siete

Ms. Hontiveros’ POV

I told myself I wouldn’t think about it.

I told myself that the way Alice looked at me—the way she hesitated, the way she stumbled over her words—was just a passing phase. A harmless crush.

High schoolers developed feelings for their teachers all the time. It was natural, expected even. It meant nothing.

That’s what I kept repeating in my head as I entered the classroom the next day.

But the second my eyes landed on Alice, my resolve wavered.

She was quieter than usual, staring at her notes but not really reading them. When I called on her, she answered correctly, but there was something off in her voice. Less confidence, more hesitation.

And the moment our eyes met?

She looked away so fast, as if she had been caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to.

I should have left it alone. I should have just moved on with the lesson.

Instead, I said her name again.

"Alice, stay after class for a moment."

I didn’t miss the way her shoulders tensed. Nor did I miss the way Cassy bit back a knowing smile beside her.

The rest of the class continued as usual, but I felt the weight of Alice’s presence the entire time. And when the bell rang, the other students left in a rush—except for one.

Alice lingered, standing near her desk, clearly uncertain.

I stayed behind my own desk, keeping a comfortable distance.

"You’ve been distracted lately," I said simply.

She stiffened but didn’t deny it.

"Is there something going on that I should know about?"

Alice hesitated. Her fingers curled slightly, the same way they did yesterday.

Then, in a voice so soft I barely caught it, she muttered, "It’s nothing, Ma’am."

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

A pause. A deep inhale. And then, just when I thought she wouldn’t say anything else—

"You make it hard to focus."

The words were barely above a whisper, but they hit me like a brick.

My breath caught.

I shouldn’t have reacted. I should have ignored it, brushed it off as a student being flustered.

But for a split second, I saw something in Alice’s eyes—something hesitant, something conflicted, something she shouldn’t have been feeling.

Something I shouldn’t have noticed.

The air between us was tense. Too tense.

I forced a neutral expression, gripping my pen a little too tightly.

"Alice," I said carefully, my voice steady.

"That is not appropriate."

She looked down immediately, her hands balling into fists at her sides. "I know."

The silence stretched.

Then she muttered, "I’m sorry."

I exhaled, setting my pen down. "Just… be careful, alright?"

She gave a small nod before turning to leave.

And as I watched her go, I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to stay composed.

This couldn’t happen.

No matter what.

But as much as I tried to bury it, one thought lingered in my mind—

What if it was already happening?

———

I barely made it to the hallway before I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

I was so, so stupid.

Why did I say that? Why did I let those words slip?

"You make it hard to focus."

I groaned, covering my face with my hands. Cassy was going to have a field day with this.

As I walked to my next class, my heart was still racing.

Not just because of what I had said.

But because of how she had looked at me before she answered.

Even if it was just for a split second.

Even if it was just my imagination.

It felt like she had noticed me, really noticed me, in a way that was dangerous.

And that was the worst part.

Because now, I didn’t know how to stop thinking about her.

I avoided her.

For the first time since this whole mess started, I really avoided her.

No more lingering glances. No more trying to act normal. No more stupid slip-ups.

I kept my head down in class, answered only when necessary, and made sure to leave the room as quickly as possible when the bell rang.

It was stupid, but I felt like I needed distance—needed to make up for whatever that moment in the classroom was.

But, of course, Cassy noticed.

By lunchtime, she had had enough.

"Alright, what the hell is going on?" she demanded, slamming her tray onto the cafeteria table.

I stabbed at my food with my fork. "Nothing."

"Bullshit," she deadpanned. "You’ve been acting like a weirdo since this morning."

Wes, sitting beside her, smirked. "She’s right. You’re way too quiet. Usually, you’re either pretending not to care or very obviously simping."

I glared at him. "I do not simp."

"You totally simp," Cassy said. "And now you’re avoiding her. Which means something happened."

I groaned, shoving a spoonful of food into my mouth so I wouldn’t have to answer.

Cassy leaned in. "Alice."

I chewed slowly.

"Alice."

I pointedly stared at my plate.

"Alice."

I sighed. "What?"

"What did you do?"

"Why do you automatically assume I did something?"

Wes snorted. "Because you did."

I scowled at both of them. "I— It’s nothing. I just said something dumb, okay?"

Cassy narrowed her eyes. "Define 'dumb.'"

I hesitated, then mumbled under my breath, "I told her she makes it hard to focus."

Silence.

Then—

Cassy burst into laughter.

Wes nearly choked on his drink.

I buried my face in my hands. "I hate both of you."

"You said that?!" Cassy wheezed. "Oh my god. No wonder you’re freaking out."

"She told me it wasn’t appropriate," I muttered. "She was serious about it too."

Cassy’s laughter died down, but she still looked way too amused. "Well, yeah. What were you expecting? That she’d blush and flirt back?"

I shot her a glare. "I wasn’t expecting anything. It just… slipped out."

Wes grinned. "Freudian slip?"

"Shut up."

Cassy hummed, twirling her fork between her fingers. "You’re in so deep, babe."

I sighed, slumping in my seat. "I know."

And the worst part?

Even after everything, I still wanted to look at her.

Still wanted to hear her voice.

Still wanted her.

And that was a problem.

A big one.

———

Ms. Hontiveros’ POV

I told myself I wasn’t paying attention to her.

That I wasn’t noticing how quiet she was. How she avoided looking in my direction. How she left the room so quickly after class, as if being near me for even a second longer would make things worse.

But I noticed.

Of course, I noticed.

I should have been relieved. Should have been glad that she was creating the distance I knew needed to be there.

Instead, I felt something else.

Something I didn’t want to name.

By the time the day ended, I had managed to push it aside. Or at least, I thought I had—until I ran into Cassy.

She was lingering outside the faculty lounge, leaning casually against the wall as if she had been waiting for me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn’t you be heading home?"

She grinned. "Oh, I will. But first, I have a question."

I adjusted the stack of papers in my arms. "And what would that be?"

She tilted her head, watching me carefully. "How come Alice is acting weird?"

I blinked. "Weird?"

"You know. Avoiding eye contact, not talking as much, running out of the classroom like you set her on fire."

I sighed. "Cassy—"

She smirked. "You said something, didn’t you?"

I stayed silent.

Cassy hummed. "Interesting."

I gave her a pointed look. "If you have nothing else to say—"

"Alright, alright," she said, holding up her hands in surrender. "I’ll leave you alone. For now."

I watched her walk away, and only when she was out of sight did I exhale.

This was getting out of hand.

And if Cassy was starting to notice—

Then I needed to put an end to this.

Now.

Before it became something neither of us could control.