"Elena, why are you so blushed?! Did something happen?" Corey looked at her friend, who had just rushed into the audience as if someone was chasing her.

"Cory, one more question, and I will punch you."

Elena's face was ablaze with either anger or embarrassment. She first got into a situation where one of her main qualities, as she herself believed, namely, the ability to remain calm in almost any situation, was put under great doubt.

"Ok, understood. But in the evening you are going with me anyway," Corey said, immediately hiding behind a textbook just in case. Realizing that there was no reaction, she slowly lowered the textbook and stared at Elena who was thinking about something.

"Hey, what did the professor want from you?"

"We will have a different lecturer today."

"What? Did you see him? Just do not tell me that this is some kind of tedious old man with glasses."

"Yeah right! Everything is just the opposite. You will fall out yourself."

Elena looked at Corey with a triumphant look, as if knowing some great secret. Her friend was already ready to pounce on her with questions, as at that moment a young man sat down beside them making a loud wallop.

"Damn, Jason, what the heck! Couldn't you sit down normally? And what brought you here? You seemed to be going to sleep all day." Corey yelled at him, as he had actually pressured her with his whole body.

"Oh, and good morning to you too, Corey! Yo, Ellen! What are you gals chatting about?"

"Yeah, good DAY to you too. Elena said that the second lecture will be given by another teacher."

At that moment, when friends began to chatterbox about the events of the past birthday party, Melinda, noticing Jason, headed towards them.

"Jason, hello! Happy belated birthday! Hope everything went great. I am so sorry that I could not show up. Suddenly, urgent things popped up, and I had to leave the city for the weekend."

"Thank you, Melinda! But I don't remember that your family was on the guest list." Jason answered and lit up with his innocent smile, completely unaware that it sounded more like an insult, not a gratitude.

Corey barely tried not to burst with laughter. Elena only smiled slightly.

Melinda was almost twisted with anger, but she tried to keep her emotions inside. "Hmm, my dad didn't tell me anything about it. Probably, he had things to do too, and he warned Mr. Barton in advance that he could not be at the party." The girl tried to get out of this tricky situation, but it sounded not very convincing.

"Jason, I heard that Rick Stein from the Berne Group was among the guests. Could you introduce me to him?"

At this point Corey could no longer be silent. "Listen, do not you think that you are now being too pushy?"

"Huh, me? Being pushy? This is called 'taking the initiative', baby. Unlike some chicks who really love to heat on older men," Melinda answered and glanced at Elena.

"Where are you hinting at?" Elena raised her head, pulled out of her mouth the lollipop that she had opened earlier, and looked at the girl standing next to them.

"I am not hinting at anything, I am just telling you directly. Everyone knows how you are playing the innocent, to be closer to this old man. You spend days hanging around in his office, now in the library archive, just to attract his attention. I bet he has neither looks nor money. And, what can you talk with him about?"

Melinda decided to take it out on Elena to retrieve her defeat from Jason and intentionally spoke very loudly to draw attention of everyone around to the conversation.

"Oh, so you're talking about Professor Richards right now. If a 45-year-old educated man, who is an outstanding specialist in his field, is a low-key old man for you, then I sincerely feel sorry for you, considering your preferences. You must know that the absolute majority of free and rich bachelors of our country are already in their forties. And now regarding the boring conversations. I can't agree more with you here. With a level of intelligence like yours, what can you talk with him about?"

Elena looked at the girl indulgently, put the lollipop back into her mouth and opened a textbook.

"HOW DARE YOU...!"

"Hey you two, STOP! Girls, break away," Jason intervened in the conversation feeling that the grand battle would begin now. "Melinda, please go to your seat. The lecture is about to begin. Moreover, we are having a new teacher."

"You know what? I don't give a dime about our new lecturer! It's just another nerd, nothing else!"

At that moment the door opened, and a young man entered the audience.

A snow-white shirt that fit his muscular body emphasized his slightly tanned skin. Dark blue pants visually made long legs even longer. His whole image created the impression of aristocracy and superiority.

The man walked over to the teacher's desk and looked around at the audience which remained frozen in complete silence.

"Good day. My name is David Anderson. I am your teacher for today."

The audience was still keeping silent, taken aback completely.

At that moment, Corey looked at Melinda, frozen to the spot. "This nerd got some hots, huh?" and laughed out loud.