chapter 154 Bonus Chapter 6- Never Let Him See How Much You Care
RR CAGE
Army experience, students fall into two very distinct categories. The ones who ask good questions and the ones who ask stupid ones. And before anyone gets oftended, because they always do, a stupid question isn’t one that lacks knowledge. It’s not about intelligence. I can work with ignorance; that’s the whole point of a classroom. If a student genuinely doesn’t understand something and asks, no matter how but it is, that’s a GOOD question. That’s effort. That’s engagement. A stupid question is one asked with intent, to derail a lesson, to get a laugh, to waste time, to test how far they can push me before I snap. Those questions? I don’t entertain them. When students don’t want to learn, I don’t want to teach to them Simple as that. I have no shortage of ways to make that clear. A look, a pause, a very pointed silence that stretches just long enough to make thehen gegten opening their mouths usually does the trick. Occasionally I have to escalate, throw in a cutting remark or two, but for the most part, they learn ququickly. And if they don’t, they stop showing up, which is an acceptable outcome. Less noise, more time for the ones who deserve it. That approach worked 30 fine for years. Then Lexi walked into my class. At first, she was easy to categorise: quiet, observant, careful. She didn’t interrupt, didn’t push, didn’t try to torbe clever, and notably never asked a stupid question. If anything, my concern was the opposite, I was waiting for her to ask a good one, the kind that digags too deep, the kind that forces me to either give a real answer or lie convincingly, which is basically impossible because she can tell when people laterly lying Students like her don’t ask questions for the sake of it; they ask because they’re thinking, and when they start thinking too much, they start cormetizing things, and when they start connecting things… that’s when trouble starts. Especially for someone like her. Because I knew what she was, or at least it Habad aevery strong suspicion, and I knew exactly what would happen if she figured it out too early. So my plan was simple: keep her learning, but not on com fast, and most importantly, keep her from asking the wrong questions. For a while, it worked. Then everything went to hell. Now I’ve got a perky tale blonde showing up to my class like she owns the place, talking constantly, not just to Blake Nyvas, which would already be enough, but to EVERYONNE The wolves, other students, and, inexplicably, me. I don’t encourage it. I don’t respond to half of what she says. I glare, I sigh, I make it clear in notontererested, and yet she keeps doing it like she’s immune to basic social cues, or more accurately, like she’s chosen to ignore them. It should be entating Balalblogit, it is irritating. Except… it isn’t. Not really. Because when she’s not there, the room feels wrong, too quiet, too flat, like something essential is in massing She’s like background noise. Elevator music. You don’t notice it while it’s there, you don’t actively want it, but the second it’s gone, the silences is worse. And that’s the problem. Because getting attached to students is a bad idea, especially ones who attract chaos like it’s part of their job descripture. And Lexi doesn’t just attract chaos, she creates it, constantly, usually by accident. And somehow, despite all of that, despite the hunters, the incidente, shithe fact that she is quite possibly one of the most dangerous students on campus without even realising it, she still walks into my class, smiles del everying is fine, and asks perfectly normal questions like the world isn’t trying to tear itself apart around her. And, against my better judgement…1 letdicher
at her have softened.
e she’s some
she
I’m not the only one who’s noticed that Lexi is… significant’s not on sulle anymore. Now that the wolves have backed off and Blake Nyvas has, well, not mellowed out exactly, he’s still about as subtle as a natural disaster, but he’s been… more approachable. Slightly. Marginally. And I’d bet my entire office that it’s because of her. That relentlessly cheerful, open, friendly antiade of hers. This is exactly why unicorns got hunted into near extinction in the first place. They can’t help themselves. They seek people loun. The coconnect. They shine like a beacon and then act surprised when everything in a five-mile radius turns to look. People gravitate toward that kind of chergy whether they mean to or not. Even the students who use
They won’t admit it, most of them don’t have the spine, but hear what they say when they think no one’s listening kind of princess. A princess, of all things. Guarded by a dragagon obviously. And now, apparently, backed by a pack of
belongs to them in some loosely defined, deeply condususeng, loyalty based hierarchy. It’s absurd. And yet… it’s not wr
things out of people. The best parts, the worst pasts: The maniplify everything. Even that wolf alpha, arrogant, insuffer
year, has improved. Noticeably. And he’s not even in her class. But me? No. Absolutely not. I am not letting some girl cha
refuse, I don’t bend for students. I don’t adaptorosesonalities. I do not, under any circumstances, soften. So when I catch m
without even thinking about it, slowing down when she’s there, choosing my wording more carefully, structuring things so she’ll
down. Immediately. Unacceptable. I revert back to to my usual pacing, my usual tone, my usual expectations. No special treatment. Non
class. When I’m alone in my office, door shatungonne watching, that’s when the problem starts. Because I sit down, and I start writing. E remember about unicorns. Every scrap of ukiwded I’ve picked up, every rumour worth anything, every detail from the one, and only, interac with her father. I write about shihingespsgedially late shifts. The risks, the warning signs, the physical strain. I write about unicorn’s strengths, the weaknesses, what they need to watch feror, what they need to avoid. Practical things. Useful things. Things I would never say out loud in class because the are way too specific to her and would be wasting everyone else’s time. And then, because apparently I’ve already lost whatever battle I was pretending to fight, I start adding more advanced notes. The kind of things Blake would understand. The kind of things he could help her with. Because, irritatingly, he is
good teacher, i keep going and achos and the light outside my window has long since disappeared. Then I sit back, stare at the pages, and wonder what the hell I’m doing doodid give it to her, Directly. That would be the logical thing. I grimace. No. Absolutely not.
“Hey,” I matter, shoving the pages into my desk drawer.
10:23 am
PPP.
Chapter 154 Bonus Chapter 6- Never Let Him See How Much You Care
“Give this to Lexi, would you? Just… put it in her room or something.” I ask the Academy awkwardly. I wait a second, then open the drawer again. Empty. Good. I’m done. That’s it. My involvement ends there. No special treatment in class. Nothing obvious. And I am definitely not doing this because I feel guilty about how I treated her at the start. Or because of Blake. I sigh, pressing my fingers into my temple, then glance at the stack of remaining paper….Damin it. Blake. With a long-suffering groan, I pull out another sheet and start writing again. Dragons this time. Shifting tips. Control techniques. Things he should already know, but it is glaringly obvious that his parents never taught him shit. This is going to be a long night.
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oooo, I like that he is helping Blake too. I wonder how Blake will react? Hope we get to hear about that. and maybe what the end was for the parents? wish the academy could… More
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