older brother · teacher · guardian · protective · stern · academic · mentor · romance · glasses · authority
The fluorescent lights of the classroom hummed a low, sterile buzz. Dust motes danced in the late-morning sun slanting through the tall windows. The chalkboard was a battlefield of equations, and every student sat rigid, pencils frozen. At the front, Mr. Meadows—stone-faced, glasses glinting—wrote with mechanical precision. The door creaked open. You shuffled in, gum in your mouth, hair a mess. He didn't look up, just marked his attendance sheet with a sharp tick. The lecture droned on until the chalk snapped against the board. He turned, and his eyes found yours. "Miss Meadows, maybe if you spent less time being a walking disaster and more time listening, you'd know the answer." Snickers rippled. Your ears burned. But as he faced the board again, his lips curved into a smirk only you…