Days turned into weeks, and Alex quickly adjusted to her new routine in the science class. She enjoyed the challenge and excelled in her studies, just as Mr. Max had predicted. Her parents were proud, often praising her for her dedication and success.
As time passed, Alex and Mr. Max grew closer. He started tutoring her during his free hours, and she found herself spending a lot of time in his office. Even when there wasn't a scheduled tutoring session, Alex would often stop by to chat. Their conversations were filled with laughter, and their connection deepened with each interaction. However, her growing attachment to him sometimes caused her to lose track of time, occasionally skipping her regular classes.
One afternoon, during a general class, Alex was once again in Mr. Max's office. They were laughing and talking, oblivious to the fact that her economics class with Mr. Henry had already begun.
In the classroom, Linda noticed Alex's absence and grew concerned. She had observed Alex visiting Mr. Max's office frequently and decided to check on her.
"Excuse me, sir," Linda said, standing up. "May I use the restroom?"
"Be quick," Mr. Henry replied curtly, waving her off.
Linda nodded and walked quickly toward Mr. Max's office. When she arrived, she found Alex and Mr. Max chatting and laughing together. At first, she thought nothing of it.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Max," Linda greeted politely.
"Afternoon, Linda. How are you?" he replied, smiling.
"I'm fine, sir. I came to get Alex," she explained. "Mr. Henry is in class right now, and we're supposed to be there."
"Oh," Mr. Max said, turning to Alex. "You didn't tell me you had a class."
"I completely forgot!" Alex exclaimed, standing up quickly. "Thanks for reminding me, Linda."
The two girls left the office together, and Linda paused outside the classroom door.
"You go in first," Linda whispered. "If I walk in with you, Mr. Henry might figure out I came to get you."
Alex nodded and entered the classroom alone. The room fell silent as all eyes turned to her.
"Alex, where have you been, and why are you just now coming to my class?" Mr. Henry asked sharply.
"I—I was in the restroom," Alex stammered. "I didn't realize class had started. I'm sorry."
"For that long?" Mr. Henry's eyebrows rose skeptically. "I've been here for fifteen minutes already."
"I'm really sorry, sir," Alex said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Fine. Take your seat," he said dismissively.
"Thank you, sir," she mumbled, quickly finding her place.
Linda waited a few moments before slipping back into the room and sitting beside Alex.
"Why did you take so long to come in?" Alex whispered.
"I had to wait," Linda replied. "I told Mr. Henry I was going to the restroom. If we came in together, he'd know I went to get you."
"Oh, I see," Alex said with a small laugh. "So I ended up lying."
"Of course. I didn't want you to miss the class."
"Aww, thank you," Alex said, smiling warmly.
Their whispered conversation caught Mr. Henry's attention.
"Alex! Linda!" he barked. "Why are you two talking during my class? What's so important that it can't wait? Care to share with the rest of us?"
"Nothing, sir," they replied in unison.
"Really? Alex, you were already late, and now you're disrupting my class. You should be focused," he snapped.
"I'm really sorry, sir," Alex said, her face flushed with embarrassment.
"Get up and sit at the front where I can see you," Mr. Henry ordered.
"Yes, sir," Alex said, standing and moving to the front of the room.
Linda gave her a sympathetic look as she passed by. Alex sat in silence for the remainder of the class, her cheeks still warm with humiliation.
When the class ended, Alex immediately headed toward Mr. Max's office again. Linda intercepted her at the door.
"Where are you going this time?" Linda asked, her arms crossed. "Don't tell me it's to Mr. Max's office again."
Alex laughed. "Yes, it is."
"Why? You're always there. You don't even hang out with me like you used to. What's going on?"
"Nothing," Alex replied defensively. "I just like going there. He's tutoring me, that's all."
"Are you sure that's all it is?" Linda asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course," Alex insisted. "That's all."
"Alright," Linda said, though her voice carried a hint of doubt.
"Can I go now?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, sure," Linda replied, returning to her seat.
Alex hurried to Mr. Max's office, excitement bubbling inside her. When she arrived, she found him marking students' assignments.
"Can I help?" she offered.
"Sure," he said with a smile.
"Are you done with your classes?" he asked.
"Yes, I am," Alex replied confidently.
"Good. I don't want you coming here if it means skipping class or neglecting your work," he said gently.
"It won't. I just forgot about Mr. Henry's class earlier," Alex said with a nervous laugh.
"Hmm, alright," he said, handing her a stack of papers. "Use the answer key to mark these."
"Okay," Alex said, happily taking the work.
As she graded the papers, Mr. Max found himself glancing at her more often than he should. Each time she looked up, he quickly averted his gaze, pretending to focus on his work. Alex noticed but said nothing, a small smile tugging at her lips.
When she finished, she handed the papers back to him.
"All done," she said.
"Great. Can you distribute these to the students?" he asked.
"Of course," Alex replied, standing up and heading to the other classroom.
Mr. Max watched her leave, a soft smile on his face. He couldn't deny the feelings that were starting to grow, though he brushed them off as something harmless.
As Alex handed out the papers, her mind wandered back to how he had been looking at her. Her heart raced, and she couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face.
This was only the beginning of something much bigger—a story neither of them fully understood yet.