Outstalking My Obsessive Cold Professor

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Standing in the auditorium, I stared up at the podium. Professor Evelyn Mercer. She practically radiated cold, untouchable perfectionthe human embodiment of absolute, freezing abstinence.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek, unable to shake my doubts. I called out to the System in my head. Sys, are you absolutely sure we have the right target?

Looking at her, it was impossible to connect this pristine academic with the profile of an obsessive, unhinged stalker.

The System's robotic voice chimed back in a panic: Its because she hasnt developed feelings for the male lead yet! Once she falls for him, her dormant possessive-psycho attributes will completely detonate! You have to distract her, host. Under no circumstances can Evelyn be allowed to intervene in the romantic arc of the male and female leads!

I stroked my chin, mulling it over for a few seconds before a spark of inspiration hit me.

Fight fire with fire, right? If she was supposedly a dormant, dark-romance psycho, why not out-creep her and see what happened?

Acting on impulse, I pulled out my phone, typed up an anonymous text, and hit send: Professor, your skin is so pale. I wonder if the rest of you is just as flawless under those clothes.

Up at the podium, Evelyn picked up her phone, glanced at the screen, and set it back down. Not a single muscle in her face twitched.

I raised an eyebrow. Impressive. An absolute master of composure.

So, I sent another: Your waist is incredibly narrow. I bet if someone held you tight enough, their fingers would leave beautiful bruises.

This time, I finally saw her brow furrow.

Hmph. So what if youre a dark, possessive psycho? I thought. Lets see how a straight Ice Queen handles getting relentlessly targeted by an unhinged queer girl.

01

Unsurprisingly, my number was promptly blocked.

The look of disgust on Evelyns face lasted only a fraction of a second. She smoothly regained her composure, her dark eyes scanning the lecture hall with total indifference.

"The department is launching a new experimental research project. We require one undergraduate assistant," she announced, her voice like chilled glass. "Do I have any volunteers?"

The entire room went dead silent. You could have heard a pin drop.

Even the frat boys who usually salivated over Evelyn quickly buried their heads in their textbooks, terrified of making eye contact. It was a universally acknowledged truth on campus: Professor Mercer of the Biology Department was unequivocally the most stunning woman at the university. She was also, unequivocally, its most ruthless tyrant.

In her three years of teaching, she had overseen dozens of massive experiments. To this day, not a single student had ever walked out of her lab smiling.

The silence stretched for three agonizing minutes. Not a single hand went up.

Evelyn didn't look surprised. She simply picked up the student roster, preparing to pick a sacrificial lamb at random.

Right as her lips partedabout to call out Declan Wright's nameI threw my hand into the air.

"Professor Mercer. I volunteer."

Instantly, the collective gaze of the entire class snapped toward me. Their eyes were brimming with the kind of profound respect usually reserved for martyrs.

Evelyn looked up, her gaze landing on me. She slowly closed the roster.

"And your name is?" she asked, her tone impeccably flat.

I flashed her a radiant, blinding smile. "Jordan. Jordan Ellis."

"Well, Jordan Ellis," she said coolly. "I look forward to working with you."

02

On the walk back to the dorms, Declan wouldn't stop buzzing in my ear.

"Jordan, you were acting so weird today!" he exclaimed, matching my stride. "Volunteering for Mercers lab? I thought you despised bench work."

I gave him a breezy, fabricated excuse. "Im short on credits. Might as well knock them out."

"But Professor Mercer is brutally demanding. If you do this... you definitely won't have time to chase after Naomi."

Naomi Foster. The female lead of this world. A wealthy, beautiful graduate student in our department.

The System had originally assigned me the role of the tragic, throwaway side-characterthe pathetic roommate of the male lead, Declan. In the original plot, "I" was Naomi's ultimate, desperate simp. My entire existence revolved around finding new, humiliating ways to win her over, entirely ignoring my studies.

Of course, as cannon fodder, all my efforts were doomed. Upon discovering that my goddess actually had a crush on my roommate, "I" was supposed to be consumed by jealousy, frame Declan for something awful, get exposed by Naomi, and be universally despised until I was forced to drop out. I wasn't even supposed to be a footnote in the storyline between Declan and Evelyn.

The System gave me this throwaway identity purely for the freedom to operate off-script. Now that my target was Evelyn Mercer, there was zero reason to maintain my original persona and keep playing the role of Naomi's tragic lapdog.

So, I kept my eyes on my phone, furiously typing as I casually replied, "Naomi is way too much work. I'm exhausted. I think I'm over her."

Declans eyes went wide with disbelief. He studied my face to make sure I wasn't joking. When he realized I was serious, he let out a very quiet, very hopeful, "Oh."

Then, his curiosity shifted back to my phone. "Jordan, why do you keep staring at your screen today? And why are you smiling like... like a creep?"

"Just messing with my digital pet," I lied smoothly. "It's highly entertaining."

"Digital pet? Like a Tamagotchi app?"

"Uh... yeah. Something like that."

Just an ordinary, delightfully vulgar little game called 'Pretend to be an Unhinged Lesbian to Terrify a Straight Woman.'

Evelyn had already blocked two of my burner numbers. But it didn't matter. With the System acting as my ultimate tech support, I generated a third number and went right back to my harassment campaign.

Professor, don't waste your energy blocking me. No matter how many numbers you block, I'll always find a way to reach you.

Professor, you looked so incredibly sexy today. That silk blouse was fighting for its life against your chest. I just wanted to tear it open and devour you.

Professor, your hands are so beautiful. They look like they're meant to be soiled with something filthy. Want to try mine?

Professor...

Watching the little 'Read' receipts pop up beneath every single ignored message, I finally burst out laughing.

Evelyn's facial expressions right now had to be absolutely priceless. It probably never occurred to hera dormant, obsessive psychothat she would suddenly be targeted by an even more deranged, heavyweight stalker!

I sent text after text, utterly relentless. Only when I had exhausted the entire notes app filled with 'dark romance stalker quotes' I'd curated did I finally take a breath.

I assumed Evelyn was just going to ignore me into oblivion. I was just about to shove my phone into my backpack when the screen lit up with a reply.

You better hope I never catch you. Because if I do, I will make you wish you were dead.

I smirked, thoroughly unbothered. I already knew an unhinged psycho like her wasn't someone to cross lightly, which was exactly why I was brilliantly hiding behind a digital smokescreen.

She wanted to catch me? Good luck even figuring out my gender, sweetheart.

Muahahahaha.

03

The next morning, I dragged myself out of bed, ready to report to the lab.

Suddenly, Declan popped up. "Jordan, let's walk together. I really want that scholarship, so I begged Professor Mercer to let me join the project too."

My stomach dropped.

Hell no! The entire reason I sacrificed my precious sleep to become a lab rat was to physically block him from getting close to Evelyn! Why was he coming?!

I carried a knot of dread in my stomach all the way to the science building. It was only when I walked into the lab and saw Naomi standing there that I secretly exhaled a sigh of relief.

Right. Evelyn and Naomi were cousins. It made perfect sense for Naomi to join her older cousin's project.

Declan was almost certainly here for Naomi. He had always harbored a crush on her, but out of loyalty to mehis tragic, simp roommatehe had buried his feelings. My little declaration yesterday about giving up on Naomi must have been the green light he was waiting for.

He was here to spark up a romance with the female lead. Perfect.

I nudged him with my elbow and beamed. "Declan, if you like her, go for it! Im rooting for you."

Declan flushed bright red and ducked his head, looking completely bashful.

I was just about to tease him a little more when a highly irritated voice snapped through the room.

"Jordan? What the hell are you doing here? When is this going to end?"

I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. Turning around, I was met with Naomis face, practically radiating annoyance.

"This is a professional laboratory, not a playground for your obsession!" she hissed. "I don't care how much you like me, you don't get to stalk me here!"

I swallowed my temper and offered a deadpan explanation. "Naomi, Im here for the credits and the scholarship. Not for you. I am completely over you, so please, put your ego away."

Naomi froze. Her eyes darted nervously toward Declan for a split second before she lowered her voice. "I really hope you're telling the truth this time. Don't play games with me."

I couldn't help but scoff. She reeked of that classic, obnoxious pick-me energy.

Oh hell no. I wasn't letting her win this round.

Seeing that it was just the three of us in the lab, I aggressively rolled up my sleeves, planted my hands on my hips, and shamelessly stepped up onto a stool to gain the high ground.

I unleashed on her. "Naomi, I swear to God, if I'm lying, I hope I get hit by a bus tomorrow! I'm totally over you! Actually, I'm obsessed with Professor Mercer now!"

"You know what?" I continued, dropping into a vicious, rhythmic freestyle. "Compared to her, you're nothing but a wilted piece of lettuce! She destroys you in looks! She destroys you in brains! She destroys you in body! Yeah! Absolutely wrecked!"

My flawless execution left Naomi standing there, her face turning an impressive shade of bruised purple.

I was just about to add some hand gestures for dramatic flair when a voice cut through the air behind me.

"It seems my students are overflowing with energy today. Since that's the case, we'll add two more rounds of extractions to the schedule."

04

And just like that, my beautiful Saturday was slaughtered on the altar of science.

Staring resentfully at the elegant curve of Evelyn's backher long legs, that impossibly narrow waistI pulled out my phone with a vengeance. Time for more digital harassment.

Professor, you look so excruciatingly sexy today. I want you to step on me with those heels. I bet it would feel like heaven.

Professor, the way you stare so intensely at those slides... I want to blind you to everyone else so you only ever look at me.

Across the room, Evelyn picked up her phone. She glanced at the screen. Her brow furrowed sharply as her thumbs flew across the keyboard.

Are you spying on me?

I typed back at lightning speed:

Ah~ The Professor finally replied! I'm so happy~

You're absolutely right. I hid cameras in the lab. And in other places too... but I can't tell you where.

Professor, I'll never take my eyes off you. For the rest of your life, you'll never escape me!

CRACK.

The sharp sound of shattering glass echoed through the lab.

"Professor Mercer!" Declan gasped. "Are you okay?!"

I quickly shoved my phone in my pocket and hurried over. Evelyns hand was bleeding, a jagged cut sliced across her palm from a beaker she had apparently just crushed in her grip.

Declan scrambled to find alcohol wipes and bandages, but I snatched them right out of his hands. Moving with ruthless efficiency, I cleaned the wound and taped up her palm before she could even process what was happening.

She opened her mouth, likely to say she could do it herself, but I was already done.

Declan: "..."

Naomi, who had rushed over and contributed absolutely nothing: "..."

Evelyn stared down in silence at the slightly crooked bandage on her hand. After a long moment, she looked up at me.

"Thank you, Jordan."

"Don't mention it," I chirped.

Considering Im the one who pissed you off enough to shatter solid glass, it's the least I could do. Heh.

Because of Evelyn's injury, the two extra rounds of experiments were mercifully canceled. In an incredibly sunny mood, I packed up my bag and left the building with Declan.

Right as we stepped outside, I realized I'd left my notebook behind and jogged back inside. Passing the trash can outside the lab doors, I spotted the bloody alcohol wipe and the wrapper from the bandage sitting right on top.

A slow smirk spread across my face. Dodging the angle of the hallway camera, I carefully picked it up. I snapped a photo and sent it to Evelyn.

You threw this away, didn't you? It still has the scent of your perfume on it. Ah... I couldn't resist tasting it.

I was so insanely jealous of the guy who bandaged your hand. I wanted to chop his fingers off. But I feel much better now.

You need to be a good girl from now on. Don't do things that make me angry. You are mine! You can only be touched by me! Do you understand?

Hitting send, I violently shuddered, rubbing the goosebumps erupting on my arms.

Were my curated stalker quotes a little too psychotic? Was Evelyn actually this deranged in secret? Thinking of her pristine, Ice Queen demeanor, I shook my head hard.

Nah. No way. There was no way she was this unhinged... right?

05

A week of relentless harassment passed. Aside from two texts telling me to "Go to hell," I received absolutely no response from Evelyn.

That was a minor issue, though. Right now, I had a catastrophic, five-alarm fire to put out.

I watched as Declan approached Evelyn for the fifth time that hour, holding up a clipboard of data and practically shooting heart-eyes at her.

I let out a heavy, stressed breath. Nudging Naomi, who was standing beside me, I muttered, "Hey. Your boy is blatantly hitting on my girl. Aren't you going to do something about it?"

Naomi turned to look at me. Her eyes were deeply mournful, her expression tangled in a bizarre, complicated mess of emotions.

I sighed, rubbing my temples.

I hadn't anticipated this. Ever since the day I stood on a stool and screamed that I was obsessed with Evelyn, the dynamic in this room had mutated into something horrifying.

Naomi's looks toward me were getting increasingly sorrowful and longing.

Meanwhile, Declan wasn't hitting it off with Naomi at all. Instead, he was aggressively orbiting Evelyn like a moth to a very cold flame.

Everything was backward.

The only silver lining was that my digital terrorism seemed to be working. Evelyn genuinely appeared wary that her psychotic stalker might lash out. As a result, she maintained a rigid, icy distance from everyone.

Right as Declan leaned in close, she seamlessly took a step back. There wasn't an ounce of romantic tension on her facejust pure, merciless professionalism.

I stared at the bizarre love triangle playing out until Naomis voice broke my concentration.

"Jordan," she asked softly. "Do you... really like Professor Mercer?"

I glared at her. "None of your business."

Naomi let out a soft huff. "I think you just said all those things to make me jealous. You're so immature, Jordan."

I couldn't even formulate a response to that level of delusion. I turned away, heading toward a quiet corner to draft my next harassing text to Evelyn, when her voice suddenly rang out, cutting through the hum of the lab.

"Jordan. The data sets you submitted are flawed." Her tone left absolutely no room for argument. "Come to my office immediately after lunch break."

06

Heart in my throat, I knocked on Evelyns office door. When I walked in and saw the stack of red-inked lab reports on her desk, I let out a stealthy exhale of relief.

Thank God. It really was just about the data.

Five minutes into her lecture, my brain completely short-circuited.

Evelyn truly lived up to her reputation as the universitys most terrifying academic. Even without raising her voice or saying a single insulting word, the atmosphere in her office was suffocatingly oppressive.

If I were a normal person with an ounce of shame, I would have been mortified by the elementary mistakes she was pointing out, wishing the floor would swallow me whole.

Unfortunately for her, I had absolutely zero shame.

Her words flowed in one ear and right out the other. Instead, my eyes locked onto her mouth as it moved.

Her lips were a beautiful, plush shade of pink. They looked so soft. So incredibly yielding. It would be the perfect time to drop a line from my stalker notes.

"Professor, your lips look so!!"

I slammed my mouth shut in absolute horror, my eyes going wide.

Holy shit! I had completely zoned out! I had almost said the actual filthy text message out loud!

Evelyn paused, her dark eyes lifting from the paper to pin me down. "My lips look so... what?"

"Dry! Really dry!" I scrambled forward, practically lunging for the pitcher on her desk to pour her a glass of water. "Professor Mercer, you've been talking for so long, you must be parched! Here, hydrate! Save your voice!"

Evelyn stared at me in dead silence.

After what felt like an eternity, the faintest, most inexplicable smile ghosted across her lips. She reached out, her fingers brushing against mine as she took the glass.

"Alright. That's enough for today," she murmured softly. "Go back and re-verify your numbers, Jordan. Bring them to me tomorrow."

I pressed my lips tightly together and nodded like an obedient golden retriever.

Stepping out of her office, I pulled the door shut and immediately sagged against the cool hallway wall. I stared down at my hand, absentmindedly rubbing the fingers that had just grazed hers.

Her skin had been cold. Smooth and heavy, like touching polished jade.

I pressed a hand over my chest, feeling the frantic, hammering rhythm of my heart. I let out a frustrated breath.

Damn it.

For an unhinged, fatal-attraction psycho... she was actually incredibly seductive.

07

The relentless, punishing hours in the lab had completely drained my life force. Sitting in an 8 AM lecture the next day, I was practically comatose.

Through the haze of exhaustion, I remembered I hadn't completed my morning quota of harassing Evelyn. Dropping my heavy head onto my desk, I blearily opened my phone, copied a paragraph from my notes app, and sent it off:

Professor, I had the most beautiful dream last night. I dreamt I made you cry. Your eyes were so red, and you were begging me to stop.

But I couldn't. You look too pretty when you cry. I just want to lock you in a room so I can watch you cry for me forever.

I hit send, locked the screen, and prepared to pass out for the rest of the lecture.

But against all odds, the second my eyes drifted shut, my phone vibrated twice.

Evelyn, breaking her week-long silence, had actually replied.

I've seen this exact paragraph three times now. Are you going to send it a fourth?

Three times?!

The adrenaline spiked so fast I nearly fell out of my chair. Sleep vanished. I was wide awake and sweating.

No wonder that paragraph felt so familiar as I was pasting it! I'd already sent it!

I frantically scrolled up through our chat history. Oh, it was a bloodbath. Not only had I sent that dream text three times, but there was another text Id accidentally sent twice!

Mother of God! This was the karma I deserved for being too lazy to update my dark romance quotes!

I furiously typed out a desperate save:

I will. Not just a fourth time, but many times.

Because every time I make you cry in my dreams, I have to be a good girl and report it to you.

And soon, I'm going to make you cry in real life. You can look forward to it~

I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead, mentally giving myself a high-five for that brilliant recovery.

Just as I thought the crisis was averted, my screen lit up with one final text.

I'll be waiting.

Staring at those three short words, an involuntary shiver crawled down my spine. The back of my neck felt suddenly, terribly cold.

Did she... did she know something?