❖

She was a nervous wreck, her body covered in a sheen of sweat that seemed to accumulate in every crevice. It lined her forehead, dampened her palms, and trickled down her back, leaving her feeling like she'd just completed a five-mile run. Townsend took her sweet time, oblivious to Mar's sweaty turmoil. What was wrong with her all of a sudden?

She shifted uncomfortably, swiping a hand along her forehead.

Maybe it was guilt that had her feeling this way? Her absent morals finally catching up with her against all odds. But no, that couldn't be it. She'd felt nothing but gratitude when she copied the answers. Bliss, even. No remorse whatsoever.
Even now, she knew snapping those pictures was the best decision she could have made, right after studying with Loren.

But this feeling, this dread in the pit of her stomach that grew and grew the closer Townsend got? It was completely different.

Giving the professor another quick glance, Mar swallowed the lump that formed just at the sight of her. Since that day in Townsend's office, she hadn't had the chance to speak with the woman, let alone look her in the eyes.

During the exam, Mar made sure not to look at the woman. She wore a baseball cap and reading glasses, sitting in the furthest seat away. When she finished her test, she placed it on the podium rather than the desk with everyone else's, and before anyone could tell her differently, she fled like a scaredy-cat. It was so simple, so easy.

But of course, Townsend would choose to personally hand out the tests today and ruin any plan Mar had of avoiding her.

Ugh, Mar grimaced. I should have skipped.

The woman was closer now, but not half as nervous as Mar, though she definitely had reason to be. Soon enough, the professor was before her. Mar straightened in her seat, pausing as she met the older woman's gaze. Townsend's blue eyes regarded Mar coldly, as though she was the one who had done something wrong. Yikes.

The professor set down the test sheet, her expression stony-faced and grim. "See me after class, Mar," she said solemnly. "We need to talk."

"We? Need to talk?" Mar asked, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. "We? Like, oui? The French 'oui'? Because we-"her pointer finger gestured between them "-don't have anything to talk about." Realizing how rude that might sound, she nervously added. "Um, respectfully, of course. Oui?"

Townsend's eye twitched. "If you know what's best for you, Mar," she spelled out, her tone stern, "you'd see me after class. Do not leave without speaking with me. Do you understand?"

It felt like the professor was talking down to her, treating her as if she were stupid. But that didn't make sense. Why would a teacher do that? Mar forced the apprehension aside, a strained, tight smile curling her lips.

"Sure, Professor. I understand."

As soon as Townsend moved on, her face fell. Her words washed over Mar again, only this time, the confusion and disbelief had time to do their damage. "If you know what's best for you?" The words sounded like a threat. Was—was the threatening her?

Mar wasn't the brightest, sure, but even she knew she should be the one threatening people. That was how these things go in the movies, right? She was the one who caught them, so shouldn't she be doing the threatening? The blackmailing? The extortion?

If she were going around campus spreading the news like gospel, it'd be a different story, but Mar hadn't breathed a word about what she saw, nor did she have any intention to. She remained silent. It didn't make sense. Was Townsend insane? First, she sleeps with a student, and now she's threatening another?

Shaking her head in disbelief, Mar reached for her test, freezing at the sight of it. At the top, in brilliant crimson, was an A+.

She got an A+.

"Holy crap." Holding the paper in her hands didn't make it feel any more real. She couldn't believe it, no way. But sure enough, her name was in the right-hand corner, right beside the 'A+' written in vibrant red ink. Just below it was a mind-blowing '98%'.

She couldn't wait to rub this in her stupid uncle's face. Just imagining his stupefied expression made her squeal with delight, earning odd looks from her classmates.

For the rest of the class, the athlete was on cloud nine. Even after Professor Townsend finished passing out exams and shifted to her lesson, her mood was unshakable because, for the first time since the semester began, she could understand it, just a little.

Cheating wasn't so bad after all, why hadn't she done it sooner?

As soon as the lecture ended and the class emptied, she was up and out of her seat, heading straight to the front of the room like an animal to slaughter. What was the woman going to say? Was she going to bring up what Mar saw? Even worse, what she heard? And what would be her excuse? Another "oh, it's not what you think"? What else could it have been?

No, she didn't even want to know. Whatever Townsend was going to say, Mar hoped she'd get it over with. She was perfectly fine with acting like nothing happened; this conversation? Totally didn't need to happen.

When the last student walked out, the door shutting definitely behind them, Townsend turned to Mar. From the look on her face, it was as if someone had died.

Oh no, did someone really die?

Wait, what would that have to do with her?

"Marisa, I know you cheated."

"What?" Mar paled, mouth parting in shock. She said nothing for a second, too surprised to think, let alone speak. "That's —that's impossible."

Townsend raised a brow, crossing her arms. "So, you're admitting to it?"

Admit? She'd rather die. Gripping the handle of her backpack for support, Mar narrowed her eyes at the woman as though she had no clue what she was talking about, putting on the performance of her life while her heart thrummed wildly against her ribcage.

"You can't know I cheated because I didn't cheat," Mar lied through her teeth, her voice strained with feigned indignation. She tried to keep her tone steady, tried to stomp down her telltale stutter, to appear composed and in control, but it was all falling apart. "You—do you even have evidence? Or are just you making assumptions? Show me your proof, if you even have any."

Townsend didn't look bothered in the slightest. It was as if she had been anticipating this reaction all along. The woman simply leaned against the podium, a knowing gleam in her eyes and a hint of satisfaction on her lips.

"You think I need evidence when your grades are enough? Really?" The words landed like a slap in the face. The woman continued, "I've been teaching for years. Do you think I don't know when a student has worked hard for their grades and when they haven't? I wasn't born last night, but I'm beginning to think you were."

The condescending tone that Mar heard earlier now engulfed her entirely, echoing in her ears like every insecurity she had ever felt. She had never been called stupid so directly, so maliciously. Her ears tingled with heat, eyes blinking with frustrated shock, cheeks flush with growing embarrassment. But still, the onslaught continued.

"You have never shown the aptitude to earn an A+ on your own, let alone a C minus. Frankly, you've never put in the effort. And now, you want me to believe you're capable of earning an A. An A+, at that?" The woman scoffed. "Don't make me laugh. I'd have been surprised if you made a D. But of course, only you could be stupid enough to cheat so obviously and think you,d get away with it."

She wanted to turn and run but the world seemed to spin. What had she done to deserve being spoken to this way? Like she was less than a person? The normally polite woman had never spoken to her like this before, even when she did poorly on assignments. There were plenty of ways to talk without sounding so vindictive, so why was she doing this?

"I knew you weren't the brightest, but to think you were that slow. It'd be almost amazing if it weren't so pathetic."

Stupid and pathetic. Her fists clenched at her sides. "Are you...talking to me like this because of what I saw? In your office?" That had to be it. Mar didn't need confirmation or denial. She knew it the moment she saw the satisfaction in Townsend's eyes.

Townsend was trying to get rid of her on a hunch because she found out about the affair. Worse, because she thought Mar was stupid and lazy and pathetic.

She didn't care that Mar spent hours upon hours being tutored. She didn't care that Mar studied so hard for this class, only to be so disappointed by her own grades that they had her on the verge of tears out of pure frustration. She didn't care that Mar tried harder than anyone else, even if it didn't seem like it.

She could have cried then. Even if she didn't cheat, there would have been a problem. Even a D would have been suspicious, right? The woman's earlier words felt like they were suffocating her.

"You mean when you were in my office, unsupervised, with access to all of my documents? Now that you mention it, I'm sure the board would love to know what you were doing in my office, under my desk. You're dismissed."

Her cold tone echoed in Mar's ears. With stinging eyes, she watched Townsend leave, approaching her desk as though she was truly done with the conversation. Done with her.

She knew she had to say something, anything. Her mouth moved when a tear finally threatened to leave her burning eyes. But she wasn't sad. No, far from it. She was pissed.

"—And what about what you were doing on your desk?"

The room fell silent as the words hung in the air. Numb, she swiped away the angry tear, the reality of what she said not dawning on her then. When Townsend turned, her narrowed glare fixating on her, she knew it then.

Oh, no. Why would she say that? Was she crazy? The tension in the air was palpable, so cold and thick Mar was practically choking on it.

"Excuse me?" Townsend's voice was sharp, eyes boring into Mar's with intense scrutiny. "Are you blackmailing me?"

Blackmail? She had to be kidding, right? Mar was angry, not crazy. How did she jump to that conclusion in the first–

Oh. Mar winced. She could see it.

"N-no, I'm–I'm just saying—" Mar tried to backtrack, but the words died in her throat as Townsend interrupted her.

"Saying what, exactly? That if I don't turn a blind eye, you'll go running to the school administration and tell them what you saw in my office?" Townsend's tone was cold and calculating, her eyes narrowing into impossibly thin slits as she stared Mar down. "Is that what you're saying?"

Well, no. It wasn't. So why didn't it sound so bad now that Townsend said it herself?

Mar faltered for a second. No. No. She couldn't let Townsend think that was what she meant. She didn't intend to tell anyone what she saw; she planned to pretend she saw nothing and move on with her life. To mind her business, just like Miguel said. Really.

But that was before. Before Townsend called her stupid and tried to get rid of her.

God, was she really considering this? It was a bad idea. A really, really bad idea. Under Townsend's vicious scrutiny, she had no more cards left to play. She couldn't think of anything else. Oh, this was crazy.

She shifted where she stood, teeth gnawing at her lip. "I mean, will you?" she asked tentatively, voice wavering. "Will you turn a blind eye, I mean? If that is what I'm saying?"

Townsend's glare was withering, but it was too late to turn back, too late to take it back, especially when the woman was threatening her. Besides, it's not like Mar was actually blackmailing her, right? The words had never left her lips. She didn't even mention blackmailing; Townsend brought it up. So, if Townsend wanted to think she was being blackmailed, who was Mar to argue? Whatever made her happy.

"Oh, I didn't cheat, by the way. I-I'm just saying–"

"Oh, I get what you're saying." Townsend seethed. "It's crystal fucking clear. But know this, Mar. If you think this will work a second time? You're out of your fucking mind. Now get the fuck out."

A second time?

Despite the venom in Townsend's voice, Mar's grin spread from cheek to cheek. "Oh, so it worked? Wow–"

"Get out!"