Language of Love

Filia

     The next day, Mr. Coleman walks into my room. A teenager follows behind him. He smiles.
      "This is my daughter, Emily. It's job shadow day at her middle school, so I brought her in. She takes Latin, would you mind letting her shadow you?" He asks.
      "Not at all. C'mon in." I say. She walks into my room and looks around. Mr. Coleman leaves us and goes back to his own room. I sit on my stool.
      "I have a class in 12 minutes. Right now is the calm before the storm," I say. Marx wanders in.
     "Hey. Do you have poster board by any chance?" Marx asks.
     "Yeah. Hang on." I say. I pull over a chair and reach the top shelf of my cabinet. I take down a white poster.
      "Thanks," Marx says.
      "Mhm." I say.

     When he leaves, Fitz walks in. He immediately notices Emily, who awkwardly stands in the middle of my classroom.
     "Fitz, this is Emily, Mr. Coleman's daughter. Emily, this is Mr. Kennedy, he teaches German." I say.
      "Nice to meet you, Mr. Kennedy." She says, staring at him.

     Fitz walks to my desk and grabs my stapler.     
    "I'll bring it back later" He says.

     "He's hot." She says.
     "I know, he's also like 30." I mutter.

     "So, what do you want to be when you grow up?" I ask.
     "Probably a homemaker." She says.
      "Why?" I ask.
     "I never want to actually work. I'm okay with chores and kids, I don't want to do math or science or anything." She says.
     "Oh." I say.

     I teach my classes and she is on her phone the entire time. I let her run my presentation, she pressed the buttons, I talked.

    "All teachers are required to advise a club, I'm taking Student Council. We're having a lock-in to get to know each other next week. Will you help me plan it?" I ask Emily. She shrugs.
      "Sure."
     "Oh! Can you come up with a list of songs I should play?" I ask. She looks up from her phone.
     "Yeah."

     I create the permission form and begin to plan activities. I have one problem, there's a legal requirement for a male chaperone if males attend. I don't have a male chaperone. I also need a 3rd chaperone of either gender.
      "Hey, I need to go find chaperones. Are you alright here alone?" I ask.
      "Yeah." She says.

      I go into Fitz's room. He doesn't have a class, it's his planning.
      "So, I'm planning the Student Council lock-in and I need a male chaperone. Can you chaperone next Friday?"
"I'd love to say that I have plans, but you're the only person, who I don't live with, that I actually hang out with. So, yeah, I can." He says.
"Email me your chaperone approval sheet." I say. He nods.

I walk into Courtney's room next.
"I have a question." I say.
"What?" She asks.
"Would you mind chaperoning my Student Council Lock-In next Friday?" I ask.
"Next Friday? I have plans." She says. I sigh.
"Where's Devin's classroom?" I ask.
"You can't ask her either. My plans are with her." Courtney says.
"You can have your plans at the lock-in. You can both chaperone!" I suggest.
"Trust me, our plans are not school appropriation." She says, winking.
"I'm leaving now." I say, totally grossed out.

So, I ask Marx.

"Oh, no way in hell will I be spending the night with 30 high schoolers." He says.
"Please! Fitz will be there. You can hang with him." I plead.
"Now its a definite no. I'm not third wheeling whatever the two of you have going on." He says.
"But—"
"Goodbye, Gray." He says. I roll my eyes.

      Who now? I mean, I could ask my mother, but I really don't want to do that. There's Mr. Coleman, but he's old and him spending the night with a bunch of high schoolers is not exactly something parents dream of. I either need someone young or a female, because that is something parents wouldn't freak over. It's completely messed up, but it's society. I had an idea. Ms. Tomlinson!

      I walk down to her classroom, there's no sound, so I open the door. She sits in her office.
     "Ms. Tomlinson?" I ask.
     "Gray!" She says.
     "Can you chaperone Friday for the Student Council Lock-In? I need one more chaperone." I ask.
     "Next Friday...yeah! I can." She says.

     Finally. I thank her and have her email me. I walk back to my classroom, I had totally forgotten about Emily. When I walk back into my room, she's no where to be found. Crap. Maybe she went to the bathroom? I decide to wait a few minutes before looking for her. She doesn't come back after five minutes. I stand up and walk over to her father's room, but she isn't in there. I walk to the women's bathroom. All of the stall are empty except one, I hear noises. Moans, lipsmacks and giggles. Ugh. It's not Emily, but somebody needs to knock it off. I bang of the door.
      "You are at school! Zip up. Get out here right now." I say. The door opens and a boy steps out. "Out!" I yell. The girl walks out shamefully, Emily. "Seriously? He's like 4 years older than you!" I criticize. She fixed her hair.
        "3, actually." She says.
        "You're in middle school. This is not appropriate for your age." I say.
        "What are you going to do? You can't control my sex life." She states.
        "I can't, but I'm great friends with someone who can." I say and drag her out of the bathroom.
        "Come on! You're young, you get it. My father won't." She says.
       "I don't get it, actually." I say, knowing I did the exact same thing.
       "You can't tell me you and your boyfriend don't do the same thing." She says.
        "You are 13, I'm 24. There's a big difference there." I say.
       "Whatever." She mutters. I drag her into Mr. Coleman's room. He has a class.
       "Sir, can I talk to in the hallway?" I ask.