A Stooge's Teacher

Ch. 2 - a WhatsApp Continuation

Chapter Two – a WhatsApp continuation

Rachel had just started spreading papers out on her desk in her classroom when her Juniors filed in. She was roused by her phone vibrating in the back pocket of her jeans.

Thank you for the lovely company. My coffee hasn't been that enjoyable in quite some time. – Colin

Rachel smiled and quickly saved his number before she replied.

You're welcome. I hope you have enough time to change and erase all evidence of my very ungraceful mishap. – Rachel

Of course. I am looking every bit the successful businessman again, just like before you ran me over. – C

Such an ego, Mr. McCrae. And I didn't run you over. I prefer to think of the incident as an ungraceful, yet very ladylike mishap on my part and a blatant setup on yours. – R

Damn it. My secret is out. It was all my doing, I admit. I deliberately leaned over so you would run into me, one way or the other. – C

Rachel smiled and then she heard giggling. Her students were all assembled and prepared for the upcoming homeroom period. Apparently, her conversation with Colin hadn't gone unnoticed. Mr. Peters, a tall, agile young man, commented: "Well, well, Miss Hollister. I think you just broke the no-texting-during-class rule." Some of the girls chattered under their breaths and Miss Zeman added: "Leave her be, Ryan. The longer she's distracted, the less we have to talk about Shopping Week." Rachel chuckled and replied to the last comment: "I am not surprised that the future isn't a particularly intriguing topic for some of you, Miss Zeman. But that is the whole point of Shopping Week: to make it intriguing and exciting to think about how you want to contribute to society and what you want to fill your lives with." Her phone vibrated again. She glanced at it and saw that it was another text from Colin. Instead of answering and thus deliberately breaking a school rule, she put her phone in her bag and focused on her students.

A few miles away, on the top floor of a modern office building in downtown Hartford, Colin sighed. Had he gone too far? After all, he knew next to nothing about her, and yet he had texted Rachel with a sense of familiarity that, to him, just seemed to echo the chemistry they'd had before in the coffee shop. He really tried not to overthink the silence of his phone. She was teaching right now. Obviously, she couldn't text him during class. He shoved the memory of her voice and smile aside – or at least, he tried to – and immersed himself in the papers of the case that would be wrapped up that afternoon with the announcement of judgment. He hoped sincerely that his clients would be satisfied with the verdict and that they wouldn't have to present an appeal. A little less than an hour later, Colin was heading out to court when his phone vibrated in his bag.

I cannot present any counter-argument in response to your last text, Mr. McCrae. I'll be at the coffee shop tomorrow around two-ish. – R

Great! Case closed. I hope my last text didn't put you on the spot. – C

It just gave my students some ammunition for their preferred argument against the no-texting-during-class rule. I was able to put them off though by opening the can of worms that is their futures. – R

Those were my favorite moments at school – entering into an argument with the teacher who would usually get all flustered and then simply extinct all attempts of a good back and forth of arguments. – C

That sounds like the teacher didn't have a strong case for themselves and wouldn't have stood a chance against your reasoning. I'm not the least bit surprised that you became a lawyer, then. ;) – R