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He stands up and stomps over to the desk next to mine. He leers at me, his mouth twisted in anger. “Just wait until my father hears about this.”

“Oh, don’t worry, your father will definitely be hearing about this,” I whisper, so only Peter can hear.

He smirks. “Don’t get too comfortable here, Ms. Miller. Once my father is through with you, you'll no longer have a job.”

I stop myself from rolling my eyes at him. “Please continue with your quiz, Peter.”

“Fine.” He sneers.

I sit at my desk and massage my temples with my thumb and forefinger. It’s going to be a very long day.

The following afternoon, I’m in my classroom waiting for Mr. Vanderven. I emailed him last night requesting a meeting to discuss Peter, and thankfully 2:30 worked for him since the kids are at music class during that time. Looking at the large clock in my classroom, I see it’s already 2:32. I’m hoping he gets here soon because I only have fifteen minutes before the kids will be back.

Just then, Peter’s father sweeps into the room with his arrogant stride. He’s wearing another expensive tailored suit. It’s black with a light blue shirt underneath and a gold and blue striped tie. His dark hair is gelled perfectly in place. He’s so well-coiffed and wrinkle-free, I can’t help but wonder if the man stands all day to keep his suit flawless.

“Mr. Vanderven, thanks for coming.” I reach my hand out to him for a handshake.

He steps forward and takes my hand, but once again, instead of shaking it, he brings it to his lips and kisses it. My face heats, but not with embarrassment. With anger. What makes this guy think he gets the privilege of kissing my hand? His audacity is outrageous.

I yank my hand out of his and sit in the chair behind my desk to put plenty of space between us. He stays standing, leaning on one foot and crossing his arms. He has a cocky smirk on his face. He must think I was blushing earlier when really I was just enraged.

Ugh, I can’t stand this guy.

“So, did you call me here to talk about how brilliant Peter is?” He winks. “Or did you just want to see me again?”

I take a deep breath and calm myself so I don’t speak out of anger. “I’d appreciate if we could keep this professional, Mr. Vanderv—”

“Bradley.” He interjects.

I set my mouth in a straight line so he knows how unamused I am. “Mr. Vanderven, I asked you to come here today to discuss Peter’s behavior.”

He scoffs. “His behavior?”

“Yes, I’m having difficulty with him. He’s not completing his homework each day, and he’s copying answers off of the other students. Cheating is not permissible here, sir.”

His expression becomes indignant, and he takes a step toward my desk and slams his hands down onto it.

“Whatever little pipsqueak accused my boy of cheating is obviously incorrect. And I’m appalled you would believe such lies, Ms. Miller.” He sneers.

“I have moved Peter’s desk ten times, and every student he sits by has complained about him copying their answers. I don’t believe all ten children are lying.”

He smirks at me with a sardonic look in his eyes. “Do you realize how large of a donation I made to this school when I enrolled my son? Trust me, you do not want to get on my bad side.”

“It doesn’t matter to me how much money you have, sir. I treat every child in my classroom equally. And I hope you can respect me enough to talk to Peter about his behavior at home. I’ve avoided sending him to detention thus far, but going forward I'll have to get the headmaster involved.”

“I would choose your actions and words carefully, young lady.”

I stand so he’s not hovering over me any longer.

With a neutral expression, I respond, “Like I said, please speak with your son about our zero tolerance policy for cheating. That is all I had to say, so you can be on your way. Thank you for coming in.”

Before I can take another breath, he’s on my side of the desk, towering over me in what I assume is an attempt to intimidate me.

“I do not get dismissed, I do the dismissing. And we’re not done here,” he hisses.

I open my mouth to respond when a deep voice comes from the doorway to my classroom.

“She said you can go. Respect her wishes and leave.”