"Damn, Mrs. Cortez must be mad at me for not showing up at noon," Kevin thought, feeling a pang of guilt. He knew he shouldn't have ditched Camila to go shopping with Mia, but at that moment, he instinctively felt Mia was more important. Feeling remorseful, Kevin gently pushed open the door and said, "Mrs. Cortez, I'm here."

"So you finally show up. Did you lose your watch?" Camila snapped. "Do you know how long I've been waiting? A whole hour. Where were you?"

"Oh, I was going to come straight here after school, but I ran into Mia Wilson. She asked me to go shopping with her, and I didn't want to say I was coming to see you." Kevin explained. He initially thought about lying but decided to tell the truth, fearing Mia might mention it to Camila later.

Hearing Kevin's explanation, Camila felt much better and even a bit embarrassed. Although Mia knew about her affair with Kevin, she still didn't want Mia to know the details. She huffed and said, "Smart move. From now on, keep this between us. By the way, did Mia say anything else besides shopping?"

"Nothing much. She just told me to focus on my studies. Mrs. Cortez, I understand that I can only meet your expectations by studying hard." Kevin said earnestly.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that." Camila nodded, thinking Mia was indeed concerned about him. She had just talked to her in the morning, and by noon, she had already gone to talk to Kevin. And the results seemed promising. "Alright, you can go back to class now. I need some rest," she said, stretching to show her fatigue. "Mrs. Cortez, do you want a massage?" Kevin offered, trying to show some initiative.

"No, it's late. We can do it tonight." Camila said, blushing. This guy made her wait for an hour, and now he was offering a massage to tease her. How annoying!

"Okay, then I'll head out," Kevin said. Having just had sex with Evelyn Allen, he was a bit exhausted and worried that Camila might notice something. He was relieved to hear her decline and quickly left. However, it struck him that he still had to meet Vanessa this evening, which made him anxious. He realized he was now involved with three female teachers at school, and it was becoming overwhelming. He decided to take it one step at a time.

Kevin's Reflection and Classroom Dynamics

Back in the classroom, Kevin sat at his desk, feeling the weight of the $1,000 in his pocket. It made him restless. He had never imagined having this much money. Kevin felt both excited and uneasy. In the past, he would have figured out ways to spend it. But Mia's words at the shoe store lingered in his mind and made him ponder things from a new angle.

Camila and Mia were both teachers with families and jobs, earning regular incomes. Yet, their lives weren't easy. His mother struggled even more, supporting the family alone. Evelyn Allen, a housewife without a job, could afford expensive lingerie and casually give him $500. The difference lay in the men they married.

Despite all the talk about gender equality, reality showed that women often needed to rely on men. The strength of the man determined the quality of the marriage. As Mia had said, no matter who he married in the future, without strong financial capabilities, he couldn't provide a good life for his partner. He couldn't bear to see a woman he loved struggle with countless bills, like his mother.

Taking a deep breath, Kevin decided not to spend any of the money. After all, Evelyn Allen was a married woman. Sleeping with her was already a betrayal to her husband, spending her money would be even worse.

Classroom Confrontation

In the classroom, everyone was buried in their books while a few boys whispered and ignored Zoey Jackson's repeated reminders, which made her face red with anger. Finally, class monitor Ivan Simmons stood up and snapped at them to quiet down. Ivan looked smugly at Zoey, thinking he was still in charge of Class 57.

Zoey felt frustrated by Ivan's provocative gaze. Ever since she rejected his advances last semester, he had held a grudge and would pick on her. Despite her excellent academic performance, she couldn't compete with Ivan's influence and often ended up in tears.

The class was torn into groups. Most girls supported Zoey, while the boys were more scattered. Some were Ivan's followers who would often stir up trouble at his instigation. Others sympathized with Zoey but didn't have the courage to stand up to Ivan.

Mike Adams felt angry watching Ivan bully Zoey but didn't dare challenge him. His father was no match for Ivan, who was the head of the finance bureau. Offending Ivan could bring trouble to his father.

Suddenly, Kevin stood up and swaggered towards the classroom door. Ivan frowned and said, "Kevin, where are you going? It's study time. You can't leave." Kevin rubbed his stomach, looking pained. "I need to go to the bathroom. Ivan, you're in charge while the teachers are gone. Does that include my bathroom breaks? So what? That makes you the bathroom boss?"

The class burst into laughter, and some boys who didn't like Ivan Simmons even whistled. Ivan, furious, stood up and pointed at Kevin. "Kevin, don't push it. Don't think I won't do anything about this. What you're doing is against the rules. If you have a problem, take it up with Mrs. Cortez."

Just then, Camila walked in. Seeing the confrontation, she asked sternly, "What's going on? Kevin, explain."

"Mrs. Cortez, I need to use the bathroom, but Ivan won't let me go. I can't hold it anymore," Kevin said, clutching his stomach like he was about to burst.

"Then hurry up." Camila said, giving Kevin a sharp look. She suspected the situation was more complicated but didn't want to get into it.

After Kevin left, she turned to Ivan and said coldly, "Think carefully next time. How can you stop him from using the bathroom? I don't remember putting you in charge of that."

Camila wasn't just defending Kevin; she had long been displeased with Ivan. His academic performance was average, but he had a strong desire for power. His position as class monitor was secured only because his father had spoken to the principal. Despite her opposition, she had to put him in this position. But whenever she had the chance, she would pick on him.

Seeing Ivan's face turn red under Camila's scolding, Zoey Jackson felt a sense of satisfaction. She also realized that Kevin had deliberately provoked Ivan to make him look bad. Was Kevin standing up for her? Zoey's heart fluttered, and a blush spread across her fair face. Maybe Kevin wasn't as heartless as she had thought.

Kevin's Dilemma and Plan

Kevin went to the bathroom. He couldn't stand Ivan's bullying behavior, especially towards a girl. He wasn't afraid of Ivan's retaliation and knew that Camila, with whom he had a close relationship, would back him up. Ivan's father, no matter how powerful, wouldn't make things difficult for his mother, a sales clerk. That wouldn't look good if it got out.

However, Kevin was troubled by the evening's plans. Vanessa wanted him to meet her in the garden after school while Camila expected him in her office. He couldn't afford to offend either of them. He couldn't be in two places at the same time, so he needed a plan. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he hurried back to the classroom.

At the classroom door, he ran into Camila, who was heading back to her office. He quickly approached her with a smile and said, "Mrs. Cortez, are you heading back to your office?"

Camila glanced at Kevin and said, "Weren't you just in the bathroom? That was quick. I thought you were faking it. Try not to cross paths with Harold Brooks. If you have any trouble, come to me first, okay?"

She said this to protect Kevin. As his homeroom teacher, she couldn't shield him if his conflicts with Harold escalated again, like last year. If Kevin got into serious trouble again, she wouldn't be able to help him avoid a disciplinary record.

"I understand, Mrs. Cortez." Kevin nodded. He then leaned in and whispered, "You care about me and said that to protect me, right?"

"Stop it. Be careful with your words. Someone might hear you." Camila blushed, glancing around nervously. Luckily, there weren't many people around at this hour. She glared at Kevin and said, "Come to my office later. I'd like to discuss a few mistakes from your last composition."

"Mrs. Cortez, Mia Wilson asked me to help her with something tonight. She mentioned it when she left at noon. May I see her first?" Kevin said, looking troubled. This was the plan he had thought of in the bathroom, to use Mia as an excuse. He figured Camila wouldn't question Mia, which allowed him to meet Vanessa first.

"Oh, is that so?" Camila pondered for a moment. "Alright, go help Mia first. Then you can come to see me." She was puzzled by Mia's request but thought it was understandable given her situation. Mia's husband wasn't around, and she lived alone in a big apartment. Unlike her unreliable husband, having Kevin help Mia might prevent other men from harassing her.

"Okay, Mrs. Cortez," Kevin said, relieved that his excuse had worked. He quickly returned to the classroom. As soon as he sat down, his desk mate leaned over and said admiringly, "Kevin, you're a badass for standing up to Ivan Simmons. And it's no surprise Mrs. Cortez backed you up. She really gave Ivan a dressing-down. It was good to see.

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