Pomegranate Girl

“I don’t even know why the fuck you take half of the classes you do. Seriously, what even is in English 322: Victorian Literature?” Lauren asked, tossing Daisy’s class list back at her. The girl smiled and picked it up, sticking it back into the cover of her summer reading book.

“I think it’ll be interesting,” Daisy defended herself, finally finishing her summer reading book. “Plus, it works for my major, so I decided I wanted to take it.”

“Nerd,” Lauren snorted, rolling off of her bed. “Sigma Niu is having a party tonight. Should I count on you being there, or will you be too busy reading about Edgar Allan Poe to grace us with your presence?”

Daisy put her book down and stood, getting her bag ready. It was the first week back from summer, and her roommate was already pestering her. They’d shared a room since they both rushed Delta Xi their freshman year, and she had become a sister to Daisy, but she was a bit of a party animal. Daisy wasn’t sure she had attended any classes since they had arrived on campus.

“First of all, Edgar Allan Poe is a dark romantic, which we aren’t covering-”

“Nerd!”

“And second, my class ends at 7. I doubt I’ll want to go to a party after that.” Daisy slung her moon shaped bag over her shoulder, slipping on her shoes. “But if I feel up to it, I may come for like, an hour.”

“So I’ll tell Kai you’re coming,” Lauren already had her phone out.

Daisy sighed. Kai was her on again, off again boyfriend of the past two years. They were currently off, because he would be leaving in September for four months evangelizing in Asia, and hadn’t told her until just two days ago. Rolling her eyes, she waved a hand at her friend as she headed for the door.

“Whatever. I may not even show up.”

“Yeah, yeah. See you tonight!” Lauren called out as the door swung shut.

The sky was dark and ominous, but it had yet to open up, so Daisy figured she could make the 15 minute walk from her sorority house. People were heading back to their dorms or towards Sigma Niu; word must have gotten out about the party. As it often did for them. Buttoning her jacket, Daisy kept her head down. The last thing she needed was to see Kai and be late for her first class.

It was sprinkling by the time she arrived at her class, but she wasn’t bothered. Entering into the lecture hall, she took the first empty seat she saw in the front row and got out her things. A slideshow was already presented at the front of the room, with the class and professor’s name. Professor Elliot Spencer. Daisy had heard of him, he was apparently young and very good looking, but also an incredibly tough grader, and took his material very seriously. That isn’t to say no one passed his class, but you had to be just as committed as he so obviously was to his craft.

As the class of about 50 people settled down, their professor entered the room. And the rumors were right.

Professor Elliot Spencer wore a light blue button down, as well as a black tie. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and a silver watch gleamed on his wrist. His brown, grey-streaked hair was pushed back out of his face, where a pair of black glasses sat on his nose. With a strong jawline, broad shoulders, and standing tall at at least 6’4, Daisy could see why most of her classmates were women.

“Good evening, class. I’m Professor Elliot Spencer, but you may call me Mr. Spencer or Mr. Elliot. Either way, I don’t mind,” He set a briefcase on his desk, then turned to the students. He had a sort of sly smile on his face, and he crossed his arms, leaning one hip against the edge of his desk. “Now, for those of you who didn’t bother to do your summer reading, I suggest that you leave now because your work ethic is not up to par with what I expect.”

There was a bit of a pause, and Daisy looked around. Sure enough, about 15 people packed up their things, got up, and left. After the last grumbling student had shuffled out the door, Mr. Spencer relaxed a bit. His face was less like he was on a witch hunt, and he let his hands rest on the edge of his desk.

“Now. Since all of you did do your reading, welcome to English 322: Victorian Literature,” He walked around and opened his briefcase, picking up a stack of papers. “This is your syllabus, look over it if you will but that isn’t what we’re doing today. Your summer assignment was to pick a book published in England between the years of 1840 and 1880. I want to discuss your books and why you chose them.”

Mr. Spencer passed the stack to the first person in the first row, then headed back to the front of the room. He picked up a sheet of paper.

“Mr. Trenton Wood.” He called out. Someone two rows behind Daisy spoke.

“Here, sir?”

“Tell me which novel you chose, and why,” He said. All eyes turned on Trenton, who pulled out his book from his bag.

“I-I chose Dracula by Bram Stoker because I’ve always liked horror novels and wanted to know where the famous vampire came from… sir,” He explained. Daisy looked back to her professor, who had a hand in his beard.

“Good choice, but if my memory doesn’t fail me, Dracula was published in 1897, wasn’t it?” Trenton checked and, sure enough, it was. Mr. Spencer looked at his list again. “Don’t worry Mr. Wood, I’ll still award you partial credit should you have finished your book. Ms. Emily Richards?”

The girl next to Daisy raised her hand, a coy smile on her face. She held up her book to their professor, who glanced at the title.

“Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte.”

“Yes,” Emily said, her face never dropping that smile. She sat her book on the table and leaned forward. “I chose Wuthering Heights because of the unreliable narrator, which makes it a challenge to some people, but I thought it was very engaging.”

“And what did you think of the switch in viewpoints, from Mr. Lockwood to Cathy later on in the novel? Did you think she was a disagreeable narrator for the scenes at hand?” He asked her. Emily looked a little flustered and tried stammering out an answer, which made Mr. Spencer chuckle lowly. “Try and read more than the first chapter’s Sparknotes before class, alright, Ms. Richards?”

“Yes, sir…” She had visibly deflated. So he was a real hardass. It made Daisy a little nervous, this class had been a choice, maybe she should have left earlier. But she knew her book, she had read it multiple times over, so she shouldn’t be too worried, right?

“Ms. Daisy Gallagher.”

Daisy looked up, holding her book in hand. She swallowed hard before speaking.

“I chose Poems and Ballads by Algernon Charles Swinburne,” She told him. His eyebrows rose a little.

“A book of poetry, and quite a taboo one at that. Facing topics of homosexual affairs, sadomasochism, and cannibalism. Interesting. Tell me, did you have a favorite poem out of the novel?” He asked, testing her as he had tested the others. But she had an answer.

“It’s a toss-up between Hymn to Proserpine and Dolores,” She smiled softly, and Mr. Spencer returned it. Her cheeks flushed a little.

“‘Who gave thee thy wisdom? What stories that stung thee, what visions that smote? Wert thou pure and a maiden, Dolores, when desire took thee first by the throat?’” He spoke the poem so eloquently. Daisy felt a chill run down her back, clutching her book to her chest as he continued. “‘What bud was the shell of a blossom that all men may smell to and pluck? What milk fed thee first at what bosom? What sins gave thee suck?’”

His eyes felt like fire on her, and she shakily opened her book, finding the next passage and continuing in kind.

“‘We shift and bedeck and bedrape us, thou art noble and nude and antique; Libitina thy mother, Priapus, thy father, a Tuscan and Greek. We play with light loves in the portal, and wince and relent and refrain; loves die, and we know thee immortal, our Lady of Pain.’” Her voice didn’t tremble like she thought it would and she looked up at him, eyes lidded. His eyes roamed her body and she bit her tongue.

“Very good, Ms. Gallagher,” His voice sounded different now. Deeper and rougher. “I look forward to hearing more from you. Ms. Johanna Cain.”

Things moved on and more people spoke, but Daisy couldn’t stop the warmth that burned deep in her stomach. Something about reading that poem aloud was so… different. When she read the poetry to herself, it was just that, poetry. Words on paper with no real meaning. But hearing his voice, speaking those words to her… it made them feel real.

As class drew to a close, Mr. Spencer addressed them all again.

“I hope you all paid attention to what you do and don’t know about your novels, because you’ll be giving a three to five-minute presentation on your novel to the class. This will be next Friday, so take the week and really fine tune yourself. You can get more information as you walk out. Have a good weekend everyone.” He sat at his desk as everyone packed up to go, Daisy lingering. She wanted to ask a few questions.

When just a couple of people were left, Daisy made her way down to her professor.

“Mr. Spencer?”

“Ms. Gallagher. Excellent work today,” He said, looking up at her. “What can I do for you?”

“I just had a question about how I would present on my book,” She handed her copy down to him, which he took from her hands. His fingers brushed hers and she nearly jerked away but played it off. “S-Since it’s, you know, poetry and all…”

Mr. Spencer flipped through the pages. “You could do a more analysis based presentation, more based around why people were so scandalized by the poetry. I don’t want to write your presentation for you, you know,” He stopped on a page, glancing over it. “There are more than enough examples of scandalous writing in here.”

Daisy leaned in a little to see where he was reading. He made a little room for her before reading aloud.

“Thou shalt blind his bright eyes though he wrestle, thou shalt chain his light limbs though he strive. In his lips all thy serpents shall nestle, in his hands all thy cruelties thrive,” He looked up at her. “In the daytime thy voice shall go through him, in his dreams he shall feel thee and ache. Thou shalt kindle by night and subdue him, asleep and awake.”

Daisy caught her bottom lip in her teeth, nodding softly. “I, I think I get it now… thank you, Mr. Spencer.”

“Of course,” He handed her book back to her, going back to the papers on his desk. “If you have any other questions, feel free to email me. Have a good weekend.”

“You too,” She said quietly, heading for the door, her stomach still aglow.

Outside, it was pouring. Daisy pulled her phone from her bag and texted Lauren, but got no answer. So she called. Nothing. For ten minutes, she tried every member of her sorority she knew had a car, to no avail. They all had to be at the party. She cursed under her breath and set her bag down, digging around inside. Maybe she had the foresight to put her umbrella in. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. Great. The nearest bus stop was 10 minutes away, and by that time, she would already be soaked.

Other students passed by her, carrying umbrellas or wearing hoodies. She sighed and prepared herself to cross into the rain when someone spoke behind her.

“Ms. Gallagher?”

Turning, she came face to face with Mr. Spencer, a black umbrella in hand. She gave him a little smile.

“Hi. I forgot my umbrella and none of my sisters are picking up their phones. They must be all at Sigma’s party,” She grumbled, kicking at the ground. “So it looks like I’m walking.”

“Come with me,” He bumped her a little with his arm. “I’m not going to let you walk off campus in the rain. Let me drive you.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” She wanted him to though.

“I insist.”

Well, if he insisted.

They walked together under the umbrella, Mr. Spencer drawfing her by at least a foot. She kept her hands on the straps of her backpack, looking at the ground as she walked. That feeling was back, and it was ten times stronger.

“You didn’t have to agree, you know,” He unlocked the car and opened the door for her, helping her into his small SUV. Opposite of her, he got in, tossing his things in the back.

“I know, but I appreciate it. I know you’d do the same for any of your students.” She shrugged, glancing at him. He gave her a bit of a side eye but smiled nonetheless.

“Are you sure about that?”

Daisy’s face went aflame and she looked at her denim skirt, fingers picking at one of the seams. “Y-Yes,” She didn’t sound too sure.

Mr. Spencer started his car and his radio started playing as he pulled away from the arts building. The music was soft but the air was charged, all of the hairs on Daisy’s arms stood up. She glanced at her professor, who drove with one hand on the wheel.

“Can I ask you a question?” She said gently, fiddling with a piece of her caramel colored hair. Mr. Spencer glanced at her from the corner of his eyes.

“Sure.”

“How old are you? I mean, you look young, and everyone says you’re the youngest professor on campus, with your doctorate and all,” She stammered.

“I’m 32,” He told her, turning out of the parking lot. “And I am young to have a doctorate, but I love literature and wanted to show that love.”

“Have you taught anywhere else?” Daisy asked.

“I taught in Italy for a while. I lived there for about 2 years,” They came to a stoplight, and he looked at her. “Are we headed to your sorority house, or to that party?”

“Oh, um, the party, if you don’t mind,” She said, not focused on that at all. She wanted to know about her professor. “Italy? Where in Italy?”

“At the University of Milan. I taught Ancient Greek and Roman Classics, as well as a couple of creative writing courses.”

“I’m enrolled in one of your creative writing courses,” She hadn’t known he was teaching both until she had checked her class sheet. Digging in her bag, she pulled out her class list. “English 334: Fiction Writing.”

“That starts next week, Monday, am I right?” He asked.

“Yep, Monday at 10 am,” She agreed. They arrived at Sigmas’s house, which was already overrun with people and cars. Loud bass music vibrated the car, and Daisy was already exhausted. “Ah, this is it. Thank you, Mr. Spencer.”

“Anytime, Ms. Gallagher. Have a good weekend.”

Daisy opened the door, grabbing her bag and swinging it on. “I’ll see you on Monday.”

“I look forward to it,” He waved as he drove off, leaving Daisy feeling warm. She headed up the steps to the house, preparing herself for the oncoming headache that would be this party.

Stepping inside, she knew she shouldn’t have come. It was dark and crowded, and the music made it so you couldn’t hear the person next to you. Frat guys screaming could be heard, though. Pushing past a couple making out way too close to the door, Daisy headed for the kitchen. She needed a drink.

“Daisy!” Lauren yelled when she saw her, hopping up off of whatever guy she was sitting on. Her roommate threw her arms around her, nearly spilling her drink. “I’m so glad you came!”

“I’m sober!” She told her friend, making her gasp.

“Come on, let’s get you drunk!”

Dragging her through the house, they arrived at the kitchen, where some frat boy had taken up playing bartender. Daisy got a cup and got it filled, letting her roommate return to the drunk guy she was planning to sloppily make out with. Left alone, Daisy headed to the backyard, where a vigorous game of beer pong was being played. She took a seat on a deck chair, watching them.

The chair next to her was filled, and she looked over to see Emily, the girl who’d sat next to her in class.

“You’re Daisy, right?” She asked, eyes a little narrowed. Daisy nodded. “You and Mr. Spencer were flirting pretty hard in class tonight.”

“What? We weren’t flirting, we were reading the poem,” She defended herself. They hadn’t been flirting. Sure, maybe she’d felt floaty when she heard him say those words to her, and maybe she had been picturing his lips on her breasts, the same way the poem had said… but that doesn’t mean they were flirting!

“Uh huh… a poem all about sex and restraining people…” She took a drink from her cup. “I’d suggest you back off. Word on the street is that he’s dating some wedding planner in the city, and I checked out her Facebook. She’s psycho.”

Daisy furrowed her brows. He was dating someone. Probably someone close to his age, too. Not some 20-year-old college student who wore probably too many pastels.

“Just looking out for you. Don’t want you to end up on the news,” Emily told her, standing up. “Her name is Madeline, by the way. Madeline Vance.”

She walked off, hips swaying. Daisy got out her phone and looked her up. Madeline Vance. She was 29 and owned her own wedding planning business. She looked severe, always wearing her blonde hair in a tight bun, as well as blazers and pencil skirts. Nothing said she and Mr. Spencer were dating, but they were mutual friends and had a few photos together. Daisy felt sick when she put her phone down.

Whatever she had felt, it was an anomaly. It wasn’t a connection or arousal. She needed to get him out of her head, he was her professor and that was it. To hell with the poetry they had sensually quoted at one another, she was a student in his class, and that was it.

She needed another drink.

Getting up, she headed inside and got her cup refilled. A hand wrapped around her small waist and she turned.

“Kai,” Daisy said bluntly.

Her ex-boyfriend gave her the same lopsided smile she had come to love over their two years together. “Hey, Daisy… I’ve missed you.”

Kai and Daisy had met in their freshman year when they had chemistry together. They were lab partners but found out they had a lot in common. He had been accepted on a Christian student’s scholarship like Daisy and was planning to become a missionary. As well as playing lacrosse for their school, he had rushed Sigma Niu and was on the track for becoming president. Their relationship was good in that sense, but he had a problem with commitment, and it had caused a breakup about every three months.

“Maybe you should have thought about that before choosing to be a missionary without even talking to me,” She said, not stepping away from his grip though. His gold cross glinted on his neck and she looked down. “I know this is important to you, and if God is calling you to go, then you should but… I wish you had asked my opinion. We’re supposed to be a team, you know? You gave me a promise ring…”

“And I still mean what I said that day. I want to marry you, Daisy, but I couldn’t turn this down.” He pulled her into his chest, fingers rubbing her cheek. “Think of the good this could do. Plus, I get the experience for when I’m actually on the road. And you get to experience how it’ll be when I’m gone for months.”

“I thought I would go with you,” She grumbled.

“Angel, you know I would bring you if I could. I hate leaving you behind, but God’s work is never done,” He kissed her forehead. “Stay with me tonight?”

“I don’t know. I’m tired, and I really didn’t want to come tonight-”

Kai kissed her, and she fell silent. He always kissed so gently, like he was asking her permission to do anything to her. His hand held her waist and his other cupped her cheek, giving her enough room to pull away if she wanted. But her brain was just fuzzy enough to kiss him back, letting herself fall against him like she had so many times before.

They pulled away slightly, and he whispered against her mouth.

“Come upstairs with me.”

He held her hand and led her through the house, her eyes on the ground. She didn’t want to think, and making out with Kai would provide the perfect distraction. Taking the stairs, he took her into his room.

Letting his hand go, she walked to his bed and laid down, tossing her bag to the floor. He looked at her and she held her arms out, letting him climb above her. Their lips met and she gripped his shoulders, one hand slipping into the collar of his t-shirt. He pressed their chests together, his arm around the small of her back, holding her up against him.

Daisy let one hand find his hair, pulling out his hair tie and letting his hair fall around them. She threaded a hand in it and touched her tongue to his lips, him readily letting her in. His tongue passed her lips and she bit it playfully, making him chuckle. He pushed her jacket off and she sat up, helping him. When it was successfully on the ground, he pulled his shirt off and rolled them over, her laying on his chest. He dove back into the kiss, her hands roaming his muscular chest.

One of his hands slipped up her shirt, his warmth alerting her that he was touching her. She gasped softly and he swallowed the sound, sucking her tongue and making her moan. His other hand made its way up her ribs and shucked off her shirt, a hand groping her breast.

“Kai,” She breathed, nails sinking into his shoulder. He lifted her chin and kissed her throat, gently at first, before laying her back on her back. His lips trailed her neck, leaving a string of kisses that got wetter and hotter down to her collarbone. The hand on her breast never stopped moving, while his other went around to unhook her bra.

“Kai, Kai, slow down,” She caught his wrist, bringing her head back down to catch his lips. His hips ground into her and she moaned, spreading her legs. She could feel how hard he was, and it made her pant softly into his mouth. His hand slipped into her bra and she felt his calloused fingers on one of her nipples, which made her breath catch in her throat. “Kai, no-”

“I’m going to be gone Daisy,” He said between kisses, voice low. “I want something to remember you by.”

“Kai, I’m saving it for marriage,” She reminded him. “We both are, remember?”

“Daisy, it’s me,” He squeezed her nipple, making her gasp. Wet lips traced her throat. “You can trust me.”

Thunder rolled outside, and she shook her head, sitting up. “Kai, no,” She pushed his hand off of her. “I told you no. I’m not going to have sex with you. Let’s just make out more, okay?”

“Jeez, Daisy,” He ran a hand down his face. “I thought you’d be over that by now.”

“Be over what? My religion?” She sat up, arms covering her chest. “Our religion? The fact that we talked about losing our virginities together, on our wedding night? One of the things you promised me?”

“There’s nothing wrong with losing it a little early, Daisy. It’s still me. Plus we’re going to be apart for so long, I figured you’d be happier doing it now, so you know I couldn’t lose it to someone else.”

Daisy’s mouth gaped. “So if I don’t have sex with you now, you’re going to just, do it with someone overseas?”

“Four months is a long time,” He reasoned, getting off of his bed to find his shirt.

“Two years is a long time!” She shouted, grabbing her shirt. “You know what, have fun having random sex in Asia, see if I care. Don’t expect me to be here when you get back, Kai!”

“Daisy, let’s just get in bed-”

“Don’t ever talk to me again.” She put her shirt on and ripped open the door, slamming it behind her as she left. God, the nerve of him! Daisy shoved through the party and out into the rain, not caring about finding a cab or a ride; she just couldn’t be there anymore. Putting her bag on her shoulders, she headed out, already getting soaked. Her brain was still fuzzy, she was freezing and she wasn’t even sure if anyone would be there to let her in. What a rotten night.

As she waited at a crosswalk, a car slowed to a stop. She squinted, trying to see if it was one of her sorority sisters. The window rolled down, and she heard a dog bark.

“Ms. Gallagher, do you need a ride somewhere?”

Without thinking, Daisy went and got in the passenger seat. The car was warm, and the husky in the backseat was very friendly. She rubbed the dog’s big head.

“Thank you, Mr. Spencer.” She said softly.

“No problem. To your sorority house?” He asked, handing her a small hand towel. She took it gratefully, feeling so exhausted. All she wanted was to go home and get in bed, but…

“I don’t know if anyone is even there,” She said, looking out the window. She rested her head on the glass, fighting like mad to keep her eyes open. The big dog whined and laid his head on her shoulder. “I’m sorry about this.”

“Don’t worry. Rest.”

Finally letting her eyes droop closed, she did.