Chapter 1 - 1 - life

Life Going, so Swell
Ben sighed contentedly in his bed, his arm around the one he loved. Their naked bodies pressed against one another, still warm from their recent passion. His eyes turned from the ceiling to take in his lover's form. Curvy yet firm and toned, Sarah was Ben's picture of femininity. They had been dating for almost a year now, and to this day Ben wasn't sure how he had ended up with one of the sweetest women on campus. Despite knowing the outcome Ben took a grab at his lover's perfect bum, a swift smack to his head his awaited punishment. "No more for you mister." Sarah said with a smirk as she rolled over, unknowingly giving Ben a fine view of her ample breasts. As his brown eyes drifted downward from his girlfriend's pale blue ones, Sarah chuckled and adjusted the white sheet. "Men are so predictable." Undiscouraged, Ben tried once more, embracing Sarah in spoon with a sly grin on his face. "I know what you're doing Ben, but you need some sleep to pass your chemistry lab. Now go to bed, seriously." Sarah turned briskly from her boyfriend, taking most of the sheets with her. Ben sighed frowning, "It's just a freshman level lab credit, I went over the material a bunch of times, I'll be fine." Ben said dismissively. Sarah didn't move, groaning under the nest of sheets she had built.. "I'll give you a big reward if you pass, now go to sleep."

Ben turned towards the other end of the bed, a bit cold now that his bony body was without a blanket. He decided to end his booty quest and get some shut eye. Sarah was probably right, she was the smart one after all. A year older than Ben, Sarah would be getting her masters as he was getting his bachelor's, and with a track scholarship to boot! Ben sometimes felt like he was dating wonder woman, especially since he didn't exactly shine as bright next to her radiant glow. Ben had no scholarship, was finishing up a year late, and was barely cracking a 3.0. He did extracurriculars and tried his best to do well at his classes, but his social life had seemed to derail things. The wake-up call had come when he was informed he wouldn't be graduating close to on time, and when he took a look at his student loan debt. It was around that time Ben met Sarah in the first place, and with her help Ben was finally on a good path. Right now, he was happy, and ready to get on with his life. There was only one problem.

Ben was frankly terrible with science. Ever since grade school it had been apparent. Math, History, English, everything else was fine. But physics and biology, chemistry and every other science related topic had mystified him. He had failed physics at university twice, and biology once, those were the only dead anchors on his GPA. This entry level chemistry class was his last real shot at getting that lab credit to graduate, and while he talked a big game he was frankly terrified of the class. This time however, he thought he was prepared. It was only the first test, and he had actually spent some time in the library going over his notes. Ben was really hoping to get a good start, and felt he had put himself in a good position. Despite his confidence, as he drifted to sleep he couldn't get rid of a gnawing dread at the pit of his stomach.

****
Ben arrived at his lecture hall 25 minutes early, and found his professor strolling alone in the bright white hall, placing bottles of water on each desk. Ms. Woods bent over to grab her bag of waters as Ben entered, giving him a look at what he considered one of the best asses on the planet. Ben would never think of cheating on Sarah, but if he could have one exception Ms.Woods would be it. She was tall long and blonde, and stunningly beautiful. Ms.Woods turned and gave Ben a smile as she heard the door close. "No one usually gets here this early, worried about the test?" Ben sat down close to the back of the hall, his professor strode towards him. Ben stammered as he replied, his professors beauty was truly intimidating. "WEl- hm Well... can't be too prepared right?" Ben blushed and stared at the ground in embarrassment. Ms.Woods only giggled and held out a water. "Well then drink up, water keeps the mind clear." She said with a wink. Ben smiled and took the bottle readily, swigging down a few big gulps as Ms.Woods went back to her task. Ben settled in and went over his notes, gaining confidence as he quickly answered his own prepared questions.

As the other students came in and began getting prepared Ben could hear the popping of caps over the din of the noisy hall. Something was off, Ben thought, he didn't remember having to break the seal of the water himself. He pondered on it a long moment, as generally he never ate or drank anything with a broken seal, it weirded him out. Ben thought about how the water could have gotten that way, and went through a half dozen scenarios of factory failure. Ben tended to get himself anxious if he thought about these things for too long, and decided she must have given him her own bottle by mistake. Other than the gross spit factor, it wasn't the worst thing in the world. Also, Ben thought slyly, it was probably the closest he would get to kissing his gorgeous professor.

Lost in thought Ben snapped to as he heard the starting bell. 'Crap' he thought, upset he let his mind wander. Ben hadn't gotten through all his notes, and while he was still confident he would pass a bit of concern crept in. Ms.Woods worked her way up each aisle, handing out tests. She gave Ben a smile as she handed his out, glancing around at the table for what Ben imagined was for any possible methods of cheating. Ben just smiled right back, knowing he wouldn't need it, and grabbed the test readily. The exam felt heavy in his hand, the straining staples hardly reaching the back of the 30 sheet packet. It took all of one page for Ben to start to sweat. Usually any teacher will tell a student to skip any question they don't know to save time. Ben followed this, but even he knew if he skipped over half the questions he wasn't going to get anywhere in time.

Mind cloudy and his panic levels rising, Ben scrambled to get the test done. As he marched to the front of the class and reluctantly gave the test to Ms.Woods, he knew he had failed. Ms.Woods tried her best, assuring him he probably did fine with what looked like a sincere smile, but Ben already knew the result and just wanted to go home. Ms.Woods waved to him as he left, speaking brightly, "I'll always be available for extra help!" Ben could only grunt dejectedly in response. As he trudged away miserably he felt a rumble in his pocket. His friend Jim was wondering if he wanted to grab an early bite. Since Ben had eaten with Sarah only an hour ago he went to say no, but he was interrupted by another rumbling, this time from his stomach.

That was odd, Ben thought, it wasn't like he didn't have breakfast. It may have just been cereal and yogurt but he normally never got this hungry in the morning. His line of thought was interrupted by another growl, Ben shrugged his shoulders. He was never one to argue with his body's natural demands. He licked his lips as his friend suggested a burger place on campus. Ben agreed readily and trudged out of the hall. Ben walked to his bike still feeling pretty down, but his hunger had him ready for a nice burger. He thought he may as well treat himself after such a traumatic experience, besides, as his girlfriend frequently reminded him in bead, he could use a bit more meat on him.