Linger

F O R T Y - O N E

~ Daniel/Mr. Hayden's P.O.V ~

The school bell rang as the last of the students ambled into their classrooms, not really caring if they made it on time or not. I shook my head at them before making my way into the office. I didn't have a class first period, occasionally I would monitor study hall, but that was already taken care of this morning.

Which part of me was grateful for. Of course, I loved my job and teaching, but on a Monday morning for me, it was best to start the week in the quiet office rather than in front of twenty or so teenagers.

Not that they were all completely out of control, but there were always the few who would talk back or think they could be so clever and get away with being disrespectful, but little did they know that misbehavior would only get them so far - usually just to the principal's office.

What they didn't realize was that most of the life skills learned during their years in high school would benefit them later in their life. But try telling that to them and they'll reply with how they'll never need to know the quadratic formula to survive in the real world.

But what they will need to know is how to manage their time to complete assignments by the due date or how to balance multiple subjects at once or even how to tolerate those who seem to be seeming impossible to deal with all the time. That's a life skill that has definitely come in handy for me.

I chuckled to myself as I pulled out my lesson plan for the day out of my briefcase, remembering how Brandon, my older brother, was one of those difficult kids back when we were in school which gave me plenty of practice to dealing with them today. Although we're all grown up now, he still has his moments which proves us to be as different as ever still to this day.

Growing up, Brandon was always the more popular, and athletic Hayden brother. I, on the other hand, stuck with my books and studies and was known as "Brandon's little brother". Nothing really special there. And nothing has really changed today either. Brandon is still the cool coach to a playoff team now while I'm just the brother who teaches high school and brings baked goods to his games. He still picks on me, saying it's ridiculous how I chose to go back to high school after going there for four years. I say its a second chance to redeem myself as a less nerdy and more cool type of guy in the school halls. At least, that's what I aim for.

I wouldn't trade my job for the world though. I flipped through my lessons until I reached the one planned for today - ah, a lecture. I get to meet so many different people as a teacher, other teachers, parents, and of course, the students. There's never a dull a moment. And nothing is as rewarding as seeing your teachings being put to good use as you grade a student's exam that turns out to be an A. It never fails to make me proud every time.

Of course, with meeting so many people there's always the one or two you meet that catch your eye, whether it be another teacher or a student. But nothing has ever really turned into anything more than that. It'd eventually slip my mind and I'd continue on teaching as if nothing had ever happened. That is, until Madison.

Though I'd have to admit, she didn't catch my eye right away. I started noticing her through her outstanding grades and diligent work ethics and when I finally matched the face to her name, after teaching her class for a couple of weeks, I just couldn't get her out of my head. No matter how hard I tried, there was something about her that even the slightest thought of her would linger in the back of my mind always.

She was not only beautiful, but she was so dedicated to her studies. You don't see that kind of commitment in high school very often. And I think that's what one of the qualities that I admire most about her. Her commitment. Her commitment to her studies displays her ability to commitment to almost anything else, such as a serious relationship.