Fairy Bad Day(87)

“Maybe you could both pay attention?” someone suggested in a mild voice, and Mia looked up to where Mr. Haves had suddenly appeared by her side. “So, Mia, would you like to tell us what happens next?”

Mia hoped no one had heard her push-up-bra plan as she looked up at his encouraging smile. Normally, when teachers did that it was because they were evil passive-aggressive maniacs who liked to see students squirm, but Mr. Haves just genuinely seemed to like helping kids learn. Which as a rule was a good thing, just not today. She peered over to the whiteboard, where there was an amplified photo of a cockroach. Gross.

“Well?” Mr. Haves continued. “What do you think is going to happen to our friend, Periplaneta americana next?”

“Um. . . it’s going to fly away?” she guessed, and then wished she hadn’t as the sound of Samantha Griffin’s unmistakable snicker sounded out. Which was more than a little annoying since Samantha wasn’t exactly an A-plus sort of student.

“Not quite. Can anyone else tell me?” Mr. Haves looked hopefully around the class, but when no one raised a hand, he glanced in the direction of his favorite student, Chase Miller—aka the new boy. Well, he’d been at Newbury High for about six months now, but for some reason Mia had never really talked to him. Apparently he was from Boston or somewhere like that. He was tall with short light brown hair and green eyes that were set above a pair of razor-sharp cheekbones. He also tended to keep to himself.

“The jewel wasp is going to put venom into the cockroach’s brain so it can control its mind and body, making it a brainless minion.”

Okay, and now she remembered why she never talked to him, because he was weird. After all, who in their right mind would know stuff like that?

“Excellent. Well done, Chase.” Mr. Haves clapped as he walked back to the front of the room and brought up the next photograph. “The jewel wasp will lay its eggs on the cockroach. After the eggs hatch, the larvae will feed on the roach. Then the larvae use the roach’s abdomen as the perfect living-dead incubator until the newly hatched wasps can feed on—”

Much to Mia’s relief, the rest of his words were drowned out as the bell rang, quickly followed by the sound of scraping chairs that echoed around the room.

“Can you wait for me? I won’t be long.” Mia turned to where Candice was busy studying something on her cell phone.

“Sure.” Her friend gave a vague wave of her hand without looking up and so Mia piled her books into her bag and took a moment to pat her shoulder-length brown hair into place before hurrying toward Rob. However, just before she got there, Mr. Haves appeared in front of her.

“Mia, could I have a quick word, please?”

“Oh.” She gulped as she watched Rob stride out, engrossed in something Samantha was saying, the faint smell of his cologne catching in her nose as he went. Mia realized this probably wasn’t the time or the place. “Uh, I guess so.”

“Actually, I’ll meet you outside.” Candice waved her phone in the air. “I’ve got to make an important call. When it comes to leprosy, you’ve got to move quickly.”

“Did she just say ‘leprosy’?” Mr. Haves lifted a surprised eyebrow as he beckoned Mia to follow him to the front of the classroom.

Thanks, Candice.