Formidable

September 2

On the way home, Mrs. Flauger was still thinking about what Dylan had said. This intrigued her, students were generally eager to return home after the first day of classes.
After she had changed into a more comfortable outfit, she sat at her desk. From her leather bag, she pulled out the information sheets she had had filled in by the students that morning. She gave a quick glance at the pile, when she found Dylan's. Unlike the others, there was little information.

Last name: Andeo
First name: Dylan
Date of birth: 1997/11/12

The part about the parents had been crossed out. This added to the mystery Dylan represented. She had to ask him about it. The front door opened, her husband had just returned. She heard the sound of the key that was in the bowl lying on the furniture near the entrance. She hurried to put away the papers she had in hand before leaving her office to join her husband.

"Good evening, Jarod." She greeted him with a quick peck on the lips. He didn't bother to reply; he pulled off his coat and hung it up in the hall closet. He went straight to his office, as usual.
The meal took place in absolute silence and the tension was palpable. Jarod did not ask how this first day had been, but she had become used to this silence after six years of marriage, soon seven. The only time he spoke was to ask for a plate or the wine bottle. This evening, she thought about her students and about Dylan in particular. She wanted to know more about him, to learn who he was, and why the parents' part was still blank. Indeed, it was rather unusual for a student not to complete this section. As far as she remembered, this had never happened before. When the student was raised by a close relative or legal guardian, this part was always filled in by the students who, of course, were careful to clarify their situation.

***

Dylan was waiting with other students in front of the class. It was 11 am and he had class with Mrs. Flauger. He felt a little nervous; he hadn't slept much the previous night. The week had passed slowly and yet so fast. The apprehension of seeing her again, the fact that he did not understand what was happening to him every time he thought of her; it made him feel strange. She had taken an important place in his mind with just a few minutes of conversation. He did not know how to behave with her. He used to be the bad boy, the one who seeks disasters, yet, with her, he did not want to fuss. But it was hard to change who he was used to being.

Footsteps, her footsteps, signaled to him the presence of his teacher. He did not bother to turn around, not wanting to meet her gaze immediately. For a day in September it was relatively warm despite the wind and most of the students and teachers wore T-shirts or short sleeved shirts. That was what caught Dylan's attention: she wore a rather thick blouse that covered her arms fully. The buttons were closed to the top, showing only a bit of skin. Dylan wondered about the reasons that pushed his teacher to dress that way. The first time he saw her, she was wearing a short-sleeved blouse, so it was not out of modesty that she was putting up with this blouse; Dylan started to wonder why she was wearing it.

Ms. Flauger made the rollcall when she arrived, coming quickly to Dylan's turn. She noted his presence and asked him to wait at the end of the lesson to talk privately. He nodded airily. He didn't want to be alone with her; not knowing how to behave made him feel vulnerable.

The class went on normally; Mrs. Flauger explained the day's lesson to the students. As usual, Dylan didn't pay attention, math wasn't his favorite subject. He spent the lesson looking out of the window, not paying attention to what happened in class. The explanations of his teacher about the importance of math and knowledge of theorems did not interest him. He thought about his previous high school, wondering if they were still talking about him like they used to.
"Hey man! Is it true?" asked a random teen who was walking next to Dylan.