Chapter 1: The Breaking Point
Chapter 1: The Breaking Point
Jane Henderson had always considered herself a patient teacher—until the phones.
They glowed beneath desks, buzzed in hoodie pockets, lit up faces meant to be focused on literature. By October, she’d had enough. Mid-lecture, she stopped, watching as half the class stared down instead of at her.
“New rule,” she announced, her voice calm but sharp. “If you want to communicate during class, you’ll do it without your phones.”
The room stirred.
“No texting. No apps. If you have something to say to someone, find another way. Be creative. But if I catch you using phones again, they’re gone.”
Some students groaned. Others laughed. A few—like Marissa James and Colton Jenkins—leaned forward, intrigued.
Because to them, this wasn’t punishment.
It was a challenge.
