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I don’t even know why. It started as a stupid rebellion in freshman year. I was ignoring teachers and, with time, they started ignoring me too. I’m just happy to sit at the back and mind my own business.
“Is that so?” Hayes says as he puts the chalk back in the tray, dusts off his hands, and puts them in his pants. “Is it because you don’t bother listening or because you don’t know any of the answers?”
“What?” I scoff taken by surprise.
“Let’s see. Can you tell me the question I just asked? Not the answer, just repeat the question.” A small smile pulls at his lips, and he leans his hip against his desk, waiting.
Katya murmurs something next to me but I can’t hear, my heart beating too loudly in my ears. His eyes are drilling a hole in mine. I can never tell if they’re blue or black. I can’t even breathe properly when he’s so focused on me.
“So, you weren’t listening,” he nods. “The question was: which has higher power, the Senate or the House of Representatives? Can you answer it?”
Fucking U.S. government classes.
My eyes glance to the board but he hasn’t written the answer on there. This time, Katya doesn’t know it either. My eyes go to Claire, and Mr. Hayes follows my gaze to hers. She buries herself into her history book and I look back at our teacher. Our stare-off intensifies and I can feel everyone else’s eyes on me too. Heat burns my cheeks and all the way to the tip of my ears.
I hate him.
“Huh,” he smiles. “So it’s both, then. You don’t listen to the question and you don’t know the answer. I guess it makes sense to try and ignore your teachers, but that won’t run in my class. From now on, know you’ll be asked at least one question. Every class.”
“You don’t want to play this game with me.” I try to keep my voice calm, but my heart is beating loudly, my skin feels damp from sweat.
He pushes away from his desk and slowly makes his way to me. One dangerous step at a time, he walks between the other desks, making all my classmates hold their breaths as he closes in on me. This man had a dangerous aura. More like one of a criminal than a Catholic school teacher.
He puts two flat hands on my desk and lowers himself until we’re face to face. It takes all of me not to look away, not to shrink in front of his dark eyes.
“I believe Sister Ivy told you to be kind and obedient,” he says low. “I suggest taking her advice. You don’t want to know what I do to disobedient girls.”
I wonder if my gulp can be heard across the classroom. He hears it for sure, because the spark that lights up in his eyes tells me he likes playing and loves winning.
Unable to control my own body, my thighs tighten as my stomach twists. He is so close I can hardly breathe. In fact, I’m not breathing at all, and I only realize that when he straightens back up and turns his back to me to walk back to the front of the class.
“He’s done for,” I rage as I slam the dormitory door behind me. It’s only Katya and I in here, the four other girls we share it with must have gone to the library or to church to fit in a prayer before our next class.
“That was so intense,” Katya says, sitting down at the foot of her bed.
“We’re getting him fired,” I keep going, pacing around the room.
“Haley, I’m not getting a teacher fired again. We did it once and he almost went to prison.”
I spin back to her. “He deserved it,” I say pointing at her. “And all we did was put some weed in his briefcase.”
“Enough to make it seem like he intended to sell it to all the girls in this school.”
“Whatever, Katya! These guys are all pigs. Believe me.” A wave of nausea crosses me before I find my focus again. I hate men who have power over us. They always abuse it. And if we try to defend ourselves, they always win. No, it has to be sly.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to help,” I say in a calmer tone. I come to where she’s sitting. “We don’t want to get you in trouble with your brothers.” I play with some strands of her light blonde hair and start braiding them to my brown one. The difference shows how much my darkness mixes with the good girl she is.
As I lose myself in the process, an even better idea comes to mind. The lightbulb lights up so brightly it’s blinding me.
Katya lets me play with her hair a little longer before I say, “I just had the best idea in the world. I’ll handle it, don’t worry.”
Slapping my hand away, she starts undoing the braid that links us before focusing on me. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to seduce him, and I’m going to film him trying to touch me.” I smile wickedly as the next words come. “And then I’m going to blackmail him into getting me out of here. Those A’s are going to come flying, baby.”
“What?” she chokes.
“You don’t want me to get him fired, then I won’t. He’s going to give me exactly what I need to get out, though.”
