His Revenge, Her Freedom

Chapter 28- 'Because you blame me?'

"Do I look lonely? I see the shadows on my face.

People have told me I don't look the same."

Liam POV

"Mr. Payne, I'm afraid we can only give you so many chances. You've used up almost all of your sick days, and the semester is only halfway over."

"There's no way that I can get any more?"

This was the second time that I have been called into the dean's office this week, and the look of annoyance on my face probably wasn't doing any good to appease his anger.

"No," he rolled his eyes, "With all due respect, you're a new hire. I like you, Liam, but there's only so much leeway I can give you. You can't let your classes suffer as a result of this."

"Sorry Dean Smith." I was just going to feign the niceties. I needed to go, and this was already taking up too much of my time. "I'll make it a point to be here more often."

"That's what I like to hear. You're free to go."

After nodding in his direction, I got up and walked out of his office. I still had one more class to teach before I could leave the school, and up until 15 minutes ago, I was strongly considering canceling it. But I couldn't be without a job at the moment, so it looks like I had to just power through.

"Well, don't you look like crap?"

I hadn't even made it completely into the classroom before Maya's unpleasant voice rang through my ears. She was the last person I wanted to deal with right now, but I was very surprised that she was even speaking to me in the first place.

"Ever the charmer, Ms. James."

She rudely walked over to my desk and sat on the corner of it where I was trying to grade papers. If she wasn't Ember's friend, I would've stopped tolerating her a long time ago.

"I told you to stop with the 'Ms'. bs. You can't be screwing Ember and not be on a first-name basis with her best friend."

"Lower your voice!"

Maya was one of the loudest people that I knew, aside from Niall, and I didn't need her yelling out private information in a classroom that was going to be filled with students in less than 10 minutes.

"Oh, shut up." She pulled out her phone before shifting her position on my desk and continuing to speak to me. "If someone was going to find out about the fact that you're going down on one of your students, they would've found it out by now. You don't have anything to worry about."

She was going to be the person to get us caught; I just know it.

"Do you have to constantly be so inappropriate?"

"Me? Inappropriate? This is coming from the person who is bending over my best friend on a daily basis."

"Maya!"

"Okay, I'll stop." She laughed, and I could tell she was enjoying embarrassing me. I've never in my life heard of a girl with a dirtier mouth than Maya, and I'm sure I never will.

"You are impossible." I began to clear my desk, ignoring the pissed look Maya gave me when I had to push her to get something she was sitting on. "Ember actually tells you all of this stuff?"

"Of course she does. I'm her best friend. She knows the last person I've slept with."

"Oka-."

"Like that guy Tommy? Sits in the third row, eight seats down from me? Horrible lay, but that man sure knows what to do with his ton-."