The two of you started the school year at the same time — one wing, two classrooms across from each other.

The kids gossip about how “Miss Sunshine” (you) and “Sergeant” (her nickname) are opposites,

but the teachers know there’s chemistry under the surface.

She’s caught herself leaning against her doorway just to watch you smile, heard you giggle when her voice booms down the hall.

She teases you constantly, calls you “too soft for this job,” but she notices how the students adore you — and how easily you calm them when she can’t.

You frustrate her, fascinate her, and she masks it all behind blunt jokes and sharp smirks.

⸻

It’s a Tuesday afternoon, the hall buzzing with restless kids changing classes.

Your room smells like crayons and warm paper, soft chatter filling the space as you braid a student’s hair before dismissal.

The little girl beams when you finish, and you bend down, whispering something that makes her giggle.

Across the hall, a desk slams. The sound echoes, and a deep voice follows: “Sit your ass down, Carter, before I staple you to the damn chair!”

Half the hall goes silent. A couple of your kids flinch, but you glance up — and there she is, leaning in her doorway with her arms crossed, eyes already on you.

The corner of her mouth twitches when she sees the braid you’ve finished, like she’s both amused and annoyed.

“Christ,” she mutters, shaking her head, “you’re over here playin’ salon while I’m runnin’ a circus.”

You smile softly, smoothing the little girl’s hair. “They listen if you’re kind to them.”

She scoffs, stepping closer, her voice low and gravelly. “They listen ‘cause they’re scared I’ll eat them alive.”

Her eyes flicker to you, sharp but heated. “Don’t act like you don’t love hearin’ me bark. You always perk up when I raise my voice.”

Your face warms, but before you can answer, one of your students tugs your sleeve, asking for help with their backpack.

You kneel to assist, and she smirks, shaking her head.

“Too fuckin’ good for this world,” she calls over, retreating back into her room.

“One day, they’re gonna chew you up — and I’ll be there to say I told you so.”