You X TVD // Passion And Danger

New day; new me

*Nora's pov*

I walk into a room full of teenagers, unassuming in their fields of interest. Dull faces morphing into forced grins made me a little jittery. Do they want to learn music, or are they just here to squander money? I'd never know. The college principal introduces me to the lifeless classroom. A few students recognise me; perhaps my work didn't disappoint me as I believed it to. I could assume they wanted a few pictures with me: a boy tentatively winds out his cell phone but puts it back when the principal's face turns in his direction. What I need is a fresh start, and maybe this is it! The principal departs the classroom, and I narrate my journey. Some faces light up when they realise that they know my work but not my name; I feel good. I draw a guitar from the corner and start my lesson.

...

"Nora!" I flip back to see the principal chortling in awe. I deliver him a closed-mouth grin.

"How's the first day?" He laces his words with uncontrollable excitement. They love me: I smile wholeheartedly.

"Safe to say that I enjoy teaching in this college." I stand upright, feeling a sense of pride swarm within me.

"Great! Can you come to my office?" He requests, his features taking a sterner route. I wonder where the former excitement went. Did I meet the college's expectations? I nibble my underlip. Please, God. Don't let me fail here as well. I lock my index and middle finger.I follow my superior into his office: oddly serene. The smell of old books braids my nerves to represent an embroidery; such a cool office.

He offers me my seat, and my previous thought dawns on me: I would definitely get constructive criticism.

The man plops on his leather chair and intertwines his fingers. He clears his throat and begins."Nora, I hope you are finding your stay here comfortable."

"I am adapting." I put my forearm on his desk, reciprocating the smile on his face.

"See, Nora, I know it's not my place to ask, but why did you quit the band?" His arm reaches for my forearm. He questions me in incredulity.

Woah, what? Why is he asking? Did my anxiety attack make my flaws obvious?

"Um, I wanted to venture into a less demanding and highly impactful field for a while. The band was my dream, but I just needed a break. At times, I felt like I'd be better off working alone. Why do you ask?" I tap the table with my nails, making irrhythmic sounds.

"I was just making sure if you are okay with our classroom. You see, the class you are teaching doesn't engage a lot with their teachers. They can be a handful: the fact that they are adults isn't even in the question. A lot of them paid their way through. I didn't want to burden you with them, but their teacher just quit, so I had to contact you. That's all."

"Oh, they are engaging with me, Mr Brent. I'm comfortable with them; truth be told, not much because it's just my first day. Why do you feel like it's a burden to me?" I press on my question, knowing that I'm stretching, yet the expression on his face tells me that he has other things on mind.