Close Calls and Clashing Wills

Keeping a secret marriage hidden from an entire high school? Easier said than done.

Aimee discovered this the hard way on Monday morning.

She stood stiffly in the hallway outside her classroom, clutching her bag with both hands. Students streamed around her, chattering about homework, gossip, and the weather, blissfully unaware that one of them was now a wife.

“Act normal,” she muttered under her breath.

Just then, the classroom door opened—and there he was.

Ralph Hall, in full teacher mode, wearing his usual pressed shirt and cool expression. Aimee instinctively straightened, clutching her bag tighter.

Their eyes met for a split second. He gave her a small nod and walked past without a word, as if they were nothing more than student and teacher.

Which, technically, they still were.

“Good morning, Mr. Hall!” came a chorus of greetings from the class.

“Take your seats,” he said smoothly. “We’ll start with reviewing your essays.”

Aimee slid into her chair. She thought she was doing a good job blending in—until he spoke again.

“Miss Stewart, would you care to read yours aloud?”

Aimee’s head snapped up. She hadn’t even taken her notebook out yet.

He stared at her expectantly.

She fumbled through her bag, her mind racing. Had he done that on purpose?

After class, while students packed up, Aimee lingered behind, narrowing her eyes at him. “You totally did that on purpose.”

Ralph looked up from the stack of essays. “You mean calling on a student to read her own work in English class? Scandalous.”

“You’re cruel.”

“I’m thorough.”

She was still glaring when another student, Maren from the next row, popped her head back into the classroom.

“Aimee! Let’s go to lunch together!”

Aimee jumped, spinning around. “Y-Yeah! Coming!”

Ralph didn’t say a word, but she caught the amused twitch of his lips as she rushed out of the room.

At lunch, things didn’t get any easier.

Yanely had a half-day and had been dropped off at Ralph’s apartment. Aimee tried not to think about what kind of chaos he was causing while she forced down cafeteria curry.

“Aimee, you’ve been acting weird,” Maren said, raising an eyebrow. “You’re twitchy.”

“I’m not twitchy!” Aimee squeaked.

“You totally are. Did something happen?”

“Not unless you count a secret marriage with my teacher,” Aimee thought.

She laughed awkwardly. “Just didn’t sleep well.”

That night, back home, she stormed into the apartment and kicked off her shoes. “You sabotaged me.”

Ralph looked up from where he was helping Yanely with math homework. “How so?”

“You called on me knowing I wasn’t ready. And you almost said my name—my first name!”

“You mean Aimee?” he said calmly.

“Don’t you dare!”

Yanely looked between them. “Are you two fighting or flirting? I can’t tell.”

Aimee turned red as a tomato.