Frowned Upon [H.S. AU]

THIRTY-ONE

"He's good for my heart,

But he's bad for business."

✿ ✿ ✿

IRIS MONROE

March 4th, 2022

"Great job, you guys," I praise Naomi and Tyler, her desk partner.

My smile widens when Naomi barely even notices my presence over her shoulder. Her tongue peeks out as she intensely concentrates on her writing exercise in front of her. There was a time when I could barely get her to stare at her assignment, paper, book, or whatever the task at hand was for more than thirty seconds without getting distracted.

Now, she nearly jumps in her seat, filled with joy, anytime she's given the opportunity to read or write during class. On top of art, she's close to loving every subject. If I could only get her to love learning the fundamental math skills as much.

I glance at Scarlett to see if she needs help, but the phone ringing loudly causes me and a few students to jump amidst our hushed classroom.

Their focus returns to their activity as I walk to my desk and pick up the phone.

"This is Ms. Monroe," I say distractedly, realizing how cluttered my desk has become throughout the day.

"Ms. Monroe," the all-too-familiar voice of Mr. Warren's secretary blasts through the phone. My nerves immediately flare up. "You're needed in the Dean's office. Prepare Ms. Sinclair to watch your class for the rest of the school day as a precautionary measure."

My brows furrow, and I glance at the time. There's a little over an hour left of school. Meetings over an hour are usually scheduled to avoid interfering with class time. No meeting has ever been sprung on me like this, especially from Mr. Warren. If he could schedule his breathing, he would.

"O-Okay," I attempt to sound confident. It's a complete failure. "Do I need to bring anything with me?"

"No, just yourself."

I refrain from rolling my eyes when she hangs up the phone abruptly. She's never been the friendliest person.

The slight annoyance with the rudeness of the office secretary fades away when I motion Scarlett to come over. A random meeting with Mr. Warren, the elected board member of the primary school level at Chadwick Arts Academy, is unheard of. The occasional occurrence has never been a positive story. It almost always ends in someone getting fired or screamed at for a significant mistake.

I can't think of any mistakes I've made that would result in getting yelled at by him. If I did, let's be honest, I'd rather fess up to it before he found out on his own.

My stomach drops at the mere thought of being fired.

He's been cordial since I asked about maternity leave, and he harshly turned the idea down. I don't see any reason for him to call me to his office, which terrifies me.

Quietly, I tell Scarlett that I may have to spend the rest of the school day in Mr. Warren's office, but if not, I'll be back as soon as possible. The worry on her face is more than apparent, but she doesn't voice her concern for my sake.

The hallways are eerily silent as I walk to the front office. The closed classroom doors muffle any hint of comfort in the form of noise I hear. My stomach churns with each step I take, and even the sound of my soft footsteps echoes off the walls. For once, I'm not nauseous because of morning sickness. This time, my anxiety is causing my fingers to pick at my cuticles while I try to swallow the urge to find the nearest trash can to puke into.