Page 107 of Teacher's Pet

It’s a war zone.

On one side, Megan and Elijah, driven by love and concern for me.

On the other, Cole and Walker, driven by a sadistic need to see me suffer.

The worst part?

Cole is smarter than I ever gave him credit for.

Walker is a distraction, a loud, arrogant pawn. But Cole? He’s calculated. Dangerous in ways Walker could never be.

If he even suspects something is happening between Noah and me, that means Noah is fully on his radar.

The weight of that realization suffocates me.

If this gets out, if someone decides to take this to the wrong person, I won’t be the only one to pay for it.

Noah could be fired or worse, arrested.

I could watch him be shoved into the back of a cop car, his entire life destroyed because of our choices.

Because of me.

Maybe…

Maybe distancing myself from him is the only thing I can do.

The thought makes something tighten in my chest, but before I can let it settle, I feel it.

The toy.

Still inside me.

A filthy reminder of just how far I’ve let this go.

Of how fucking reckless I’ve become.

My stomach flips as the full weight of it all crashes down on me.

"Fuck," I whisper, voice barely above a breath.

Pressing a shaking hand to my forehead, I force my reflection to meet my eyes in the mirror.

"What the hell have I gotten myself into?"

As usual, I’m the first to class.

Settled into my seat well before anyone else, I tap my pencil furiously against the desk, my thoughts a tangled mess of panic and regret.

Everything I’ve done, the choices I’ve made, the recklessness I’ve allowed to consume me, has built a wall of problems too high to climb.

If Walker decides to poke at Noah with Cole, how long before they start putting the pieces together?

How long before they know?

Walker has already proven that he doesn’t mind stirring shit. That he’ll drag others down just to prove a point.

So what the hell happens next?

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