SWEET TOOTH
The Headmaster raked his vision across the hall. His pupils were seated, silent as always. Those troublemakers were guarded. Not that they would dare to do anything, anyway. The five Immune children seemed petrified and this made him elated. Immune… he despised that term, almost as much as he despised those particular children.
Miss Clever Glass was seated a few feet in front of him, gaze directed on the table. Good. He didn't want her looking at the rest of her little group, just in case they plotted anything that could potentially ruin his plans. Eddy Hair was conversing with his crew as the pupils and teachers of Manor Park School began to stream in.
The Headmaster cringed at the absurd noises erupting from the children of the rival school. How were they educated if they chattered like monkeys all of the time? He grimaced, noting the appearances of the teachers. When he ruled the country and controlled their minds, he would smarten them up. The Headmaster nearly jolted when a voice to his left stated cheerily:
"Hullo. I'm Mr Howard, Head teacher of Manor Park."
Gaze sliding to his left, the Headmaster shuddered internally. A pasty white hand was thrust towards him. Keeping his face impassive, the Headmaster replied:
"I am the Headmaster of St Champions."
He shook the man's hand loosely, instantly wiping his hand down discreetly with his handkerchief, once the pleasantries had been dealt with. The Headmaster rolled his eyes behind his dark glasses when the other man started to chatter.
"I must say, my students haven't been able to stop going on about the final. They've been so excited! Said that we HAVE to win! I've been preparing our team with our secret weapon! Chloe… the one on the left." He pointed her out with a sausage sized finger. "She has a boxful of donuts every day, which totals to forty two in a week!"
Repulsion shot through the Headmaster at this statement. Donuts were disgusting items, full of sugar and lacking vital nutrients. It caused a child to become hyper and unfocussed from their work. Unaware of his fellow Headmaster's thoughts towards this topic, Mr Howard continued, pointing at Manor Park's genius.
"Now Adam, he's a brainbox! Sixty donuts a week, he has! Says it helps him improve his knowledge and I certainly agree! And Kieran." Mr Howard indicated to the boy on the right. "His grades were appalling! But once he started eating donuts, they shot up!"
He chuckled. "And people say that donuts can't help people become more intelligent. Do you like donuts, Mr…?"
The Headmaster faced forwards, eyes keened on the troublemakers as he answered in a snappish tone.
"I believe that donuts are disgusting. They contain a huge amount of sugar which, if a child ingests, causes them to become hyperactive. It distracts them from their studies and results in plenty of health issues. In general, sweets are unnecessary and vile. They should be banned."
Mr Howard reeled back in surprise, stating jokingly: "I guess you had a bad experience with them when you were young."
The Headmaster shook his head. "I have never ingested such items. Why would I? Too much of sweets and donuts degrade your teeth and helps pave a life of being obese with bad hygiene…"
He grimaced at Mr Howard. He thought the man fit the bill perfectly.
"Where one cannot stop sweating like a farm animal…" He snorted as a trickle of sweat rolled down Mr Howard's face.
The Head teacher of Manor Park blushed and laughed weakly. "It's the bright lights, that's all." Producing a dirty handkerchief from his breast pocket, he mopped up his face, leaving a grease stain standing out prominently on his forehead when finished.
Mr Howard gazed out at the crowd, who were starting to quieten down as the show drew closer to airing. He muttered:
"So I guess, you won't allow your students to eat any of the donuts we prepared?"
The Headmaster snorted and barked quietly: "Certainly not!"
Silence resonated between the two men until a minute later, the Headmaster addressed a dejected Mr Howard.
"Now please refrain from conversing with me. I need to be prepared when my team win."
Mr Howard's eyes widened. 'Poor kids.' He thought, glancing at the pupils of St Champions. 'They deserve a truckload of donuts having to put up with old misery guts over there.'