Appropriate

Three

McBrien POV

Arie Wagner, she was a bit of a legend when I first started. I first heard about her during a meeting for all the teachers who taught the seniors, I was warned; she's just like her sister Holly; loud, outspoken, and not afraid of a little conflict. They rattled off a list of other students who fit that category but for some reason her name stuck with me. I have to admit, I was excited to see her name on my roster, a challenging student.

When the first day of school started, first and second period melted into one and it wasn't long before third period started. It was a different feeling in that class, I knew something was special about it. The entire class was filled with the brightest students I had ever met, they all had wildly different personalities- and that definitely meant I had some fights on my hands- but they all had something in common, the ability to wow me completely.
Like Danny, who could create an app for anything you could ask for
Or Kasey, she could recite every president in order, including birthdate and place
Or like Arie, who was passionate. She could debate that the sky was green and make people believe it. I think that's what the other faculty members meant to say.
I'm going to miss my students, that's the hardest part about teaching seniors but it was just as rewarding to watch them grow into the adults they are meant to be.

After she had walked out of the room, I checked my phone just hoping she hadn't gone through any messages or posted on my Facebook. Much to my surprise, her heart shaped, freckle face was staring back at me. She had two little black hearts dotted on her cheeks, they matched her hair and accentuated her green eyes. It was a photo that made me smile, I was just going to pretend I didn't see it and leave it for the rest of the day. I knew it was going to start soon, the banging, yelling, cheering would come down the hall. The legacy walk, or 'senior snake', was a way for us to say goodbye to our students. We would put pictures, awards, or artwork up and allow them to reminisce over the last four years. I quickly brought out my bored with the funny pictures or notes they had given me over the last 9 months, I tried to get something up for each kid at least once but special students got two and then there was Arie, I had put up five different pieces that she had left for me on my desk or that she had written in tests on that bored. She was always so clever and funny, I couldn't decide which was the best.
It wasn't long before I heard the hundreds of footsteps from upstairs, I waited in my doorway patiently until I finally saw the crowd with Arie front and center which was just where she liked to be. She came by my board and stopped for a second, she looked over all of her silly jokes and doodles and gave me the sweetest smile I had ever seen. She hugged me tight and said thank you before slipping off into the crowd. That just might be the last I see of her again, I tried to cherish the warmth her skin left on mine left.