teacher ((h.s))

chapter two

After an immense couple of minutes walking down the halls passed busy classrooms, I finally found the room labeled "staff room".

I opened the door and was greeted with a quiet bliss - this was probably the time period where everyone has a class to teach.

I didn't really drink coffee, so I constantly had sports drinks in my bag along with water - so i sat down on a comfy blue chair and flicked through my phone, taking sips of water from time to time.

My mind ended up drifting to the man who taught Room 18 - Mr Styles, he said. He was very attractive, I must admit - but there was something very off about him.

I shook my head of all thoughts when the door opened.

"Ah, you must be Miss James!" She clapped her hands and offered me a cheerful smile, which I happily returned.

"Yes, I am." The woman was no doubt in her thirties by the way she seemed to be developing sags here and there. She was quite short and pale, but her smile made up for it. It almost looked painful how wide it was.

"Well, you're next lesson is after break where you will be in the English department, Room 4, with Mr Emmet." She then explained the directions to get to the room and I nod, taking mental note that the class is very obedient and Mr Emmet is a strict teacher.

"Okay, so um... when's lunch?" I asked. I only had a breakfast bar with water so 'hungry' was an understatement.

"Ah, that is in around 45 minutes, Miss James." She gestured towards the clock on the wall behind me before folding her hands politely in front of her.

"Okay, thanks. Oh, and you can just call me Nina," I shrugged. She seemed nice, so why not?

"Oh..." She stared at me briefly before nodding her head. "Yes, yes Miss J- I mean... Nina."

"Cool," I smiled at her and turned my attention back towards the screen.

****

"Before next week, I need this essay completed and typed up for next lesson. Do I make myself clear?" Mr Emmet shouted for the umpteenth time. You could practically see the fear in a couple student's eyes, but the rest looked irritated.

"Yes, sir." They all chorused. Were they all trained to say that? Because my old school never did anything of the sort, but I guess so.

I was supervising the lesson, so I was observing the way he taught and if anyone needed any help, I would go over and give them a hand. It was cool because they were all so understanding and rarely had any problems.

I watched as the tired students filed out for lunch but my eyes landed on somebody standing in front of me.

"Miss James?" she asked. I blinked before realising she was actually talking to me and offered her a smile.

"Yes?"

"Can you help me with something?" she looked to the floor and fiddled with her thumbs. She couldn't be older than fifteen.

"Yeah, sure," I leaned against the wall beside the door of the now empty classroom. "What can I help you with?"

"Well," she sighed before looking up at me. "I'm doing the school play but I have a lot of homework to do. I'm not sure I can do both and-"

"Why not?" I asked. Plays were fun. Sure - I didn't actually participate in them, but a lot of people I knew thought that it was cool.

"I just... I have a lot to study and I don't think I have enough time for it anymore."

"Well that's not true," I urged her on. "You could study on weekends and rehearse during the week. Do you have a huge role?"

"Uh yeah, I'm one of the mains..." she laughed nervously.

"Oh wow. Well, theres no going back now, is there?" I laughed lightly and we spoke a bit more. In the end, I agreed to helping her after school with her coursework and giving her the rehearsing scheduele. Holly, I soon learned to be her name, left with her friends and I looked up at the time on the wall. Lunch.

My stomach growled obnoxiously as I face paced towards the busy lunch hall. The perks of being a staff member were great in the fact that we got to cut in the line and there was nothing anyone could do about it. I eyed the pasta salads and picked one up, paid and left the hall before I was approached by another student.

I was only here for half the day and I already wanted to leave. My stress levels were rising by the second and I was pretty sure that I forgot to feed Kibbles.

Kibbles was my black labrador that I got from the dog shelter last year after I moved into a small apartment and at first, he pooped everywhere. He still does, but it's more bareable these days.

As I wondered about my strange dog, I re-entered the staff room to see more teachers than before. Many huddled around the coffee machine in a heated discussion about some sort of scientific atom; some were eating noodles on the coffee table and a few were by the microwave. They all looked very busy and I wasn't sure if any of them had time for me.

Then I saw him.

He was hunched over his phone, head in hand as the other picked aimlessly at some sort of salad. The small table he sat at by the window was completely deserted besides him and his food. I couldn't help but wonder why he was by himself and if he was new, too.

Before I knew it, my legs were carrying me in the direction of Mr Styles.

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