Zara felt the ground disappearing beneath her feet. Her face burned with embarrassment as she stood pressed against Mr. Ramirez, his hands still resting possessively on her waist. She tried to step back, but he held her there for one extra second, his fingers warm through her uniform, before he let go.
Mr. Ramirez recovered first. He stepped back casually, as if nothing unusual had happened, and spoke in his usual calm teacher's voice.
“Zara came for extra help on her assignment. She felt dizzy, so I was steadying her.”
Ms. Elena Voss stood in the doorway, her eyes moving slowly from Zara’s half-unbuttoned shirt to Mr. Ramirez’s loosened tie. The air in the staff room suddenly felt thick with suspicion, heavy enough to choke on.
“I see,” she said, her tone cold. “Students shouldn’t be
