Sid's pov-
I chose a seat in the second row today.
Close enough to be noticed.Far enough to pretend I wasn't trying to be.
Theo—Professor Hale—walked in like the room belonged to him. Crisp shirt, glasses today, jaw clenched like he hadn't slept since our last hallway war.
Perfect.
He set his notes down, didn't glance at me once. Professional, polished, untouchable.
Except I knew better now.
He cleared his throat. "Today we'll be discussing power—how it's obtained, manipulated, and inevitably—" his eyes flicked to me just once "—misused."
A few students glanced my way. I smiled. Let them.
I crossed my legs slowly, notebook open but untouched.
He kept talking. Something about historical structures, revolutionaries, institutions.
Blah, blah, blah.
But I wasn't listening for content.
I was listening for control.
He was avoiding looking at me, which meant he was thinking about me. Which meant I'd already won.
"Any questions?" he asked, scanning the room.
I raised my hand.
Every head turned.
His jaw twitched. "Yes, Miss Richard?"
I smiled like the question wasn't a loaded weapon. "If power corrupts so easily, wouldn't it be smarter to avoid positions of authority altogether? Especially when desire gets in the way?"
Silence.
A few students chuckled nervously.
Theo stared at me—eyes sharp, mouth a line so thin it could've cut glass.
"No one's immune," he said finally. "That's why restraint matters."
"Restraint is overrated," I said sweetly.
His eyes darkened.
Class dismissed five minutes later.
But the lesson?
Still hanging in the air like gunpowder.