Page 25 of The Boy I Loved
With every student that entered, the noise in the room amplified until it was so loud I couldn’t even hear my own thoughts.
When the late bell finally echoed throughout the building, our English teacher rose and strode to the front of the room, twining her fingers together before her. She looked around with an observant gaze, not giving anything away within her bird-like features.
“Silence,” she commanded with assertiveness.
The room fell still instantly, everyone’s breathing filling the average-sized space as they awaited her next order.
Once our teacher was sure she had our undivided attention, she cleared her throat. “Welcome to English four,” she began. “My name is Mrs. Felps, and I will be your English teacher for the rest of the semester.”
The guy next to me snorted and shook his head, though it was quiet enough that I didn’t think it reached our teacher’s ears.
My gaze slid to his, and my throat instantly constricted when I realized who the sound had come from. Mason Byers. His blue eyes lit up when he caught my attention, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he notably looked me up and down. There was somethingoffabout him, something I’d never been able to place. The way he looked at me at Dom’s welcome-home party was a stark contrast to the way he looked at me now.
Mrs. Felps’ words faded into the background as I found myself in a staring contest with the school’s loner boy.
Not so lonely now that Dom had adopted him.
My throat bobbed with a swallow at the reminder. I didn’t even realize I’d been holding my breath until I whipped my attention from him and focused on the front of the classroom again, expelling a long burst of oxygen.
“—This semester, we will focus on grammar, per usual, and learn about Greek mythology and how it plays a role in our lives and religions today.” Mrs. Felps turned to her podium and retrieved a stack of papers. She made her way to the person closest to the door and handed them to the girl seated there. “Take one and pass the rest back,” she instructed.
“What does Greek mythology have to do with English?” a girl behind me muttered under her breath.
Mrs. Felps whipped her head in the girl’s direction, narrowing her eyes. “Greek mythology is a collection of stories, are they not?” She huffed. “Tales, if you want to be more precise. Greek mythology has a lot to do with literature and with how we live our lives.”
Tory glanced at me over her shoulder and rolled her eyes, silently mocking our new teacher. I bit back a smile, tugging my lower lip between my teeth. If she didn’t stop, she was going to be on Mrs. Felps’ shit list next.
Class was boring for the most part. We were given a syllabus and told what we would be focusing on this semester. I also learned that Mrs. Felps had a zero-tolerance policy for tardiness. Tory would have a field day with that one.
I slipped into my history class and found a seat near the back of the room. Lowering my bag to the floor, I adjusted myself in the chair and braced my forearms against the desk. The room was filling quickly, chatter growing louder and louder as more people entered. If our teacher was bothered by it, he showed no sign. Instead, he was engrossed in his laptop, his gaze laser-focused on the task at hand.
Exhaustion settled into my limbs, weakening them. I hadn’t been getting much sleep lately, and my body was suffering the consequences. I just needed to make it through the day, and then I could nap after school.
Easier said than done.
The air conditioning didn’t help matters. My eyes watered and my vision blurred. I was beginning to understand why Mom was so strict on sleep schedules when I was younger.
Stifling my yawn, I settled back in my seat, right as the warning bell rang, echoing throughout the building.
Mr. Cullen closed his laptop and rose, tugging his blazer around his torso. He was dressed for business—nothing like how the other teachers around here clothed themselves. Last year, I had a teacher who wore hoodies and sweatpants to class.
Right as he reached the front of the room, the door opened again, drawing everyone’s attention toward the newcomers.
My heart stuttered in my chest when my eyes locked with steel gray ones. They were as cold as usual, but this time, there was ahint of surprise in them—like he hadn’t expected to see me so soon. My gaze drifted to the person behind him, and a sense of calm washed over me. Rodney and I might not have been close, but at least he was a friendly face.
Mr. Cullen cleared his throat, arching a dark brown eyebrow as he assessed the two boys that had stumbled in late.
A grin stretched across Rodney’s face, and he shouldered his way past Dominic. “Sorry I’m late. I got lost.”
Our teacher grunted in response but waved a dismissive hand in their direction before tearing his gaze away and returned his attention to the class.
My heart thudded against my chest cavity violently, my eyes pinned on Dom. A current of anticipation bubbled up inside of me. Used to, he’d choose a seat near me. Anytime we had a class together, we ended up seated side by side.
Dominic’s eyes lingered on me momentarily before he jerked his gaze away and stalked across the room. A lump formed in my throat as I watched him go, confusion and pain slashing through me with ferocity.
Why was he acting this way?
We’d left on good terms—no—greatterms. He promised he’d come back for me, that I had nothing to worry about.
