Fashionably Late

shit talking central

As if I wasn't nervous enough for my first day of school, the teaching assistant just had to be late and, on top of that, make me look like a fool in front of my class by cracking jokes about research that he presumed I had done just because I took the time to read his name to figure out who was going to be my teaching assistant. He then comported himself in such a disrespectful manner by making additional comments as I was talking to my students. The worst part about this is that my students seemed to be well disposed towards him after that, and it's like he won them over and is building up an army against me. He wasn't even there for the full period, which is one reason why I am not so fond of him, and he still managed to fuck it up disastrously. I'm just generally stressed, and he's making this a lot worse.

I release my frustrations in the teachers' lounge on the couch next to a teacher named Matthew who joined this school's faculty team at the same time I did, and he has become my go-to person in this facility, since he's only slightly younger than me and therefore feels more personal and relatable for me. He's not best friend material -- and is a tad boring, I must say -- but he's a good listener, and I appreciate that, especially today.

"He's just so...infuriating!" I exclaim. "So arrogant, so inconsiderate, so unbearable. I don't think I'm going to make it through school with him beside me."

"Mm," Matthew hums in acknowledgement as he sips his terrible office coffee. Setting it down on the adjacent table, he says, "Maybe you should give him a chance. Who knows? Maybe he could end up being your best friend."

This is not something I expected from Matthew. Usually he just sits there and offers phrases that only serve my own perspective. Usually he's not as radical as he is now. Usually he doesn't oppose my opinion. Usually he's a good listener.

"Surely he should know how important first impressions are," I counter.

Matthew shrugs. "He made an honest mistake, I'm sure. Have you never been late before?"

"Nope, not once."

He stares at me in disbelief. "Damn it. I was trying to look on the bright side -- giving you the benefit of the doubt, you know -- and hope you were human like the rest of us, but there's no way I can explain your absolute perfection any other way."

"I thought I left the kind of people like him back in high school," I continue on.

Placing a hand on my knee, Matthew suggests, "Give him time, Levi."

I get up to throw my shit coffee in the trash can where it belongs. "Whatever."

~~~~~

A/N: we all know the teachers' lounge is where teachers talk shit

~Dickota