Hello Again, Sir {s/t - complete}

What About Now?: 2.

    In the back of my mind, somewhere, I was expecting this. I knew Hanna would be at one of the two colleges, and I couldn’t help but be glad that she had chosen this college. But then in another part of my mind I was telling myself that my selfish thoughts were useless. I couldn’t be with Hanna even if I wanted to. I was a teacher now. She was my student. But if it was the only way I would ever be able to see her again, then so be it. If not touching her is what it takes, I’ll take it just to see her face.

    A scrunched up piece of paper was thrown around the room and I looked up, quickly, from the register. A boy, who by the looks of his picture next to his name on the register, was called Jared Patterson. He was trying to stifle a giggle.

    “Okay class!” I called out, gaining attention from most of the students. “How about we get started then?”

    “We’re working on our first day?” one of my students asked.

    “No.” I smiled as I shook my head. “We’re not. Our lesson plan does not start until tomorrow. Today we will be getting to know each-other.”

    “We’re doing what?”

    “Getting to know each-other.” I responded, smiling at the girl who spoke. “I will ask you all a few questions and in return you can ask me some.”

    “Who’s going first?” a girl with blonde hair asked. She was one of the girls, who this morning while I was getting my schedule walked pasted and had been giggling. “You or us?”

    “How about we let you go first?” I replied, standing up from my chair. I grabbed my coffee and walked to the front of the room.

    “Really?”

    “But I want to know stuff about you!”

    “Do we have to say a sentence?”

    “One at a time, please,” I chuckled. “You’ll learn stuff about me all in good time, first, though, I want to learn about all of you.” I pointed towards a boy in the far left with black hair and a shark tooth necklace. “Starting with you. Please say a few things about yourself including your name.”

   The boy looked up at me and frowned. “Do I have to stand up?”

   “No.”

   “Do I have to participate?”

   “Yes.” Apparently, the boy didn’t like this very much.

    “But everyone already knows my name…”

    “I don’t.”

    “But—”

    “Thomas just do what he says!” the giggly blonde girl shouted, turning around to face him.

    The boy sighed. “Fine. Um, hi. My name’s Thomas, I’m seventeen and I surf.”

    I smiled politely at the boy. “Anything else?”

    “Nope.”

    Didn’t think so, I thought to myself. Reading him, it seemed that he wasn’t the type that was usually shy. He would be more of the ‘cool’ kid that liked to backchat and refuse to do anything. Maybe he was just refusing to commit to the class.

    “Okay, well how about the young lady sat next to you?”

    “Me?”

    I recognised her name from the register. “Yes, Sophie.”