corruption

five ੈ✩‧₊

Lacie's pov:

Sitting in the back corner of the classroom, I felt more isolated than ever. This was usually my spot—mine and Nina's. We always sat together, giggling over inside jokes, passing notes when class got dull, and whispering about weekend plans. But today, she wasn't here. She'd decided to skip school, leaving me completely alone.

English felt different without her. Uncomfortable. I couldn't shake the heaviness in the air, and it wasn't just because she wasn't next to me. It was him. 

Matty was at the front of the room, talking about some random part of *The Great Gatsby*, but I barely heard a word. All I could think about was what had happened just four days ago. Friday night, Saturday morning, it had changed everything. I knew i wanted it to happen but i never thought it actually would. And now, there was this tension between us, like a thick fog that filled the room, suffocating. Every few minutes, I'd catch his eyes darting toward me, and each time our gazes met, it lingered a little too long.

I shifted in my seat, pulling my phone out to distract myself. I couldn't take it anymore, feeling him watching me, knowing what we both weren't saying. My thumb hovered over Nina's name on Snapchat, and I quickly opened the message she'd sent earlier. I forgot to turn the volume down, though.

Suddenly, the loud music from her Snap blasted through the room, making my heart stop. It was a video of her dancing, just messing around like she always did. My face burned red as every head in the classroom whipped toward me. Even Mr. Healy stopped mid-sentence, his eyes locking on mine again.

"Lacie," he said, his voice too calm for the situation. "Hand me your phone. And stay after class."

I felt a pit open in my stomach. My hands were shaking as I handed it over, not daring to meet his gaze. The tension thickened, but he carried on with the lesson like nothing had happened, casually picking up where he left off about Nick Carraway and the American Dream. My mind wasn't on the lesson at all. I couldn't focus. All I could think about was what would happen when everyone else left.

The rest of the class dragged on painfully slow. I kept my head down, barely listening, just waiting for the bell to ring. When it finally did, I didn't move right away, hoping maybe I'd disappear into the desk. I watched as everyone else packed up and shuffled out, glancing at me as they left, probably wondering why I was still sitting there.

I started to pack my own things when I saw him approach my desk. He stood there, just looking down at me with that unreadable expression.

"Sorry I went on my phone, Matty," I muttered, hoping to break the silence.

His eyes flickered for a moment. "Call me Mr. Healy while we're on school grounds," he corrected, his voice low. "And, to be honest, I'm kind of glad you did go on your phone. Gives me a reason to have you stay after class without it looking... weird."

My heart thudded in my chest. I watched as he walked away from my desk, heading toward the door, but I knew I was supposed to follow. So I did. My legs felt heavy as I stood, slinging my bag over my shoulder and walking behind him. The classroom door closed softly behind us, leaving just the two of us in the empty room.

I hesitated for a second, then asked the question that had been burning in the back of my mind all period. "Why did you want me to stay?"

He stopped walking, turning to face me. His eyes were serious now, more intense than before. "Because we need to talk."

I swallowed hard. There it was.

He took a step closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "I need you to forget about Friday night. And Saturday morning." His words hung in the air like a threat, and I could feel the weight of them pressing down on me. "There's already been talk in the hallways. You know I could lose my job, don't you?"