Lessons In Butterflies ｡ ｡ ｡ (StudentxTeacher Romance)

Chapter 12: Never Really What?

Shella's POV (1st Person):

I couldn't stop thinking about the weird tension in the room after Mr. Caldwell walked in. 

The moment he left, I was still frozen in my seat, my hand still tingling from where it had brushed against Ezra's leg—not that I had meant to. 

It was just one of those accidental things, to stop him from shaking, but the way Mr. Caldwell had looked at me... it felt like I'd been caught doing something wrong.

I forced myself to refocus on the report. Dani and Juliet were chatting nearby, but their voices seemed distant. 

Ezra had gone quiet, and I was still processing the fact that he was Mr. Caldwell's cousin. Of course, he was. 

The resemblance was there now that I thought about it, but they were so different in personality. Mr. Caldwell was always so... intense, whereas Ezra was more laid-back. 

Still, the way Mr. Caldwell had looked at me made me feel like I'd done something completely inappropriate.

I tried to brush it off, but my mind kept wandering back to the way he had reacted. He had looked... almost irritated. 

Like I'd broken some unspoken rule.

"Hey, you okay?" Dani asked, nudging me gently.

I blinked, snapping out of my thoughts. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just distracted."

Juliet raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "Distracted by what? You've been weird ever since Mr. Caldwell came in."

I bit my lip, avoiding eye contact. "It's nothing. Just the report. Let's finish this, yeah?"

Dani didn't push further, but I could feel her eyes on me. I kept scribbling down notes, trying to focus on the assignment in front of me, but my mind kept drifting. Why had Mr. Caldwell looked so angry? 

It wasn't like I was doing anything wrong. 

Right?

Maybe he was having a bad day. Again.

As the bell rang, signalling the end of class, I shoved my things into my bag and hurried out of the room, eager to put some distance between myself and the lingering awkwardness. 

But as I made my way down the hall, I couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted.

I found myself walking slower, my thoughts racing. Maybe I had done something wrong. Was it the way I had leaned over? Or the fact that Ezra and I were sitting close? 

I didn't know.

I stopped in front of my locker, staring at my reflection in the small mirror I had stuck inside. My blue eyes looked tired, and my long brown hair was a braided mess. My face looked fuller than usual, and I found myself frowning at my faint chin dimple. 

Did Mr. Caldwell think I was... inappropriate? Or was I just overthinking things, again?

I sighed, rubbing at my face before opening my locker and grabbing my books. As I closed it, I couldn't help but wonder why I cared so much. 

Why did his opinion of me even matter?

I made my way to the next class, still feeling unsettled. And as I sat down at my desk, my mind was filled with questions I couldn't answer. 

What was it about him that made me feel like this?

 Like every little thing I did was under a microscope? 

Like I was being judged for something I didn't even understand?

I shook my head, trying to focus on the lesson. But no matter how hard I tried, Mr. Caldwell's intense gaze kept creeping back into my thoughts.