Hannah's Story

Chapter 3 - Hannah

Hope you like it.

The pic is Cody Linley as Gabe Parsons. I don't regret my choice, but I'm not against suggestions for other actors to portray Gabe.

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Wow. I couldn't believe that Gabe Parsons had asked me out. I mean, it wasn't a total shock after talking with Jesse, but I didn't expect anything to happen today! I sat at my desk in the back of Janice's classroom, smiling to myself. School had let out for the day, and I was working on my lesson plans for next week.

"How are those plans coming along?" Gabe asked as he walked into the room.

"They're okay," I said. "I'm starting with a poetry unit."

"The kids love you. I'm sure they'll enjoy whatever you decide to teach them," he said, pulling a nearby chair up beside me and sitting down.

"I hope so," I said.

We discussed a few of the students and the details of my lesson plans for the next few minutes. It didn't take long for the discussion to turn to our plans for two days from now.

"So, what time do you want me to pick you up on Friday?" he asked.

"Um, seven?" I said, kind of wishing he would have just chosen the time. Then I thought maybe this was just his way of being polite.

"Sure, seven sounds great!" he said.

I gave him my address and we talked some more. An hour or so later, he offered to walk me out to my car. Even though I had more work to do, I took advantage of his chivalry and packed up my things.

When we got to my car, we said our goodbyes. Once inside my car, I waited until he was safely inside his and moving before leaving the parking lot. My mother had taught me to never leave anyone before seeing if their car would start.

On the way home, I thought about Gabe and how his captivating blue eyes sparkled when he'd discussed our date. Talking with him tonight made it seem like we would be able to have fun enjoying each others' company outside of school. I really hoped this date was successful.

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The next day was Thursday, and I had no trouble waking up and getting ready for the school day ahead. I was still excited about my date with Gabe, and I couldn't wait to see his smiling face today. I had a few minutes during morning bus duty to speak with him, then it was off to work. I had volunteered to help with the yearbook staff during lunch on Thursdays, since it would give my resume more substance. I also knew that many of my more ambitious students were on the yearbook staff.

Lunchtime came, and I headed over to Mr. Burnell's classroom annex, where everything yearbook related was kept and utilized. Upon walking in I saw the five students who had given up their lunch period to work on the layout.

There was Crystal Riess, Dominic Lowry, Michael Gardini, Jessica O'Neal, and Rachel Pembroke. When I walked in, Michael and Crystal looked up.

"Hi, Miss Drake," Crystal said as Michael waved.

"Hi, guys," I replied, taking in the equipment around them. There were five laptops, a few tablets, and two digital cameras on the two tables in the center of the room. Labeled cabinets lined three of the walls and a file cabinet stood in the far left corner. The wall on the far side of the room held four desk top computers and there was a Smartboard on the wall with no cabinets.

"The yearbook staff has acquired a lot of equipment over the years," Jessica said in response to my observations.

"It sure does look like it. I was on the newspaper staff when I was a student here a few years back, but we didn't have quite so much equipment," I said.

"Yeah, since Mr. Bowman became principal, he's really pushed for the school board to allow us to buy what we needed to become more technologically advanced. Both the yearbook and the newspaper rooms have gotten several upgrades in the past three years," Dom said.

"I'm impressed," I said, thinking back to my high school years, when the newspaper and yearbook shared a digital camera. Each staff was lucky to each get our own desk top computers to use. We had been stuck in the dark ages. I was happy to see that Mr. Bowman had brought the school up to date. My principal, Dr. Stossel, had been an old stick in the mud that was inspired by ideals from a 1960's text book about public education. Her retirement had definitely been good for everyone involved.

"Yeah, as freshmen, we had to deal with Old Battle Ax Stossel. When Mr. Bowman became principal, we welcomed him with open arms. He's been nothing but great since he started," Rachel said.

I took a minute to study the girl who had captured Jesse's heart. She was short, about five foot three, and slender, with a dark caramel complexion and big brown eyes. Her hair was styled in waves around her face and came down to her shoulders. I could see why he liked her. Her smile was friendly and welcoming.

"Glad to hear it," I said. "Now how can I help you guys?"

The students showed me the program they were using for the layout, and gave me a few pages to organize. It was actually pretty fun. Since I had worked on the newspaper in both high school and college, it was easy to adjust to the differences between this program and the ones with which I was familiar. I enjoyed listening to the banter between the students as I helped them with their work.

Later that day, as I was sitting at the kitchen table finishing my lesson plans, I said, "I have to talk to Jesse."

"What?" my mom, Bria, asked.

"Oh, nothing," I said. "I was just thinking of a way to get Jesse more involved in extra-curricular activities. Hallie and Callie are worried about him getting into a good school."

Meanwhile, I knew that Jesse was planning on joining a carpenter training school after graduation. He hadn't broken the news to his parents or his sisters yet. So far, only Ethan and I know about his plans. Why I had unintentionally spoken aloud was due to the fact that I figured out a way for Jesse to have more interactions with Rachel. If he joined the yearbook, he could spend his lunch period working with her three days a week. Maybe they'd fall in love....well, at least become closer than they were right now.

"Whatever you say, Hannah," my mom said, walking out of the kitchen and into the living room.

She was used to me saying random things out loud and not really understanding how or why I'd been thinking about what I'd said at the given time. After I finished the lesson plans, I gathered them up, put them in my school bag, and headed upstairs to call Jesse. I really hoped he liked my idea.

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