Page 35 of Reluctant Chemistry

And, besides, what more could she say?

17

Mr. O’Leary

That first humid day of school on the third of February, CeCe had chemistry last period. She walked to class alone, and when she got there, took a seat at the back, one over from Travis. He glanced her way, but she didn’t return his look. When her phone pinged with a text, she checked it to find two words on the screen.

‘Teacher’s slut.’

What?

Luka, or Mr. O’Leary as she must now call him, arrived five minutes late but offered no apology. CeCe watched him remove his laptop and stow his bag under the desk. He looked up, and as their eyes met, the hairs on the back of her neck lifted. Wearing black dress pants and a crisp blue shirt, he seemed out of place. This wasn’t her Luka, the man who loved lounging around home half naked. Luka, who commanded her to come, more than once, andheld her loosely in his arms as she slept.

He cleared his throat, looked at her again as if seeing things, then turned to the whiteboard and wrote his name across it in a flourish of upright font.

“Afternoon, everyone. My name’s Luka O’Leary, and I’ll be your chemistry teacher until the end of term. I ask that you leave any BS, bad attitude, and gang patches at the door and that all phones are off during class. Respect my rules, and we’ll get along just fine. Flaunt them, and we won’t. Simple as that. Now, any questions?”

A girl called Angela, who sat in the front row, raised her hand. “Some of us want to know your political persuasion, stance on racism, and sexual orientation. We refuse to be taught by a homophobic, white supremacist, right-winged member of the jerk-off party.”

CeCe suppressed a smile. Luka was part Maori on his father’s side, but as for his political beliefs and the rest, she had no idea. However, he was often vocal about the advantages of living in ademocratic society.

He moved to the front of his desk and held Angela’s gaze for just a moment too long. “What’s your name?”

Angela straightened in her seat. “Angela Hohepa.”

CeCe held her breath, waiting for his curt response.

He smiled. “Kia ora, Angela.” Luka continued his reply in fluentte reoMaori. Several of the students laughed at something he said, including Angela, but as CeCe knew only basicte reo,she couldn’t pick up on his humor.

She understood one thing, though: their new teacher was a charming man with a glint in his eye and a grin to match. By the time he’d finished his spiel, every straight girl in the class was probably in lust with him, and at least one of the two gay guys as well.

“Oh, and if you’re wondering,” Luka continued in English, looking around the room, “my star sign is Taurus, and I love apple cake, just in case any of you guys are good bakers.”

As Luka moved back behind his desk, the class laughed again. “Right. Let’s get to work.” He ran his sight down his laptop screen then looked up, straight into CeCe’s eyes. He set the first challenge. “Where’s Sydney Dobson?”

Prick!

She wanted to stand, march straight over to the door, and slam it on the way out. Instead, she raised her hand a fraction.

He hardly looked at her. “Sydney, please recite the first twenty elements by atomic number.”

CeCe hesitated and felt herself pale as the other students turned to stare at her. Having never studied chemistry before, she was unfamiliar with the periodic table. She barely knew what a Bunsen burner was. “Hydrogen, helium, lithium…boron—”

“Incorrect. Please learn that part of the table by Friday.” He scanned the room. “Anyone else?” Angela raised her hand and recited the list with ease.

The tone had been set.

For the rest of the period, Luka ignored CeCe, as if she were any other student in any other class. But as she headed out the door at the end of the period, he called her back. “Sydney, would you mind waiting behind for a few minutes.”

“Yes. I would.” She kept on walking.

* * *

As CeCe left the classroom, she found Travis waiting for her. Again, she kept walking, her backpack heavy on her shoulders, her mood in no way conducive to idle chit-chat with her ex.

“CeCe? Wait up.” Travis reached out and grabbed hold of her elbow.

She stopped. Yanked herself free. “What do you want?”

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