“Paige, this is due today. There’s not much you can do at this point if it’s not correct.”
Her face went red.
I stood up and clapped my hands together. “Okay, guys, take your seats.” My eyes swept over Wrenn in her usual spot in the back row. I gave her a wink, and she smiled.
Grabbing the handful of papers on my desk, most covered in red pen, I began to hand them out.
“Your homework assignments from last week. A few of you did really well. Some of you need to put a little more effort into your studies.” I dropped a C-graded paper on Paige’s desk. “Perhaps if you spent as much time on your homework as you did on shopping, this would be an A.” Sniggers filled the room as she scowled at me. I placed Wrenn’s paper down on her desk: A+.
“Good work,” I said to her with another wink. She blushed, tilting her head as she gazed up at me.
“Yeah, it’s not that hard to get good grades when your aunt pays the teachers’ wages,” muttered Paige. Her comment was greeted with laughter from the other students.
Wrenn stared down at her paper, refusing to bite.
“Enough, Paige,” I snapped. “One more comment like that, and you’ll fail my class. Are we clear?”
Her jaw dropped as she narrowed her eyes at me. She muttered a yes.
“Hand this week’s assignment up to the front, and open your books to page seventy-three,” I snapped, shooting another glance in Wrenn’s direction. Her head was still down.
I glanced around the room. Some students eyed me with awe, impressed by my ability to shut Paige up. Others didn’t look so impressed. Wrenn wore a tiny smile on her lips that made my heart skip.
Made my heart skip? What was I, a twelve-year-old girl?
Never mind the fact that any kind of heart-skipping behavior caused by a student was totally inappropriate. Wherever my heart—or any other parts of my body for that matter—was going with this, it needed to stop.
The bell rang and the girls began to pack up their things. While everyone else shot out of the room as quickly as possible, Wrenn seemed to be taking her time, handling each pen one by one as she placed them neatly in her backpack. By the time she stood up, the room was nearly empty, the last of the students filing out.
From the corner of my eye, I caught Paige glaring in my direction as she stomped out of the room. That girl made me shudder. One look at Paige and all I saw was trouble.
Wrenn, still smiling, approached the desk. Her green eyes were so bright with warmth that I couldn’t help but feel good.
“Thanks for that. What you said to Paige.” She paused, sweeping her hair over her shoulder. “But don’t underestimate how much trouble that girl is. Even for you.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I think I can handle it,” I chuckled. If Paige wanted to learn how tough I could be, I was more than happy to show her. Girls like her made my skin crawl. She had no empathy or feelings for anyone but herself.
“Okay, if you say so.” She smiled at me, her finger tracing the edge of my desk. I could feel my heart begin to race, and I had no idea why. I refused to believe it was because of her.
“You shouldn’t be afraid to stand up to her, Wrenn.”
She looked up, surprised, her eyes meeting mine. Then she shrugged, as if it were no big deal.
“Standing up for myself would just create more drama. I’d rather not have to deal with that. I’ve got bigger things on my mind than Paige and her petty comments.” She smiled wistfully. “I’d rather focus my attention on the people I actually give a damn about. Does that make sense?”
“Perfect sense, actually,” I mumbled, rubbing my neck, her comments hitting a little too close to home. “S
o, you’re from Washington, and you like horror movies. What else is there to know about Wrenn?” I don’t know why, but I didn’t want her to leave yet. I wanted to keep this conversation going for as long as possible, without seeming like a complete creep.
She made a face, looking deep in thought.
“There’s not much to know,” she said truthfully. “I’m pretty boring, I guess. I love cars, and I hate shopping. I love things that make me think, like a good book. I’m quite opinionated, but I pride myself on seeing both sides of the argument. And I’ve wanted to be a lawyer since I was little.”
“Any particular area of law?”
“Criminal law. Prosecution,” she answered immediately. She glanced down at her phone. “And I’m late for class,” she added sheepishly.
“I’ll write you a hall-pass so you don’t get into to trouble.” I grinned, grabbing my pad. I scribbled out the note and handed it to her. Our fingers brushed against one another, her touch leaving me numb. She smiled at me, tiled her head down, and then walked out of the room.