Curiosity (GxG) (TeacherxStudent)

Chapter Nineteen

The same faces as last year. Everybody secretly whispered to the point that it became apparent. As if the school came together as a whole to be a sarcastic, fake, impudent piece of shit. If I could only flip them off one by one... I would've already done it. It took a lot to be calm and collected in this toxic environment.

The headmaster called me over to his office. He said he wanted to discuss a few things regarding me and the tons of complaints the office had received the past school year. I know they aren't a fan of interrogating teachers, even if there are some biased ones, and old-fashion ones straight out of the Mesozoic Era. The school was already short on staff. They were afraid to lose more teachers, and once they do, it's game over. I wonder what they would do to their most infamous biology teacher.

Mr. Robinson peeked his long-bearded head out the office door to see where I stood, "You may have to wait a little longer," He said as forced a smile towards me. He then closed the door on my face gently, careful not to disturb everyone on the other side.

They had a meeting inside without me. Left out, but I'm doubtless, they talked about what to do to me. And at the end of the day, it's all about the school's reputation that matters.

I leaned on the wall. It's so early, and so boring. If the headmaster didn't request to meet me, I would've already done something productive, like set the classroom up for my demon students.

Out of nowhere, a new face came into view. She tightly scrunched the arms of her backpack while she looked around, confused and lost. I had the chance to meet her brown uneasy eyes, and immediately I thought that she looked like an abandoned puppy who was searching for someone to help her.

The girl looked away then had a second thought, maybe even a look of disgust once her eyes had left mine. Am I that awful? I know I'm intimidating, but a look of disgust? Come on! I can be better than that.

She's a transferee, I noticed that once she asked for directions. We barely get transferee nowadays. Oftentimes, it was students in here who had enough, transferring to other schools, not the other way around. But anyway, it doesn't matter to me whether she was new. She'll turn like the others in no time to fit in.

The door to the office opened wide, teachers stepped out one by one, each gave me a side-eye when they walked past. The last one on the line is Mr. Robinson. He held the door open for me to get in, "Good luck," He whispered, then he closed the door to leave me alone with the headmaster.

"Ms. Miller," the headmaster called. His voice in a higher pitch than a normal man, you'll feel like you're talking to a woman when he speaks.
"Take a seat," he pointed his hand on a chair across his desk.

"Yes sir," I sat on it, acted obedient.

He started with a sigh, then he slid a paper in front of me. "I want to know your thoughts about this. It's a compilation of all the student's complaints about you."

I looked down on the paper and read the first statement aloud.

"I hate the short-haired science teacher. She's very stiff, I don't like how she walks, she weird. She has an annoying voice, I couldn't stand it. Her face is always full of makeup, it's distracting. I don't get her fashion sense at all. I wish you kick her out. Love Maddison."

The headmaster just stared at me not a single word came out of his mouth.

"It's not even about how I teach!" I defended. I refused to believe that anything on that paper is believable.

"Why don't you read more?"

"Read more of what sir? All of these are straight-up bullying."

"Well there must be a reason why they are behaving like this towards you, don't you think so?"

I nodded. I hate to admit it.

"Your personal life isn't our business,  we don't have the intention of intruding, but... I'm afraid that we have to do something, especially  when the school's name is getting dragged around with umm..." He coughed, "Your scandal with Mr. Jon Wallace."

I flinched when he mention the man. His name gave me flashbacks, it  haunted me wherever I go. "What  actions are you planning?"

He shook his head. I can already tell it's not good news. "You got to stay while we find a new teacher to replace you."

"And how long would that take?"

"6-7months is a safe guess..."

___

I'm going to lose my job to a mistake I've made 2 years ago. How unfair can life be? I was so young then, taken advantage of when I was vulnerable, and when I was desperate for a feeling and solace.

The headmaster made me brought the 6-page compilation of student complaints with me. I had to read it. I might have to change myself into what they want me to be, then maybe they would reconsider their decision of replacing me. Doesn't matter how much I despised my job, I needed it. I have no one to clung to but myself after all. It will be hard to find a new job, plus, I studied hell college for this. Why would I back out now?

I noticed someone walked inside my last class scheduled for today. I kept my head low as if reading the hate essay one of my students wrote about me. No one even bothered to show up  early, especially if it was their last class, especially if the teacher was me.

She might be the new girl... And as expected she is. She sat at the mid-row.

"Are we having a test today?" She asked. Half of her face was covered by her backpack but I saw that her eyes were pointing at the paper I was holding.

"Oh no, we're not," I assured her. "I'm just reading a- how can I put this...?" I thought for a while, skipped pages and scanned the words on them to describe it. "A six-page self-esteem wrecker, basically," I said.

She furrows her brow in confusion, "Why would you read that?"

She has a lot of questions for a transferee. Why would I even read it? Now that I thought about it, it sounds silly. I swept the paper under a small shelf on my desk and call it a day after rereading it two times. Students would start flooding in, in a minute anyway.

"Because I have to," I said. I'm still holding onto the chance that maybe, even just for a slim chance, of turning my life around as it played before. For that, I'm ready to change who I am, even if it means erasing me.

"Well, you shouldn't ma'am. I mean Ummm... You don't have to feel pressured about meeting the standards of other people. You are what you are, and I think that dress looks really good on you."

That made me smile. Been a while since I did, who would've thought it was going to be the new student's fault.

"That made my day," I said, as I leaned back on my chair, and students came in filling the once peaceful classroom of mine.

Once they were all seated quietly, I proceeded in front of the class with a marker in hand. I wrote my name on the middle of the board, making it clear and readable from the front to the back of the class.

"Ms. Miller for short. I am going to be your temporary science teacher. Any questions?"