You just wish she could loosen up, a tiny bit.

You've always thought of Miss Kincaid as serious, professionally pleasant, efficient -- basically, a model teacher. In fact, you never really gave much of a second look to her. But seeing her in profile, like that... bent over her book, absolutely engrossed in whatever story she happened to be reading... You can't deny that you've always had a thing for outfits, and the "sexy schoolteacher" is right up there close to the top of the list. And suddenly you're looking at Miss Kincaid in an entirely new light. Already, she's lost in her book again; you think you see a bit of an excited sparkle in her eyes, a little flush to her cheeks, but that might just be your overactive imagination.

She'd never actually do anything with you, of course. She might be reading a romance novel -- hell, she might be horny as fuck right now -- but fraternization between teachers and students is strictly forbidden at the school, and if there's anything Miss Kincaid does, it's follow the rules. Besides, she might be really hot, but you barely know anything about her, and even despite your raging teenage libido, you'd prefer to have some sort of connection to the people you're intimate with.

God, look at you, you say to yourself. Even entertaining the barest possibility of something like that is absurd. You're a virgin, for god's sake. It's true, and not only in matters of sex; that peck on the cheek that you got from Amanda was literally the first kiss you've ever gotten from a person that wasn't related to you.

Still, you think as you look at her, it would be nice if she could loosen up just a tiny bit.

Right as you say this, Miss Kincaid's hands slowly lift up to the collar of her blouse, find the top button, and unbutton it. It's almost nothing, revealing nothing more than an inch or two more of her neck, but it's something, and immediately after she does it, you remember the Manipulator on your forearm, and immediately look down at your desk.

"Shit," you mutter under your breath.

HOW the hell do you keep forgetting that thing is there? It's like it totally vanishes from your mind when you aren't actively thinking about it.

It's obvious to you, now, that you inadvertently planted that thought in her mind. For an instant, you're simultaneously annoyed and relieved that you didn't plant something a bit more substantial, such as "take off your shirt and bra" -- annoyed, because GONADS, and relieved, because you're positive there would be consequences for that sort of thing, and you don't want to see her hurt because of you.

Okay, you think. I'm going to have to be very, very careful about what I think while I'm looking at people. This thing has a goddamned hair-trigger, and it's loaded with thought-bullets.

...

That's a really, really stupid analogy, another part of you remarks.