A/N: This story is meant to be a multi-chapter, although it's not certain that I'll post anymore chapters, this chapter might be edited and have things added to it on a later date, but before chapter 2 comes up. I hope you enjoy!
Teresa Lisbon woke up from a restless sleep almost two hours before she had to go to school. As always, her heart was beating a billion times a minute and she tried to calm herself by taking deep breaths, but it clearly wasn't going to work, so she turned off her alarm clock – that wouldn't ring for another twenty-seven minutes, anyway – and rolled out of bed. She was quick to get ready, black jeans and t-shirt would do for today as they did all other days. She debated with herself whether she should waste time applying eyeliner or not; not wanting to look as run-down as she felt on her first day of school, she deemed a touch of make-up worthy of her time.
Still having over an hour until school began, she headed to the kitchen downstairs, and resolved to pamper her younger brothers with pancakes. When collecting the ingredients, Teresa took note of what was running low and decided to go shopping after school. Upon finishing the pancake batter, she went to wake up her brothers and was greeted with "go away, T!", "five more minutes, please" and "fine, fine, I'm up". In order to give them some incentive, she announced that pancakes were in the breakfast menu and with a smile, observed as her brothers hurriedly jumped up from their nests.
Quietly, so she would not awaken her father, who was currently passed out on the couch in the living room, Teresa made her way downstairs and began cooking the pancakes. They were out of corn syrup, so she made caramelized sugar on an old pan. She ate her part accompanied with a warm mug of coffee and began washing the dishes, enjoying the few minutes of peace until the boys rambunctiously came into the kitchen. Teresa was quick to shush them, as she was not in the mood to nurse her hangover father.
With fifteen minutes until the school bells rang, the four of them were in Teresa's second hand car, and not long after Teresa dropped Tommy and Jimmy at the middle school, she was parking in her high school. She felt a twinge of pride in having managed the morning so smoothly.
"Good luck," she wished Stan, with a tentative smile in her face. She spent practically all waking hours trying to aid and provide for her siblings and yet, everyday she felt more distant from them.
"Uhh, for you too, Reese, see you later," Stan seemed eager to leave her company even though they hadn't spoken a word to each other the entire ride. "Wait for me here when school ends!" she shouted after him, feeling dejected. Already five yards away, Stan gave her a thumbs-up.
As soon as she set foot in the building, Teresa had an arm dropped around her shoulders. "Hey Boss, what's up?" Grace Van Pelt asked in a chirpy fashion that was very out of tune with Teresa's mood. "Must you call me that?"
The nickname "Boss" was born out of Teresa's stubbornness and need to control everything (and everyone) around her, or, as Grace put it, her leadership skills. Grace ignored her question. "Have you been with Rigsby lately?" she asked.
"Not really. I've been busy," Teresa replies in a dry tone. "Uh, I haven't either… I hope he doesn't think I… uh, never mind" Not receiving any acknowledgement from Teresa, Grace stopped talking.
Teresa had known Rigsby since she moved from Chicago to Sacramento about a year ago and had met Grace at work in the beginning of that summer. She cared deeply about both of them – which didn't come easily for her – and hoped their relationship – whatever they were calling it now – would work out, but she didn't feel like the best person to ask for relationship advice, given how her last one ended.
They reached Wayne Rigsby and Kimball Cho – the other half of their group of outsiders – by the lockers. They were discussing something. Rigsby was talking excitedly and seemed very invested in what he was saying – as he always was – while Cho, who was leaning against his own locker, nodded his head with a ghost of smile in his usually impassive face.
"Hey guys! How was summer?" Grace cheerfully asked. Teresa only smiled at them.
"Hi. Difficult," replied Cho, matter-of-factly. "Hi Grace… Boss" Rigsby greeted and in his haste to turn around, he dropped his books. "Uh, it was fine", he answered already kneeling down to gather his books. Grace quickly crouched to help him.
"Sorry I haven't said anything lately. I was on vacation with my parents and you know how my mom hates cell phones…" "Yeah, you-you look… tanner."
"You think so?" Grace asked with a shy smile, grasping what Wayne originally meant. "Yeah." Rigsby confirmed, with an honest smile.
Meanwhile, Lisbon and Cho smiled knowingly at each other and Cho rolled his eyes. "You OK, Boss?" he questioned, in all seriousness. "Yeah." Teresa's first instinct was to lie, but she corrected herself, no use in lying to Kimball. "No. I'm… holding on."
"Alright, but you know you can count on us." Teresa nodded and looked away, touched. Cho might have looked like he was a cold person on the outside but, in all truth; he was a man who deeply cared for his loved ones and had never failed Teresa.
On the other side of the hall, Teresa's eye was caught by a blond guy lying down in a bench looking asleep with his hands folded across his torso. He was alone and she had never seen him before, which led her to conclude he was new in the school just as she had been a year before.
The bell rung and the group said their goodbyes as Rigsby and Cho headed for Calculus and the girls to Psychology. Grace, knowing that Teresa was in a foul mood and therefore not chatty, went to sit by her friend Rachel in the back of the room so they could talk comfortably, leaving Teresa in a table by herself. Their teacher, a fifty-something man with thick glasses, was already ten minutes late and Teresa was getting bored. She sensed someone entering the room and looked up, but instead of her teacher, it was the blond guy from the hall who discreetly sat in the behind hers.
In his way from the door towards his seat, Lisbon had a chance to observe him; he had dark circles under his eyes, much worse than hers, his beard was unkempt and his curly hair was disheveled. He wore a whitish button-up shirt with a couple of buttons undone and blue trousers that fit him well. Despite his rugged appearance, Lisbon couldn't help but notice he was attractive and she blushed when he smiled at her before sitting down.
A/N: I hope you liked it and if so, please subscribe/favorite and spread the word! Feel more than free to review, I'd love to read your thoughts on this and all The Mentalist things.
Can any of you suggest a series' character to be their Psychology teacher? Maybe a CBI agent or someone from any episode, just give me names if you can. Thank you very much!