“Be thankful that the father did not sanction you,” the principal says.
“I apologize, Principal Abra. I won’t do it again,” I respond. Next time, I won’t lose control of my emotions. I need a better hold on it. I lay my head low so this would get sorted out soon. “Will I be able to apologize to the parents?” I ask.
“There is no need. However, the other teachers and students want you to apologize to the son.”
I raise my head at him.
“I know,” he says before I can even speak.
“I will apologize to the parents, but I don’t think I should apologize to the son. It will appear as if what he did is NOT wrong. It won’t be good for him. Besides, that kid already has an attitude. We can’t contribute to that. Instead, we need to—”
The principal raises his arms to stop me. “I understand, Teacher Cassie. Back in my day, his actions are already ground for expulsion. That show of utmost disrespect to a teacher should not be something a teacher should apologize for. However, sometimes, we just need to go along with the flow of times.”
He is wrong! Disrespect is still Disrespect no matter what timeline we are in! Still, I touch my chest and take small breaths. I just had a problem with losing control. I can’t lose control now.
“I understand, Principal Abra. I will be more careful in the future.”
“You are going to apologize?” he asks.
“Yes,” I answer. “In fact, I will do more than that.”
“Do more?” he asks.
“As an apology, I will sacrifice a few hours of my time every day to tutor him.”
Principal Abra smiles. He extends his hands towards me and says, “That will be a great idea, Teacher Cassie. I will also inform the father. I am sure he will be glad about it.”
Hopefully, the father cares a little about Lukas’ education.
“I will inform the others of what we discussed today,” the principal adds.
*************************
“That is not an apology,” Lukas complains.
“It is. I am sacrificing my precious time to tutor you.”
“That’s your fetish! You just want to torture me! Not tutor me!”
“Well, maybe that’s the reason those two words sound alike?” I jest.
The classroom door opens, and Alinn enters. She pauses by the door while she looks back and forth between me and Lukas at the table. Her brown, curly hair looks unruly and is framing her small face. She mentioned before that she hates how her hair is unmanageable, but I think it’s really adorable, like right now.
“Alinn, come here,” I say, gesturing for her to come closer.
She looks unsure as she glances at Lukas. “Ahm, Teacher Cassie, are we not going to have a review today?” she asks. Her gaze falls on Lukas, who is openly staring at her.
“We will have our review today, Alinn. You and Lukas will be at different tables. Different subject matter, too.”
“What are you going to review? Is she also the same as me? Are you going to torture her with your lessons under the gist of an apology?” he asks.
Alinn turns her head sharply at him. She is really cute. Even the way she looks angry is adorable. “Contrary to what you believe, this young girl is one of the smartest students in the province.”
“She doesn’t look like a nerd,” he comments.
“You don’t look stupid either,” Alinn responds.
Oh, I didn’t know Alinn could be harsh to someone. “Alinn, come here,” I gesture.
I place a couple of notebooks and papers on top of the table, and she sits in front.
“I have prepared some advance questions for you. In the meantime, you can answer it and once you are done, you can check the answer here,” I say, patting the notebook in front of her. “Once that is done, call for me again and we will go through each of them, especially the ones that you are having trouble with.”
“Teacher Cassie, don’t you have a date with Teacher Mark?” she queries instead.
“No. We decided to only have a date on weekends.”
“But don’t the other teachers force you to have dates with other men?” she whispers.
I grin at her and sit in front of her. “Alinn, I don’t know where you are getting your information, but like I said…”
“… that I should not worry and just focus on the upcoming competition,” she completes. She peers at me, embarrassed, and asks, “But you are already busy with everything and now, you are forced to teach ‘that’.”
‘That’ huh? She has a mean streak on her, no matter how adorable she looks. “To tell you the truth…” I lean closer to her and whisper, “I kinda lose my temper on him, so this is my punishment.”
I pull back and grin at her. She grins back.
“Now, don’t mimic your immature coach and have control of your emotions, okay?”
She nods vigorously.
“Hey nerd, are you a puppy?” Lukas interjects.
Alinn and I look at him at the same time. I grin. The immature little boy. It’s obvious. He thinks Alinn is cute. That’s the second praise I've heard from him for Alinn. Is he aware of what he’s saying?
I stand up. “See what I am saying?” I ask Alinn. I wink at her before sitting in front of Lukas. His mood is even lighter. And besides, he keeps on looking at her with a smile on his face.
I smile before clicking my fingers together. “Eyes back here,” I say.
“What?!” he snaps. I give him a warning look. “I mean, what is it, Teacher Cassie?” he repeats.
“Good,” I comment. I push a pad of paper in front of him and say, “Seeing that you did badly on the assessment exam, we will start with a grade school curriculum.”
“That’s boring!” he complains. “I know it already!” He glances at Alinn, who is already busy with her papers.
“Based on your assessment, you don’t know any of it.”
“But—”
“How about answering the questions next time, so we’ll have a proof that you actually know the answer?”
“I can sense it. You are insulting me.”
“I am not, Lukas.” I place my arms together and say, “So, should we start with this now? Time is important, you know.”
I enter the classroom and tell the students that we are going to study something special today. It will be a special class about science in literature. But my students are all too busy chatting with their friends. I try to take their attention but they refuse to acknowledge my presence. This is the first time this happened. “Hmmm,” I mutter as I observe the students. This is definitely orchestrated. Then my eyes catch Lukas. There is an amused expression on his face. I smirk. So this is his revenge, huh? This little monster student of mine. I slam the table, and my students have no choice but to transfer their attention to me. “Do you have anything you’d like to say to me?” I ask them. A look of fake shock appears on their faces. Then there is silence in the room. The students who had been talking before looked away from me. Some of them are looking down. They are probably ashamed to be caught up in this... What shall I call this? Lukas’ stupidity? “Anyone who’d like to speak up?
We arrive at Lukas’ house. It’s brand new. It has two levels and an attic. Some part of the walls are made of thick glass. The house is made of a strange metal that looks almost like mercury. “Have you cleaned lately?” I ask. “Of course not! Why would I clean?” “Ahm, because this is your house,” I say. Lukas pushes open the door. It’s metallic and is not making any sound. It’s different from the house I rented where the door handle is old and worn. “Maids come in every Friday and clean up before my father arrives for the weekend,” he informs. “You mean I won’t be able to talk to your father today?” “Why would you even want to talk to him?” “Because of your most recent offenses,” I say. “I also need to discuss with him about your education.” “Then you will need to ask for a schedule to meet with him. He’s a busy man,” he says. “Your family is in business, right?” “Why do you care?” he asks. He places his arms across his chest and stares me down. “Are you not going to leave,
Lukas is coming in from his other classes more consistently. He sits on the table beside the one that Alinn occupies. He is quieter, but from time to time, I catch him glancing at Alinn. He also learned the meaning of focus. And as a result, his quizzes are improving. As a teacher, I like these changes. “Teacher Cassie, my mother is outside. I will leave now,” Alinn informs. Lukas stands up at the same time that Alinn did. “I will come with—” “Don’t bother,” Alinn snaps. She is still furious at him for forcibly kissing her. Lukas watches her leave. His expression is a mixture of longing, confusion, and guilt. “I thought you said that nerds are uncool?” I ask, without taking my eyes off Alinn’s paper. “She’s not!” he complains. “You think she’s your adorable puppy, right?” “She is.” “Guess what? This sense of belongingness? That’s something she won’t like. First, you don’t own her. Second, you guys are too different. Not to mention that she currently hates you.” “You are the t
It’s the school’s midterm examination day. The students are all stressed out, including Lukas. He told me earlier that it was the first time he was nervous about exams. “I don’t know what to do,” Lukas shares. “This time, I really feel nervous about it.” “Nervous because you might be hated by Alinn forever?” I jest. We are in my classroom. Instead of the bathrooms, where students love to escape during their exams, he is lounging here, probably hoping to take a peek at Alinn. “Shouldn’t you return to the examination room?” I add. “You are right. I should.” Lukas stands up. However, the instant he does, the door bursts open, and Jason appears with a wide grin. “Guess what, Teacher Cassie?!” I look up at him. “What is it, Jason?” “Five of us in the school paper will go to the regionals!” “Oh,” I exclaim. Lukas leans towards me and asks, “What does that mean?” “That means they will write a feature about me in the school paper, and I will also treat them to nice food.” “Ha!” he
When I drop off Alinn at her house, we see Lukas sitting on the couch in the living room and talking to Mrs. Avery. Alinn retreats and is about to return to my car when I hold her arms. “Where are you going, little lady?” I ask, almost gagging at my own laughter. “This is your house.” “Alinn, welcome back!” Mrs. Avery greets. “You have a visitor.” Lukas’ gaze turns toward Alinn, and his lips curl into an embarrassed smile. “Congratulations,” he says. Alinn grimaces. “What are you doing here?!” “Alinn! Learn to treat your guest better.” She turns to her parents and purses her lips. “Sorry,” she apologizes, and Lukas grins. Alinn turns to look at me to ask for help. However, this time, I can’t. Lukas is a guest like me at her house. And so, I pat her shoulders and walk toward her parents. “Teacher Cassie, welcome to our house.” “Good day, Mrs. Avery.” I glance at Mr. Avery and bow my head at him. “I just dropped Alinn off, but I will leave soon.” “Stay for dinner,” Mrs. Avery
“Teacher Cassie, this is my father, Liam Chapman,” Lukas says with pride. “Father, this is Teacher Cassie.” When Liam Chapman approaches, I stand up and step back, hitting the back of my knee on the couch. His dark eyes are trained on me. He stretches his hand, and I retreat from him. “Nice to meet you,” he says. He takes my hand and shakes it. His grip is solid and warm. “I have heard so much about you. My son has been raving about you.” “Dad!” Lukas complains. “That’s not true!” Liam grins at his son and steps closer to me again. This time, his smile is on me as if we are old friends and he has known me forever. Well, he knows me, but on... only on a more physical level. His fingers brush my hand as he says, “I have wanted to meet you for a while, but you might reject the invitation.” Of course, I will! My mind screams. He is a picture of a dumb, but very sensuous mistake! Or rather, he looks as good as the day I thought he was Mr. Ellis. “It’s okay,” I say quickly, though I am
After my first class ends, I go back to the library to teach a class on literature and search for any coaching techniques for my new handles—the journalism team. I try not to think about Mark or Liam while I teach the class. I need to concentrate on the students who come to ask questions. However, the school is abuzz with hushed voices by the time lunchtime arrives. One of my co-teachers comes and says, “The principal is calling for us.” I wonder, what is it this time? When I reach the staff room, Mark is already talking to one of the senior teachers. They look at me with disdain, as if I should not be called here. They speak in low voices while glancing at me, their eyes full of contempt. “What is happening?” My co-teacher cannot answer because Principal Abra is coming out of his office. “I am sure you have heard the rumor.” He clears his throat before saying, “but none of it is true.” He glances at me and then at the teachers. “Teacher Cassie is not my mistress. I also don’t hav
“Alinn!” I admonish. This girl! Does she want to get expelled!? “Teacher Cassie,” she whispers, her voice trembling, and she is so close to crying. I grab Alinn’s arm and pull her away from Lukas while shouting for Jason to prepare so we can bring him to the hospital. I look at Lukas. Instead of laughing at him, I feel pity. He is crying and bruised. I doubt he ever fought back against Alinn. No one must have hit him like this before. Nevertheless, it is also apparent that it’s his heart that’s beaten up. Alinn never tried to escape my hold. She might be waiting for someone to stop her. However, the others look afraid of her, and Lukas is doing nothing to fight back. I move to Lukas and tap his cheeks. “Lukas?” I ask. “Teacher Cassie...” There is a pleading look on his face. “Good, you can still recognize me. I will bring you to the hospital, okay?” He mumbles a yes in between his pain. I help him up. He moves his legs slowly and awkwardly while his body shakes. He uses his fre