Disclaimers:
I own the story/characters/everything that's in between. Keep your mittens to yourself.
The rest is my usual.
Again, thank you for the feedback – some comments come from anonymous sources so I would like to take this chance, yet again, to profess my gratitude for all the beautiful and amazingly sweet remarks. I thrive on them! Hope you enjoy this one.
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The school grounds of Lincoln High were bustling with activity at the beginning of the year. After the long summer break, everyone was busily catching up with friends, making new acquaintances or simply idling near the front entrance, waiting with slight resentment for that first bell to toll. The usual groups gathered in their usual corners while the new kids were trying to find their way in the crowd. The new seniors were finally feeling like the rulers of the land as they waited with bated breath for that sooner than ever taste of freedom. The sophomores were feeling a little in between while the freshmen didn't even know what awaited them. Teachers were slowly ambling their way to the front entrance, elbowing through the thick crowds of over excited teenagers. Some were murmuring underneath their breaths, longing for the summer to continue, and the new ones were simply happy to posses a job. The newest ones were even quite idealistic, having just graduated from university themselves. They considered teaching a sort of calling; a way for them to influence the future by forming and shaping the future generation. The hopeful enthusiasm never lasted too long though, and soon they were joining the older teachers in the soft murmurings and glazed looks.
As the bell rang, students started to slowly make their way to their appropriate classes, marking the first day of school in their calendars, already counting the days till the next break. Walking down the corridors, the students slowly dispersed, but the raucous continued, amplified by the closed spaces of the classrooms.
"Hey Jake, how was your summer?" one of the students aimed the question at a fellow classmate.
The person answering to the name of Jake was a 5'10 teenaged girl with long black hair and piercing grey eyes. She was wearing tight blue jeans, a white tank top and a heavy leather jacket. She looked much like a female James Dean, and walked with the attitude of one too old for this world. Turning around, she glanced at the student that had called her name. His name was Snake and he was a member in her "gang." She had started this gang when she first got to this high school. It all happened quite suddenly and unintentionally; people just started gathering around her and looking at her for guidance. High school was a rough period for many, and they believed she had found the best way to handle it; run it or die trying. There was something about Jake that pulled people to her, made them either fear her, loath her, love her, or all of the above. She basked in the attention, but she also knew well enough not to show it.
With a nonchalant expression she answered, "Good, and yours?"
He smiled and nodded, "Yeah, mine too. Can't wait to get out of school though."
"You just got back," She said with a smirk.
"Yeah, you know what I mean," he chuckled.
"I just hope this year passes smoothly. I heard we'll be having some new teachers." Jake said as she perched herself on the teacher's desk.
"Yeah, they better be cool, or else this is really gonna suck."
"Tell me about it." She snorted and looked around through narrowed eyes. People admired her for who she was, and probably were too scared to go against her if they had any kind of problem. She had a reputation and did everything in her power to uphold it. When she first got to the new school, she soon discovered that people were already talking, making up stories about her. At first, it upset her, then it annoyed her, and then she simply no longer cared, happy that people wouldn't be bothering her. Though it was a public school, she belonged to the "poor" crowd that was often "fondly" called "white trash" and she did her best to steer clear of those who did. Unbeknownst to her, they did the same and they all lived happily ever after.
It wasn't more than a few moments later that the classroom door opened, admitting a small blonde with ocean blue eyes. Her shoulder length hair was a bit ruffled but her gaze was hard and steady. She looked around the class, immediately spotting the now devilishly smirking teenager on the teacher's desk. Raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow at the cocky look Jake was sporting, the blonde strode purposefully in her direction.
Jake couldn't hide her gaze of appreciation when the blonde stepped inside the classroom. She raked her eyes over the tight body, and smiled sensually. Perching herself further on the teacher's desk, she licked her lips in anticipation when the cute woman drew closer. "Well hello there. And who might you be?" She asked charmingly.
The blonde's lips turned up in a small smile of her own, "I'm Ms. Johnson, and that's my desk you're sitting on. Who might you be?"
Jake's smile quickly disappeared as her leg slipped down onto the floor. Straightening her leather jacket, she stood up casually, looking straight into the woman's eyes, "I'm Jake."
The entire class stared in shocked silence at the unraveling scene. Some were trying to hold a giggle inside, while others couldn't even blink. The new teacher and Jake were seemingly playing a game of tug of war and everyone was more than eager to see who would win.
"Well Jake, I would appreciate it if you took a seat at your own desk and allow me to settle at mine." Ms. Johnson said, not unkindly.
Jake sneered at the slightly condescending tone and at being reproached in front of the entire class, but she swallowed her pride for the moment and vowed to get back at the young looking blonde. Without another glance, she scowled her way back to her seat on the backdrop of slight snickering from her classmates. Shooting an intimidating gaze at all those in her proximity, the entire class immediately quieted down.
"Ok, good morning everyone. As I've said, my name is Ms. Johnson and I'll be your English teacher this year." Sara Johnson was 23 years old, just out of school herself and ready to face the big bad world of snotty teenagers. This was her first time in a real classroom and she was full of idealistic notions about making a difference and shaping the minds of the young ones in her care. She had no idea what to expect but she had a feeling she was about to find out sooner rather than later. Her first encounter with her new class, the class of seniors, didn't go exactly as planned, but she thought she had handled the situation quite well considering. When she noted the angry gaze directed at her from beneath dark bangs, she realized Jake would be a handful. She knew her type; sitting in the back row, acting all angry and pissed off at the world, thinking they were cooler than ice. Yes, she had encountered many of those in her day, but having always been the perfect student, she never really had anything to do with them, so she mostly stayed out of their way. However, being the teacher would prove to be somewhat different. She would have to deal with the surly teenager whether she liked it or not.
The first day of school came to an end much quicker than expected. When the bell rang for the final time that day everyone quickly got to their feet, pulling and pushing chairs out of the way, moving in the direction of the main doors, creating a throng of expectantly buzzing bodies and effectively blocking the exit for quite a while. Sara packed her things and made sure not to leave the classroom before all of her students had already gone. Placing the strap of her purse on her shoulder and taking her briefcase in her hand, she made her way to her car in the teachers' parking lot. While opening the door of her car, she felt someone was watching her. Hearing the lock click open, she gazed around, trying to locate the source. On the other side of the teachers' parking lot, stood the students' parking lot, where she noticed Jake's eyes staring intently at her. When their eyes met, Jake quickly averted her gaze, straddled her motorcycle and put on her helmet, effectively shutting the outside world. Sara shook her head and got into her car. She sat for a moment, trying to come to terms with her first day at work. Her day had gone well; her students, at least most of them, seemed nice enough and she felt it would be a good, albeit somewhat difficult year. That student, Jake, kept plaguing her thoughts. Even when she was a student herself, she knew that students whose names teachers learned on the very first day, did not bode good news. And here she was, on her first day, already learning one student's name. A name she couldn't seem to get out of her mind. The girl intrigued her for some reason.
Shaking her head to clear away the thoughts, she drove home. Home was a few blocks away from the school. A small, tidy apartment which served its purpose perfectly. Recently, her boyfriend of three years, whom she had met at university, moved in with her. Deep down, she knew that wasn't the smartest decision she ever made, but she didn't wish to break up with him either. Her parents, along with his, kept pushing them to marry, but both seemed quite reluctant. Neither ever stopped to ask why that seemed to be the case.
Opening the front door, she grimaced at the sight greeting her. Her boyfriend, Greg, was sprawled out on the couch, snoring, with a six pack of empty beer cans situated on the coffee table in front of him. He wasn't a drinker but much like herself, he was recently out of school and looking for a job. The school Sara applied to had only one teaching position and when both sent out their resumes, she was the one who received the call to come in for an interview. That call, she knew, had driven a wedge between them. She felt, at times, that he resented her getting a job before him, and now he was almost unwilling to go out and search for another.
"Greg, I'm home." She walked into the living room and tapped him on the shoulder, trying to rouse him without startling him.
He grumbled unintelligibly and turned on his side, facing the couch and away from Sara.
"Great. Don't think I'll be cleaning your mess..." Sara grumbled under her breath.
