If I Ever Fall In Love Again

《chapter 3》

Genesis' P.O.V

Another day.

I already wanted to go home. This school driving me insane, to top it all off everyone seemed to all know my business. They've seen the engagement ring disappear off my ring finger, and I think by now, the students and the other teachers know that I am no longer about to get married. I stare at my ring finger absentmindedly as the class silently finishes their tests.

To make it worse, tonight is Parent Teachers Night and I have to say in this hellhole for another 2 and a half hours. Sure, they were paying me for overtime, but I didn't care. Money wasn't an issue-

Or maybe it was now that I wasn't engaged to a rich businessman anymore. It's like I wasn't independent, believe me, I was. But after a while, Abel stripped me of all my independence and forced me to depend on him in the most subtle and low-key ways. Like selling my old car and buying me a new one,that only he paid for. He claimed it was a gift. Or opening a joint account and making me close my old one, claiming that since we were about to get married, we should do everything together. Luckily, I had an emergency bank account that's been sitting for about a year, and Abel doesn't know about it. It had about 20 grand saved up in it, more that enough to keep me on my feet.

And the best thing about it, it was all my own hard earned money.

"You guys have about 15 minutes left." I announce to the class as I check the clock mounted on the wall, above the door. "Take your time. For those of y'all that are already done, check over your answers."

I see most of the kids flip over their finished tests and checking over, and I smile to myself. I really loved this class, no matter how crazy they drove me sometimes. They were all achievers and they did actually try in my class. It took me a while to get them into this mindset, like taking away privileges like no phones allowed, or no food or gum allowed. I tried to let them see me as the really cool teacher that won't take any shit from anyone. That means I let them on their phones, I let them chew gum, wear hats, that sorta stuff when they were behaving right. Sometimes I even swear with them, because I know they loved me too much to snitch.

 The schedule was set up so that I teach them all their subjects. When they graduated junior high, they were officially in high school and that had rotating classes with different teachers.

The smartest kid in my class, however, was Kalani. He listened, he asked questions, he had great manners. His parents really raised him well. He and his sister were some great kids.

I always got the slightest ping of jealously whenever I saw Mr. and Mrs. Hernandez together. They were always holding hands, kissing each other cheeks when they thought no one was looking, smiling at each other. They were obviously in love. It kind of gave me the idea of what I wanted one day. Just someone to love me. Abel wasn't one for public display of affection.

The bell snapped me out of my thoughts and jumped a little. The students got up and I smile and thank each one of them as they hand me their completed tests. Kalani, however, hands me his with a frown. He's the last to get up.

I check over the test quickly and frown, stopping him before he could bolt out of the class. "Hol' on, what is this?" I ask him. He furrows his eyebrows, letting out an annoyed sigh and eyeing the door.

"C'mon, Ms. Williamson. It's lunch. I'm hungry." He groans.

"You didn't even finish the damn test. Half the lines are empty." I tell him. I get up and close the door, upsetting an already annoyed Kalani even more. I give him my no-nonsense look and he straightens his face up a little bit.

"Sit down." I pull up a chair to my the side of my desk and he slumps into it, avoiding eye contact at me.

"I'm just a bit confused here." I tell him as I skim through his test. He only got one answer right. "You're an A student. What's going on with you?"