chapter 23:
"baby, can I come in?" rose knocks on adam's door, but doesn't hear anything.
"lisa, is adam in his room?" she asks.
"no, dear. he's with dr. finn upstairs with a patient."
rose looks at the time 10:34.
she has to be at work at 11:30.
"can you tell him that I'm leaving?" lisa nods, "sure thing, don't worry."
before rose enters her apartment to change, she knocks on jack's, only to feel a note under her shoes,
'good morning, dear ro.
I woke up early to take natalie out for breakfast.
I'll see you after your work, sweetheart.
take care of yourself.'
rose smiles and goes to fish for her keys. "little mouse?" she calls for her pet.
she takes care of dodo, sips on her tea, washes the dishes, cleans the kitchen, and leaves.
"I'll be back in 4 hours, my little mouse, okay?"
the hall is full of students using the vending machine and rose chooses to sit in the teachers room.
"how are you?" she asks the teachers.
"trying to be better." they shift their attention from their papers to her.
"I have a class with group A2 at 12:10. is it okay if I change with anyone of your classes?" she asks no one in particular.
"why? this group is excellent" mumbles gabriel.
"they don't listen to me and complain all the time" says rose while placing her bag in her locker.
she takes her mug as well to fill it with hot water.
"well, you need to shout at them, rose" says gabriel.
"she can't shout at them. her face is kind" says diana, giggling.
"I don't like to shout. they're not children." rose places a teabag in her mug and turns to face the teachers. "they're teenagers." pouts rose.
"I won't change, sorry" gabriel apologizes.
"diana?" when diana shakes her head, zoe walks in.
"change what?" asks zoe.
"rose wants to change her class with one of ours" answers gabriel.
rose stirs her drink, with her head down, embarrassed.
"why? you didn't like them?" asks zoe while making herself coffee.
"she says, they don't listen to her."
zoe looks at gabriel. "she can talk. rose what happened?"
after gabriel leaves, rose tells zoe, "i-I try to make them listen, but they don't. they pack their things before I ask them to and never solve anything I give them." her voice quiet.
"listen, I can change it for you with any of the teachers, but you need to know how to manage your class. discipline rose, discipline" says zoe and leaves again, her heels making noise.
"I'm sorry." diana pats rose's shoulder and leaves.
rose places the attendance sheet in the yellow box labelled 'attendance sheet' and starts printing papers for her next class.
the smell of cigarettes putting her on edge, as well as nerves because she knows who is behind her.
"rose" speaks gabriel, loudly.
