Morning, September 9th, 2043.
The next day, an unnaturally hot Tuesday, Sam and I stepped through the welcoming gray gates into a veritable concert gathering. From west to east was a veritable sea of students, a real multitude this time. Everyone was here, from the 8th to the 12th grade. The student count was around 460. It was an eye opener for me considering that there was only an easy going 180 of us back in my middle school.
"Surprised, boys? I figured you would be." Samantha placed a hand on our backs. "Don't worry. It will pass. Now have a good day and I will catch you guys later!" She eased past us but stopped a few feet before turning back to us. She casted a glowering eye at Samuel. "Stay out of trouble, brother. I mean it." She was quite imposing, causing a chill to roll down my spine even though her warning was not being sent my way. Their relationship was always shifty at best, compared with Ameera and I anyway. Soon, I lost track of her in the multitude.
"So, what now?" Samuel asked.
"You're asking me!?" I retorted, finally out of my stupor.
"Well, you're the smart one and you usually have all the answers," he replied.
Did he not read the school rules and stuff? Did he read the handbook at all!? "Well, I suppose we could just..." I was interrupted as the buzzer rang just then. I honestly forgot how long it took to get here from Brown Hills. "Well, the bell has decided for us. Let's get to our groups."
"Yeah."
We walked towards the left of the courtyard. The students gathered and organized themselves into their grades. Sam joined 8C and I lined up with 8B. Shortly after, the teachers, the Vice Principal and some staff I did not recognize joined us, lining up on the concrete bank.
"Good morning, all," greeted the important looking man I recognized as Mr. Florence, the true Principal of the school. He looked up at the never ending cerulean sky. "Today is just wonderful to begin the school year with. Eighth, it is a pleasure to have you here and I trust that you will enjoy the coming years. Welcome back, Ninth through Eleventh. And welcome to the end of one chapter and the beginning of another, Twelfth." I found it amusing how he referred to us by our grades. He continued with a very long speech before allowing the other teachers to introduce themselves. In total, there were 27 teachers, 14 males and 13 females. The 14 that introduced themselves yesterday were among the most important, and the hardest working, except for one.
For now, I kept a calculating eye on the beautiful yet reserved Miss Scotland. Today, she was wearing faded green women's office attire. Her raven hair was done into a neat bun. She seemed uncomfortable somehow. She would fiddle with her hands now and then. From that alone I speculated that there was something interesting bothering her. Something worth checking out if Sam was up for it. Not all of our glory days were scraps. We were heroes too sometimes.
Man, I hope I was not developing one of those awkward student-teacher crushes. I mean, she was very beautiful, do not get me wrong. But obviously, she was twice my age... by my estimates anyway. She did look to be in her mid to late twenties. She actually looked very young for a teacher. Everyone else was pushing their thirties and forties, again by estimate.
Anyway, the first period was homeroom. I would question the logic of having Homeroom directly after the General Assembly, but this is actually how the school did things on Mondays and Fridays. From Tuesday to Thursday, students just had their Homeroom session and then classes began as normal.
Anyway, while the other students went to their classrooms with their personal teacher, we eighth graders were left outside and reorganized into the new A-B-C permanent groups based on our scores from yesterday's tests. Just as I predicted, I, along with Joe, got into 8A. Sammy got into 8C; must have messed up either pretty badly or on purpose. If you really must know, whenever he actually got down to his work he could even surprise me. I would honestly be afraid if he ever became a genius. Genius and mischievous was always a bad combo.
Regardless, next was the matter of receiving our Homeroom teachers. As luck would have it, Miss Scotland was chosen for 8A. Right then and there when I looked into her timid, ocean blue eyes, fate seemed to be working in my favor. You know what, I no longer cared if I had a crush on her or not, for she was just too captivating. I felt like something had clicked within me. I would do anything for her just to at the very least get her to smile. I made a silent promise to make her happy.
The 31 of us piled into the first classroom right (approaching towards it) of the Infirmary. We sat behind our oak desks arranged in six rows of five columns. Miss Scotland stood before the blackboard. Her hands fidgeted nervously as we stared back at her expectantly.
"Oh... Alright class. Let's begin with introductions... I will go first." She wrote her full name on the board before turning back to us. "I'm Daina Scotland... I love chemistry... I hope you all will come to...like me..."
Daina... What a beautiful name, I thought.
"Who... would like... to go next?" she continued. A brave soul shot up from his seat.
"Like you!? You're the second hottest teacher in school! I LOVE YOU!" declared the boy. I shook my head, for he had entered straight into the minefield. A vermilion shade of red appeared on our homeroom teacher's face. For a second, she looked as if she would dash clear out of the room.
I heard a sound like, "Eep!" And she was down, unconscious and sprawled out on the floor. Instantly, I sprang into action.
I usually did not like to be a leader, but this was a Class-A emergency. Sammy and I had a system: C, B, A, S, and Z in ascending order of urgency. "Someone, get some drinking water! Some of you, get the nurse! The rest, you're with me! First Aid!" I barked as I stood up. Twenty-nine pairs of eyes turned to me, but I did not flinch. Now was not the time for weakness.
"You heard him! Get moving, you lot!" cried a girl with short brown hair as she stood up. And just like that, the others sprang into action.
"Miss Daina's down! Miss Daina's down!" the others chorused as they carried out my orders. The girl and the group with me got our incapacitated homeroom teacher into a chair and we took turns to fan her with our books.
Soon, another group came back with a bottle of water. "Here you go!" said Joe. I smiled as I accepted it from him, opened it, and carefully fed it to Daina like how my Mom had made me practice so many times. My Mom was a doctor, and she always stressed to Ameera and I of the importance of being able to properly help those in need or hurt.
The final group arrived with Mr. Florence and Miss Peach. From there, it was all a blur of action. Everyone except the girl and I were sent back to our seats as the professional took over. The two of us were taken to Mr. Florence's Office in the Reception House for questioning. Despite our shock of the whole ordeal, we explained as best as we could.
When he decided that we were telling the truth, he let us go with the promise of rewarding our bravery and leadership. I then had a period of English with Daisy Hollis followed by Math with James Crook.
11:40 AM.
"Really!? That's so cool!" clamored Samuel.
"A rather interesting ordeal indeed," Joe remarked to him.
"Yeah," I had nothing better to add.
The three of us were sitting at a table under the Lunchroom. My tray was untouched; I was too worried about Miss Daina to eat. Sammy and Joe did not share my anxiety as I refused to tell them outright. I could be sure Joe was concerned in his own way.
But I was too caught up in my own thoughts. Which was why it came as a shock when her timid voice called out to me, OK, more like whispered, "Uh, Bill... Punjabé, right?" I turned my head a little too fast, easily startling her. "EEK!"
"Huh!? Miss Scotland?" She looked a lot better than the crumpled, passed out heap in class... Add beautiful to that list. "Can I help you?" Oops. The moment those words were out, she looked dejected. 'Can I help you!?' What was I thinking!?
"Oh... Sorry to disturb you..." She quickly turned to leave. But an unknown force compelled me to stop her. Without thinking I quickly stood up and grabbed her right wrist. She froze... as did time for a few seconds. It was soon restarted by me.
"Wa-wait, don't go!" Before my eyes a scene was unfolding. I saw her lunch tray steadily heading for the ground and I quickly saved it. Only a fry and a small splash of drink hit the floor. With a nervous smile, I offered the tray to her. "Uh, you dropped this?" It really came out more of a statement than a question though.
For the briefest of moments; for the first time since I got here; it may have been a trick of the light, but I saw the smallest of smiles alight her pretty face and felt a sliver of confidence from her. It was the absolute most majestic sight I had ever seen in my 13 short years. If I were her age, I would not think twice about proposing to her. Shoot! Why, oh why, was not I born 13 or 14 years earlier than my birthday! I filed that thought for later.
"Th-thank you, B-Bill..." Her timidity returned sooner than desired and her smile was gone as soon as it was given. "Uh, um... Do you... mi-mind if I... sit w-with... ne-next to you?" She hid her face with her free hand.
My 13-Year-Old youthful heart DIED! I could not fathom this development. The "second hottest teacher in school" wanted to sit with my friends and I... Mind you, next to ME!? Surely, I was merely dreaming. There must have been a mistake. Perhaps she was really looking for the girl with the brown hair. For now, I played along, giving her a friendly smile.
"Of course not, Miss! I'd be honored." I quickly tapped Sammy. Catching my drift, he went over to Joe's side of the table.
She looked at me and I once again received her majestic smile, this one divine compared to the first. "Thank you... again..." She sat down slowly before gently placing her tray on the table as if it would simply explode if done any faster. I then took my place next to her and began to eat.
We had started with 55 minutes of break time, and there was still 25 minutes left. Now that I no longer needed to worry I was free to feed my patient, cooperating stomach with my now-most-likely-cold pepperoni pizza slice. Miss Daina ate her cheeseburger slowly and carefully. Was she even more meticulous than me? As for Sam and Joe, they were observing her intently; their trays had long since been cleared.
"So... Miss Scotland," I spoke up after a few minutes of silence, "how are you feeling?"
She hesitated before replying, "Just call me Daina... And I am just fine... thanks to you and Lauren."
So, Lauren was that girl's name. She seemed nice. Back to Earth, I felt my cheeks warm up. "Uh, that's great... Miss Daina."
"Really, please don't be so formal with me." I heard Sammy and Joe gasp silently. "You can just call me Daina... It's all right." I then saw that she was trying her best to build a relationship between us. Why me? Why not Lauren instead? Did she not have any friends, even among the numerous staff in this school? Well, that was easy to fix. I guess I could comply with her wishes, for it was not as if I did not respect her. I saw it as a chance to gain some points.
I offered a warm smile and a nod. "Okay... Daina." When she returned a third smile, my blush spiraled out of control. No, Miss Daina was the real gorgeous beauty in this place. Miss Diego could not hold a candle to her. The flame would die out from such radiance.
"Oh... I'm sorry... I made you blush..." She put her hand to her mouth in the most elegant and innocent way possible.
I felt my heart pulsing at four times the healthy speed. Her every action was art in motion. It was overwhelming. Especially to someone like me who had little experience with girls outside of my family. That is how this mistake came about in a slow, suave, lady killer voice (exaggeration), "Ah, it's okay Daina... It's not your fault... that you are so... Majestic..."
Samuel and Joseph gasped, their eyes bulging. They stared incredulously at me as her face burned scarlet. My big mouth had let my unstable thoughts slip. I surely had not been thinking straight.
One look at Daina and the only word that came to mind as my head fell was "Oops." A few tears started to roll down the sides of her face and I thought that I had blown it, just like that boy from this morning. In a quiet voice that no soul could hear, I whispered, "Way to go, Mr. Smooth." This was why it came as a HUGE shock to me, and the other students around, when I felt her crush the ever-living ghost out of me in a tight hug. I struggled to pull away my face from a green valley so that I could get a sip of air.
"Thank you, Billy! That is the NICEST and most INNOCENT thing anyone has EVER told me!" she declared with emotion and wild abandon. After the shock came mild confusion. What on Earth had I done with the shy, beautiful, reserved Chemistry teacher? Who was this brash, clingy, outspoken replacement!? My mind struggled to comprehend the contrast in personalities.
In the end the embrace was very touching, so I settled to put my arms around her back. She needed a friend, and this bold act confirmed it. And I was happy to give her one.
Honestly, wow. I never imagined that I would make so much progress in one day. We stayed like this for several minutes. I could feel glares from many boys, but I honestly did not care; I was the lucky one. At least until after we released and a sorrowful expression cursed her features. She looked at me in a way as if I was not there, as if she was looking at someone else.
"I... I... I'm sorry." She quickly got up and fled the Lunchroom. Just like that. I was left dumbfounded and saddened. I looked to my friends, who exchanged glances.
"What just happened?" asked Sammy.
"I have no idea," I shook my head. I really did not know. This was a completely unexpected turn of events.
"I will tell you, young man," said the sudden voice of Mr. Florence. I turned to see him standing behind me. He was looking straight at me. "Bill, right?" he asked, to which I nodded. "You are the first person to get through to her in a long time." My shock grew even more, a greater confusion having been added on top of it.