Chapter 19: First Impressions
- Pronouns
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Chapter 19: First Impressions
When I drop Fred off at the UC Sunnydale campus, she hesitates with embarrassment turning her ears pink. "You don't actually have to play poker."
"I know." Since it seems like she's trying to apologize for her drunken state a few nights ago, I attempt to tone back on the attitude.
"And I'm sorry for talking to you like that." Her accent is a lot stronger when she's stressed out and right now the Texan twang is full bore. "I don't really drink much and kind of got emotional." Her hands start to tremble.
Ignoring my own frustration, I reach over and place a hand on her knee. "You alright Fred?"
"Clem sure had a lot to tell us about Sunnydale." I guess she means while I was talking to Willy. "It's really just sinking in what I signed up for."
"You don-" Right as I start telling her she can still back out, Fred gives me a firm stare.
"Don't even think about giving me an out. I'm just trying to process everything" Her veracity just makes me smile silently. "You heard what Clem said about the really serious games, they play for babies. I'm just so mad that's even a thing and I know you can't do anything about it."
Oh. "So the urgency over the kittens..."
"Kittens are still babies." Noticing her watery eyes, I lean over to pop open the glove compartment.
"Here." Handing her some of the napkins Doyle collected for some reason, I realize I can't really be mad anymore. "Don't worry about last night. You've had a pretty eventful month. I'm kind of impressed you held it together for so long."
Once her eyes are dry, Fred tells me she's going to take the bus home instead of waiting for me. With a goodbye almost back to our normal casualness, I head off to my first day at the high school.
Only a week on the sheet and I'm already getting called in by Principal Flutie. Something that would have taken at least six months in a normal city this size.
The drive from across town barely takes fifteen minutes and I'm forced to admit that Mayor Wilkins did an excellent job designing the place. Almost wish he'd have spent some time doing the same to the rest of California's highways.
Getting out of my Corolla, I hear some students comment on the new substitute, with a few of the smokers even making bets on how long I'll last. Scanning the crowd in front of the school, I'm still amazed at what passes for fashion in the nineties.
Not like I have much better to look forward to though. The denim fad is coming up pretty soon and that's really not something I want to relive.
When I finally get directions to the office and not a random closet, the secretary waves me right through to Flutie's open door. With the grinning principal getting up to greet me the second I step through it.
"Allen, thank you so much for coming in on such short notice." He pumps my hand up and down with enthusiasm, smiling at the navy suit Lorne insisted looked best on me.
"I'm just happy to be getting back to work." Releasing the handshake, it takes everything I have not to wipe the sweat on my pant leg. "Do you want me to stick to the lesson plan or should I just go with one of my back up assignments?"
The man gets flustered at the question and tries to deflect. "Probably best if you go with what you know. We're not sure when Miss Simmons will be coming back."
"So you just need me until she does?" Keeping my expression casual, Flutie starts to relax when he realizes I'm not going to pry for details.
"If that works for you." He explains I'll be taking over the freshman and sophomore English classes. "And as long as the students don't have too many complaints about you, we can always talk about making the position a permanent one." That's really not how it's supposed to work.
"That would be incredible Sir." It's easy to butter up such an easy going man.
The bell rings and Flutie gives me a wide grin. "Guess it's showtime. Good luck, those kids will try to eat you alive."
"Thanks for the warning." Giving the principal a respectful nod, I head off to find my classroom.
When I do reach it, almost every seat is already filled. "Good morning everyone, I'm Mister Doyle."
The sophomores give an unenthusiastic hello back, with only a couple teens putting any energy into it. Willow is of course the one with the bushiest eyes, with most students only getting interested when I get to the attendance sheet.
"Heidi Barrie?" I only have a vague memory of what she looks like and so it takes me a second to figure out what's going on when Harmony is the one to raise her hand.
As soon as I do catch on though, I decide to have my own fun with the students prank. "Well I guess that means Miss Kendall is absent today?"
"And Mister Harris too." I pretend to mark Xander absent as well, when he pretends to be Larry Blaisdell.
I get through a few more names before the teens lose the nerve to keep up the prank. With the one who was supposed to inherit my visions the one to break.
"Told you it was a stupid idea." Cordelia snaps at Xander when I make it clear I know she's not Michelle Blake. "We aren't in junior high anymore."
The pair trade a few quick witted barbs and I just enjoy the show up until the name calling comes out. "Silence!"
My gruff tone is enough to make Cordelia whirl on me with a charming smile. "But Mister Doyle. This was the cretin's idea."
"I have my own ears." Shocked at being called out by a substitute, Cordellia looks to her friends for support. "You want to insult each other, put it in writing so I can grade it."
"And the what now?" Xander blinks in shock.
"You and Miss Chase can give me a fifteen hundred word essay about how terrible the other one is." Before both pairs of eyes can get too carried away with cruel ideas, I lay down the ground rules. "No cursing or name calling. I want you to show how creative you can be."
Aghast at what looks like casual cruelty from a teacher, Willow's hand shoots into the air. "Isn't that kind of mean?"
"It would be if I wasn't also going to make them write a second essay about each other's best traits." I finally allow myself to smirk when I reveal the assignment I had planned for everyone. "I was going to pair everyone up randomly. But it looks like these two volunteered for an extra essay."
"But he doesn't have enough of those to fill a paragraph," Whines Cordelia when I don't relent to her pout.
"Well I'm averaging your mark between the two essays. So you better start thinking of some." The class realizes I'm not one of those teachers who just pops in a movie and exchange annoyed looks.
Looking back down at the attendance sheet, I use it to start calling out pairs. Amy and Willow are an easy duo to match, with Jesse getting stuck with Andrew's older brother. Maybe some friends will stop him from summoning any hellhounds.
Even though I'm looking for her name specifically, my eyes slip over it four times. When I do finally call out her name, Marcie Ross almost falls out of her seat in shock.
"You and Mister Levinson can pair up." Going to be hard for Jonathon to ignore her, if I'm making them spend a week interviewing each other.
The rest of the class I actually do pair up randomly, with only a couple names standing out as ones I kind of remember. But to my annoyance, Vice Principal Snyder saw the whole thing from the door.
His smirk of approval as he saunters off, is enough for me to know he's going to be a reoccurring problem. Of course the troll wants to be friends with me.
