It’s a brand new day of a brand new week for Diana. A breath of fresh air. She needs to start her week full of energy and less distracted. She doesn’t need any distractions for today.
But it’s as if fate doesn’t want her to be in peace, before she could reach the school gate, a motorbike stopped in front of her. She rolled her eyes when she recognized who it was: it was Albert and he was smiling widely. She walked towards the gate, passing beside him.
“Good morning, ma’am.” He greeted and followed her.
“Good morning,” she greeted him coldly.
She didn’t expect what he did next! He poked her in the waist.
“Ack! Albert!” she glared at him when a few students looked at them. “Stop doing that! We’re not high schoolers anymore!” she said in annoyance.
“But your height does!” he mockingly said.
She looked fiercely at him.
“For Pete’s sake, Albert, don’t ruin my morning! It barely started and here you are, ruining it!” she said and left him.
“Come on! I was just messing around! The week barely started and your mood is already on its peak!” he called out.
She shook her head and rolled her eyes. ‘For the love of Zeus, why do I have to come across that man in this time of day, and in this day of the week!?!’ She entered the school gate and went straight to the faculty room. All her co-teachers are preparing for the flag ceremony. She left the faculty room as soon as she had put her things down on her desk and joined her class in the line.
After the flag ceremony, the students went to their classes and the teachers went back to the faculty room. She prepared her things and went to her first class: her advisory class. The students stood up and greeted her. She greeted them back and told them to take their seats. She started her class.
After her first class, she’d been so stressed pacifying the students. What would you expect from 9th graders in section 3? A total chaos. It feels as if all her energy had been drained. ‘Gosh, Lord, have pity on me. I still have 5 classes left. I need inspiration.’ she said to herself when she arrived at the faculty room. As soon as she said those words, she received a call. She reached for her phone. She rolled her eyes. ‘You’re not serious about this, Lord, right?’ she asked in her mind and lazily answered the call.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“And hello to you, too, Ma’am Diana.” It was Albert.
“Whatever it is you’re going to say, spill it out now because I still have a class.”
“Okay. I just wanted to say sorry for what I did a while ago. That was rude of me.”
She was startled. It was his first time saying sorry for being a jerk.
“Are you okay? Are you sick?” she asked him.
“I am okay, yes. No, I am not sick. Why did you ask?” There’s a hint of confusion in his voice.
“Because it’s your first time saying how sorry you are for being a jerk. Now I still have my class, I got to go.”
“Wait!”
“What?!?”
“So, are you accepting my apology then?”
“Yes. Now I really have to go, Bye!” she cut the call when Albert was about to say something more.
She grabbed her things and went on to her next class. She was walking towards the classroom when two of her students came rushing to her. It’s the President and the secretary of the class.
“Why are you running? And where are you going, by the way?” she asked them. They are both gasping for air.
“Ma’am, Jake and Carl are fighting. We can’t separate them!” the president reported.
She ran towards the room in terror and in fury. What a brilliant way to start the week! She saw the two boys gripping each other’s collar.
“And that’s supposed to show how BRAWNY you are?!?” she asked them sarcastically, her voice was a little pitchy.
The students started to fix the chairs and the two boys looked at her fiercely. She glared back at them.
“You want to put on a show? You get out of this classroom and go to the gymnasium!” she yelled at them.
The boys felt embarrassed and they let go each other’s collar. They returned back to their seats.
“What a brilliant move to start the week, right Jake? Carl?” she asked them. The class fell silent. “What is the cause of the commotion between you, two, huh? That you really chose to fight during my class!” she was furious. The vice president of the class raised her hand. “Yes, Ms. VPres, you want to say something?” she asked.
“They were fighting over Elena, ma’am.” She said.
‘What the f**k!' She cursed in her head. She shook her head and laugh a bit. The students had a confused look on their faces.
“So you wanted to reenact the Trojan War? Why didn’t you just say so? So, who’s Agamemnon? Was it you, Jake? And Carl, are you Paris? Elena, my child… How does it feel to be the most beautiful girl in the class?” she asked laughing, but still furious. The students bowed their heads. “Great actors! You just ruined my day. Now bring out your books and open it on page 315. I’m not done with the three of you yet.” She said and opened her own book.
She started the discussion. After discussion, she let them answer the comprehension check while she talked to the three on a hut outside the classroom.
“Care to explain what really happened?” she asked them. Elena was so embarrassed, she can sense it. “I want to hear it from you Elena. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable and embarrassed a while ago, that’s on me, I couldn’t contain my anger.” She apologized.
“I understand, ma’am. But it wasn’t our fault that it happened, ma’am. It was Princess’ idea.” Elena explained. Princess is the Vice President.
“Princess… tell me everything first before I talk to her.”
“She told me that Elena was seeing Carl, ma’am.” Jake continued the story.
“Princess told you? Why, is Elena your girlfriend?” she asked Jake. The boy nodded. “And he confronted you?” she asked Elena. The girl shook her head. “He confronted Carl, then?” she asked again, this time, she faced the other boy. Carl nodded. “And what did you say?” she asked Carl.
“Princess told me the plan and it was supposed to be a prank, ma’am, so I agreed. But Jake didn’t asked me about it and just went to me and punched me in the face.” Carl answered.
She put her palm on her forehead.
“Grade 10… Grade 10… you are not children anymore… whatever it is that you are seeing in social media, please do not try to imitate everything. See what happened there? It’s just supposed to be a prank but it turned out to be more violent! So here’s what we are going to do, Jake and Carl, you hug it out. You’re both at fault at this one, why? Jake was hot-tempered and Carl was a prankster. And please, before doing such aggressive behavior, kindly talk it out first? You should have asked Elena first, Jake, if the rumors are true. And Carl, you shouldn’t have agreed to the prank. See where it got you? And Elena, you should have told Jake that it was a prank.”
“He would not listen to me, ma’am.” Elena sighed. She looked at Jake.
“How is that, Jake? You don’t trust your girlfriend?”
The boy did not respond.
“You should discuss that between you two, privately. Now boys, hug it out.” She instructed them.
The two boys hugged and patted each other’s shoulder.
“No more fighting, boys. Now get inside and start answering. Elena, kindly tell Princess to come here.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The girl said.
The three of them went inside the classroom. Elena went to Princess and the latter stood up and went to her.
“You asked for me, ma’am?” Princess stated.
“Take your seat my dear.”
The girl took her seat.
“How does it feel to be Eris?” she asked her.
“Ma’am?”
“How does it feel to devise a plan that will wreak havoc in the class?” she asked again, this time, there’s a hint of dismay in her voice.
“It wasn’t me, ma’am.”
“Don’t deny it, the three of them told me everything.”
“I didn’t expect there will be a chaos between the two of them ma’am.”
“You did expect a bit because you wouldn’t think of such prank if you know they wouldn’t care, child. The question is why? Do you hate Elena?”
“No, ma’am. But I know Carl has a crush on Elena that’s why I asked him to do the prank.”
“My dear, you are the vice president of the class. Your job is to look after your classmates. Not to create a war between them. You are elected in that position because they know they could trust you. If you are going to do things like that, then what do you think will happen in your class? This should serve as a warning for you. Now go back to the class and continue answering.” She said.
The girl nodded and went inside. She sighed and followed the girl.