Chapter 43: Thanks For The Save
The classroom door slid open, and Ms. Lail, our geography teacher, walked in. She was young, probably not even 30, with this sharp bob haircut and glasses that made her look like she could be in a hipster coffee shop or a lecture hall and fit right in either way.
Usually, she’d breeze in, drop her bag, and start scribbling on the board before anyone could blink. But today? She froze mid-step, her eyes locking onto me like I’d just teleported into the room.
I shifted in my seat, my palms already getting sweaty. ’Ah crap, here we go,’ I thought, my brain flashing a big red BOSS ENCOUNTER warning. Everyone was still sneaking glances at me, and now Ms. Lail was joining the stare party. My new haircut was turning me into some kind of zoo exhibit.
"Kofi?" she said, her voice a mix of confusion and curiosity. She adjusted her glasses, leaning forward slightly. "Is that you?"
The class went quiet again, all eyes bouncing between me and her. My face was probably glowing like a lava lamp. "Uh, yeah, it’s me," I mumbled, trying to sound normal and not like I was about to bolt out the window.
She tilted her head, a small smile creeping onto her face. "Well, look at you! I almost didn’t recognize you. Did you decide to reinvent yourself or something?"
A few kids snickered, and I caught Nina’s grin from across the room. She was leaning back in her chair, arms crossed, clearly enjoying this way too much.
’Great,’ I thought, ’even the teacher’s in on it now. I’m doomed.’
"Nah, just got a haircut," I said, shrugging and hoping that would be the end of it. My ribs twinged from the movement, reminding me I was still a walking bruise under the new look.