Trials of being a teen

Chapter 5-Aurora

This is probably about two-thirds of chapter 5-enjoy, and I will upload more when I have time. :)  Also I can't think of any actor for Derek. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

As Derek knocks on the door to the English staffroom I can see his hand trembling.

No one answers.

‘Uh…Maybe we should come back later.’ I say slowly.

We turn to go when the door opens quickly. My English teacher from last year, Mr. Winton, is standing in the doorway looking at us questionably.

‘Yes, Aurora?’ He asks

I open my mouth to speak then close it, realising he is talking to Derek.

‘Can we speak to Ms Nitikin please?’

Mr.Winton raises his eyebrows.

‘Who?’

I look at Derek in panic but he gently squeezes my arm, telling me to remain calm.

‘She was our substitute teacher yesterday for English, Mrs Stevens’ class.’ He explains. Mr.Winton still looks confused so Derek continues.

‘You know, old….faint Russian accent…big boo-.’

‘Yes.’ Mr Winton interrupts him suddenly, and I sigh with relief.

‘She was a last minute substitute when we realised all our usual relief teachers weren’t available.’ He frowns. ’It was a bit strange actually….’

‘What?’ I ask, trying not to make my voice sound shaky.

 ‘Just as we realised there was no teacher available to take your class, the door opened and there she was. She told us she’s a friend of Mrs Stevens and she heard that she was sick, so she offered to substitute for her.’ Mr Winton squints as he tries to remember.

‘She apologised for being late and for not calling and she brought a resume with her, so we knew she was fully qualified.’

Derek looks slightly alarmed. ‘Do you usually let complete strangers take our classes?’

Mr Winton looks slightly amused at Derek’s uneasiness. ’No, but she knows Mrs Stevens….’

‘So she says…’ I mutter under my breath.

‘And we were desperate.’ He finishes. He looks at us with mild curiosity. ‘Now, you want to see Ms Nitikin?’

‘Yes please.’ Says Derek.

‘Okay but…’ He starts, then turns and goes back into the staffroom, leaving the door open.

‘But what?!’ I whisper loudly to Derek. He gently squeezes my arm again then shushes me when Mr Winton came back.

‘Just as I thought.’ He said, with a weird look on his face.

‘She’s gone.’

‘Gone?’ Derek repeats. I can hear he is struggling to remain calm.

‘She left yesterday afternoon. That was the other weird thing... ‘Mr Winton seems to be talking to himself more than me and Derek, but we listen attentively.

‘As soon as she got back from the lesson, she said she had to go. She apologised, saying there was something urgent she had to do at home. We didn’t even get a chance to discuss payment.’ He sighs. ’I guess we could ask Claire if she could….’

Both Derek and I see that Mr Winton is completely oblivious to the fact we are still standing in the doorway. I clear my throat loudly, causing him to jump.