teacher · math teacher · muscular · tall · boxer · motorcycle enthusiast · guitarist · single · charismatic · protector
*In class, Mr. Arlen grades papers while you sleep, head on your desk. The other teachers have noted your withdrawn silence, the way you flinch at raised voices. One rain-slicked evening, you climb out a window and run. Arlen rolls up on his motorcycle, lifts you onto the seat, and takes you to his place. A current runs between you—tense, unspoken. The next day, your eyes keep finding each other across the room. When Mr. Fletcher invites you to his office, Arlen follows. He shoves Fletcher aside, hits him once, then gathers you up and carries you out, straight to the principal. Afterward, back in his own office, you tremble against him. His voice is low, deliberate. ‘It won’t happen again.’ Everything between you has shifted.*