"Patients, Please."

Party Games

The music playing from the stage is obviously hired students from the school. They are doing a wonderful job playing. Looking around the room there's already so many people in the room talking that it's almost hard to hear them. Tables are scattered across the room and people were huddled around them with a wine glass in hand laughing and chit chatting up as storm. A bright flash caught my attention to the right side of the room as you enter, a photo booth, really?

Nobody was standing at the door to make sure we actually worked for the school, it was kind of nice. It looked like every one of the teachers came right over from classes, then there was me. School casual I guess you could say. "I didn't know there was going to be like wine?" I lean over to Mark. "I didn't bring my license."

He smiles, "Then stay sober with me."

My eyes widen, "I'm going to need something to take the edge off. You are going to run away here soon and start making friends with the teachers while I'm just going to become one of the statues." I point to the marble statue standing next to the stage.

I hear Mark laugh, "I'll make you a deal." He turns and stands in front of me, "I'll get you as many glasses of wine as you want but, you have to at least get the name of 10 teachers in this room." The devilish smile across his face makes it almost not worth the wine. I look around the room, it's not like Mark is going to know the name of everybody... "I have to be able to pull up there profile in the school directory on the website." Crap, now he knows what I'm thinking?

"Make it 5 and it's a done deal." I say holding out my hand.

He turns back around looking at the room that is obviously crowded, "I'll make it 5 and you have to do the photo booth alone." I stare at him wide eyed, "Deal?"

At least with the photo booth thing I will have wine in my system that it hopefully won't be as embarrassing, I reluctantly hold out my hand, "Deal."

The smile across Marks face is bright. The Dean comes over the mic, "Hello staff of Cranston University. I want to thank you guys for coming, I hope you have a fun time tonight, enjoy the food and drinks," he holds up his glass. "The music provided but our own students. Thank you so much for the amazing work that you all do. Let's kick off this semester right!" He backs away from the mic and people in the room started clapping.

Mark turns back to me and smiles, "What do you want to do first?"

I look at him kind of funny, "Like I said, I'm going to go be a wallflower."

Starting to walk away I'm quickly brought back, "I don't think so. Why don't you and I go sit and talk at a table?"

He lets go of my arm and starts walking to one of the tables in the back of the room. We finally find one that doesn't look like it belongs to a huge group of people, over here some of the noise has died down as well.

"I hate parties like this," Mark says sighing as he sits down. "I have to keep repeating myself and explaining everything, you know." He entwines his fingers and puts both hands face down on his stomach.

I smile, "Do you have it down?" Mark looks over at me confused, "You know what you are going to say when someone comes over here and says hi. What are you going to say?"

He sits up in his chair and faces me, "Hi there," he says with a half-smile, holding out his hand. "My name's Mark Fischbach, the new English Department Head." His eyes stare at me, you could tell behind the stare he was dying, I cover my mouth to hide the smile. "Yes, I agree, yeah her leaving was sad but hopefully she makes a full recovery. What? Oh no, I'm taking over full time. Yes I just transferred over from Oakland."