The Substitute

Chapter 1

3-D thought this new teacher was weird. She looked naïve and clueless, and everyone was sure she'd faint at the sight of them, or run away at their first threats. But somehow, their rough way of speaking and tendency to fight didn't faze her. She kept popping up unexpectedly, and making passionate speeches, and generally just weirding them all out.

But she was nothing like the substitute.

A month or two into the school year, everyone has just gotten used to how odd she was, with her mob-like phrases and the fact that she believed what they said, and even a few of them were starting to admit she wasn't as bad as most teachers. But then one day, she didn't show up for class.

She was normally a bit late, so they didn't think much of it. But as the time passed, more of them started glancing at the door, wondering when she'd turn up. When the door did slide open, many turned to look, and those that didn't were still watching from the corner of their eyes to confirm that it was Yankumi and that everything was alright.

Except it wasn't Yankumi.

A tall, lanky man with longish hair, wearing a white shirt with a black jacket and pants walked in to 3-D's classroom. He gave it and them a cursory glance, then closed the door, sat on the front desk, and stared fixedly at the door, ignoring them all

The silence that had fallen lightened with curious whispers and confused looks. Reita, the unofficial leader of the class, looked up from his desk, where he had been pretending to nap (so that Yankumi wouldn't think he was worried about her) and stared at the stranger. As much as he hated to admit it, he had almost come to rely on Yankumi's presence and passion in fighting for them. The fact that she was gone and the stranger was here made Reita think this was somehow Mr. Jacket's fault.

The man at the front sat up a little, as if he could sense Reita's glare, then turned to look straight at him. When he saw Reita propping his head up on his arm, the man snorted softly, as if he was amused by something, and a ghost of a grin crossed his face before he returned to watching the door.

Reita's fists clenched. He did not like being laughed at, especially by strangers. Scooting back his chair loudly, he started to stand with challenge in his eyes. If Mr. Jacket wanted a fight, he'd sure as hell get one.

Three things happened as Reita's chair screeched back. An expectant silence fell over the room; the man at the front met his gaze; and his eyes flashed with their own challenge.

Reita froze. The look in the man's eyes wasn't amused, or superior. It was deadly serious, as if he made his living meeting challenges from people much more frightening than a high school kid. A moment passed, the man waiting to see if Reita wanted to challenge the steel in his gaze. Almost without realizing it, Reita slowly sat back down, causing a new wave of shocked whispers to echo around the room. He jerked his chin in a defiant nod, just to let Mr. Jacket know he wasn't beaten by any means. Mr. Jacket gave his own small nod in acknowledgement, then went straight back to looking at the door.

There was hardly time for the class to wonder who the hell this stranger was and how he had gotten Reita himself to back down when the door slid open once more.

"Good morning every-" Yankumi's overly cheerful greeting was cut short as she saw the stranger at her desk. 3-D watched the two apprehensively, waiting to see if she knew who this was.

The man's eyes narrowed, his arms crossed, and his eyebrow lifted up in a firm glare of disapproval. As the boys stared, Yankumi paused and a look that could only be described as "Oh shit!" crossed her face.

"What are you doing here?" He asked in a deceptively calm voice.

"Um… teaching?" Yankumi answered brightly, smiling as she did when she knew she was in trouble.