Page 7 of A Scandal in Homeroom
I’d noticed, but that was a given.
Apparently, so had Irene.
I already know it’s K. Next…
I slipped the note back and a minute later there was a tap on my shoulder.
I took the note and saw she’d drawn a pouty face on the page. This of course made me think of her lips.
Don’t think about her lips. If you do, you’ll think about kissing her.
Damnit! Now I was thinking about kissing her.
I forced myself to focus on the remaining contents of the note.
Can you pick out the teacher’s pet?
I scribbled,Now you’re boring me. J in the front row. I thought you said this was going to be a game,then passed it back.
Her reply came even sooner.
It would be a game if you didn’t already know all of the answers. There are two gay guys in our class who haven’t come out. Name them.
Interesting. There were exactly three notable observations to be made in AP Chemistry. The teacher, the cheater and the two guys who were flirting. Again, only mildly interesting as they were still not openly admitting they were gay, which most other LGBTQ students in the school had done.
All secrets to everyone else in the room and not a single one I cared to reveal. There was no fun or use in revealing secrets, I was only interested in uncovering them for myself.
It would seem I wasn’t alone.
Now it was a test. Did I reveal what I already knew, and alert Miss Adler to the fact that she had a worthy adversary, or did I play dumb and let her assume she had one up on me? Also, I needed to ensure I had the note passed back to me before the end of class.
I checked the clock on the wall. There were only a few minutes left before the bell rang.
You’ve got me on this one. ?
This would allow her to take her victory lap and it would leave me with the note, which I would burn at the first opportunity.
When I received her reply minutes later, I looked at the clock and smiled. Only two minutes left to class. There was no way she would expect a response.
Hmmm. Bullshit. I think you know… I also think you wanted me to send our note back. I saw you look at the clock. Timing it, are you? Okay, here’s your next test. You can keep the note and all the secrets in it. Or you can ask me to reveal one of my secrets. Something no one else knows. Of course, you’ll have to trust me to answer.
I checked the clock again. Did I have enough time to have her respond and get the note back? Or would she keep the note for herself with the evidence that I was aware of a classroom cheater and was harboring a mild accusation against the teacher?
Question: Did I want to know Irene Adler’s secrets?
Answer. Yes.
Barely ninety seconds left before the bell rang. What was she going to tell me? It could be something as benign as her favorite cereal flavor.
She leaned forward again, this time far enough over her desk so the breath of her whisper reached my ear.
“Tick tock.”
No. I wouldn’t play her game. I couldn’t play her game. She was dangerous to me. I was too smart not to know that. She was a fire I felt I could contain, but I also knew control could be fleeting. One wrong step and I’d be burned.
I tilted my head and lifted my finger, slowly shaking it back and forth.
I heard her huff of laughter and took some satisfaction in that. Then I folded the note and tucked it into the front pocket of my jeans.
