Living (RedRibbon13) **Complete**

18. Hopes of a new beginning

Chapter 18

Hopes of a new beginning

Early on Thursday morning, dressed in his best shirt and with a smile brightening his features, Jake knocked on the classroom door of first period English.

The door opened to reveal an enthusiastic, young teacher with a huge smile on her face.

"Mr. Crosby!" she said surprised, her cheeks suddenly turning a little pink.

"Hello Maja, good morning!"Jake smiled and walked past the short woman and stood in front of the class.

Confused, the English teacher followed him in and asked softly, "Good morning. How can I help you?"

Jake turned to her with a smile that could melt rocks and said, "By taking a sit, Miss Hansen. I'm here to take a class."

When she frowned in return, Jake handed her a piece of paper signed by the principal and gave her a toothy grin. Miss Hansen looked like she wanted to shoot him between the eyes, before reluctantly moving to the back of the class.

"This better be good. Because we were going to start on To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the most important works of American literature." she said pointedly and took a seat.

"That's a great book. Atticus Finch is one of my favorite characters in literary history. I think we can incorporate some lessons from the story in my class as well. And, Miss Hansen, please let your students for the next period in after the bell rings. We can all just seat together and have a little chat. We can just spread some newspapers and sit on the floor. ", he smiled as his eyes briefly landed on Amanda, who was staring at him confused. He resisted the urge to give her a wink and turned to address the class.

"So, you guys must be wondering why on earth the boring health teacher is taking over your favorite class. Don't worry. I'm not here to talk about sanitation, STDs or public health. I am here for a completely different session. I'm here to hear your life stories, to hear your thoughts on different matters. This is just a fun session to get to know each other. I have also called a few students from some other classes, who'll be joining us in a while. Though, they have no idea why I called them here."  he said, his eyes scanning the classroom and his brows automatically joined as they landed on Ashley.

"Uh... Mr. Crosby, don't you think you should probably do this in your own time?", Miss Hansen asked from the far corner, raising her hand.

Jake turned to her with another breathtaking smile, knowing the full effect of it and said, "Miss Hansen, no need to raise your hand please. We're all friends here. And I really love this classroom; you have given so much life to it. Besides, I want to start the day with the seniors, after all they are the role models for the next generation." He paused to watch her blush and added, "So, who's going to start? Ashley? Are you, okay? What are you thinking of?" he asked turning away.

The girl in the short cheerleader uniform sat upright, and gave him a sly smile as she leaned forward suggestively, "Me? I don't think these kids are mature enough to hear what I was thinking of Mr. Crosby. How about I tell you in private?"

Jake raised his hand when the English teacher stood up from her chair abruptly, and motioned for to sit back down without looking away from Ashley. His face didn't give away anything when he spoke again.

 "Why would that be, Ashley? You're all the same age here, and two of us are adults. Or do your thoughts involve anything violent, like hitting or cutting something? You kids should really stop watching those violent movies. They are not good for your head." he said with a smile, and held her gaze.