My Favorite Teacher

Chapter Two

Third Person Pov:

Here he is, detention in the robotics class. No doubt did Thomas try to do the work; he hadn't cared at first, but when he saw the homework, he felt like passing out. Two weeks of this being the most challenging class in the school; it definitely wasn't the same curriculum that the old robotics teachers went by; it's totally off the script!

Thomas listened every day after he missed the first but could never figure out the homework or understand a single bit of what Tord was saying. He's practically convinced that he's speaking a sophisticated gibberish that only geniuses could comprehend.

After the first week of telling himself he could do it alone, he figured out no matter how much he listens in class, there's no going through this alone. Once he came to that realization, he went straight to his father... Well, guess what? Even his own father didn't understand! The principal of the school he goes to, didn't know what the hell the teacher was talking about!

Thomas was told by Tordssen to come to class on a Saturday at exactly 3:30 pm so he could work on his work with him in the room, mostly because Tord doesn't think Tom is trying hard enough and wants to watch him closely to make sure he doesn't mess around; the guy even took away his phone and backpack to make sure he doesn't get distracted, he only left him with the items he needs to complete the assignments.

While Tord sits at his desk and corrects mostly failing work, Tom sits in his assigned seat at the various tables where children usually sit down to work and sweats as he looks down at the impending doom of a paper in front of him.

No matter how many times he checks Tord to see if he's looking, and he's not, he still feels like the man is staring at him with a judging look, making him the most nervous he's ever been.

He feels like this paper is life or death, and he has no idea why; he would never admit it, but he almost feels like he has to impress this teacher. He's always been one of the top students in the school, not only because his father keeps him working but also because he's just naturally intelligent and knows how to do these things. He feels as though he's obligated to do good in this class, more than the others, and failing isn't an option.

Tord doesn't get the cue that Tom is freaked out, even when Tom is obviously on the verge of tears, and his hand holding the pencil is shaking. All he sees is Tom not working, so he asks, "Aren't you going to start your work? You'll have to sit for four hours doing nothing if you don't get started, and you need to get it all done today, Thomas."

Tom loses it from this comment and stands up, he's not one to become frantic and ever go up against a higher up, but he still ends up screaming at the teacher, "How do you expect me to do this?! I may have good grades, but I'm no Einstein!! I have no idea what the fuck you're teaching us! This doesn't look like English or mathematics!"

This outburst catches Tord off guard, and he gets a bit startled, almost getting freaked out himself, but he keeps his calm by taking an unnoticeable deep breath. He quickly thinks of a solution to the issue and gets up from his desk, confusing Tom as he walks over to the other side of the student's seat and sitting down.

Tord says nothing as he motions toward the boy's seat without a word, pretty much telling him to sit down. Tom takes a long breath to calm himself before sitting down, wiping the large tears from his eyes and shifting his legs under the table.

Tord places his finger above a word on the sheet and asks, "Do you know what Alloy is Thomas?" Tom looks down slightly and shakes his head, which Tord lightly grabs his chin and lifts it back up to look at him.

Tord pulls his hand away and says, "Keep your eyes on the person you're talking to Thomas, did they never teach you that in school?" not realizing that it wasn't much of an enforced thing they had taught Thomas since he didn't exactly have "special help" for these things in school like Tord needed when he was younger.

"Uh.. yes they did, sorry about that," Tom says; he can feel tingles on his chin from the tender touch. His father is ever so rough with him, and his mother doesn't give him any physical affection as most mothers do.

His father always wanted him to go on the soccer team and constantly would ask him if he wanted to. Still, Tom would say no every time, and he knows how upset it makes his father just by the way he frowns so sadly after the rejection and same explanation as to why; Tom is now considering it since his father has been so gloom lately due to his parents often fighting now, he figures by spring he'll start.

His mother, on the other hand, was just never the physical affection type; she isn't even to his father or her parents. No one knows she's secretly asexual, so it takes a lot for her to agree to do the dirty with her husband, which it took even longer for her even to consider to have a child; not even her own lover knows about her hatred for sexual intercourse, but she does it for him because she loves him very much.

Tord continues on the subject of homework and replies to Tom's lack of knowledge, "Alloy is a metal created by combining two or more metallic elements; I believed I didn't need to say that, since it's in the textbook I gave out at the beginning of the school year."

"I swear I read what I was supposed to, and I never saw that in there," Tom says with a bit of anger; he studied the pages he was given to look through thoroughly and never found a single thing in the homework that involved it. "Are you sure you're giving the right pages, Mister Larsen?"

Tordssen heaves a partially irritated sigh and questions, "Do you have your textbook with you?" Tom is surprised by the question before picking up the giant book on the chair next to him and putting it on the desk, sliding it over to him.

Tord spins the book to face him and flips to the pages speedily before landing on the designated pages for the homework he's assigned with; he finds the exact definition of the word in yellow highlight and spins it back around toward Tom, pointing to it and stating, "This is on page 531, the second page I gave you to read out of the five." Tom tries to look closer in disbelief, but Tord slams the book closed and pushes it to the side.

You can tell Tord is a little annoyed that Tom would accuse him of not giving the proper materials to complete the worksheets. Still, he's very tranquil as he places a hand on his chest and says, "I'm the one who supplies the information," he then points to Tom with his index finger. "You're the one who has to decipher that information and come up with the conclusions, do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir," Tom says with a gulp; the man may only be a few years older, but he seems so wise with his words that it's... kinda hot actually. Tom then speaks without thinking, "but do you think you co..u..." Tom then mentally smacks himself and questions his sanity inside his head, "Was I seriously going to ask if we could have private sessions?! What has gotten over me?"

"What was that, Thomas?" Tord asks, definitely knowing the boy was going to say something; Tom gulps. Should he make something up, or should he just say it was nothing? He decides to go with the latter.

"I didn't say anything, Mister Larsen," Tom says in his most convincing voice, meaning it wasn't compelling; Tord raises an eyebrow, and Tom sweats.

"You can't lie to me, Thomas," the teacher says, and Tom rubs his arm in nervousness. "Tell me what you said."

Tom knows there's nothing he can say to get out of this, so he blushes slightly and says, "I was wondering... if we could..." Tom looks into Tordssen's dull eyes and decides just to say it and see what happens, "have private lessons?.. like tutoring?" This catches Tord off guard, not expecting someone like Tom to ask for such a thing when his father is his boss. "I could really use the help, Mister Larsen..."

The man is silent for a moment before gently smiling, saying, "I can arrange that." making Tom's heart suddenly thump and make him question everything he knows. Tord would've never expected someone to want to spend time with him, especially as a teacher; even though Tom's a student, he feels as though he had just made a friend.