46

I raised my hand. “Mrs. Christ?”

“You can get a syllabus at the end of class. Take notes while you’re here, and don’t be late to my class again.”

I heard giggles rising up from the front corner of the classroom. Allison, with her bright blond hair, and Rae. With her plain brown hair, her annoying little freckles, and her dark eyes. Like blackened pits of despair that reeked of the desolate wasteland called ‘her neighborhood.’

I watched her throughout class. I watched Rae tuck her foot up under her thigh, splaying it out more against her seat. The teacher rambled on about shit I didn’t care about as Rae’s frizzy ponytail swung against her back. That jacket slipped from her shoulders, revealing a softly-toned strength underneath them that called for a second glance.

Or a really fucking long stare.

Maybe she’s not all pig fat, after all.

“Mr. Clarke?”

I whipped my head to the front of the classroom as Mrs. Christ called my name.

“Yep?”

The teacher sighed. “Can you answer for the class wh