I Don't Bite

Chapter 3: Drake

    The new teacher still smiled at the front of the class, a giant bowl of candy on his desk. I silently counted my blessings that I got so many cool teachers this year. Ryan leaned sideways towards me as Zack sat perfectly straight in his chair facing forward while Ryan kept watching me and then Zack and then back to the teacher on rotation.

    "Who likes a good vampire story?" the teacher grinned a brilliant white smile. A few girls hooted and a faint smile touched Zack's lips. I shook myself. what was I even doing watching his lips? That's such a creep move. Quit being creepy, Violet.

    "That's what I thought." The teacher chuckled. "This is my first-year teaching here, so I don't hate my job yet, so you guys can call me Drake."

    "Hi, Drake." The class drawled in unison. Probably half of them were more out of mockery than respect, but some of the students leaned forward on their desks giving him an ounce over. I squirmed for him. A bunch of kids leering at you had to be uncomfortable. Drake unbuttoned the cuffs on his sleeves and folded them up to his elbows.

    Ryan poked my elbow. "Violet." He whispered. I glanced at him, and he rolled his eyes toward Drake.

    I snorted and leaned half an inch toward him. "Shush, Mr. Drake is talking."

    Ryan slumped into his seat dramatically.

    "Just Drake is fine, Violet. Thank you."

    Heat flooded my cheeks. How in the world did he hear me all the way at the back of the class?

    "Uh-sorry."

    "No apologies." He rested his hands behind him on his desk and effortlessly pulled himself back onto the desk. "I'd like to keep the barriers between us low. Misters and misses just create a power dynamic I don't think needs to be there because we'll just respect each other, right Violet?"

    I slid down into my seat and tried to will the floor to open and swallow me whole. "Right."

    Ryan sat back up, his brows furrowing. "Drake. I was the one that was goofing off."

    "I appreciate your honesty, Ryan." His eyes stayed on me. "But no one is in trouble. I just want us all to be friends. Sound good, Violet?"

    "Sure..." sweat dripped down the nape of my neck, sliding down my back until my shirt absorbed it.

    "Good." He hopped up and went to the dry-erase board. "Then our first project of the year will be on the history of the supernatural. Explore different cultures and find a common link." He wrote a few dates down and labeled them 'due date', presentation, 'final grade',

    "Drake." Tori, captain of the cheer squad and perfectly curated everything raised her hand. "What does the supernatural have to do with real history?"

    Drake capped the marker and glanced toward me. "I think it's no secret at this day of access to information that everything comes from something. these myths." He chuckles softly on the word. "Are prevalent in just about every culture across the world from a time there was really no way for them to connect." He looks back to Tori. "Don't you find that strange, if not interesting?"

    "I suppose if that's the point of it." She glanced back at me and then to Ryan. Only to him, she offered a smile. Ryan smiled back, and I rolled my eyes.

    "Violet," Drake said. "Some of the other teachers tell me you're a bit of an expert on the subject."

    My fingertips tingled as various eyes shifted toward me. "I... wouldn't say, expert." Breathe, just breathe God I did not want to pass out again, not in the middle of class, not on the first day of school.