Miss O'Connell | B.E

Ⅵ

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one week later

Divine slumped in the last row of desks in math class, fighting a losing battle to stay awake. The sleepless night before from another late adventure was catching up to her, and she found it nearly impossible to focus. This wasn't new; Divine had dealt with insomnia for as long as she could remember. Miss Adebayo, her previous teacher, used to let her doze off in class, understanding that Divine would always catch up on the work later, whether in her dorm or during study periods in the library. She was already ahead of everyone else.

Her half-lidded eyes followed Miss O'Connell as she moved around the classroom, pointing out the new projector she had installed. Divine preferred the chalkboard, the old-school method that felt more tangible, more real.

"Can someone help me with this one?" Miss O'Connell asked, clasping her hands together as she scanned the classroom. The girls in the front row eagerly shot their hands into the air, desperate to be the first to answer.

Miss O'Connell smiled at them but then glanced around the room. "How about we give someone else a go? You girls have contributed a lot already. Thank you, though," she added softly, her eyes continuing their search.

Divine struggled to keep her eyes open, feeling the weight of all her problems pressing down on her eyelids. Sleep seemed to elude her at night only to ambush her in moments like these. She propped her head up with her hand, trying to shake off the dizziness that clouded her mind.

Miss O'Connell's gaze landed on Divine, and she smirked, tilting her head slightly. "Divine, how about you?"

Divine jerked her head up, blinking rapidly as her name was called. "Huh? What...?" she groaned, pulling at the roots of her hair to fluff up her curls. A few girls snickered, whispering among themselves. Divine rolled her eyes and shot them a glare. They always talked behind her back but never dared to confront her directly. They might be laughing now, but if they only knew she had a bigger dick than all their boyfriends combined, there would be nothing funny.

Miss O'Connell cleared her throat, raising her brows at Divine, silently urging her to answer. Divine groaned again, squinting at the board, trying to make sense of the problem.

"Work it out on your paper, Divine," Miss O'Connell mumbled, her patience wearing thin.

Divine rolled her eyes. She'd seen this question in a textbook before; it was a simple answer. "The limit is -4," she huffed, leaning back in her chair.

Miss O'Connell's eyes widened, her lips parting slightly in surprise. It was practically impossible to solve such a problem mentally. "How on earth did you—"

"I've done this exact question before in the library textbook," Divine interrupted, smirking at her teacher, her eyes still heavy with exhaustion. She nodded toward Miss O'Connell's desk, where a stack of books lay. "That one there," she added, nudging her head toward the specific textbook.

Miss O'Connell looked flustered, quickly turning back to the board. "Right... well, thanks, Divine," she mumbled, shaking her head in almost irritation at Divine's intelligence.

She flicked to the next slide, introducing the class to the follow-up concept. Divine had already checked out. She crossed her arms over her desk and let her head fall into the crook of her elbow, succumbing to a deep, much-needed sleep.

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