Chapter 11
It’s all I can do to keep from screaming like a**atic or bursting into a ridiculous grin as I strut down the halls to class. My mind swirls with thoughts of what just happened with Cameron. I slip into my seat in the Learning Lab, still lost in the intoxicating memories of his hands roaming over my body, his mouth pressed against mine, and how his desire felt hot and undeniable against my skin.
The rest of my classmates filter in, barely glancing my way as they settle into their own seats. All I can do is stew in the smoldering afterglow of my encounter with him. If they only knew the truth. Everyone here thinks I’m just another bad girl, but they have no clue how far I feally went today.
As the class drags on, I struggle to focus on the lesson. It’s like my brain’s caught in a loop of daydreams featuring Cameron, each one more steamy than the last. But then, the moment I dread arrives – my next class. This is where I have to face Professor Thaddeus Carter. You know, the same Professor Carter whose BMW I destroyed last
semester.
No one cares about the whole story. No one even believed me, and this d**n town has already slapped the troublemaker label on me. But let me set the record straight: I’m not just some p**o who’d smash a windshield for kicks.
Trust me, I had my reasons.
Professor Thaddeus Carter had a twisted teaching style – very hands-on, if you catch my drift. He didn’t just teach; he got personal. And by personal, I mean he grabbed my** after class like it was his right or something.
I told him to back off. I threatened to spill the beans to Nash and Cammie or even Dr. Lachlan Weaver. But he just laughed it off, his arrogance radiating as he asked who anyone would believe: the tenured professor or the rebellious girl with the tarnished reputation?
I was furious, simmering over my hatred for him and his disgusting entitlement. If it had stopped there, I could have survived the year feeling angry and disgusted. I would’ve happily told him to go screw himself a few times, and that would be the end of
it.
it.
Forbidden Lessons
But then there was Ava.
Ava and I weren’t exactly friends, but there was definitely a bond. She didn’t last long at Cindercrest School, but she was another outsider like me, looking for a place in Havenfield. We hung out occasionally, shared lunches, and vented about the cliques. that ruled the school. And, like me, she had drawn the unwanted attention of Professor Carter another target for his predatory gaze, as she didn’t have any connections in
–
this town.
But here’s where we diverged. I had the strength to draw the line and force him to back off, at least a little.
Ava wasn’t so lucky.
What began as unwanted touching spiraled into something sinister when he demanded. that she “stay after” for “extra tutoring.” I tried to pry information from her, but she slowly retreated into herself until one day, she just vanished from school.
Then it happened. I went to her house, a little place her parents probably struggled to keep in Havenfield to snag those sweet, in-town tuition rates at Cindercrest. I found her mother in a state of panic, and Ava locked away in her room. That was the day I learned what Professor Thaddeus Carter had really done to her, after hours in a locked” classroom.
Ava and her family left town soon after. The police didn’t believe her, and given her family’s income level, the community turned a blind eye. Better for property values, right?
When I learned the truth, I marched straight back to school, fueled by a rage I couldn’t contain. I didn’t stop to think; I just acted. I grabbed a heavy cinderblock from the parking lot and stomped up to his BMW, bringing it crashing down on his windshield over and over until it shattered into a million pieces.
And yeah, I peed on his car afterward. Gross? Maybe. But no apologies here. Screw him and his untouchable privilege.
After that, he got the message and backed off But here I am, right back in his
Forbidden Lessons
classroom, and it’s no coincidence he’s teaching one of my summer classes. It’s also no surprise he failed me before graduation, despite my great grades in his other courses.
As I sit in his classroom now, the heat and excitement of earlier drain away, replaced by a bitter co***il of anger, fury, and maybe a sprinkle of fear. When he strolls in, his eyes zero in on me, his lips twisting into a smirking weasel smile as if he’s delighted to have me back under his thumb.
“If you need to use the bathroom during class, Ms. Winley, remember to use the ladies’ room and not the parking lot, okay?” he quips, and the class erupts in laughter as his eyes glimmer with sadistic delight. I feel my cheeks heat up, but I shove the embarrassment aside.
“Try to keep up, Ms. Winley,” he continues with a sneer. “I’d hate for you to fail this class a second time.”
More laughter erupts, swirling around me like a taunt, but I force myself to take deep breaths, refusing to be baited by his well-worn jibes.
“And if you need help…” His smile widens, his eyes raking over me in a way that makes my skin crawl. “You can always drop by my office after-hours.”
The rest of the class feels like an eternity, each heartbeat thrumming with tension as I- clench my fists so tightly my nails bite into my palms.
The cigarette trembles between my fingers as I take a slow drag, calming myself in the girls’ room after class. I’m still shaking from that torturous double period with Carter. I don’t even smoke, but there’s something about the heat of the flame that soothes the knot of anxiety twisting in my stomach, reminding me I can face this.
Though honestly, this cigarette tastes terrible, so I toss it in one of the toilets and wash my hands. Glancing at the clock confirms my worst fear: I’ve missed the bus home. I exhale a shaky breath as I meet my own gaze in the bathroom mirror, a fierce determination setting my jaw. Walking home it is, then.