Bitter and the Sweetness

Troublemaker Look On Your Face

"Icarus... Who was he?" Cory asks, looking at his class.

A boy with shaggy brunette hair raises his hand, and Cory points at him, "Farkle, any guesses?"

"He was the son of Daedalus in Greek mythology," Farkle says.

Cory nods and leans against his desk, "Now, can anyone tell me the story of Icarus?"

A girl raises her hand, and Cory smiles at her, "Yes, Riley?"

"Daedalus and Icarus were stuck on an island, and Daedalus was trying his hardest to get them off the island when he he had an idea. Daedalus would make wings made of wax and bird feathers to escape by the air instead of the unpredictable sea.

"Once Daedalus made the wings, he told Icarus that they were going to leave the island. Icarus's father warned him not to fly too close to the sun, or the wax would melt. With that, the father and son flew off. Icarus felt freedom pulsing through him as they flew across the sea, and he flew higher.

"As he ascended, the wax began to melt, and the feathers began to fall. Daedalus noticed the feathers fluttering past him, and he looked up to see his son high up in the sky. Daedalus yelled at him to get down, but Icarus couldn't hear him.

"It was too late when Icarus finally noticed that most of the feathers on his wings were gone. He plunged downwards, screaming for help from Daedalus, but Icarus was descending too fast for Daedalus to catch him. Icarus plunged into the sea, dying once he hit it," Riley said.

Cory nodded and stood up straight, "Now, can anyone tell me the lesson in this story?"

No one raised their hands so Cory just smiled, walking past the rows of desks before stopping at one in the back corner. The teacher places his hand on the desk, looking down at the occupant of the desk. The blonde girl smirks up at Cory.

"What's up, Matthews?" she says nonchalantly.

Cory looks at the blue-eyed blonde with a smile, "What is the moral of the story, Ms. Hart?"

Maya sighs, straightening her leather jacket, "I don't know... Don't fly too close to the sun?"

Cory shakes his head, disappointed, before lowering his voice so only Maya could hear him, "Maya, you are one of my best students... Why don't you ever act like it in front of the other students?"

Maya's eyes flash with guilt, but then she just smirks at Mr. Matthews, "I don't know what you're talking about, Matthews."

Cory sighs and walks back up to the front of the class, "Anyone have any guesses?"

A tan boy raises his hand, and Cory nods to him, "Yes, Lucas?"

"I think the moral of the story is that you should listen to people's advice, even if freedom seems like the more favorable choice. If you never listen to anyone, you could be hurting yourself," Lucas says.

Cory smiles, "Excellent, Mr. Friar. Now, I want each of you to write a paper, telling me how this applies to you. Are you like Icarus, or are you like Daedalus? Turn it into me at the end of class."

The students begin to write, the only sound being pencils gliding across papers. Cory sits in his desk, looking at all of his students scribble down their answers.

The bell rings, and Cory opens the door, "Class is dismissed, have a good weekend!"

All the students file out, except for one. Cory closes the door, and he walks over to Maya. She looks up at Mr. Matthews, giving him a small smile.

"Maya, why don't you ever just speak in class?" Cory asks, his voice soft and caring.

Maya sighs, running a hand through her hair, "I don't know... I just... I can't. Here, Mr. Matthews. Have a good weekend."

The blonde hands a piece of paper to Cory before standing up and slinging her backpack on her shoulder. Maya walks out of the room, her combat boots slapping against the linoleum floor.

Cory glances down at the paper, sighing. The teacher places it on his desk, rubbing his temples. The paper was torn from a notebook, scribbled on the top was the word Icarus. Cory picks up the paper scanning it before sighing.

"Oh, Maya..." the teacher says, his voice filled with sadness.

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Cory walked into his classroom, the students conversing with each other. He smiles, happy to see that his students were happy, even if it was a Monday. The teacher clears his throat, and all the students look at him, the conversations halting.

"Hello, class! I graded your papers over the weekend, and I must say, some of these were very inspiring. Now, there was one that stuck out in particular to me. I won't say who wrote it, but I think that this perfectly explains the lesson," Cory says.

The class waits expectantly as Cory takes out a piece of paper. He glances across his students before clearing his throat. The teacher leans against his desk.

"Am I Icarus or Daedalus? That is a good question. I know that most would like to say they were Daedalus, but I can't say that for myself. Nor can I say that I am Icarus. In fact, I feel like I am both of them at the same time.

"In class, I am like Icarus. I act without consideration of the rules, and as an effect, I am hurting myself. Icarus wanted freedom, and I do, too. I yearn for the freedom that so many people have. No one realizes how lucky they are for the freedom of their actions until it is taken away. Icarus realized this as his wings were cut, showing him that freedom was not something you could fly to. It was something you earned.

"When no one is around, I am like Daedalus. I want to follow the rules. I worry about my family and how we are going to survive. I want to stop pretending to be something I'm not, but of course, the side of me that is like Icarus yearns for the freedom that I can never have, no matter how high I fly. I will always crash into the sea.

"So, am I Icarus or Daedalus? I am both and neither at the same time. How can I say which one I am when I don't even know who I actually am? I mean, who really knows who they are? You have to learn throughout life, and my world isn't ready to tell me who I am. I guess, I will just have to wait for it, just like freedom. Just like Icarus and Daedalus," Cory says.

The students stare at Cory, silence filling the room. The teacher smiles and places the paper on his desk. He turns to the chalkboard, writing the next lesson.

In one of the desks, Maya Hart fiddles with her hands, looking around at all the students. They all stare at one another. She bites her lip, knowing that they wanted to know who she was. How can she tell them, though? She doesn't even know herself.

Maya looks up once more to see Riley Matthews staring back at her, a small smile on her face. Maya raises an eyebrow, putting on her signature smirk. The brunette grins before turning back to Cory. The blonde sighs, staring down at her notebook.

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A/N: Alright, so let me just explain what is happening. Maya and Riley aren't friends (yet). Maya is the rebel in her class, but in reality, she is one of Mr. Matthew's best students, always handing him her notes of the day after class instead of saying them in front of the class in fear of the class thinking of her differently. So, I hope you enjoy!