I’ve always been quiet and I blend in with most groups. I can get along with just about anyone because I keep my opinions to myself. I have no problem standing up for what I believe in though. I will defend anyone from harm, whether it be physically or mentally.
“Am I boring you, Ms. Martinelli?” Professor Bramlett asks with a harsh tone. His voice is so close that it makes me jump, and when I look up, he’s right beside me.
“Yes,” I say, and everyone laughs. “I mean… I just already know what you’re talking about.”
“Okay, well then you should have no problem explaining to everyone what the bystander effect is,” he says.
“Not at all,” I say. “The bystander effect in layman’s terms is when someone doesn’t report something because they assume someone else will. This is most often the case with crimes and instances like bullying. For example, you are walking down a sidewalk, and you see a masked man attack an older man in order to rob him. You see that something bad is happening, but there are others around you. This effect is when you assume that one of the others around you will be the one to call, so you do nothing. This is dangerous because sometimes dozens of people can witness a crime, but no one actually helps the old man. I think this plays into Group Think sometimes also.”
“How so?” he asks.
“Well… Group Think is basically blindly following the actions of others around you without questioning it. This can be anything from stereotypes to full-fledged cults. You may recognize in your head that something is wrong, but you might assume that someone else will be the one to speak up,” I explain.
“So, would that make someone responsible for playing a role in a crime if they fail to report it?” he asks.
“Absolutely. If I see an old man get attacked and do nothing to help, I am no better than the person who did the attacking,” I say.
“Even though this is something that is common throughout society, you think everyone on that sidewalk has just as much guilt as the one committing the crime?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes. Just because something is common doesn’t make it any less shitty,” I say bluntly. “It’s common to stereotype people for the foods they consume and although it’s seemingly innocent, it often leads directly into bigger problems, like racism.”
“So should everyone on the sidewalk in your example be punished for ignoring the attack on the old man?” he asks.
“You can’t punish everyone because everyone is guilty of this at some point in their life. Just because something is morally wrong, doesn’t mean it is deserving of punishment,” I say.
“Okay, when have you been guilty of it, Ms. Martinelli?” he asks.
“When I catch you looking at my ass and I don’t call you out on it,” I say with a sweet smile. The class erupts with laughter, and he narrows his eyes at me.
“See me after class, please,” he says, clearly annoyed.
“Yes, sir,” I say with a tone just as sweet as my smile.
The rest of class goes by, and I manage to not fall asleep. When he dismisses the class, I stay in my seat while everyone else files out. I can feel him staring at me, but if I look up, I might laugh. He isso serious basically all of the time and it’s comical to annoy him. I might get on his nerves, but I have the highest grade in this course, and I am in the top five for my class.
“Bekah,” he says when the door shuts and it’s just he and I now.
“Keith,” I say, not looking up.
“Do you think that was appropriate to say in class?” he asks.
“Are you denying looking at my ass?” I ask as I sit back in my seat and smile at him. He doesn’t say anything, proving me right, and I laugh. “Wasn’t it you that said that attraction is human nature?”
“Bekah,” he says with a heavy sigh as he leans on the desk in front of me. He had his hands on the edge of the table with the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up, showing off his bulging veins that snake up his forearms, only to disappear under his shirt where his thick biceps are struggling to hide. His shirt is pulled taut across his chest, hardly containing his delicious body. “I’m asking if you thought it was appropriate.”
“Well... I think I have a right to call you out in any way I see fit, doesn’t matter if it made me feel uncomfortable or not,” I say. “But... since it didn’t make me uncomfortable, I could have chosen something else. By choosing this though, it shows that people should be calling out people doing things that may or may not be bad. When you were admiring me, you had no idea if I would be accepting of it or not, so you accepted the natural consequences of doing it so obviously.”
"You're too smart for your own good sometimes, Bekah, ya know that?" he asks. "I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable.You are my student and that was inappropriate for me to do, human nature or not."
"It's only inappropriate if you touch me,” I say with a devious grin as I stand up with my belongings. “Is that what you were thinking about when I was bent over, Professor?"
“You can go now, Ms. Martinelli,” he says with a deadpan expression, trying to be professional. I giggle before leaning down to grab my purse. When I stand up straight, he is very obviously looking at my tits. When his eyes meet mine, I see a brief flash of something almost feral in his eyes.
“Have a wonderful weekend,sir,” I say with an intentionally suggestive tone before I openly and obviously allow my eyes to travel down his body, taking a moment to admire the bulge in his pants before letting my gaze meet his once more. Once I see his professionalism start to slip away, I can’t help but giggle again. I need to leave before I drive this man insane. He is trying so hard to be a good boy and not touch me, but I have caught him eye fucking me more times than I can count this semester. I think he is a douche to me because it’s his way of trying to convince himself that I am not what he wants, but his body betrays him when he’s close to me. His eyes wander and I can see how tense he becomes. His breathing quickens and it takes every bit of will power for him to force himself to stop looking at me. I don’t think he realizes just how much he does it.
I am dressed in a tight, strapless dress. It is black and shows plenty of cleavage. It comes down to just below my ass, so I cannot bend over without showing my ass to everyone. Literally, because I have a black lace thong on to hide panty lines. I let my long black hair fall in waves across my shoulders and down my back. My sun kissed skin is shimmery from the glitter body cream that my roommate, Penny Malone, forced me to wear before leaving the dorm.
Penny is an Economics major and is so chaotic. Everything from how she talks to who she dates is chaotic. She is so sweet, but she is attracted to drama like a fly is to shit. She has been dating Grant Patterson for a few months now. I try not to be around when he’s in the dorm because he is arrogant and obnoxious. I play nice because she seems to really like him.