Between The Lines

Chapter 101: Relievers

Third Person:

Rebecca slouched in her chair, trying to ignore the butterflies wreaking havoc in her stomach as her friends snickered around her. The math teacher was out today, and she was praying for a boring substitute to keep things low-key. But of course, life had other plans.

"Guess who's covering our class?" Charlotte whispered, leaning in with a mischievous grin. Her eyes darted to the door just as Mr. Montgomery strolled in, looking unfairly good for a Monday morning.

Rebecca's heart did a somersault. She shot a warning look at Charlotte, who only responded with a stifled giggle.

"Morning, everyone," Mr. Montgomery began, his voice calm but commanding as he surveyed the room. "Looks like you're stuck with me for this period. Let's see what trouble we can get into."

A few of the girls exchanged glances, including Rebecca's friend, Charlotte, who had already propped her chin on her hand, eyes practically sparkling. "He's so hot," she whispered, nudging Rebecca with her elbow. 

Rebecca rolled her eyes, retorting, "How are things going with Oliver, by the way?" then trying to focus on her textbook instead of the way Mr. Montgomery's sleeves were rolled up, showing off his forearms. And that button—why did he have to leave it undone? It was as if the universe was conspiring against her sanity.

"Rebecca, did you hear me?" Oliver, who was sitting next to her, leaned closer. He had been trying to explain the problem in front of them for the past five minutes, but Rebecca hadn't absorbed a word.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," she mumbled, her eyes flicking up to Mr. Montgomery, who was writing something on the board. The memory of how protective he had been the other day, how close they'd been, flooded her mind, and she quickly looked back down at her paper, cheeks burning.

Oliver noticed her distraction and smirked. "You're totally lost, aren't you? Maybe we should call over the expert."

"No!" she hissed under her breath, but it was too late. Oliver was already raising his hand.

"Mr. Montgomery, Rebecca's struggling with this problem," he called out, his tone dripping with amusement.

Rebecca shot daggers at Oliver, pinching him under the table, but he just grinned wider.

Mr. Montgomery turned, his gaze locking onto Rebecca's for a split second before he walked over, his expression neutral but his eyes holding that familiar concern. "Alright, what seems to be the problem?"

Rebecca's mouth went dry as he dragged a chair over, flipping it around to sit backward, his arms resting casually on the backrest. The position made his shirt pull slightly across his chest, and she could swear that button was taunting her.

"Um, it's just... this part," she stammered, pointing to her book but not really seeing it.

He leaned in closer, his presence overwhelming as he began to explain the problem. Rebecca tried desperately to focus on his words, but all she could think about was the way his voice dropped when he was serious, or how his fingers lightly brushed against the desk as he pointed to the equation.

"Rebecca?" he prompted, snapping her out of her daze.

"Huh? Sorry, could you repeat that?" she asked, mortified at her own distraction.

He chuckled softly, a sound that sent a shiver down her spine. "I said, does that make more sense now?"

Charlotte, who had been silently observing, gave Rebecca a nudge in the hip under the table, her eyes gleaming with knowing amusement. Rebecca nearly jumped, her mind racing. God, this was so embarrassing.