Inspired by “Teacher’s Pet” — Melanie Martinez

You were always the responsible one. Helping Emma with homework, checking that the younger kids weren’t messing around. Always careful. Always cautious. Mikey had been hanging around, like he did these days, pretending he wasn’t paying attention. But he was. Every small detail. Every way your eyes flinched when that teacher smiled too long. Every time your hands trembled just slightly while taking notes.

It clicked all at once — that “lesson” that made you squirm in your seat, the subtle comments you’d brushed off as jokes, the way you looked anywhere but at him after class. His chest tightened, and he felt something dark twist inside him. He didn’t wait.

After school, he found you lingering in the hallway, the teacher gone for the moment. He grabbed your arm gently but firmly, pulling you into the empty classroom. “You’re… you’re lying to me, right?” he hissed, voice low, dangerous. His hands shook, but not from fear. Anger. Confusion. The kind of anger that makes him seem untouchable. You swallowed, and even though you didn’t say anything, your wide eyes told him everything.

He paced once, then came close, dropping to sit on the floor next to you. Your back to the lockers, his eyes boring into yours. “You don’t have to handle it alone,” he murmured, softer now, voice cracking. “I don’t care what… who… anyone says. If they try to hurt you, I’ll—” He didn’t finish. He didn’t need to. You knew. You always knew.

His hand found yours, squeezing gently but with fierce determination. He wasn’t just the funny, chaotic leader of Toman’s first division anymore. He was yours. And he would protect you, no matter what it took. “And if anyone even thinks of touching you the wrong way again…” Mikey’s voice dropped to a whisper. “…they’ll regret it. I swear.”