Newsies One-Shots

Chapter 113 - Specs x Romeo

The Teacher AU No One Wanted
Ship - Spromeo
Era - Modern
Triggers - None

Romeo closed the book and sighed. "So, what do we think of that?" he asked, looking at the students in front of him.

When no one answered he sighed. "Lucas, you usually have a lot to say about the books we read. Is there anything you'd like to say?"

Lucas looked up and shrugged. "I don't think I can say what I want to say without getting a detention."

Romeo laughed. "Could you try and make it friendly enough to share it with the class?"

"Sure," Lucas mumbled. "Well, I think it's crap. I mean, she's thirteen and he's, like, twenty and they fall in love at first sight. Which is stupid. And then she decides to fake die for him but then he's stupid and is like, 'Wow, she looks so alive even though she's dead.' And then he kills himself but then she wakes up and the friar guy is all like, 'Don't kill yourself,' but she does anyway. And that's stupid because she's only thirteen and had a whole other, what? Seventy years left to live. When was this released by the way, Mr. DeRosa?"

"Mid to late 1590s," Romeo offered. "But it's set in the fourteenth or fifteenth centuries, meaning she would have had twenty, maybe thirty years left of her life."

"Then she definitely shouldn't have killed herself. She could have had a great twenty or thirty years. And it's 2022. It's about time we stop studying a 400 year old book and read something better than Shakespeare." Lucas then proceeded to make his true opinion about Shakespeare known. With quite colourful language as well.

Romeo blinked. His students sure had ways to surprise him daily. That was just not what he had been expecting.

"Okay. I understand that a lot of people don't like the play. Does anyone else have an opinion they'd like to share? And please, try to keep it more PG than Lucas did."

Romeo was glad that the classroom discussion lasted the final fifteen minutes of class. He hadn't printed the handout with the questions they were meant to answer despite having meant to do it a week prior. When the class ended, Romeo breathed in relief. That class was his finest example of winging it.

"Lucas, can I talk to you for a second?" he said as his students were leaving for lunch.

Lucas stopped talking to his friends and nodded. "I'm sorry, Mr. DeRosa, I didn't mean to say that and I know it's not tolerated and I could even get suspended for saying that and I'm really sorry, Mr. DeRosa. Please don't give me a detention."

"Since it's the first time this has happened, I'm not giving you detention," Romeo promised. "But if it happens again, I will. I'm letting you away with a warning."

"Thank you so much, Mr. DeRosa. I won't let you down. Bye, Mr. DeRosa."

"Bye, Lucas," Romeo smiled, starting to pack away his book as Lucas ran out of the room.

~~~

Specs enjoyed teaching well-being, he also enjoyed teaching history nonetheless. But well-being was always such a relaxing class. Even if it was just a few classes in a week. It was always fun.

"Today, we're talking about relationships, specifically romantic, I know some of you might already be in relationships or might have feelings for others." He tried not to look at the two students that he knew sat beside each other in every class where they could. There was feelings between them, Specs just didn't know if they were going out or not. "But there's lots of different types of relationships and it's important to know what you expect from a relationship."