April
Today I woke up before my alarm. After deciding that laying in bed would do me no good, I relinquished my comfort under the covers and started a warm shower. Mid-August in Seattle didn't mean that the air was cool, but it wasn't super warm either. After I washed my hair and dried myself off, I walked over to my closet and stared at my clothes. A cream blouse paired with a black pencil skirt, mature but still modest. Today was the new teachers orientation at Seattle Grace High.
Since I was a young girl, it had been my dream to be a teacher and work with children since I adored them, but the only opportunity available for teachers in the district had been at Seattle Grace High. I was nervous about going back to high school every day as my initial experience had been terrible. All my sisters were popular and fitted in with the crowd. However, I struggled to thrive in that environment. With pimples scattered all over my face, bulky braces, frizzy auburn hair, and thick glasses combined with hormonal judgmental teens, I was the joke of the school. My appearance hadn't made it easy, but I persevered and graduated valedictorian. By the time I was ready to enter the working world, my acne disappeared, the braces removed, and had undergone Lasik surgery to correct my vision. I had figured out the world of hair products and makeup. I no longer looked like the dorky kid I was when I started high school, yet my insecurities still haunted me daily. I was not ready for the judgmental stares of high school students again.
After I said a quick prayer to calm myself, I went downstairs and grabbed some yogurt from the fridge. I finished it and left for Seattle Grace High. The traffic wasn't so bad, but I knew once the students' summer vacation was over and all the kids were back, the streets heading to school would be crammed with inexperienced drivers. After I looped around the school twice, I eventually found the staff parking lot. I pulled out my phone and checked the instructions I had received from the principal about this orientation. I was supposed to meet in the gym for a quick tour of the campus before I met the rest of the staff and headed off to meetings with my department. I was going to teach English to the incoming freshman. Literature had always been a passion of mine and now I was making a career teaching the things I loved.
I headed over to the gym and found no one was there. I glanced at my watch to see it was 8:50. I was ten minutes early. I tugged on the doors only to find them locked. I would have to stand outside until the others arrived. The heels I chose to wear today would not make that task easy.
After about five minutes of waiting, a tall man dressed in a light blue dress shirt and navy blue dress pants jogged towards the gym. He was well built with a little scruff decorating his strong jaw. His olive skin glistened with tiny beads of sweat and his brows furrowed, highlighting his piercing blue-green eyes. Of all the guys I had seen, he was the most attractive of them all. The man looked around before leaned back onto the exterior of the gym. I examined him head-to-toe but tore my eyes away when I realized I was staring.
"Hi," he said, "My name's Jackson." I glanced up to see him looking at me. I peeked around to make sure he was speaking to me.
"Yes, I'm talking to you. There's not really anyone else around to talk to," Jackson said while flashing me a breathtaking smile. My breath got caught in my throat and I just stared at him, my mouth slightly parted.
"So are you going to talk to me or are you going to stare at me with your mouth open?" I quickly closed my mouth and gathered my thoughts. I was never really good with social interactions. I never really had friends and when I did talk, it always came out as a nervous ramble. I let out a nervous chuckle.
"Sorry. Hi, my name is April Kepner. I'm here for the new teachers orientation. I'm going to teach English to the incoming freshmen. And you?" I responded with a nervous smile.
"Well, first of all, it's nice to meet you," Jackson responded as he reached out to shake my hand. I shifted my phone to my other hand and shook his. His hand was nice and soft. I was admiring his smooth skin when my thoughts were interrupted. "I'm going to teach History to the incoming freshmen."
"Nice to meet you too." I felt blood rush to my cheeks. It wasn't often that a devastatingly handsome man gave me attention. Actually, it never happened before. I thought I might faint. As I was calming myself down, an older man approached us.
"Sorry, I'm late. My name is Richard Webber. I'm the principal here at Seattle Grace High. I think it's time to get this tour started," he said.
"Mr. Webber it's nice to see you again," I said shakily. I wasn't sure whether to be formal or more casual. In school, my teachers were on a first name basis, but since it was only my second time meeting my boss, I wasn't sure if we were acquainted enough to use first names.
"April, call me Richard," he replied with a grin. As Richard opened the doors, the faint odor of sweat and floor polish filled the air. "This is the gym. Students have their orientations here. The gym is also where the pep rallies, spirit week competitions, and dances will be held." I peeked at Jackson, analyzing him head-to-toe. He looked like the type of person who was popular in school, a jock. Most likely Prom King or the star quarterback.
We moved towards the front entrance of the gym. The light grey walls were accented by vibrant sheets of paper that dotted the walls. Flyers for clubs and sports teams crowded the wall in front of the main entrance. I peeked closer and grabbed a flyer for the school play, Annie. I loved the theater in high school. As I approached the group again, my heel got stuck between the cracks in the pavement. I fell forward, but soon sturdy hands caught me.
"April, are you okay?" Jackson questioned, noticing my embarrassment. His face was so close to mine I could almost breathe him in.
"I'm fine," I murmured. He looked at the flier in my hand. "I take it you enjoyed theater when you were in high school. I was into sports. Basketball and football to be exact."
"I sorta figured. Your muscles gave it away," I responded. "I wasn't really good at sports. I could throw a frisbee in a straight line but that's about it." We moved towards the main office. The building stood on its own on a slope, almost as if it kept watch over the school. Richard opened the door for us and we entered. An oval room decorated with pictures and awards greeted us. Richard led us through the lobby and showed us where everything was located and where his office was. We exited the building and headed towards the heart of the campus.
"Seattle Grace High is one of the best high schools in the world. We are competitive and strive for both academic excellence and extracurricular excellence. Our choir has toured the country and our robotics team has made it to nationals. I hope that with the addition of two bright young determined teachers, our stellar reputation will only continue to grow. As we approach the English and History building, I want to show you our quad. To your left is the cafeteria. The food here is cooked fresh every day and teachers get a 10% discount. Continuing straight ahead leads to the computer lab and library. If any piece of technology malfunctions in your classroom, don't be afraid to call the lab. All our technicians are well trained to fix your technical issues." Richard paused and looked at us to make sure we were following. "The classrooms for English and History are to your right," he continued, "This is where you will be spending a majority of your time." Richard whipped out a paper and put on his glasses. "Hmm. It looks like you two have neighboring classes." I glanced at Jackson and smiled. It was nice to know I had a friend next door. "And finally," Richard concluded, "the break room and print room are located in the Math and Science department building. That building is located behind the library. Bathrooms are scattered all around campus. Here are the keys to your classrooms. I'll leave you two to get acquainted better before showing you to your department meeting. You might want to check out your rooms. They may be a little dusty."
I moved towards the room I was going to teach in. I tried to peek inside, but the shutters blocked my view. Sliding the small silver key into the lock, I turned. Click. I reached for the knob and turned. The door opened up and I walked into the dark room. It was plain, but with all my educational posters, the room would soon be full of energy. Jackson walked into my room behind me and closed the door. He flicked on the light and pulled out a chair. I sat behind a large desk and closed my eyes. A bright classroom filled with young adults teased my imagination.
"So tell me about yourself April."
"There's not much to tell," I started. "My name is April Kepner. I'm from Moline, Ohio. My dad is a farmer. He grows corn. My mom is also a teacher. I have three sisters. Libby, Kimmie, and Alice. Libby's the oldest, I'm second, Kimmie's third, and Alice is last. I had lots of pets growing up and I went to church every week. Your turn."
"Oh, okay. My name's Jackson Avery but you know that already. Ummm. I come from a family of surgeons. A really big award in the surgical field is named after my grandpa." My jaw dropped. He was from medical royalty. Jackson noticed this but continued. "I know. Medical royalty. You're probably wondering why I didn't become a doctor. Well, I wanted freedom. I didn't want to be stuck with a legacy I had to uphold. My family didn't want me to become a teacher but eventually, they learned that I wasn't changing my mind so they gave up. I'm the pretty one. They never expected much of me. Probably thought I would be a model or something, use my good looks. I wanted to do something with my life, change the world, so I became a teacher." I was floored by his honesty and openness. I was a stranger to him but he was telling me all this personal stuff. Feeling the need for fresh air I tried to open the door. The door wouldn't budge. I leaned into the door and pushed with all my might, but still, the door would not give.
"April," Jackson whispered in my ear, "do you need help?" His face was close to my ear and his warm breath grazed my neck, sending shivers down my spine. I turned around to face him.
"Yeah," I sighed. "I could really use your muscles." Instinctively, I grabbed my upper lip between my two teeth and started to chew.
"Do you always do that?" he questioned.
"What?"
"Chew your lip."
"Yeah," I answered. "It's a bad habit of mine. Every time I get nervous or bored I chew my lip. Do you have any bad habits?"
"Of course I do," Jackson responded as he pushed on the door. "I like to collect sneakers. It's sort of an obsession, an expensive one alright. This thing won't budge. Come here and help me. Maybe with both of our weight the door will open." I walked over and leaned on the door, back facing him. "Okay, April. On my count we both push. Three. Two. One." I threw my body weight into the door. The creaky door finally opened up. "You might want to get that thing oiled. Don't want to get trapped inside."
Richard approached us and led us to the meeting rooms in the office. I was meeting with the English department while Jackson met with the History department. I straightened my blouse as I entered the room and stuck my hand out. A soft hand grabbed mine and gave it a firm shake.
"Hi. My name is Miranda Bailey and I am the head of English here at Seattle Grace High." A short African-American greeted me and handed me a stack of papers. "Here are all the notes on our department. You need to familiarize yourself with all this. Behind me are Mr. O'Malley, Ms. Stevens, and Ms. Adamson. They all also teach Freshman Literature." I looked up to see the colleagues I would be working with. Mr. O'Malley looked friendly with round eyes and a nice smile. Ms. Stevens was stunning with blond hair cascading down her back. It was quite obvious that Mr. O'Malley had a crush on Ms. Stevens, but it looked like she didn't feel the same. Ms. Adamson leaned against the wall, her eyes closed and her arms folded. She looked tired, almost mad to be here over her summer vacation. I looked back at Mrs. Bailey. Even though she was pint-sized, she commanded the room with great confidence. "You might want to start preparing handouts for back to school and the first week now. The first week is a little hectic, but once you get into the swing of things, everything gets easier. Our department meets once a month on the first Monday. We go over everything from the syllabus to teaching styles and challenging students. All the teachers here want to see the students succeed so we make it our job to make sure that every student has a chance to receive help. After the first week of school, I'll have a one-on-one with you to see how you are doing. That's all for now. You can decorate your room any way you like as long as it is school appropriate. The guidelines are in the stack of papers I handed you. Good luck."
I walked out of the room and towards the principal's office. I knocked on the door twice before hearing Richard call out saying that the door was open.
"Hi. Mr. Webber, I mean, Richard, the door to my room isn't very easy to open from the inside. I was wondering if we could oil the door joints or something. I wouldn't want to get stuck inside."
"Sure thing. Just call maintenance and it will be fixed by tomorrow."
"Okay," I responded with a polite smile. With my stack of papers in my arms, I walked back towards my car. On the way over, I checked my watch. It was 1:30. I guess I could grab a late lunch and start preparing for the school year.
"April!" I turned around and looked to see who was calling for me. Jackson jogged over with his department papers in tow. "Do you want to grab some lunch?"