Paper Hearts || Krii7y

1. What's So Funny About Shakespeare?

***************Disclaimer***************

This story is entirely fictional. Nothing here is meant to reflect anything in real life.

These are personalities I have written each person to have and it is not how they truly are, so please don't take it that way or get upset at how I've chosen to write certain people. How they appear in this story is not how I perceive them; I wrote them the way I did to fit the storyline.

Okay, end of rant.

Please enjoy :)

~ LC

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As the day drew to an end, Jaren could feel the classroom becoming restless. Pens were tapping on desks and legs were bouncing up and down. He could empathise with his classmates because though history itself could sometimes be interesting, their teacher never was.

Mr Brennan was a lovely man but his lessons seemed to stretch hours. Jaren himself wasn't paying much attention to his teacher's drawling.

He had instead been mindlessly doodling for the last half of the lesson, anything that crossed his mind sprouting from the end of his pen and onto the already littered page. He wasn't too worried about missing the content- he could learn it at home in half the time. He looked up for the first time in the lesson to Mr Brennan's eyes sweeping the classroom.

"I see you're all itching to leave but I hope you've been paying attention and making notes. You'll be tested on this in your exams, which are getting closer. Please let me know if there's anything you haven't understood. Also remember-"

But just then the final bell rang, releasing the students from school. They rushed for the door, chattering loudly as they left. Mr Brennan shouted over them, "I want your papers on my desk tomorrow morning!"

Jaren couldn't help but feel bad for his teacher as he packed away his books. The rest of his classmates were gone and so he slowly approached Mr Brennan, who was sitting in his chair at the front of the classroom. He didn't seem to have noticed Jaren as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed.

Jaren cleared his throat.

Mr Brennan started and quickly removed his hands. The small frown on his face quickly disappeared and the corners of his mouth lifted. "Jaren, hi. Can I help you with anything?"

"I have my paper today, if you want it."

The awkwardness dissipated a little when a real smile replaced the fake one on the man's face. "That would be great, actually. Thank you," he said.

Jaren handed it over to him and slung his bag onto his back.

"I trust it will be as brilliant as everything else you've produced for this class."

"I hope so." No pressure there.

"I wanted to talk to you about college too. Deadlines are still a little ways away but it's better to get your applications in early."

Jaren didn't want to have this conversation right now. The topic already plagued his mind more than he wanted. "I sent in my application for University College London a week ago."

"Ah right, London. You didn't want to stick around?"

Jaren shrugged. "Not really. London's kind of always been a dream so I want to try to get in. I've still got a few backups here though because I know how hard it is to get in."

"You know to come to me if you need any advice. Your reference alone should give you a boost for UCL if I do say so myself," he said, complimenting his own work.