Hunched over my desk, I didn’t notice Kelly had entered my classroom until her hand landed on my shoulder. Letting out a squeal as my heart jumped into my throat, I dropped my papers to whirl around in my chair. Her naughty, wide smile was full of vicious glee, and I reached to swat her palm off me with a loud huff.

“Don’t scare me like that, Kelly! You do it all the time…” Carefully rearranging my papers, I set them neatly on my desk as Kelly’s snicker floated down at me. This wasn’t going to be the last time she used my tunnel vision against me, I knew. “I really need to focus to understand what these essays are saying.”

“You make it so easy, Ally. Anyway, I came by to ask if you wanted to come to my place tonight? I’m making steaks.” My mouth watered at the very idea of it, and I sprung up from my chair to grab my purse. Kelly’s heart-shaped face tinged pink, and she hooked her arm around mine as I gladly left the train wreck essays on my desk.

“I would love to. I wanted to talk to you about Julianne Porter and Charlotte Jameson, too. Julianne agreed to do the project. Any luck on your end?” Kelly taught Juniors, and I shouldered my bag with expectation sparkling in my chest. Surely not all of the girls here were so short-sighted and princess-y? After all, I only taught Freshmen.

“Yeah- I got a few bites. The girls aren’t too bad in my class, but they still don’t get why this is important. Daddy’s money isn’t going to last forever, and I’m trying to get them to understand that. Since they’ve never had to contemplate that before, it’s been a bit of a challenge…” My nod was quiet as we made our way to the door, and I unhooked my arm to flick off the lights.

Kelly was closest to me in age at 27, but she was still a year older and had worked here three times longer. It explains why she’s such a better cook than I am.

“Thank you for helping me out with this, Kelly. I know it’s-“

“Nonsense!” Cutting me off, Kelly shut the door behind us, and I glanced around the quiet halls and sucked my bottom lip between my teeth. “I know how you feel, Ally- I really do. These old bags are ruining these kids, and we have to stop them.”

Giggling at her superhero act, I shook my head even though I agreed with her. Rich, stained, oak walls lined either side of me, and I took a deep, heaving breath. The air was light, and I relished the fact that it didn’t smell like perfume- courtesy of air filters built into the ducts. This school was prestigious, and for a very good reason.

This place taught girls to be princesses, and kings and queens paid a lot of money for it.

“I’m going to enjoy this steak you’re going to make for me. I took a lot of abuse today. That one girl- Cassandra- she’s a real handful.” Scrunching my face in disgust, I wiggled my shoulder against Kelly’s as we made our way towards the stairs.

“I heard about her, which is saying something. She’s a freshman, but she bullies everyone in her grade and higher ones. I’m sorry you have to deal with her.” Surprise rocked my chest, and I nearly choked on air. Whipping up to Kelly, my eyes widened at the sincerity in her face before she opened her mouth again. “There are going to be girls that don’t like that you grew up with virtually no financial stability. They’re going to test you, and you’re going to have to be the bigger person. My best advice for you concerning bullies is to stop it where you can stop it, okay, Ally? Your classroom is your classroom, but you have very little power beyond that. What happens beyond that door isn’t your fault or your responsibility.”

“I’m very aware of that, K. I just- I didn’t know it would be like this, and if I did, I wouldn’t have taken this job. I can’t just leave, though.” Frowning, I picked absently at my bag strap, and Kelly hummed in return.

“I understand. Even the pay isn’t enough to keep people here- that’s why they never hire anyone new. The point is, you need to save your energy. There’s still two and a half semesters left to this year.”

“… Yeah- yeah, you’re right. I’m not going to worry about it. So, what’s the special occasion, Kelly? Why the steaks on a Wednesday night?” Changing the subject easily, I grabbed the bannister to take the stairs slowly with Kelly beside me. There was no reason I could think of that she’d make something so lavish, and I watched my feet step through narrowed eyes.

“It’s been two years since my divorce today. I always make steak- that was Owen’s favorite. No one can make a steak like me, girl.” My grin was slick, and the hairs in my nose curled at the smell I was already fantasizing about. That alone was almost enough to distract me from what Kelly had revealed, and I glanced over at her wearily.

“Is that your way of sticking it to him?” Up until recently, I didn’t know much about Kelly; she certainly never gave any indication she’d been married. We were the definition of ‘work friends’, and I kind of wanted to keep it that way. I lived two hours from my friends and family now; I didn’t want to mess up my only potential friend.

“What? No- Owen is the love of my life. We met in middle school, and I’ve never been with another man. But, he woke up one day and went to work… and never came back. In this state, I don’t need him to be around if he’s been missing for more than a month.”

“He’s missing?” Surprise colored my voice, and Kelly nodded firmly. There was no shadow in her eyes, no frown on her face, and I frowned deeply as we reached the bottom step.

“Yes, but he’s not dead. I know he’s not- I can feel it. He’s a cop, so if he was dead, someone would’ve come to tell me even if he was undercover.” I couldn’t say anything back, and I pursed my lips tightly on the way through the foyer on the ground floor. Kelly’s seemingly blind faith that her husband didn’t just ditch her was almost laughable, but I held back. She couldn’t be that naïve, which meant that she believed in Owen’s love for her.

Since when did I become that romantic? The question had no answer, but the notion that there was such a strong bond out there brought a sigh to my lips. Emerging from the newish, expensive building that was my workplace, I blinked at the golden-red sun to let my eyes adjust. Fluorescent lights blocked out the natural light that poured through the windows of my classroom, and I sucked in air through my nose.

“I spent way too long trying to grade those essays…” Shielding my eyes with my hand, I scanned the courtyard with a slight frown. Long, thick shadows spread from every raised surface, and my sigh was loud in the warm, still air. Flowers and bushes had been planted the first day of Spring, and the color hurt my eyes when combined with the rays of sun that bounced off them.

“Yeah. Do you want to follow me?” My heels clicked as the cobblestone gave way to the concrete walkway leading to the parking lot, and I glanced up to him. Kelly’s excitement over tonight shone out of every pore on her face, and she grinned with a bop of her head. “Cool. I’ll wait for you at the exit.”

Slowing my pace, I watched Kelly veer to the right to head for her car before searching for my own. This school paid ridiculously well; I was making ten times what I would my first year in a public school. Bitterness coated my tongue at the knowledge that the academy paid so much because it was such a terrible place to work, and I raked my hand through my hair. Starting for my baby blue two door, I ground my teeth absently and let my mind wander.

Wells Preparatory Academy for Girls- I’d done my research on the place after being accepted here as an instructor. There were glowing reviews and satisfaction ratings, but I should’ve been smarter considering how much they were willing to pay me. A starting salary of 60k a year, including a relocation stipend, was just too good to be true.

But I had to be stupid and take the job. Frowning as I came up on my car, I dug in my purse for my keys as the thought rounded my mind. I’d been brought in to replace a teacher that had died, and I should’ve realized sooner why no one else applied.

This school was rife with favoritism, corruption, and bullying by students. Even my high school hadn’t been so bad.

“Hopefully I can change that. Otherwise I won’t make it five years here.” Hell, I might not even make it two. Dropping my purse in the passenger seat, I slid into the driver’s side with a frown. The interior of my car still smelled like it was brand new, and I took a breath before closing on my side. Turning the engine over, I gripped the wheel tightly at the absence of sputtering.

“New car, new studio apartment, new area… and all I have to do is endure Hell.” Backing out of my space as I mumbled to myself, I shook my head with a soft snort. “Just forget it for now. Think of the steak. Delicious, perfectly cooked and seasoned beef and mashed potatoes… God- that sounds so good.”

My stomach growled loudly, and I weaved my way towards the exit where Kelly already waited in her cute, white sports car. Despite only working here three years longer, she made twice as much as I did. Maybe it was because parents saw the effort she made to help their girls; maybe that was just how it was considering the insane tuition for each of the 850 students.

I wasn’t sure, and I waved through my windshield as I dropped the internal conversation in favor of imagining what dinner would be like.