Blue Eyed Beauty {Hawaii Five-O}

Chapter 3

"Of course, I'm late. I can never be on time for anything. Stupid stupid stupid. No good day starts with spilling my coffee." I muttered to myself as I tried to wipe off the coffee stain on the front of my shirt. My bag in one hand and my now empty coffee cup in the other, I was desperately trying to fathom how my day could get any worse.

Luckily the field trip was today, and I was excited to get out of the classroom. Even with the minor inconvenience of spilled coffee, I was determined to enjoy the adventures that awaited us today.

"Ms. Gordon's late. Ohhhhh," I heard children exclaim as I entered the bus. The other teachers noticed the coffee stain and understood the stress of this morning's disaster. We all have those days; today was just mine.

"Oh, hush. Now do we have everyone on board?" The other teachers gave a thumbs up, and I signaled to the bus driver. "All clear, Jay. Let's get a move on!" He gave a slight nod and shut the doors. 16 kids, three teachers, and we were all set.

I took a seat next to one of my students, Charlie. She glanced up from her phone and smiled at me, "Rough morning, Ms. Gordon?" She asked.

"Oh, Charlie," I exclaimed, resting my head against the seat and releasing a sigh. "You have no idea."

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The ride so far had been smooth. Other than the occasional kids messing around, I found myself conversing with my co-teacher, Ms. Wright. "I don't know Kasey. It was just weird. One minute she's telling Kyle that he's the love of her life and the next she's dropping him for some Italian buff. She's crazy if you ask me." I chuckled at the latest news from The Bachelorette. I wasn't a fan of reality shows, but they held a special place in Lauren Wright's heart.  "What was she thinking? Personally, if I were her, the moment I saw Kyle, I would've quit the show and drove off into the sunset with that gorgeous piece of —."

"Hey guys, guys. That's enough with the bag. Settle down." I exclaimed to the boys tossing a back bag several rows in front of me. I smiled. "Are we excited to go?" I asked.

"Yes!" All the students replied.

"Are we going to behave?" I retorted.

"Yes, Ms. Gordon." They chimed back. Even with the morning I had, it was nice to see the kids enjoying their time out of the classroom, but I didn't want them getting into any trouble.

I turned back to Lauren. "I don't know how you do it." She stated. "The kids listen to you yet when I speak, they laugh and run the other way." I couldn't help but giggle at her comment. True, it was easier for me with classroom management because of my experience. However, with being fresh out of college and still learning the ropes, I understood the struggles she encountered. Every teacher experiences that at first.

"It takes time," I replied. "Once you're here for a little bit and they get to know you, it'll be a lot easier. Do you think they listened to me when I first got here? I thought hell week was bad in college but new teachers get their own special hell month. It'll get better. I promise." She nodded and leaned back in her seat. The everyday life of a teacher was never dull. It was exhausting and complicated. Sometimes it was overwhelming, and quitting seemed to be an easy solution. However, it's one of the greatest feelings to know that you're making a difference in each of their lives. Something you do or say could influence them in ways someone never could. Those small victories are what make teaching worth it. Lauren will see that soon.

I was pulled from my thoughts as I felt the bus come to a stop. We still had another hour before we arrived and there was no way we could be stuck in traffic. I peeked over the seat to try and get a look, but all I saw were curious heads doing the same as I was. Ms. Wright looked at me with questioning eyes, and I patted her on the arm before I stood up.

"Jay, what's going on?" I asked as I made my way to the front.

"It's a car accident." He replied. I noticed the two cars blocking the road. A man and a woman stood next to the cars conversing.

Jay opened the door and stepped out. I could hear the murmuring of the children behind me as well as the confusion of the other teachers.

"It's all right everybody. Just stay in your seats." I turned and spoke to the students. I began to worry that something was wrong. I watched as Jay walked up to the couple to make sure they were okay. It didn't look like they injured.

"You guys okay?" He asked. "Anyone hurt?" He slowed his pace and stopped a few feet in front of them as they turned to face him.

The brunette looked at him and held up a gun. "Yeah. you." The sound of a gunshot rang through the air as Jay fell to the ground. The kids screamed and clamored from the noise, unsure of what was happening. 

"Jay!" I shouted. "Kids get down." I saw the fear in each of their eyes, and I couldn't imagine what was held in my mine. I was scared no doubt. What would two people want with a busload of kids?