blurred lines in a forbidden fairytale

{3} clashing tempers

Aurora's POV:

As soon as I walk into the classroom the next day, I can feel her eyes on me. Ms. Swift—Taylor, whatever. She tries to hide it behind that teacher smile, but I see right through her. She's watching, waiting for me to do something, to say something she can jump on. It's like a game, except she doesn't realize I'm not interested in playing.

I dump my bag on the floor and slump into my seat, ignoring the buzz of chatter around me. A few kids throw me cautious looks, like they're wondering if I'll act up again today. Whatever. Let them wonder. It's not like any of them know me, and it's not like I want to know any of them. Most of these kids are the same—playing nice, pretending they care about this stupid school or the dumb assignments teachers throw at us.

"What you doing after school? Wanna come over?" Maya - my best friend and the only person I can really stand - asks quietly.

"I don't know. I need to pick my sister up from her dance class. I'll text you okay?" I whisper back, before drawing my attention back to the front, though I couldn't imagine anything more boring.

Ms. Swift starts the class with that same bright, eager tone she used yesterday. It's so fake it makes my skin crawl. She acts like she's excited about us "getting to know each other." Like that's going to make any difference. I tune her out, propping my chin on my hand as she goes on about some group activity.

When she explains what we're supposed to do—build some kind of "ideal society"—I almost laugh out loud. An ideal society. What's the point? It's all fake, just like everything else here. But I keep my mouth shut. I'm not in the mood to give her the satisfaction of knowing she's already gotten under my skin.

The other kids in my group shift uncomfortably, glancing my way. Leah, this girl with neat braids and too much enthusiasm, tries to get us started. She talks about movies or something, and the others nod along, but I just stare at the table, bored out of my mind.

I can feel Ms. Swift approaching even before I look up.
I sigh when she stops at our table, and I already know what's coming. "Hey, how's it going over here?" she asks, that same fake cheer plastered on her face.

The rest of the group clams up. I'm not surprised. No one wants to be the one to call me out or say I'm not participating. Leah just mumbles that we haven't started yet, and Ms. Swift's eyes land on me, her smile fading just a little.

"Any thoughts on what kind of society you'd want to create?" she wants to know, like she actually expects me to have an answer.
I shrug. "Why does it matter? It's all fake anyway."

The others are silent. I can tell they don't want to get involved, so they just stare down at their papers, avoiding eye contact. Ms. Swift's face changes, but she keeps her voice steady.

"The point isn't about it being real, Aurora. It's about thinking creatively and working together as a group."

"Sounds like a waste of time," I mutter. I want to see how far I can push her. She's acting like she's so calm, so in control, but I've seen that look before. The one teachers get when they're trying not to show they're mad.

I see her take a breath. She's trying to keep her cool. "I get that you might not see the point right now, but this is an exercise in teamwork. It's important to participate, even if it's not your favorite thing."

I roll my eyes. "And if I don't?"

For a second, she doesn't say anything, and I think I've finally cracked her. But she just nods slowly, like she's made some kind of decision. "Then we'll have to talk about it later. But for now, I want to see you try."