatically. “Alright, maybe I’ve gotten into a few… misunderstandings.”

She chuckled. “That’s a diplomatic way to put it.”

I shrugged. “Well, when you don’t have much in life, you tend to fight to keep what little you do have.”

Her eyes flickered with something unreadable, but she didn’t press. Instead, she took a sip of her drink and asked, “Okay, what about hobbies? Do you have any?”

“Hobbies?” I repeated, thinking for a moment. “Uh… I guess I like reading. And fixing things. You know, like repairing old gadgets, computers, stuff like that.”

Her eyes lit up. “Really? You’re good with tech?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I used to mess around with broken electronics at work. Figured things out on my own. It kind of became a skill.”

Jenny looked impressed. “That’s actually really cool. You could make a career out of that, you know.”

I chuckled. “Maybe. But right now, I just use it to survive.”

She tilted her head. “Survive?”

I sighed. “Fixing things gets me a little extra cash. Helps with rent and food.”

Her face softened. “That’s… really admirable, David.”

I shrugged, not sure how to respond to that. I wasn’t used to people admiring anything about me.

Jenny rested her chin on her palm, watching me with curiosity. “What about your family? Do you have any siblings?”

I froze. The fork in my hand stilled, hovering just above my plate. Something in my chest tightened.

Jenny must have noticed because her expression shifted. “You don’t have to answer that,” she said gently.

I forced a small, sad smile. “It’s fine.” I set my fork down and leaned back slightly. “The truth is… I don’t even know the faces of my parents. I don’t know if they’re dead or alive. All I know is that I grew up in an orphanage, and I’ve been fending for myself ever since.”

Jenny’s eyes softened with something I didn’t want to name—pity, sympathy, sadness?

“That must’ve been really hard,” she said quietly.

I shrugged, forcing another smile. “It is what it is. I got used to it.”

Jenny looked like she wanted to say something, but instead, she simply sighed and smiled gently.

I decided to shift the conversation before things got too heavy. “Enough about me. What about you? Tell me something interesting.”

Jenny perked up slightly. “Hmm… okay. Well, for starters, I’m twenty-four years old.”

I blinked. “Wait… twenty-four?”

She chuckled at my reaction. “You sound surprised.”

“I mean, yeah,” I admitted. “I knew you were young, but I thought you were like… twenty-six, maybe twenty-seven. Not just a year older than me.”

She laughed. “A lot of people think that. Probably because of the professor title. But I graduated early with good grades, and my father made some calls, so here I am.”

I smirked. “So, you’re a genius?”

She laughed again, shaking her head. “I wouldn’t say that. I just worked hard.”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “Well, either way, that’s impressive.”

Jenny smiled, and for a moment, there was something in her gaze—something warm, something soft.

I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew one thing.

I was intrigued.

Jenny hesitated, twirling her straw between her fingers, as if debating whether to ask the question on her mind. Then, with a small, almost shy smile, she glanced up at me.

“So… do you have a girlfriend?”

I scoffed, shaking my head as an image of Stella’s name flashing on my phone screen this morning played in my mind. Her sharp, irritated voice still rang in my ears. And the way she dumped me over the phone was still fresh in my mind.

I let out a dry chuckle and glanced at Jenny, whose expression was curious yet unreadable. “I had a girlfriend… until this morning.”

Her eyebrows lifted slightly. “Oh?”

“Yeah,” I said, leaning back against the chair. “She broke up with me because I was too busy working. Apparently, she needed more attention than I could give.”

Jenny frowned slightly. “That’s… kind of unfair. You’re working hard for yourself, right? Shouldn’t she have understood that?”

I shrugged. “She didn’t see it that way. And to make things worse, she’s already moved on.”

Jenny tilted her head. “That was fast.”

I let out a humorless chuckle. “Not really. She dumped me for Dylan.”

Jenny’s eyes widened slightly. “Wait… Dylan? As in Dylan from the lecture hall? That arrogant Dylan?”

I nodded, smirking bitterly. “The one and only.”

She exhaled, shaking her head. “Wow… that’s… messy.”

I laughed dryly. “You’re telling me.”

For a moment, Jenny just looked at me, as if trying to piece things together. Then, her lips curled into a small, thoughtful smile.

“Well,” she said, resting her chin on her palm, “I’d say she just made the biggest mistake of her life.”

I blinked at her words, momentarily caught off guard. Jenny's tone was light, almost teasing, but there was something in her eyes—something genuine.

I chuckled softly, shaking my head. "I don’t know about that. Maybe I wasn’t good enough for her."

Jenny scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Please. If she left you for someone like Dylan, that just says more about her than it does about you.”

Her words surprised me. It wasn’t pity in her voice, nor was it the usual "you’ll find someone better" nonsense people say just to be polite. She meant it.

I smirked, raising a brow. “Are you always this blunt, Professor?”

She let out a laugh, the sound soft and melodic, before leaning back in her chair. “Only when it’s necessary. And please, drop the ‘Professor.’ It makes me feel old.”

I smirked. “Well, I did think you were older at first.”

Jenny narrowed her eyes playfully. “Oh? How old did you think I was?”

I rubbed my chin, pretending to think. “Hmm… twenty-six? Twenty-seven?”

She gasped dramatically, placing a hand over her heart. “Wow. I’m offended. Do I really look that old?”

I laughed. “No, you don’t. That’s why I was surprised when you said you were twenty-four. You don’t look like a professor at all.”

She arched a brow. “Oh? And what do I look like?”

I hesitated, my gaze flickering over her flawless skin, her sharp but delicate features, her warm brown eyes that held an undeniable spark of intelligence.

“You look…” I trailed off, choosing my words carefully. “Like you belong on a magazine cover, not in a lecture hall.”

Jenny’s cheeks flushed just slightly before she let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head. “You’re smooth, David. I’ll give you that.”

I grinned, taking another bite of my food. For the first time today, I wasn’t thinking about my fight with Dylan. I wasn’t thinking about Stella or my ruined book or the whispers that followed me around campus.

All I could think about was Jenny.

I glanced at my watch, and a low groan escaped my lips. 4:45 PM. Almost time for my shift at the bar.

Damn it.

I didn’t want to leave—not yet. Not when I was sitting across from Jenny, in this quiet little moment where nothing else mattered. But I had no choice. Rent wasn’t going to pay itself.

I sighed, setting down my fork. “I have to go,” I murmured, my voice laced with reluctance. “My shift starts at five.”

Jenny tilted her head. “You work?”

I chuckled dryly. “Yeah. Bartender. Gotta make a living somehow.”

Her brows furrowed slightly, but before I could analyze her expression, she spoke again. “I’ll give you a ride.”

I blinked, taken aback. “What?”

She smiled, as if it was the most natural offer in the world. “I’ll drive you to work.”

I quickly shook my head. “No, no, it’s fine. You’ve done more than enough for me today.”

Jenny frowned playfully, crossing her arms. “David, it’s just a ride. Don’t be stubborn.”

I smirked. “I’m not being stubborn.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You totally are.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but then she hit me with it. That look.

Her big, brown eyes softened, her lips curved into a slight pout, and her head tilted just a little—a perfect combination of beauty and mischief.

It wasn’t fair.

I sighed, defeated. “You’re really hard to ignore, you know that?”

Her smile widened. “I do.”

I ran a hand through my hair and exhaled. “Fine. You win.”

Jenny grinned triumphantly and stood up, grabbing her bag. “Let’s go then.”

As I followed her out of the restaurant, I couldn’t help but shake my head.

This woman was something else. And I had a feeling she was going to be trouble

As we stepped out of the restaurant, the evening air greeted us with a crisp chill. The sun was beginning to set, casting a golden hue across the sky. I shoved my hands into my pockets, still trying to wrap my head around everything that had happened today.

A few hours ago, I was getting beaten to a pulp. Now, I was getting a ride from the most beautiful professor I’d ever seen.

Jenny led me to her sleek, black car parked near the sidewalk. She unlocked the doors with a click and slid into the driver’s seat while I hesitated for a second before opening the passenger door. The interior smelled like fresh leather and something floral—her perfume, I realized. Damn, even her car smelled rich.

“You okay?” Jenny asked, glancing at me as she started the engine.

I nodded. “Yeah. Just… not used to this kind of treatment.”

She smiled. “Well, get used to it.”

I scoffed. Not likely.

As she pulled onto the road, silence settled between us. It wasn’t awkward—just comfortable. The city lights flickered to life as we passed through the busy streets, the hum of traffic filling the air.

“So… bartender, huh?” she finally said, stealing a quick glance at me.

“Yeah,” I replied. “It’s not much, but it pays the bills.”

Jenny hummed. “I imagine it must be… eventful.”

I let out a dry chuckle. “That’s one way to put it. Drunk customers, bad tippers, fights breaking out—it’s a mess most of the time.”

She smirked. “Sounds like my students.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, except I have to deal with people twice my age who think they know everything after a few shots of whiskey.”

She laughed, a soft, melodic sound that sent a strange warmth through me.

“Do you enjoy it?” she asked, her tone more curious now.

I hesitated before answering. “I mean… it’s a job. I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it either. It’s just… what I have to do.”

Jenny nodded as if she understood. Maybe she did.

For a while, neither of us spoke. I found myself stealing glances at her—the way her fingers tapped lightly against the steering wheel, the way the city lights reflected in her eyes.

I shouldn’t be staring. She was my professor.

But she wasn’t acting like one.

Before I could dwell on that thought, Jenny slowed the car in front of the bar. A dingy-looking place tucked between a laundromat and a convenience store. Not exactly the kind of spot someone like her would normally stop at.

I turned to her. “Thanks for the ride.”

She smiled. “Anytime.”

I hesitated, gripping the door handle. Something about the way she was looking at me made it hard to leave.

“You sure you’ll be okay?” she asked.

I smirked. “I’ve survived worse.”

Jenny rolled her eyes playfully. “That’s not reassuring.”

I chuckled and finally pushed the door open. “See you later, Professor.”

She arched a brow. “We’re back to ‘Professor’ now?”

I grinned. “Gotta keep things professional, right?”

Jenny shook her head, amused. “Go to work, David.”

With one last glance at her, I stepped out and shut the door. As she drove off, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t the last time I’d be seeing her outside of class.