A Rift Between Us

Chapter 23 - Too Much To Handle

He smoothed out the crumpled paper ball to reveal a brief note. His eyes darted over it, scanning the partially smudged letters with a mix of curiosity and urgency. Each word seemed to blur and sharpen as he read, his mind racing to piece together the message hidden within the faded ink.

'Two rows of computers aren't going to stop me, nerd. You'd better brace yourself for what's to come.'

He shook his head, crumpling the paper further. The sound of swishing plastic from the front of the class caught Alfie's ear. He looked towards Mr Dodge, who had seemingly found the USB. He stared at it as if it were some foreign contraption. His thumb flicked the cap off, sending it skittering across the desk. Alfie raised his eyebrows as the USB's light flickered when Mr Dodge plugged it in.

The class watched silently as the contents of Mr Dodge's screen appeared on the whiteboard. The grating of his mouse wheel made Alfie's lips tighten. Files whooshed across the screen at great speed, too fast for Mr Dodge's tired eyes to follow. The grating stopped, revealing an archive of teaching-related folders. The cursor zipped to a file labelled 'Cover work for 11S'. He double-clicked it.

A blue circle replaced the cursor, spinning slowly as it loaded. The computer's fans whirred, a low hum filling the room as the file finally opened. Mr Dodge leaned closer to the monitor, his eyes scanning countless pages of revision work. One of the first ones highlighted the growing importance of ICT skills in today's society and job market. He grumbled under his breath, scrolling through the endless information. His eyelids twitched, struggling to stay open, as the screen's light flickered in the bright room.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered softly, keeping his thoughts to himself. "How does she expect these kids to remember all of this?"

His fingers hit CTRL+P, striking the keys with unnecessary force. The cursor hovered over 'print' before he clicked, tilting his head to the right.

"Alara, could you please go to the printer room and wait for all the sheets to come out?"

His question rolled out like an order, leaving Alara with no choice. She shot out of her seat like a firework, tucking her chair in smoothly.

"Of course, sir."

She walked towards the door, adjusting her ribbon bow tie. It fluttered gently as she moved. Alfie subconsciously adjusted his tie in response. He eyeballed Alara as she left the room.

The clock ticked forward, but she still wasn't back, underscoring the archaic nature of the school's printers. He sighed, frustration mounting with each passing second. Just then, a soft crack popped close to his ear, followed by a small paper ball bouncing off his head.

Oh my days...

His fingers peeled it open. Within seconds, it lay flat in front of his keyboard. This note was shorter—insulting, almost playful.

'I'm the boss. Remember that.'

A quick scratch sent the paper tumbling to the floor. Alfie dusted his hands, ridding them of small bits of muck and debris from the desk. Keiko's face appeared between the gaps in the computers, observing Alfie's every move. He shifted his position, hoping to escape her irritating behaviour.

She's not even next to me, yet she's still annoying as ever.

Alara eventually opened the door, returning with a massive stack of papers. With a slick tap of her heel, she closed the door and carefully placed the documents in front of Mr Dodge. She called his name, but his head hung low, unresponsive. The sharp click of the door's latch punctured the silence, jerking him awake.

"Huh? Oh...thank you Alara. Have a seat, I'll hand these to everyone."

His legs trembled as he rose.

I'm gonna need to see a therapist if I'm going to survive this job...