When Lightning Strikes

When Lightning Strikes: Chapter 4

A/N: So here is when we meet the lovely Jason Levine :) And yes, that's his picture on the side!

The next week flew by quickly, especially with how much fun I was having in college and how busy I was with reviewing notes in the backyard, under the sunshine. I didn’t really like the idea of studying in my room in the summer, because it would soon become stuffy and I would become unmotivated and weary. I preferred summarising key notes, completing assignments or online clothes browsing on my laptop outside, where I could sit back on the deck chair and drink lemonade or munch on fruit parfait.

As I flicked the blinkers to my father’s car, I spotted the local school that I was going to be teaching in. It was small, but looked vibrant and welcoming. That was definitely a relief.

I parked the car, careful not to hit anything and breathed a sigh of relief. I had my license but since I didn’t own a car, I wasn’t able to drive around as much as I’d like to. This meant I was still a bit hesitant and paranoid of crashing into other cars. It’s a weird fear, but I couldn’t help it.

I opened the door and slipped out of the car, but not before smoothing down my pale pink tulip skirt. I wanted to look professional and serious, but warm and friendly at the same time. I had tried so hard this morning to achieve the look and a wrinkled skirt wouldn’t help at all.

For a few seconds, I stood in front of the building, simply taking it in. My insides were jumping about and I wasn’t sure if I was more edgy or excited.

Parents were walking their young children into school, while the sixth graders were waving away their mothers, as if they were embarrassed that they were being given so much attention. I laughed at their idiocy. One day, they’d realise how much their mothers really meant to them.

When I walked into the front office, the lady behind the counter kindly told me which classroom I was supposed to go to. I was given a map, which made me feel like it was my first day of school as a student.

I made my way through the throng of children running around and to one of the kindergarten rooms which had a sign on the door saying ‘KS’. As I stepped inside, colours immediately greeted me. I was slightly disorientated at first, but got used to all the neon oranges, sunshine yellows and sky blues. Posters and artwork the children had made hung on the walls and were pegged on a line of string which ran across the room. I ducked underneath it and walked towards the teacher, a pretty young woman who looked amused that I had to duck under the cotton string.

She introduced herself as Rowan and we soon found out that she was only six years older than me. When the bell rang for class, I spotted two lines of children outside the window and smiled. How adorable! They formed lines faster than the second grade children three rooms away!

When the kindergarteners started piling into the room, I was met with curious stares, timid looks and a few shy smiles. I wanted to pinch their rosy cheeks so badly, but I refrained myself from doing so. I briefly wondered how that would look on my work experience feedback card.

Rowan then asked everyone to sit in a circle on the blue carpeted floor, and with eager grins, they complied, ready to start a brand new day of school.

“Gracie, come and sit with us!”

Usually I would hesitate when people invited me to join them, but children were something which made me animated. Once I situated myself between a little boy and girl, Rowan spoke up. “Good morning class!”

“Good morning Miss Sewell!” the rest of the class chorused, stretching out the word ‘morning’. They were so adorable!

I saw Rowan supress a smile at my expression. “Class, why don’t you say good morning to Miss Elwood too? She’s going to be helping us!”