Chapter 5 Lilian Baker
It would have made more sense if Andrew was just another student. In fact, it would have been better.
The way he walked in calmly, confident, and completely unbothered didn’t exactly strike him as a teacher. But the room shifted the moment he entered.
Silence fell upon the room, girls turned, sending signals to each other and Becky’s grip on my arm tightened.
“Oh my God,” she whispered excitedly. “That’s him.”
I didn’t respond because my brain was still trying to process what I was seeing.
Andrew, the grumpy neighbor, was the PE teacher.
The hot PE teacher Becky had been talking about.
Of course he was.
“Lily.”
Becky tapped my arm.
I blinked.
“Yes?”
“The teacher is talking to you.”
Talking to me?
My mind went blank immediately. I looked up, completely lost, and found Andrew already staring at me again.
I’ve never been the type to lose composure in public. Especially not in a room full of teenagers who were probably waiting for something embarrassing to happen.
But right now?
I had no idea what was going on.
And judging by the way people were starting to look at me, it showed.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Lewis whispered from beside me.
“Yes… yes,” I muttered quickly, not taking my eyes off Andrew. “What did he say?”
Lewis leaned slightly closer.
“He asked you to pay attention.”
Great.
“If you want to daydream,” Andrew said, his voice cutting cleanly through the room, “you could leave the class for interested students.”
A few quiet laughs from the students followed.
I felt heat rise to my face.
“I’m not daydreaming… sir,” I said.
The word sir felt so strange in my mouth. It was like I was forcing myself to accept something I didn’t want to.
“Then you should know that your outfit is not appropriate for this class,” he said.
My eyes dropped to what I was wearing.
Of course, something about my outfit again. Just in a single day, I have gotten complaints about it twice.
Perfect.
Honestly, his comment might be the best thing that could’ve happened. I could use it as a perfect excuse to find my way out of this embarrassment.
“If you’d excuse me, sir,” I said, lifting my head slightly, “I’d like to change my inappropriate outfit into an appropriate one.”
For a split second, surprise flickered in his eyes.
Maybe he didn’t expect me to respond like that.
“Ten minutes,” he said dismissively like I wasn’t worth more than that.
And just like that, his attention shifted away from me and onto the rest of the class.
I didn’t wait.
I turned and walked toward the exit, ignoring the stares, the whispers, the small wave Lewis and Becky gave me as I passed.
The gym doors pushed open easily and the cool air hit my face as soon as I stepped into the hallway.
Finally, I let out a slow breath.
How did I end up in so much drama on my first day?
First day of school and I've gotten into so much drama already. And the worst part was, I kept having this feeling that more was coming.
Guess who didn’t go back to PE class?
Me.
Guess who still got called by the PE teacher anyway?
Also me.
I was halfway through convincing myself I had successfully escaped when the school speakers crackled to life.
“Lilian Baker, your PE teacher wants to see you now.”
The principal's robotic voice boomed through the invisible speakers.
I froze in the hallway.
Of course, more drama was about to unfold.
I let out a quiet sigh and turned around, already attracting a few curious looks from students.
Reluctantly, I made my way toward the office.
By the time I got there, the place was quiet.
I knocked lightly before pushing the door open.
He was alone.
Andrew stood near the table, flipping through what looked like a file. He didn’t look up immediately, like he already knew it was me.
I stepped inside, the door clicked behind me.
As I walked closer, I noticed things I hadn’t seen before. Especially things about his features.
His eyebrows were thick, not the messy kind and a clean slanted cut ran through one of them like a scar that had its own story. His eyes, deep-set and brown, held a kind of intensity that made it hard to look away.
His nose sat pretty on his face, pointed and smooth. And his lips…Thin and defined. It was unfair that someone who spoke so coldly could have such perfect lips.
He didn't say anything and the silence was becoming awkward. Maybe because I was checking him out.
“You requested an audience?” I said, trying to sound normal, like I hadn’t just been staring at his face.
He looked up slowly.
“Requested an audience?” he repeated.
“You called for me,” I clarified, making a small gesture with my hand.
His expression didn’t change.
“Because you missed my class on your first day.”
“You sent me out,” I countered immediately.
“I never did,” he replied calmly. “You took permission to leave, Lilian.”
I folded my arms. “It is Lily for you, Mr. PE teacher.”
Something flickered in his eyes and it was definitely not amusing.
“Maybe your unruly attitude will also be in the report,” he said flatly.
I blinked. “Report?”
I let out a short laugh. “Are you going to report me now?”
“Are you above being reported?” he shot back.
“Are you above being nice like other teachers?” I fired right back.
The room went still immediately.
Then he moved. He pushed away from the table and walked toward me slowly. Each step felt like he was calculating everything he was doing.
My heart started beating faster, but I didn’t move.
I didn’t step back, I didn't look away either.
He stopped right in front of me. Close enough that I could feel his minty breath on my skin.
Too close that his presence became overwhelming. It felt warm, solid, and dangerously distracting. For a second, my thoughts blurred, like my brain couldn’t keep up with how close he was standing.
“Because you’re almost eighteen,” he said quietly, “doesn’t mean you can talk to me however you want.”
Almost eighteen?
My stomach tightened as he mentioned my age.
How did he know that? Did he go through my file?
“You are a student like everyone else, Lilian,” he continued. “So watch your tone when you speak to me.”
I swallowed, forcing myself to stay steady.
“Maybe I’ll drop PE,” I said. “That way, I won’t be your student.”
There was a short pause.
Then, without stepping back, he said: “Unfortunately for me… you can’t.”
And something about the way he said it made it sound like this wasn’t over.
Then he took a step back. “You may leave,” he said, his eyes still boring into mine.
