Temptation (The Hunted, #1)(21)

I looked up at him.

"Don't be nervous, you're going to rock it. And try to pay attention today. I think you're going to like my speech." He winked at me.

When Professor Hunter walked in I moved my eyes back to my notes. Seeing him would just make me even more nervous. I felt like I was going to throw up. Being nervous was way worse than a hangover. Professor Hunter called out the first name and made his way to the back of the room. Again, he sat down in front of Tyler.

I completely spaced out during all the speeches. I just stared at my notes, hoping that someone would pull the fire alarm. I even began to wonder if I should go to the bathroom and pull the alarm myself. Ultimately I decided against it because I figured everyone would be able to deduce that it was me.

Before I knew it, Professor Hunter called Tyler's name. My heart started racing. I was next. For a second I put my nerves aside so I could listen to Tyler's speech.

He didn't look at all nervous when he reached the podium. Tyler looked at me and began his speech:

"I've gotta be honest with all of you. I'm going to be incredibly sappy for the next few minutes, because I have met THE most amazing girl. She's sweet and funny and super cute."

I put my hands over my mouth and began shaking my head back and forth. Oh my God!

"And she is quite inspirational. Let me give you some examples. She usually says no when I ask her on a date."

The whole class started laughing.

"But it's okay, because she does laugh at all my jokes. She also kneed me in my junk that one time."

Everyone laughed again.

"But she's apologized. So that was nice of her. As you can see, she's a handful. Wow, now that I think about it, is she really that inspiring? I know it sounds crazy, but I really think so. And hey, at least she's inspiring me to be persistent."

His speech garnered a good applause. He walked confidently back to his seat. After he sat down, he leaned over and said, "You're up, Penny. By the way, your face is bright red."

Professor Hunter called my name a moment later and I felt like I was going to faint. I grabbed my paper and stood up. When I walked past his desk, I smelled his cologne and felt even more light headed. Forgetting to watch where I was going, I tripped over a backpack in the aisle and fell sideways into someone's desk. The desk screeched a few inches to the right and the girl sitting there looked like she had just been woken up. I was surprised she didn't scream.

"I'm so sorry," I said quickly, and finished walking to the podium. The screeching sound seemed to echo as the girl moved her desk back where it belonged.

The majority of the class was still laughing at me once I reached the podium. Why me?!

Professor Hunter rubbed his forehead and looked up at me slowly. I felt my knees begin to shake. It looked like he wanted to laugh at me too. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I heard someone cough. Crap, how long had I been up here already?!

"Okay so that was embarrassing." Good, own it! "Anyway, I...," my throat caught. I swallowed and began again. "I have been inspired by so many people that it's hard to choose just one. Which got me thinking that we actually choose the people that are going to influence our lives. It's our choice. We're able to choose who is going to influence us because we choose which strangers become more than acquaintances. We get to choose that. So really, aren't we all as individuals the ones that inspire ourselves the most?

"Acquaintances come in and out of your life all the time. And yes, we can certainly be influenced by mere acquaintances, because some are a positive force and others are a negative energy. Sometimes I think that pain is what defines you; the way you react to adversity. I actually have been inspired by many strangers in my life. The elementary school bullies. They helped me grow. They made me stronger. The professor who gave me my first D last semester."

A few students laughed at my joke.

"I've learned to study harder," I smiled to myself. "Acquaintances can be impactful. But there's usually a reason that they remain at a distance. Whether it's because you're uncomfortable with the idea of befriending them, or they just hate you." I shrugged. "I'm stronger because of the acquaintances that have come in and out of my life.

"But it's the people that become more than acquaintances that really inspire us. The people we choose to grow with. Sometimes it's best to remain strangers. But more often than not, if you choose to let them in, they'll inspire you in more ways than you can possibly imagine."

Professor Hunter's lips were parted. He closed them and I saw his Adam's apple rise and then drop as he swallowed. He looked down and began scribbling on the piece of paper in front of him. I stood there awkwardly until he called the next student's name. I looked down as I walked back to my desk to make sure I didn't trip on anything.

Before I reached Professor Hunter's desk, I quickly glanced up and saw him smirking. He looked at me and raised one eyebrow. When he did that it almost felt like a challenge. He liked my speech. Maybe I wouldn't have to forget about him after all.

Tyler put his elbow on the edge of his desk and leaned over. "You decided to talk about me too, huh? I liked it."

I stared over at Professor Hunter. Tyler had whispered, but Professor Hunter was right in front of him. Did Professor Hunter hear that?! I was talking about him in my speech, not Tyler.