Bright

two

The next week flew by. I lounged around the house with Michael and made lesson plans for school. I spent my little free time setting up my classroom. I felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness. It just honestly felt like I was going to throw up the whole week. But today is the day.

I take another glance at myself in the bathroom mirror and fix my hair for the millionth time. I wore it straight today along with a white blouse and black slacks. I put on the finishing touch; a bright red pin my mother got me that is in the shape of an apple. It is clique and overdone but it matches my outfit. I grabbed my bag of lesson plans and my purse then ventured to the living room. Michael was still sleeping so I grabbed a breakfast bar and slipped out the front door. I don’t have a car so I took the subway. Michael has a car and we usually car pool together but now that I have to be up earlier, I will just have to take the long way. Mikey is a video game tester so he gets to choose his own hours. He claims it’s his dream job but I’m not so sure. He has to put in twelve hours a day so he doesn’t get much time for anything else. He has to test one small portion of a game for months on end to make sure there are no glitches or bugs and he doesn’t get to choose the games he tests. Usually it doesn’t bother him but sometimes I can see that he gets bored of playing the same child’s game over and over. Besides getting ridiculed for “getting paid to play games”, he really loves his job. And all I want is his happiness.

The walk from the subway to the school is about three blocks. Everything is quiet except my breathing and a few birds. I reach the school in no time. I check in the office and the secretary recognizes me from when I was a substitute. She greets me a happy hello and I return the favor. Her hair is orange and super curly. She really does seem like a sweet lady and I make a mental note to befriend her.

When I reach my classroom, I have half an hour before the bell rings. My throat is tight and I feel like I’m going to puke. I’m organizing my desk for the third time when I hear a knock on the door. A woman with shoulder length blonde hair and purple lipstick stands in the doorway. She looks a few years older than me. She speaks first, “First day?” I nod shyly. She walks towards my desk and extends her hand, “I’m Perrie Edwards. I teach next door.” I smile widely and shake her hand. “Stella Campbell, nice to meet you.”

Perrie takes a small step back and rests a hand on her hip, “Don’t be nervous. I know first days can be stressful but they’re only first graders. They can’t do too much harm to you.” I grin, “Yeah, I guess I am just nervous.”

She grabs my hand sweetly, “Oh, honey, on my first day, I was so nervous that I puked all over a kid.” I burst into laughter. “Seriously, it was not a fun time! The kid had to go home and I think he exchanged schools!” I was doubled over and cackling at this point. Perrie laughed along with me until we were almost in tears. She stroked my hand. “You’ll be fine, I promise. And if you need anything, I am right next door.” I nodded and she walked back out the door.

A few minutes later the bell rang and kids flooded in the classroom. I took deep breaths. “Hi, guys! Go ahead and hang your backpacks up on the rack by the window. Find the desk with your name on it and take a seat!” They filed in loud and full of energy. I couldn’t help but smile.

When everything got settled in, I started the introductions. I told them my name then they went around the room and said their names one by one. I had twelve students so my class was smaller than usual ones but I didn’t mind. There were seven girls and five boys.

The day flies by. I have lunch with Perrie and we chat about college. I learn almost every kids name and we play a ton of games. My feet hurt and my makeup is smudged but I am bubbling with joy. I really have a smart and unique group of kids. I am excited for the year ahead.

 When the bell rings for the end of the day, the students rush out to greet their parents. Almost all of them get picked up after ten minutes. All except for two. Michael is supposed to be here soon to pick me up. I am so tired but since he’s not here, I don’t mind waiting. I stand outside with Tommy, the class clown, and Ariel, a sweet quiet girl. Tommy has missing teeth and matted black hair. He is a class favorite. He makes everyone happy and although he disrupts the class, I have to admit that he has made me chuckle. Ariel, on the other hand, is silent for the most part. I have only seen her speak a few times throughout the day but when she does talk, everyone listens. Ariel has pretty blonde hair that sticks up in a few odd places and dark green eyes with flecks of brown. Despite being quiet, she seems happy.

Tommy and Ariel get along fairly well and they chat until Tommy’s mom pulls up in a blue minivan. He waves goodbye and hugs Ariel before running off.

Ariel and I sit in silence for several minutes. A breeze picks up and a chill runs through my spine. Ariel shivers on the bench next to me. “Are you cold?” I ask. She looks at me and nods. I shrug my big coat off and hand it to her. She looks apprehensive but grabs it and buries in it. She smiles wide at me and scoots closer to me. I wrap the coat tighter on her wrap my arms around her. “Thanks Miss Campbell.” She says, barely over a whisper. “You’re welcome, sweetie.”

A few more minutes pass by and I begin to get irritated at Ariel’s guardian for not being here. “Miss Campbell?” Ariel asks, “Will you be here tomorrow?”

I stifle a chuckle, “Of course, Ariel. I will be here every day.” She settles back into my arms and sighs, “good. I like you.” My heart swells. “Oh, and you can call me Ari.”

“I like you too, Ari.” Suddenly, a black car pulls up in front of the school and Ari jumps out of my coat and runs to it. I stand up and watch the black car park and turn off. The driver’s door opens and Ariel yells, “Daddy!”

My heart stops at the sight of the driver; a tall blonde with broad shoulders and bright blue eyes. The stranger from the bar. My hand goes to my mouth. The stranger picks up Ariel into his arms and spins her. He kisses her head and places her on the ground safely. Shit. He is even better looking sober. He looks up from Ari and makes eye contact with me. His expression drops. He remembers me too. He grabs Ariel’s hand and walks back over to me. My heart is pounding in my chest. He is wearing a navy button up shirt and black jeans. His hair is styled high. Christ.

He’s standing in front of me and I don’t know what to say. He speaks first, “Sorry, I was running late at the studio.” Studio? I wonder what kind? Art or music studio? Oh my god, he’s artistic. Holy shit he’s so attractive. “Oh, it’s okay. Me and Ari had a good talk. Didn’t we?” I gesture to her. She nods wildly and smiles.

“Did you have her waiting in this cold?” The stranger asks accusingly. Is he angry at me? Really? He’s the one who took his sweet time and made his daughter wait! I feel on fire. I have to keep my cool. I am at work. “I am very sorry, sir, my apologies.” I spot Michael’s car approaching the parking lot and feel calmer at his sight. I motion that I’ll be there in a moment and he nods back.

The stranger notices our interaction, “its fine. Let’s go, Ariel.” He tugs at her hand and they begin to walk away. I pick my jacket up from the ground and dust off the grass. Who does that lunatic think he is? He has no business to make me feel guilty! He was the late one!

Suddenly, I hear footsteps running fast up behind me. Tiny arms wrap around my legs and I almost fall over. I turn around to see Ariel tightly hugging my legs and the stranger waiting by the car. I hug Ari the best I can from the position I was in. Then she runs off to the car, yelling behind her, “Bye, Miss Campbell! See you tomorrow!”