Along Came A Spider (One Direction Version)

Chapter 4

At nine O'clock on that morning, Ms. Vivian Kim decided to re-create Watergate in her classroom. She would never forget it. Vivian Kim was smart, pretty, and a stimulating American History teacher. Her class was one of the students' favorites. Twice a week Ms. Kim acted out a history skit. Sometimes she let her students prepare one. They got to be really good at it, and she could honestly say her class was never boring.

On this particular morning, Vivian Kim had choosen Watergate. In her class were Angelique Dunne and Liam Payne. The classroom was being watched.

Vivian Kim alternately played General Haig, H. R. Haldeman, Henry Kessinger, G. Gordon Liddy, President Nixon, John and Martha Mitchell, and John and Maureen Dean. She was a good mimic and did an excellent job on Liddy, Nixon, General Haig, and especially the Mitchells and Mo Dean.

"During his annual State of the Union message, President Nixon spoke to the entire nation on television," Ms. Kim told to the students. "Many people feel that he lied to us. When a high government official lies, he commits a horrible crime. We've put our trust in that person, based on his solemn word, his integrity."

"Hiss." "Boo!" A couple of students in class participated in the lesson. Within reason, Vivian Kim encouraged this kind of involvement.

"Boo is absolutely right," she said. "Hiss, too. Anyway, at this moment in our history, Mr. Nixon stood before the nation, before people like you and me." Vivian Kim arranged herself as if she were at a speaking podium. She begun to do her version of Richard Nixon for the class.

Ms. Kim made her face dark and gloomy. She shook her head from side to side. "I want you to know . . . that I have no intention whatever of ever walking away from the job that the American people elected me to do for the people of the United States." Vivian Kim paused on the actual words from Nixon's infamous speech. It was like a held note in a bad but powerful opera.

The classroom was silent. For the moment, she had completely won their attention. It was a teacher's nirvana, however short-lived. Nice, Vivian Kim thought to herself.

There was a brittle tap, tap, tap on the glass pane of the classroom door. The magical mood was broken.

"Boo! Hiss," Vivian Kim muttered. "Yes? Who's there? Hello? Who is it?" she called.

The glass and polished mahogany door slowly opened. One of the students hummed from the score of Nightmare on Elm Street. Mr. Vine, hesitantly, almost shyly, stepped inside. Nearly every students face in the classroom brightened instantly.

"Anybody home?" Mr. Vine piped in a thin squeaky voice. The students erupted with laughter. "Ohhh! Look. Everybody's home, " he said.

Josh Vine taught mathematics, and also computer science - which was even more popular than Vivian's Kim class. He was handsome with a droopy mustache, and English schoolboy glasses. He didn't look like a matinee idol, but he was one at the school. In addition to being an inspired teacher, Mr. Vine was the grand master of any video games.

His popularity, and the fact that he was a computer wizard, had earned him the nickname "Mr. Chips."

Mr. Vine greeted a couple of students by name as he quickly made his way to Ms. Kim's desk.

The two teachers then spoke privately at the front desk. Ms. Kim had her back to the class. She was nodding a lot, not saying much. She seemed tiny standing next to Mr. Vine, who was over six feet tall.

Finally, Ms. Kim turned back to the students. "Angelique Dunne and Liam Payne? Could the two of you please come up front? Bring your things if you would."

Angelique and Liam exchanged puzzled glances. What was this all about? They gathered their belongings, and then headed to the front to find out. The other students has begun whispering, even talking out loud in the classroom.