Lessons In Butterflies ｡ ｡ ｡ (StudentxTeacher Romance)

Chapter 23: Ferdie: The Hottest Guy's Sidekick

Shella's POV:

When I went to pick up Theo and Leo after school, I felt like screaming at them. 

The two of them had been bouncing around like they had endless energy, laughing about their little adventure on the playground with Mr. Caldwell. 

They really thought it was hilarious, and while part of me couldn't blame them, I was too embarrassed by the whole scene to find any humour in it.

Cheryl picked us up early, thankfully. 

I practically threw myself into the car, desperate to avoid any possibility of running into Mr. Caldwell again.

 The last thing I needed was to face him after what happened today—especially with Dani's ridiculous commentary about him being a superhero.

Once we got home, I was out of the car and in my room before Theo and Leo could start causing more trouble. I quickly shrugged off my uniform and hung it up. 

As I looked around my room, I felt a bit of calm return.

My room was a bit of a sanctuary, organized chaos with a personal touch. 

I had a thing for Polaroid photos—dozens of them hung up around my desk, strung up with fairy lights, on the walls, and even a few stuck to the edge of my mirror. Some were of sunsets, others of random moments with Dani or Juliet, and of course, a few were of Theo and Leo. 

Despite how annoying they could be, I still loved capturing their goofball moments. I sighed, taking off my glasses and setting them down on my desk. 

Without them, everything was a blur, but sometimes I liked it that way—it softened the world.

I changed into something casual: a loose sweater and a pair of leggings. As I was about to settle into the quiet of my room, I heard Cheryl's voice calling me from downstairs. 

Great.

I walked out of my room, squinting a bit as I made my way down the stairs. 

My vision wasn't great without my glasses, and everything from a distance was just one big blur. 

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I saw two vague shapes—Theo and Leo—crouched on the floor, practically wrestling over something.

"Hey, what are you two doing?" I asked, my voice wary.

I walked closer, finally making out the scene. The boys were playing with a fluffy ball of fur—Mr. Caldwell's cat, Ferdie. 

Wait—what? What was his cat doing here?

The moment Ferdie saw me, it strutted over, tail high in the air like it owned the place. 

I couldn't help but smile as I knelt down to pet him. Ferdie was a beautiful cat—with fur that felt like a woolly blanket under my fingers. 

Theo and Leo were all over him, practically gushing about how soft and cool the cat was. But I could tell Ferdie liked me the most.

The way he purred as I scratched under his chin felt almost... victorious. At least the cat likes me.

But of course, Cheryl had to spoil the fun.

She walked through the door, her heels clicking on the wooden floor. "Get that cat off the carpet," she ordered, not even glancing at me before disappearing into the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes but did as I was told. "Come on, Ferdie," I muttered, scooping him up. 

He curled up comfortably in my arms, purring contently as if he knew he was getting special treatment.