This is my second series. I kind of churned this section out so hopefully you'll enjoy. There may be more to come if the interest seems strong. I've got an outline for future entries.
As always, I appreciate all feedback and/or criticism.
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The little brats in the seats just weren't going to behave this afternoon. They were probably still not fully acclimated to school, because the summer break had only finished a few weeks ago. Actually, that's bullshit. These were seniors in high school. They should be able to sit in a classroom and not act completely retarded.
"Ms. Thomas, why can't we just watch a video or something today?"
"Ms. Thomas, I need to start mentally preparing for the game tonight, can't we just have study hall?"
I just wanted to tell them to shut the fuck up and pay attention. I had prepared a lesson for the day and they were going to hear it. I teach American History to juniors and seniors at a suburban school in Georgia. Overall, they were good kids. I had some smart ones who would do well in life. But I had some real troublemakers. They were the kids who were peaking in life at 18 and gave no thought to their future. They also gave me tons of grief because of who I am.
I'm the hot teacher, Jenna Thomas. I know that sounds conceited, but it's true. I'm 24 and have been teaching in the three years since I graduated from college. I keep myself fit, eat right, and have been blessed with good looks on a good body. I'm a 5'7" brunette with solid Cs. Normally, it's an advantage in life. In my profession, however, I have a hard time being taken seriously by a group of 18 year olds. And I'm not just talking about the boys -- even though they're bad. The girls give me some of the worst problems. They're catty and try to outshine me at every turn.
Another major problem was the "Photo-gate" episode last year. One day, the principal called me into his office and we had to discuss why pictures of me were circulating among the student body. It turns out one of the kids found some pictures of me in a bikini at spring break from a few years ago on the internet. As I looked at the photos the principal had confiscated, I knew why he had to act. It was obviously me, and the bikini was really small and didn't leave much to the imagination. I suppose it's bad to say but I remembered that day and felt a rush of excitement. That trip in Cancun had gotten wild and was much more fun than anything I had done in a long time.
I explained that I had no idea how the photos leaked; I had deleted my Facebook account to avoid situations exactly like this one. The administration was really nice about it and we got the situation resolved. But to a large extent, the damage was done. The fuel had been thrown on the fire and now I was the object of all the boys' fantasies.
*****
I shut down the requests to have a day off and started my lesson about the development of the American political system. I always make a genuine effort to be engaging and not put the class to sleep.
"Tim, can you explain why the Federalist Papers are important even today?" I asked. He sat at the back of the class, shyly, and looking blankly at the wall. When he realized that I was talking to him he clammed up and couldn't get a word out. This was typical. He normally blushed and rarely got a word out. He was a good kid who would blossom in college, but he was just a little awkward at the moment.
I moved on to someone else and gradually the class moved along. After what seemed like a long time—even for me—the bell rang and signaled that the weekend had begun. I didn't have any plans, and I was pretty disappointed about that. I hadn't had a fun weekend in a long time. The prep work to start a new school year was mostly to blame, but even my summer hadn't been very exciting. How had I become such a loser?
At that moment my phone rang. I looked down and saw that my college friend Ryan was calling. Weird, I hadn't spoken to him a while.
"Hey Ryan!"
"Hey Jenna. What are you up to? We haven't talked in a long time and I just wanted to check in."
"I'm great. Started a new school year so things have been busy... but it's settling down now."
"Sounds great. Things are good with me. The job is going great and still enjoy the city. The reason I'm calling is that I have this crazy idea to go to Carthage this weekend. I feel the need to go to a great tailgate. You're on the way, and I was wondering if you wanted to come along."
Ryan and I went to a big football school in the SEC. Our team was undefeated so far and stood a solid chance of going to the national championship game. Ah, a weekend in Carthage may be just the thing for me.
"I'd love to. Now that I think of it, I need a great tailgate too. When were you thinking of leaving?"
"In a few hours. I haven't packed or anything. This is really a spur of the moment idea. At work today I was somehow able to get a hotel room and decided to go for it. How about I pick you up at your place at 7?"
"Sounds perfect, I'll be ready. "
*****
A few hours later Ryan and I were headed down the highway to Carthage. It was so exciting, because my weekend went from sounding boring to amazing. We chatted about what we had been up to in the years since school. Sure, we had seen each other, but there is something about a three hour road trip that really brings out the gossip. I learned all about his love life. It turns out that he was quasi dating some new girl from his work, but she couldn't make the trip this weekend. This was slightly awkward, because Ryan and I had hooked up a lot in college. It had been years since anything had happened, and I thought his call might have been a signal he was interested in reigniting something. After our conversation, however, it didn't seem that was the case at all. Another letdown.
*****
The next morning—after a very uneventful night at the hotel—Ryan and I went to an alumni tailgate near the stadium. It was a 3:30 game, so everyone was naturally tailgating by 10am. And whoa, what a beautiful morning! It was the classic fall day. I was wearing my strapless, tight sundress (not too summer-y) that flairs at the skirt and shows off my cleavage and curves. It comes down just above my knees. It was perfect in the cool, but not too cold, fall weather.
But the big buzzkill of the morning was the crowd; it wasn't doing it for me. The only people I knew were a bunch of condescending a-holes I barely remembered.
"Wow Jenna, I don't think I've ever seen you this sober at a tailgate."