Undercover Gangleader

Chapter Nine

"Asher why aren't you talking to me?"
I shut the door to my locker and walk down the hall to my first period. One of the classes Hana and I don't share together, thank god. I keep my lips into a thin line as I go down the opposite hallway she'd usually go down and walk to the door that leads me to my advanced calculus class. Yes meaning everyday I have to start off school with being in a class of seniors. And not just normal seniors, the ones that don't care that I'm in there. No it's the jocks that somehow managed to get in an advanced class when all they do is cat call and sleep during class then make someone else do their homework for them. Luckily I know how to rush out of there and stay away from them so I'm not the nerd they pick. This is the part where I'd give you a normal cliche answer to explain why I act like a nerd when I'm really a street fighter in training, luckily for you though mines not really that cliche. First of all, I really am a nerd. My skills when it comes to the punching bag or the fighting ring,has no effect on that. A lot of people would ask why don't I just stick up for myself when they force me to do their work, or at least show them that I know how to fight. Well there's many reasons. First, it could damage my records and stop me from going to a good college. And second, my last name gets around fast. If someone from the streets find out that there's a girl in a school with the last name shadows that can fight, they're obviously going to put the two together and realize I'm related to the great street fighter. Endangering my life and my fathers, something we definitely don't need or want.
"Good morning Asher." Mr.Raves says as I take my seat, in the from row right beside my desk. Mr. Raves' room is different from the rest of the teachers. All our desks are lined up facing the board, where the door sits right beside it, and his desk is facing us and its side facing the door. He did it this way so he could be close to the phone while teaching, be able to watch is while sitting at the desk, and he'll always know if someone tries to sneak into class through the door.
"Good morning Raves." I say back and take my normal seat. Raves is the only teacher that pays attention to the little things that bother or discomfort his students. Meaning he washes his board with paper towels and water instead of those cleaning products, so I can sit up front without the issue of a nose bleed.
"How'd you feel about the homework last night?" He asks as he comes and rolls his chair to the side of my desk. Raves is easily one of my favorite teachers of the building, mostly because he interacts with us. Asking to see if your alright with his work or are having any issues being his main focus.
"It was okay. Challenging but it got easier once you got into the roll of working out the problems." He nods and glances at my notebook and I pull out my homework for him to glance over. Raves will also, which most students don't know, check on your answers before he starts class and hung around if you got any of them wrong and help you fix it. Another reason why his on the top of the pyramid of teachers. He leans back into his chair and looks over my paper with folded arms, I can practically feel all the eyes of the girls on him. Raves is the favorite teacher of almost everyone, his looks being the reason for most girls. He used to be the bad boy of the school he went to in high school, and he still holds those dangerous looks. Shaggy black hair, sharp jawline, a tattoo pecking out of his shirt and some even on his fingers, but the biggest clue being how his muscles are in a constant war with the button down shirts he wears. No matter what he wears the girls here always drool over him, he'll the boy could wear a cat sweater and a tutu and all the girls would compliment how the skirt complimented his butt. I'm not one of his fans for that reason though, the reasons I've already told you being the only reasons as to why he's my favorite.
He lets out a chuckle as I grab my pencil from my book bag and he does another quick glance over my papers." It seems as if you've got it but let's see if everyone else does." He then let's out another chuckle and hands me back my paper." Are you sure there's not a website you find the answers off of. Because someone your age..... Not only being able to do this but do it better than the people in the grade above you.... It's amazing."
I shrug and scoot my chair closer to my desk. I've never liked praise from teachers, anyone actually." I just have a lot of free time and motivation from my parents I guess. It helps when you don't have a life." I say with a laugh. It's true though. I wouldn't be able to do homework or study like I do if I had a lot of friends that like to go to parties and go places. Luckily I found a friend who I get along with and is just like me in a way... I frown when I realize I've pushed that one friend away just over a bet. A bet made with a boy that I hardly even know....
Raves frowns at me." What's wrong? I didn't pulls scab or anything did I?"
I shake my head and say,"No I just realized something." When he lifts an eyebrow I shrug it off and answer,"Best friend problems." He nods before glancing over the class to see everyone's here and stands before walking to the from to the front of the class." Okay. Get out that homework."
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"Okay, I came into this lesson somewhat hopeful but now I keep questioning why I decided to became a teacher."
The class stays silent as he goes over to his desk, probably dreading to put the grades in. Almost everyone that was called on to answer a question got it wrong or ended up admitting they didn't even try the homework last night." Ethan Alexandra."
"12."
Out of 20? I picket my lips and look down at my homework. I missed one, mostly because I forgot to put the repeating sign. Yes I could have just quickly wrote it in the paper and counted it right but Raves has already seen my paper and I plus I believe cheating once will make you more prone to cheating again. Which, in my mind, sends you up to failure sometime in life.
"That's how many you got correct?" Raves asks at his desk, shock touching his voice somewhat hopeful.
"Nope how many I got wrong."
Raves grunts and frowns as he punched in our grades on the computer. As the names begin to get called off and people shout out how many questions they got wrong, I take a quick glance over my class. Almost everyone in here is in the jock, or nerd category. A dangerous combination but once you realize the main conclusion you'll see why. Which group has the stereotype of making the smart people of their class do their homework for them? And who's the smart people of the classes? Jocks and nerds.
"Courtney Berg?"
"Missed 4."
From the new students' opinions that have came into our class and some parents out look on it, I know what probably most of you reading this are thinking or are most likely concluding. That Raves is a teacher that likes to tease kids or make them embarrass themselves by announcing their grades to the entire class. Or some might say 'he's so lazy that he can't even take them up and grade them in his own'. I mean yes it helps him out with putting the grades in, but he definitely doesn't do it to embarrass us. He mostly does it so we get an idea of how the people around us did on the assignment, and give us a sort of comfort if we did bad and the people around us did bad also. It also helps with the tutoring system he has set up. If anybody is having problems with a lesson and need a tutor, then they can listen and see who is doing good on the topic and leave a request for that person to tutor them. So it helps us more than it does him.
A knock on the door stops him from calling out and I glance up at the door the time he's opening it. Hana stands in front of the door, her cheeks flustered as she clutched a million sheets of white paper with black squiggles all over them from ink." Um. We're having problems with the printer."
"That much I can tell...." Raves says with wide eyes as he looks at the many papers in her hands." Asher please assist this young girl with the printer. You know my code if you need it."
I nod and grab my stuff off the table and also grab my book bag. It's hard to tell what some of the seniors would do to it or put in it, if I left it plus o only have ten minutes of class left." I missed one by the way." I mumble to him as I pass.
"Number ten?" My eyes widen a fraction before I nod. It's not like him to know I missed a question and not tell me about it." Yeah that was my fault. I erased the repeating sign so don't worry. You got a hundred."
I smile a little as I leave the room but quickly turn around and ask," So I got the question right? And you technically got it wrong?"
He squints his eyes at me and straightens out his back before saying," Answer Invalid." And turning back to his desk.
Hana and I walk down the hall in silence and finally she asks,"I thought math teachers couldn't be pretty."
I squint at her and say," just because I'm talking to you doesn't mean I forgive you. And there's no rules on becoming a math teacher."
"Yeah they are. No student/teacher relationships. Which I bet those girls in there can't stand."
I roll my eyes but nod, telling her just how right she is. We turn into the last corner that leads us to an office where a massive printer sits. Papers still shoot out of it as does some ink, and I stare at it wide eyed. I've never seen a printer do this before, and I can't think of anyone but Hana that could make this happen. I glance over the floor to see footprints of ink everywhere and follow the trail to Xavier, who stands squinting at the printer as if it tried to kill him but he survived and is trapped. A slight giggle- yes a giggle- escapes from me and his head drifts to me, slowly as if he doesn't want to look away from the printer because it may attack at any moment. "Did you just giggle?"
I shrug, though I'm clearly as shocked as him." If you saw how ridiculous you look, you would too."
He squints his eyes at me and I glance at his outfit, to see him wearing blue jeans, a white t shirt, with a loose navy jacket over it. All covered in the ink that is still shooting out from the printer. "I wouldn't talk." Is all he says. And I glance down at my outfit to see that ink blots now cover it. I curse under my breath at how I was so distracted by making fun of him that I hadn't noticed how the ink somehow changed victims. I tighten my fist before going to the printer, making sure to stay out of the way from the Ink water sprinkler that's causing a big puddle of ink to form on the wall." How did you two even manage to do this? Or shall I ask. Hana how did you even do this?"
"What? How do you know I did this?"
"Because you just told me."
She lets out a huff of air and says,"It was fine at first. Then it started going crazy. The lid blew off and ink started spraying everywhere. Happy now Mrs.HoldAGrudge?"
"I feel like that's actually a last name somewhere. Oh and Hana?" She looks me in the eyes and I smirk." Very." She scowls at me and I smile as I simply reach behind the printer and pull the cord out of the plug in the wall. Paper and ink automatically stop flying everywhere and the inside of the printer makes a crashing sound before all the lights on it turn off.
"So it was that simple?" She asks, her embarrassment noticeably coating all her words." That's all I had to do? What about the papers we needed printed?"
"Copy them in a different printer. But I'm going to do that. We don't need anymore seven hundred dollar printers magically messing up."
Hana just squints at me and I put on a smile before grabbing my book bag and walking out of the office.