Perfect Student

Chapter 5

The day flew by rapidly after lunch, making history and environmental science feel short. They were certain to be challenging courses, but we had a while before our first tests would arrive. 

We headed to our last class of the day, AP Literature with Mrs. Cliff, expecting good things. She was well-known around the school for being strict but kind, loving personal relationships with her students but demanding perfection. Luckily, school came naturally to me, and I knew I would be successful in one of my favorite subjects. 

Trinity grabbed my hand as we crossed the threshold and jerked me to the back of the classroom, ignoring my dragging feet. The last row was taken so we ended up sitting near the middle of the rows, directly in front of Mrs. Cliff's desk. She smiled as we walked in and I was shocked to see how young she was, looking to be in her late twenties and un-marred by being a teacher thus far. She waited until we were all seated before standing and beginning her introduction, going over rules and expectations, and books we would be covering over the course of the semester.

"This year is going to be a special one for all of us, and I'm so excited to meet you all and get to know your personalities and learning styles. Unfortunately, I won't get to spend the whole year with you."

Everyone looked at each other with confusion, as she gave an apologetic smile.

"I will begin the year by teaching you all and giving our substitute a chance to observe and then he will be taking over as your teacher while I go on maternity leave." She announced this with a glow, smiling down at the little bump that protruded through her dress that I had figured was a heavy lunch. We all clapped and congratulated her, but she brushed off our compliments with a wave.

"The real hero is your substitute, who will be doing the heavy lifting while I'm gone! Mr. Mason," she said with a wave of her arm, motioning to a table that none of us had noticed at the back of the room. We all turned in our seats to gawk at the stranger who stood up straight, broad shoulders squeezed into a white dress shirt and charcoal-colored slacks neatly pressed. He brushed a hand through his dark hair nervously and looked up at Mrs. Cliff with a half-smile that made my jaw drop.

"Thank you for the warm welcome, Mrs. Cliff. I look forward to teaching your class this year and learning more from them, as well!" he announced in a voice that was deeper than I remembered. I faced the front quickly, praying that he hadn't noticed me.

Last name Mason, dark hair, crooked smile... it had to be him.

I tucked my head down and pressed my hand to my cheek to shield that part of my face that angled towards him, ignoring the fact that Trinity was staring at me with deep curiosity.

Mrs. Cliff began the lesson, jumping right into the first text that we would be studying, and I ignored the fact that my heart was beating out of my chest. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket as Trinity sent me a text and then saw a scrap of paper fly onto my desk a moment later. I gave her a look and she pointed at it seriously, smiling angelically as Mrs. Cliff looked our way.

I unfurled it when she looked at the whiteboard behind her and read Trinity's perfect handwriting as butterflies hovered in my stomach.

Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?

The note read, with a little ghost drawing beside the question that she couldn't resist making. I clicked my mechanical pencil and wrote back in my minuscule font an honest but brief answer, trying not to give too much away. I threw it towards her as Mrs. Cliff faced the students in the front row.

I know him. His name is James. He used to be Bryce's friend.

I looked through my hair to read her expression and saw her eyes become shrewd. Her mouth quirked to the side, and she began writing, filling up the rest of the note. She slid it casually to the floor as I dropped my pencil and leaned down to grab it, scooping them both up inconspicuously.

Then why is your face so red?

She added a miniature drawing of me with two strands of hair on each side of my circle head, cheeks colored in and eyes down. I huffed an exasperated laugh and cursed my pale skin.

It's possible that I used to have a massive crush on him...

I flicked it back in her direction, grinning when it landed in her lap. She opened it up and read it, wiggling excitedly in place, and smiling in my direction, eyes wide. She opened her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut, silently pretending she was screaming with joy. I placed my hand over my mouth, stifling a chuckle.

As the remaining minutes of class dwindled, Mrs. Cliff finished explaining the curriculum and I pulled open my planner to write the homework that she assigned. She dismissed us a minute or two before the bell rang and students stood up, shoving the syllabus into their backpacks and throwing them haphazardly over their shoulders. Trinity and I tucked ours into matching green folders, placing them neatly in our backpacks and turning to talk to one another. The sound of a throat clearing came from the back of the room and the class fell silent, turning around to see what our future teacher wanted to say. I kept my body facing towards Trinity, letting my hair cover the majority of my face.

"You ladies with the green folders, stay after class. We need to talk about passing notes," James said in a stern voice, making the class snicker with pleasure. Mrs. Cliff raised an eyebrow at the front of the room and Trinity and I looked at each other in terror.

Busted.