If Only For A Little While

Stapler

Levi

I awoke to the blaring sound of my alarm. I cracked one eyelid open to check the time.

7:34 a.m.

Shit! How many times had I hit snooze? I shot out of my bed and yanked open my closet doors grabbing a shirt and tie at random. I tugged on my dress pants and shoes. I didn't have time to eat anything or take a shower. After I was dressed I snatched my keys off the counter and rushed out the door.

I sped out of the driveway, my hair stood up haphazardly and hung in my eyes. I pushed it back roughly and slammed down on the gas, completely disregarding the speeding limit.

It wasn't like me to wake up late, especially on a school day. However last night I hadn't been able to sleep. 1 or 2 hours at the most. Thoughts of my past, present, and future had consumed me. I'd been caught up in remembering what I'd done and thinking about what I'm doing now. Most of all however, I'd been thinking about what was going to happen to me, or rather who.

I couldn't deny the fact that Eren had found his way into my life now, that he had become something more than a student to me. I cared about him, unlike the rest of my students I wanted to be there for him and to help him. He had single handedly become my now.

But would he be in my future?

I don't know why this thought bothered me so much but it did. What had he become to me? More than a student for sure, I certainly didn't see him like I would a son. I scoffed at the thought, I'd never be a father.

Finally I pulled into the school's parking lot. Bolting out of my car and through the back entrance of the school I pushed past students without stopping to be polite. They looked at me with open-mouthed stares. I could see students whispering behind their hands and gaping at my disheveled state. I didn't have time to deal with a bunch of brats who couldn't mind their own damn business so I just shoved them aside and left it at that. I stumbled into my classroom and slammed the door. A couple of students had already filed into my classroom and their eyes all turned to their teacher.

"What the hell are you brats looking at?" I snapped and dropped my briefcase on my desk. They all looked away and began talking quietly among themselves.

I directed my attention to my lesson plan, looking it over a couple times to make sure I was content with it. Damn I want tea. On a normal day I would have made a cup before leaving the house and then another after I'd arrived at school.

Today however I didn't have time to do either. The final bell was about to ring and I didn't trust these brats alone in my classroom.

I looked up from my papers at the sound of a familiar voice. Eren and his blonde friend were talking with another tall boy with freckles and a boy with a bleached undercut. Tch, mine's better. At least I don't look like a horse.

At that moment the bell rang and the clusters of students scurried to find their seats. I stood to start my lesson but my fatigue made my head spin. I braced one hand on my desk and the other on my head until I was able to get my bearings.

I could hear the sounds of whispering and giggling from the students. "Someone was out drinking late last night." The horse-looking kid whispered loudly to freckles who was holding back a laugh. Fucking shit-heads...

In one quick motion I picked the stapler up off my desk and hurled it towards the horse's face. "What the hell!" He shrieked like a girl and ducked before the object collided with his head. With a loud clang the stapler hit the wall beside my cabinet.

Wide-eyed kids stared between me and the horse. Dead silence had blanketed the room like a thick fog. "You could have hit me!" The kid yelled.

"Well maybe next time you won't talk during class." I started writing numbers on the board.

"That's fucking insane! I could get you fired for that!" The kid kept at it, screaming obscenities at the back of my head. It began grating on my nerves.

"Then do it." I replied cooly, "just shut up before I throw something else at you- what's your name?"

The kid was taken back, obviously very pissed. "Jean Kirstein, and I don't have to listen to a teacher who tried to assault me-"

I spun around and strolled over to Jean's desk and leaned on it's surface, "Then why don't you fucking leave." I whispered menacingly, "Go report me, go do whatever the fuck you want just get the hell out of my classroom."

Silence once again filled the room, so thick you could choke on it. Jean opened his mouth to say something but thinking better of it shut his mouth. He crossed his arms over his chest but didn't leave.

"So you're just going to sit there? Just disregard my simple request?" I shrugged and walked back to the front of the room and went back to writing on the board. Jean didn't answer me, just sat there silently. "Very well," I sighed, "but if I hear you say another word I'll be throwing something a lot bigger than a stapler at your stupid horse face."

Jean's face turned a bright shade of crimson, his freckled friend put a hand on his shoulder but Jean brushed it away. An abrupt laugh burst from a seat across the classroom. My eyes darted to the owner of the laugh and narrowed. "Something funny Jaeger?"

"No-" Eren choked back more laughter, "Nothing I just-"

"Detention." I snapped.

"You already gave me detention for today sir, and you didn't give Jean one." Eren cocked his head to the side, using his hand to hide his smile.

"Then you'll have it tomorrow too! I threw a stapler at him he doesn't need detention!" I yelled, "Now I don't want to hear another word from you shits or I'll make you all have ten times the homework for the rest of the damned school year!"

Once again that blissful silence filled the space.

"I'm glad I've made myself clear. Now turn to page 109, we'll be starting with a pop quiz over what you all learned last year."

I was greeted with the blissful sound of students groaning and flipping through the pages of their books.

Now I just had to make it through the rest of the school day.

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I planned to make that chapter longer but then decided to just make the next chapter longer for *ehem* reasons ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Thanks for reading, I'll be updating really soon!

-KarinParker