Lessons In Butterflies ｡ ｡ ｡ (StudentxTeacher Romance)

Chapter 30: You're Acting Weird.

Shella's POV:

When I got home, the first thing I did was collapse onto my bed. My dad and Cheryl weren't there, thank God, because I didn't think I could deal with Cheryl's overly cheery "How was your day?" or her inevitable critique of how I looked.

The lockdown, the dog, Mr. Caldwell's head on my lap—it all felt like a fever dream.

I stared up at the ceiling, trying to make sense of everything. Why had he let me stay so long? Why had he looked so... tense this morning? And why did I care?

My brain refused to answer any of those questions.

I groaned and grabbed my pillow, burying my face in it.

But then my phone buzzed on the nightstand.

I reached for it lazily, expecting a text from Dani or Juliet. Instead, it was a message from an unknown number.

Unknown:
Shella, it's Mr. Caldwell. Your dad called the school. He wanted to know why you didn't come home last night. I covered for you, but you might want to explain yourself.

My stomach dropped.

Oh. My. God.

I bolted upright, rereading the message three times. My dad called the school?! Why would he do that? He wasn't even supposed to know I stayed overnight!

I scrambled to text back.

Me:
I didn't know he'd do that. What did you tell him?

The reply came almost instantly.

Mr. Caldwell:
That you were helping during the lockdown and fell asleep. I didn't mention the dog or... anything else.

Anything else. Great. Now I was reading way too much into that vague wording.

I typed out a quick thank you and tossed my phone onto the bed. This day was getting worse by the second.

Just as I was starting to calm down, my door creaked open. Theo and Leo peeked their heads in, grinning like they were up to something.

"What?" I asked suspiciously.

"Cheryl wants to talk to you," Theo said, his voice sing-songy.

Leo giggled. "You're in trouble!"

I groaned again. "Great. Just great."

Dragging myself off the bed, I followed them downstairs, where Cheryl was waiting in the kitchen with her signature fake-concerned expression.

"So," she began, crossing her arms. "Care to explain why your teacher called this morning?"

I stared at her, trying to keep my voice steady. "It was a lockdown. I got stuck at school. It wasn't a big deal."

"Not a big deal?" Cheryl repeated, her voice dripping with skepticism. "You spent the night at school, Shella. Do you know how irresponsible that sounds?"

I clenched my fists, trying not to snap. "I didn't have a choice. It was a lockdown, Cheryl. You know, for safety?"

She sighed dramatically. "Your father was worried sick."

"My father didn't even notice until this morning," I shot back. "He only called the school because you probably made a big deal out of it."

Cheryl's eyes narrowed, but before she could reply, my dad walked in, holding a mug of coffee.

"What's going on?" he asked, looking between us.

"Nothing," I said quickly. "Everything's fine."

Cheryl gave me a pointed look but didn't say anything else.