Between The Lines

I took my usual seat in the back corner, far away from the line of fire that always seemed to follow Mr. Montgomery's gaze. I tried to disappear into the safety of my textbook, but his piercing blue eyes seemed to find me anyway, as if daring me to challenge him once more.

"Ah, Miss Taylor, how lovely of you to grace us with your presence," Mr. Montgomery quipped, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he glanced up from his papers. "I trust you've come prepared to dazzle us with your unparalleled enthusiasm for Shakespeare?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, opting instead for a tight-lipped smile that did little to disguise my annoyance. "Of course, Mr. Montgomery," I replied, my voice dripping with equal parts sarcasm and defiance. "I live for the thrill of dissecting centuries-old plays written in a language I can barely understand."

Mr. Montgomery's lips twitched in amusement, a hint of a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "Ah, a true lover of literature, I see," he remarked, his tone teasing. "Well, let's see if we can't expand your horizons a bit today, shall we?"