Jan. Week 3: Thursday-Leah turns Nathan away (Silence: -25 Luck: +20).

Leah decided to turn Nathan away. She didn’t have time or the desire to do this with him right now. It was her planning period for Christ’s sake.She **** a smile.

"Actually, Nathan, I've got a ton of grading to get through before my next class. Rain check?" She gestured her hand back toward her desk vaguely, dramatizing her teacherly duties.

Nathan lingered in the doorway, sweaty-palmed and squirmy, like he might piss himself if she didn’t give him some kind of attention. “Yeah, it’s just—well…umm…okay I guess that’s cool. Rain check will work. Like ummmm this afternoon?” He kept his voice low, leaning into the doorframe.

Leah tried not to roll her eyes.

“I’ve got responsibilities after school, and then swim team, remember?” She shrugged with an apologetic smile. “Tomorrow, maybe. Or next week. I’ll let you know.”

“Okay. Just… don’t forget.” He nodded, nearly tongue-tied, eyes glued to her breasts it seemed. She almost laughed at that, like she could ever forget.

As soon as he left, she locked her classroom door and collapsed into her desk chair, breathing out through her nose. Her mind spun through the rest of the day, her inbox, her grading, everything. She reached for her coffee, now cold, and sipped it anyway. Even still—she knew she did the right thing and that must count for something.