Making our way towards the, and Chloe’s high?pitched scream almost blew a hole in my eardrums. Did she really have to be that dramatic?

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, more out of habit than curiosity, if I didn’t, she’d keep wailing until I gave her the attention she craved. I could feel the iron grip of her phone in her hand, and I already knew the story.

  “Another trend I missed. Ugh!” she spat, flailing her arms like she’d just discovered the world was ending. I tried not to laugh; the way she got worked up over every new Sharespace challenge was both adorable and exhausting. Her social?media numbers barely nudged a thousand followers, and she kept calling each post her “ticket in.” Of course, the “ticket” never arrived. She’d complain that the algorithm was broken or that the video was already too big to matter. I didn’t have the heart, or the patience to tell her the truth: she was just another pretty blond in a sea of girls, with nothing truly unique to set her apart.

  I envied Noah, who could disappear behind his phone and leave the drama behind with a casual “see ya.” If I tried to bail, Chloe would turn it into a full?blown spectacle, and God forbid Liam didn’t walk her to class even though his own room was on the opposite side of the building. There was that one time he didn’t, and I swear I saw a flash of vengeance light up Chloe’s eyes.

  When we reached the door, I slipped in ahead of her so I could snag a moment alone with Soren before the class started. I was grateful Soren was willing to play “defense”,he knew our tangled dynamic all too well. As Chloe and Liam staged their drawn?out goodbyes outside, Soren pulled me into a quick kiss, then ushered me to his desk.

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  “Surviving the morning?” he whispered.

  “Barely,” I muttered, rolling my eyes at the usual chatter. “What’s Mrs. Queen Bitch on about now?

  “Why isn’t she internet?famous? How to go viral? How i should invest more time online so I can finally snag a few hundred followers?”

  Soren sighed, his irritation matching mine. As a teacher, he could keep Chloe’s entitlement from spilling over into his class. “Take the next hour and a half to relax,” he said, gesturing toward a stack of projects. “I’d love it if you’d help me grade these.” He slipped around the back of his chair, planting a soft kiss on my neck that sent a shiver through me. I liked the idea of grading, more free time for him when he got home, and a good excuse for me to stay out of Chloe’s glare. There were benefits to being his TA

  “First coffee?” he asked, handing me his thermos. Being locked away from Chloe had its perks: alone time with Soren and access to the teachers’ lounge. The coffee was cheap and bitter, but we needed the caffeine more than the flavor.

  I slipped out of the office, Soren trailing behind just as Chloe barged in.

  “Where are you going?” she demanded, eyes locked onto mine without blinking.

  I lifted the mugs triumphantly. “Coffee.”

  “It’ll ruin your skin,” she snapped, trying to lecture me about lemon water and glow?ups.

  I shrugged, “Can’t it wait? I’ve got a ton of projects to look over.”

  Chloe’s fury shifted to Soren, her stare a storm of a thousand warriors, or perhaps a hundred asylum patients. He didn’t even flinch; he went to set up the PowerPoint and calmly said, “Chloe, we’ve been over this. Take your seat.”

  I offered a half?smile, trying to mollify her. It worked; she slumped into her chair, muttering something about “later.”