All this Time

Nathan

6th January

It's almost the end of our first Monday back at school. I've been teaching at Archwood High for two years and before that it was Rock Canyon. I can't decide which of the two I prefer. But the kids here are cool.

Teenagers are never going to be the easiest age group. Too many know it alls and smart mouths. Still, I spent a long time raising one so I have some experience with how to approach the more reluctant. Dallas for the most part was a good kid, she did a few things that wound me up but her overall behaviour was fine.

It was the back chat and battle of wits she got into with me. The girl never backed down and she had some strong fucking opinions. Whenever she handed me my ass, I waited until she walked off and then I smiled because I knew she'd never have a problem speaking up for herself.

The students are a little different. Sure, I can have a debate with them but I can't tell them to go fuck themselves if I'm losing.

It's the last period, we're in the gym having a game of dodge-ball because the snow is too thick to do anything outside. Leaning on the wall, I monitor my class flinging the red balls up and down the court. James, Georgia and Tom are the over achieving sort who are throwing the balls hard enough one would think they're being graded on it. They're not. I'm easing back into the semester.

A few of the girls got out straight away, on purpose. They think they're slick but I've seen this shit before. They go and sit down on the bench with their cellphones, the rest of the game is their free time. Whatever, it's not worth telling them to put more effort in. It's dodge-ball, I couldn't care less to be honest.

There's my favorite students, the ones that might not be athletically gifted but they make up for it by putting their all into the game. They have fun while they're at it too.

Sometime between Tom throwing the ball straight at Sterling and then Georgia almost breaking her best friends nose on the other side of the court, I notice that Mitch and Kiri are missing. And because I know far too much about these hormonal fucking morons, I immediately straighten off the wall and lap the outside of the court.

"Keep going," I shout over the squeak of sneakers on the floor, laughter, threats and the balls bouncing off the walls. "I'll be back in a minute."

Mitch, my main man, football prodigy, on to big things soon, if he can keep his shit together. He's going to get this girl fucking pregnant at this rate and I'm not going to let him flush his future like that. Or hers. She's a bright girl, fluent in like four languages, taking a world economic forum course at the college, a handful of excellence awards.

I've been peeling these two off each other since the start of senior year.

Going through the foyer, I pass the locker rooms and swing open the doors that lead into the hall of offices. We have three, one for me and one each for the other two health and fitness teachers and sports coaches.

As I pass each door, a gold name tag stuck to the wood, I peer inside. There's nothing but desks stacked with paper, humming computers and Samantha, the girls softball coach. Her eyes dart up when I walk past, sweeping the room. I don't bother explaining. If I bring other teachers into this shit I'll have to enforce disciplinary action and I'm not sure that's the route I want to go at the moment.

When I get to the end of the hall where we keep our stationary and class resources, I find Mitch pressing Kiri up against the shelving around the corner, his hand in the front of her pants.

"Out."

Both of them startle with a gasp and part, immediately fixing themselves, turning a rich red and Mitch wipes his hand on his shirt. I wish I didn't see that. Or any of this. I feel like a fucking creep walking in on such a private moment. Then again, they could've taken it somewhere more private. Like, home. Or a toilet stall.