Gemotions

Maya, humming a jaunty tune, scrolled through her Instagram feed, a small smile playing on her lips. She stopped, her finger hovering over a notification. A new follower: Mr. Henderson, her history teacher. A burst of something akin to mischief, bubbling up inside her, prompted her to tap his profile. Oh, this was good.

She already knew he had a quirky sense of humor, the kind that delivered dry wit through his lesson plans, but his feed…that was a whole other story. A photo of his cat wearing a tiny top hat? Excellent. She double-tapped on it and then, without thinking, left a comment: "Fancy feline!" A giggle escaped her as she imagined him reading it.

Later, in class, she watched him. He seemed oblivious, but she saw a slight twitch in his lips as he called the role. "Maya?" he asked, his voice neutral. “Here!” she chirped back, her eyes sparkling, and stifled a snort of laughter.