The last day before break felt different from the moment I walked into class.

Mr. Harlan’s eyes found me the second I sat down. The look he gave me was heavier than usual—possessive, certain, like he already knew how the afternoon would end. I didn’t bother opening my notebook. I sat there already wet, thighs pressed together, counting the minutes until the bell.

He waited until the final ten minutes of class before he called me to the board. I solved the problem wrong on purpose, hand steady, pulse climbing. A few students glanced at me. Mr. Harlan simply set the chalk down and said the words I had been...