Page 136 of Teacher's Pet

“Mr. Zimmerman is gone,” Noah adds, his tone leaving no room for debate.

Walker isn’t the only one caught off guard. The entire room is frozen, eyes darting between them like they’re watching a lit fuse burn down to its final seconds.

“No.”

The word escapes before I can stop it.

Every muscle in Noah’s body tenses.

“He can sit wherever the hell he wants,” I say, my voice even, but sharp enough to cut.

Noah’s eyes narrow, his jaw flexing as he bites the inside of his cheek.

His stare is lethal.

"What the hell did you just say to me, Ms. Burns-”

“I said shut the fuck up,” I snap, feeling the weight of my classmates’ attention shift onto me.

There’s a beat of silence.

A slow, dangerous exhale.

Low murmurs spread through the room like wildfire.

I let my gaze flick to his pathetic attempt at a professional uniform, the rumpled shirt, the loose tie, the open collar. He looks more like a fighter than a professor.

“Maybe learn how to wear a tie before you come in here barking orders,” I taunt, eyes trailing over his disheveled state.

His eye twitches.

A tell.

His hands curl into tight fists at his sides.

"You’re right, Ana," Walker grins, throwing his bag onto the desk beside mine like he owns the place. "Mr. Ackerman seems to have forgotten how things work around here."

Noah’s gaze drops slightly, and for a second, I see it.

Something shifts in his posture, just enough to tell me Walker’s words hit deeper than they should have.

“My apologies,” Noah says smoothly, his lips curling into something that isn’t quite a smile. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in a teaching setting.”

Wait... what?

Did Noah just fucking apologize?

To Walker of all people?

He moves toward his desk, adjusting his uniform with an air of forced composure, his fingers brushing against the wrinkled shirt like he’s suddenly aware of how out of place he looks.

His eyes scan the disaster Mr. Zimmerman left on the board, lips pressing into a thin line.

“As you all know, I took a leave of absence to focus on… family affairs.”

Family?

Noah talks to his family?

---