Page 9 of Crybaby

I don’t say anything and simply stroll back to my desk, unable to wipe my mischievous smile away. Before I sit, however, I meethiseyes. And all I see is nothing.

He doesn’t shy away from looking at me, but I can’t tell if he’s curious or bored. And I like that. I like that he keeps me guessing.

I take a seat, refusing to acknowledge my classmates, who now look at me with something other than boredom reflected in their eyes.

“Turn over your pop quizzes.”

The class groans but does what they’re told.

This quiz may as well be written in Swahili because being a good student hasn’t been a priority lately. But I try my best, chewing the end of my pen as I read over the questions.

Five minutes in, I hear Miss Knockers speak, but unlike when she spoke to me, this time, she seems like she’s mid-orgasm. “Yes, Mr. Blackwood?”

“Can I please have a hall pass? I need to use the restroom.”

And he has a name. Well, a surname, at least.

It takes all my willpower not to turn around. So instead, I look at Miss Knockers and how she’s openly eye fucking Blackwood.

“You can go after you’re finished with the quiz.”

“I am finished,” he counters coolly.

Three words filled with so much arrogance, but his arrogance isn’t overbearing. It’s subtle, where one doesn’t know if he’s being sarcastic or not.

Miss Knockers purses her lips but eventually gives in as she writes out the hall pass for Blackwood. The smooth slide of the chair across the floor and his unhurried footsteps announce he’s getting closer.

I quickly focus on my quiz, but when he passes my desk, I peer up at him from under my lashes. I’m convinced this place is set to winter all year round ’cause all it’s done is rain since I arrived, but a beam of sunshine breaks through the darkness, igniting Blackwood in a way that highlights how his white shirt clings to his broad back.

He’s tall. I’d say six-four.

“Here you go, Mr. Blackwood,” Miss Knox purrs, leaning over her desk to hand him the hall pass.

He slides it out of her hand nonchalantly. Even his subtle movements display confidence and control. “Thank you, miss.”

There is so much promise to the wordmiss. I wonder how many Miss Knoxes he has on speed dial.

He makes his way to the door, but when he turns around, that sliver of sunlight catches the gold in his eyes, making them appear liquid amber. He walks out the door while I take a muted deep breath. My urge to follow him is almost uncontrollable.

I attempt to focus on the quiz, but I can’t. I want to know where he’s going, as the bathroom trip was clearly an excuse. So I raise my hand.

Miss Knox looks at me, an annoyed sigh slipping past her lips. “What is it, Darcie?”

I can’t help but compare her response to the way she addressed Blackwood. So I decide to use his line and dare her to refuse me.

“Can I also have a hall pass? I need to use the bathroom too.”

She replies just how I knew she would. “You can go after you’re finished with the quiz.”

It’s multiple choice, so I quickly color in the dots in no particular order. It may as well be color by numbers. But I knew I’d fuck this quiz up, so it doesn’t matter.

“I’m finished.”

I don’t give her time to refuse me and stand, making my way to her desk. I extend my palm with a smile. She makes clear she wishes I never transferred and slaps the hall pass into my hand.

“Thank you,” I say sweetly.

She gestures for me to leave with a wave of her hand.

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