A/N
This is an updated version of chapter 1 AND HOLY HELL IT WAS AWFUL, but it's not beta read so there may still be some mistakes ^^'
The story is written from Roxas's POV
Distorted Teacher contains rated M yaoi/BL. If it's not your cup of tea, I strongly suggest not to read any further.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.
Chapter 1: The encounter with the clown
Have you ever been so nervous about something in your life, that you've tried to put your pants on through only one of the legs while dressing up in the morning? You're probably familiar with it if you're even the least bit of an airhead. Or have you ever brushed your teeth with soap by mistake? That could be understandable to some extents too, if you've got the habits of a scatterbrain, like me.
But chew this; have you ever, EVER in your whole damn life accidentally fried your phone for breakfast instead of eggs? No, I didn't think so either.
My name is Roxas Strife, twenty-one years old, and guess what? I just fried my own phone this morning. I fried. My phone. With a frying pan. I'm not kidding, unfortunately.
I don't have the tiniest bit of an idea how something like that was even possible in the first place! After first putting my pants on incorrectly through one leg – resulting in a very painful faceplant – and after brushing my teeth with lavender hand soap, I still failed humanity and had to go and freaking fry my own phone.
Honestly, I'm usually never this absent-minded, I'm actually a pretty sharp guy, even if I say so myself. Sure, today is a special day and I was – and still am – feeling nervous, but come on... People don't fry their phones no matter what. I'd understand if it was only the first two mishaps, but the phone...
I almost cried, the phone was one of the only things that I can't live without, and now it's gone. The worst part is that I didn't even notice something was wrong until the phone more or less exploded in the frying pan. Maybe I should see a doctor...
No, I've had enough of doctors. The past two years I've probably been to more doctors than the average person in his whole life. I'll just have to pull myself together! I have a job interview soon, and I can't afford screwing up. The phone is always replaceable, so I'll just go and buy a new one as soon as I have time.
I put away all thoughts about my phone, and after some intense mental preparing I finally manage to muster up the strength to step out of the car. I inhale deeply through my nose and exhale through my mouth, slapping my cheeks lightly to rearrange my head. I check my watch and see it's only nine thirty, which means I've got another thirty minutes until showdown.
Locking up, I take my time to appreciate my surroundings a bit. It was as usual another ridiculously beautiful morning at the shores of Cornerstone bay. The sky was banally blue like in the fairy tales, and the various seabirds had since long started their chirp morning songs. Downhill a scenery of a small port and behind it a never-ending coastline of the ocean was displayed before me. A light summer breeze tickled my face and I could smell the scent of skerry vegetation.
This is pretty much as beautiful as these shores get... Or well, I'm not counting the sunsets, because those are quite the killer sight around here. Despite that, I doubt that any of the previous moments here this summer have been this pretty, which is good because a beautiful day always gives me extra courage and determination.
Having had enough of the scenery, I finally turn around and take a good look at the enormous, white high school that I'll be working in when the summer ends, if all goes well. I can't help but get a little nauseated while trying to view the whole building without stepping back a few steps.
The building almost looked like it was glowing with the sun shining on it nearly straight from above, and the black corners and decorative floral details made it look slightly royal even. It's a relatively new school that came about a few years ago, when I was still just a student myself. Cornerstone bay Secondary High is what it's called. Quite unoriginal yes, being named directly after the location and all, but the school's considered the best of the best so I guess it doesn't really matter.
As you may have figured out by now, I'm a teacher. A math teacher at that too. It's not that I like math in particular or anything, it's just always been the easiest and most natural subject for me, and I'm not really good at anything else besides solving mathematical problems.
I'm looking for a job in hopes of a new life here at the countryside, so I sent an application to Cornerstone bay Secondary's clerk at the beginning of the summer, and I immediately got a response. Apparently, the previous physics, chemistry and math teacher had gone on a long-term sickness vacation at the end of the last school year, due to the students constantly harassing him for unknown reasons. What was his name again...? Vixus... or was it Vaxer or something like that.
Anyway, the clerk said my certificates were very impressive for such a young age, and if I'd get hired, then I'd have to be in charge of teaching not only math, but physics and chemistry as well. I'm completely fine with that, since those two subjects come quite as naturally to me as math does.
According to the clerk, it's unclear whether this Vixler guy ever comes back, since he left pretty suddenly doors slamming, but if he'd show up, my duties concerning physics and chemistry would be transferred back to him and I could continue teaching math without any problems whatsoever.
Due to the school's desperate need for a skilled teacher, we agreed on an interview as soon as possible. The vice principal would supposedly come to school two weeks before the term begins to do some arrangements before the place would be flooded by students, so my date for the interview would be exactly the first day of those preceding weeks, so here I am.
I'm nervous as hell, but I'm ninety percent sure I'll get the job. It's not that I'm overly confident or anything, I simply just know what I'm doing when it comes to teaching math. I'm actually more worried that the vice principal will judge me by my appearance.
Even though I'll turn twenty-two this winter, I certainly don't look like it. I look mostly sixteen, major if I'm lucky and one of the main reasons is my puny physique. I stopped growing when I was fifteen after reaching 5"5, and I haven't grown an inch ever since, and unfortunately I'm not particularly muscular either. Another much worse reason however, is my face. Apparently, I look like a cute girl, and many say that I'm prettier than most normal females with my porcelain skin, golden hair and blue eyes.
Even though I look like a beauty, don't think for one second that I'd want to be one. I've gotten in so much trouble – namely because of my looks – that I've lost count, and some of those events have been so traumatizing, or just dangerous in general, that I'm still recovering. That's why I've been to so many doctors, and twice as many psychiatrists. I also take strong medication twice a day, in the mornings and before I go to sleep.
Surprising, huh? But that's reality. I didn't choose a life like this. Others chose to make my life difficult for me to live. People are assholes, monsters who lack self-control, and they'll ruin you – destroy you for their own benefits if they're given a chance. That's something I've learned along all the shit I've been through in life, not to trust anyone and to never let your guard down no matter what. Because people are pretty much all the same inside, ugly and treacherous, and they rarely change.
So, to prevent any further misunderstandings regarding my face, I comb my hair in front as much as I can, and I also wear reading glasses with thick black frames when I go public. That way, at least half of my face is hidden and the glasses make me look like a total nerd. I think the scam is quite convincing, even if I say so myself.
Before opening the heavy twin-doors leading inside the high school, I take out said glasses from my satchel and put them on. As I step in, I realize that the inside of the building looks even more classy than the outside. The first is of course the lobby, which surprisingly seemed to be more or less the very center of the school, since there were more than a handful of different doors leading to different places from it. It was wide and circular like a tower, and the ceiling was made of glass. I heard that special courses in astronomy could be taken here in the lobby, but they'd take place at night, when the actual stars would be visible. And what's more, the principal himself would be teaching it. I'm not sure if those are just rumors, but after seeing the actual lobby, the rumors seem somehow more believable now.
The remaining of the lobby was relatively cozy; the walls were painted a royal blue and the floor had a dark, wooden color. Comfy looking dark blue sofas and small, round coffee tables that seemed to be made of the same wood as the floor were scattered here and there in a somewhat logical pattern. Several rather original pieces of supposedly great art were also noticeable throughout the whole area in the form of statues and paintings, by looking closer, I realized that they were all made by students.
As I stare around in awe, I accidentally spot the place I was looking for. There was a wide reception desk in the far left corner, and I walk towards it with butterflies in my stomach. To my displeasure there's nobody behind it, so I push the small button on the desk designated to call someone over.
As soon as I ring the bell, I hear a loud crash and a shrill female voice cursing from behind one of the doors behind the reception.
"Fucking shit–! Here already!?"
A little taken aback by the coarse reaction, I check the time and realize that not even ten minutes have passed since last time I checked. Well, it's true that I'm a bit ahead of schedule, but isn't it better to be early rather than late?
Soon a very eccentric-looking, blonde woman struts out through the staff's door, with the sounds of her high heels echoing temperamentally through the lobby.
"Good morning! You must be Mr. Strife, a bit of an early bird, aren't you?" she chirps happily while offering her hand as she walks up to me. I recognize her as the same person I talked to over the phone. I take her hand and try to sound as polite as possible.
"Yes, my name is Roxas Strife. I'm here for the job interview we agreed upon."
"Nice to meet you Roxas. I'm Rikku, and – as I already mentioned over the phone – I work as the clerk and secretary of this shithole. I take care of everything here that is more or less considered to be the 'less important' stuff like getting new slaves for the boss such as yourself."
"...R-right. Nice to meet you too", I stutter, flabbergasted.
"Oh, don't be so reserved! I'm not to be taken seriously so relax, I was only joking", she grins and turns to walk back towards the reception desk.
I know for sure she's the same person I talked to in the beginning of summer, but I'm surprised she doesn't even try to prune her language. Back then, she could've been the most dignified human being on earth, she didn't swear or use indecent language, not even once. But now she's like a whole different person! I guess she was only trying to give a good first impression or whatever... Well, I'll only wonder now that I'm here already though.
"Ummm, should I just wait here or...?" I ask a bit awkwardly. She just waves her hand at me as she answers happily, already on her way through another door behind the reception.
"Yeah just take a seat somewhere, I'll go inform Saïx... I mean, the vice principal about your arrival."
After that she's gone, but I can hear her loud footsteps echoing for a long time, even after the door closes behind her.
I let out a soft sigh and slump down on one of the smaller sofas closest to the reception. Out of habit I reach for my phone, but freeze as I'm reminded of this morning's disastrous events, so I decide to lean my head back and just look out through the glass ceiling. I should try to relax myself as much as I can before the interview.
So... the vice principal's name is Saïx, huh. I sure hope he's not a stuck-up or one of those pretentious snobs that were in charge at the other "better" schools in the central. I get goosebumps all over just from remembering the previous interviews with the different principals in the central from one year ago, when I for the first time tried to get a job.
Back then, If I really wanted, I would have been accepted to teach math in four different schools located in the central. Two of those were also in desperate need of a physics and chemistry teacher, just like this place, and offered me immediate employment without even looking at my records. But in the end, I refused them all. You're probably thinking that I'm nuts for doing that but let me tell you, I'd rather work as a farmer and teach chickens the periodic table in five languages than watch snotty spoiled brats get master degrees for throwing erasers at me when I teach.
Yeah. Those supposedly better, more expensive schools in the central are sadly in most cases only playgrounds for rich kids, who will eventually succeed their parent's companies or something. This means that the education doesn't really matter as much as the image of the students, which I despise. I don't think I would be able to stand looking at farces like that day in and out, knowing those immoral kids are the future of our society.
So in the end, I decided to move out to the countryside to look for a job, because the schools here are just as – if not even more – in need of good teachers. Besides, the people living here are all in all considered to be more sympathetic and polite, and fortunately they seem to think that good education is the true success in life.
I cross my legs and check the time again; it's still another fifteen minutes until my appointment. As I start deliberating on whether I should or shouldn't go and try the water dispenser in the far corner, I suddenly hear someone singing and playing on what sounds like some kind of strange string instrument somewhere not too far away. I listen for a while, and notice the sounds coming closer and closer, and soon a door opens next to the water dispenser I was just about to test out.
A fairly odd looking young guy with a mullet backs out the door, almost tripping in the process while singing, or more like humming some experimental tunes whilst playing a harmonic melody with the odd instrument. He was wearing casual black, skinny pants that were ripped here and there and a navy blue tank top. Several bracelet-type accessories adorned his slightly muscular arms from the elbows down to the wrists. Looking more closely, I notice that the accessories didn't restrict only to his arms, but also his neck and ears were full of some kind of trinket jewelry.
Seemingly unaware of my presence, the guy slowly walks towards the reception desk, and just before reaching it he stops playing and utters something almost inaudible.
"No, still not quite there..."
"It sounded pretty good to me", I say without really thinking too much of it, and the guy flinches a bit when he realizes he's not alone in the lobby. He looks up at me and instantly flashes me a bright, slightly embarrassed smile.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't think someone would be here this early", he says and walks over.
"It's okay, I like music and I wasn't really up to anything important anyway", I say returning the smile. To my slight surprise, the guy decides to join me around the small table and sits right across me on one of the wooden chairs.
"Glad to have your appreciation, I'm Demyx by the way. I teach music and sometimes drama and art", he chirps and carefully places his instrument to rest beside the small table.
"I'm Roxas. I came here for a job interview to the position of a math, physics and chemistry teacher."
"So you're Vexen's replacement? That's awesome!" he utters the sentence like an excited kid and claps his hands happily.
"Yeah well, that's if I manage to meet the requirements–"
"Don't be silly! I can sense all the professional knowledgy-stuff oozing from you just by looking. Besides, Saïx approved someone like me, so you're definitely in! I'll bet my sitar on it!" Demyx states while looking at me with big eyes.
"I- is that so..." I try to sound less hyped not to provoke the mullet head further, seeing as he might burst from sheer excitement any second.
Overlooking the facts that this guy just called me silly and cut me right in the middle of a sentence, I have to admit I'm quite humored by his childlike spirit. I guess it's a littlerefreshing to meet different people like this every now and then...
"Oooon second thought..." he says while placing a thoughtful finger on his chin. "Let me take that back, my sitar is far too important to place as a bet item so no" he says and instantly grabs his sitar to hug it firmly. I can't help but chuckle a little at Demyx's fickle mind, and when he realizes he's being ridiculed, he pouts and looks away with a small blush.
"Don't laugh! My sitar is the most important thing I have, I quite literally don't leave anywhere without it... I even sleep with it."
"That... I don't doubt in the least", I say in between restrained snickers.
"H-hey! I told you not to laugh– !"
Demyx doesn't get the chance to tell me off completely, because Rikku's return through the door she had entered just a few minutes ago interrupts him. She notices us and smiles when she sees us getting along.
"I see you've met our cutiepie Demyx, I'm glad you two have become friends already", she says with a grin, and the mullethead throws a tantrum about the nickname she attached to his name. Seriously, why are they both acting like I already got the damn job? If I'm not careful, I might get sloppy.
"And Roxas, the vice principal's ready to see you now. He's waiting for you in his office in the common hall," Rikku informs me while keeping a restrained Demyx from death-hugging her.
"Right, I'll get going", I say as I stand up and pick up my satchel.
"Just go through the same door as I did, and you'll eventually reach the common hall. Saïx's office has his nameplate on it, so you won't miss it", she adds.
"Okay, that's not too hard to remember", I say as I walk towards the door.
When I'm about to open the door leading to the common hall, Rikku calls after me once more.
"Roxas wait, I forgot to tell you one more thing!"
I stop in my tracks and give her a questioning look.
"In about an hour there's going to be a teacher's conference, so don't get spooked if you run into some weird-looking people on your way back."
As I'm wondering what exactly Rikku meant by "weird-looking people" I head towards the common hall. She probably meant the teachers themselves, seeing as Demyx is an oddball enough to live up to that portrayal, not to mention Rikku herself. Still, this explains why a teacher like Demyx was hanging out at school in the middle of summer, he was just waiting for the teacher's conference to start. But I'll most likely be out of here before that anyway; interviews tend to be quite short and concise in my case, so I most likely won't have to worry about it. Besides, I'm guessing that the vice principal's going to participate in the conference himself too, so he shouldn't keep grilling me for too long.
After walking for a short while, I reach a small staircase leading up to a large door with an informative plate on it that read "common hall" in engraved letters. I open it and enter a room divided in two different smaller hallways. Both hallways had several doors with similar metallic plates with the names of different people – probably the teacher's names – engraved on them. I read a few rather peculiar ones on my way to the one that read "Saïx van Citrine, VP"
Sounds foreign... and a bit scary.
I clutch my hand holding the satchel and knock three times, opening the door when I hear a low, composed voice allowing my entrance.
- - - +o+ - - -
I'm pretty sure that interview was by far the scariest one I've ever been to in my whole life. Not only the scariest but also the longest, seeing as it almost took an hour! Saïx probably would have kept on questioning me for even longer if it weren't for the conference he had to go to.
Oh well, at least I'm employed now. I skip a little as I think that thought.
That's right, I passed Saïx's hell-on-earth after he finally decided I didn't have any flaws that could get in the way of teaching math or anything else. He also looked through all my papers at least ten times before he gave them back to me at the end of the interview, frowning suspiciously the whole time.
Even after granting me the job, I had the feeling that Saïx still wasn't quite pleased with me. I think that my appearance is – despite the glasses-ruse – a pretty obvious stand out after all. Maybe he'll approve of me after some time, when I've shown him that I really am teacher material.
Before I go back to the lobby I decide to take a look at my new office. It's Vexen's old one, which is on the right side of Saïx's. A woman named Larxene Fulgur has her office right across from mine and to my right I have someone named Axel Primred, I hope they are nice people.
The principal's office – which apparently also functioned as a meeting room – was the largest one, and its doors faced the rest of the hallway. If I stand close enough, I can hear some conversation going on behind its doors, it must be the teacher's conference starting. I exit the common hall and make my way back towards where I came from with swift steps.
Only now I feel the relief kicking in. I can't even begin to describe how happy I am right now. I finally have a real job! Slowly a content smile surfaces to adorn my features and I find myself slightly skipping through the rest of the hallway too. This is by far my best day of this summer.
"You, blondie over there!" I abruptly stop in my tracks when I hear someone yelling.
"What do you think you're doing in a place like this on your precious summer vacation?"
...Excuse me?
I look up towards the source of the rude inquire and see a clown rapidly walking towards me, or someone who kinda looks like one with hair as red as a firetruck and weird droplet tattoos under his both eyes.
When he stops right in front of me, with one of his hands resting on his hip arrogantly, I give him a prompt once over and come to the conclusion that I'm no doubt in the company of some sort of idiot. He was wearing casual clothes: a hoodie with a white band print on it, pale skinny jeans held up by a studded silvery belt and his shoes were a pair of plain black sneakers with red laces. I figured he must be one of the teachers, one of those "weird-looking people" that Rikku mentioned. Although he looked like he was on his way to a concert rather than a teacher's conference.
The weird man looks down at me, like he's about to scold his own son or something, yet I can tell that there's no way he could be much older than myself.
"Students aren't allowed in here during summer unless you have an appointment with the big shot, you know."
His remark infuriates me, and I give him an extremely offended look, but it probably goes to waste anyway because of the glasses. When I'm about to give him the correction of his life, he just ruffles my hair and walks right past me.
"Well whatever, kid. I'd see you to the door if I had the time, but there's a meeting I'm running late from, so be a good boy and go enjoy the rest of your vacation. I bet there's lots of girls to check out on the beach today."
"A-... hey, wait... I'm not-!" I try calling out to the redhead but in vain, because he's as good as gone the next second through the hallway where I just came from.
For a few moments I just stand there gaping like a goldfish trying to process what just occurred, and after a while irritation and eventually rage stirs up inside me. I angrily stomp towards the lobby entrance with a fuming head, my face probably as red as the jerk's hair.
How… how dare he!? How can he just call an adult man a kid, and then just casually touch me as he pleases? And he mistook me for a student even when I'm carrying a freaking satchel! What kind of "kid" carries a satchel with him for heaven's sake!?
As those thoughts run through my mind, I grumpily brush my hair back in place that the vandal messed up. It's been a while since I've felt this humiliated. Even if it's not really a new thing for me to be mistaken as a minor, for some reason the fact that an annoying freak thought I was a kid feels even worse. It just really pisses me off! Well, not that I didn't anticipate some kind of letdown to "balance" an otherwise perfect day.
When I reach the lobby area, I tell Rikku back at the reception a "see you in two weeks" and she happily congratulates me for getting the job, relief apparent in both her expression and voice. Demyx also peeks out through the staff door upon hearing my return, and happily welcomes me to the "team" while stumbling past me in a hurry with his beloved sitar under his arm. He wasn't kidding when he said that he doesn't leave anywhere without it.
"Really now, I told him Saïx was gonna let him have it if he was late again..." Rikku says with a sigh, referring to Demyx. I just laugh a bit awkwardly and bid her farewell.
Later that day, I find myself completely drooped down on the couch at home, exploring my first smart phone I bought today. I picked it up at the local electronics shop, and my life suddenly feels like it's gotten back on track again. I know I'm a bit later than most people with finally getting a smart phone, but hey, I was surviving perfectly with just an old buttoned phone up until now.
As soon as I get the thing working and figure how to use it, I call Naminé and tell her the good news. She of course wants to come over right away and bring cake for celebration and whatnot, but I politely decline. I'd rather just relax and watch some TV before going early to bed after a stressful day, and we agree to save the cake for tomorrow instead. Naminé also promised to bring mom and Olette along too, if they weren't busy.
Oh, and just to clarify some things, Naminé is my twin sister, and Olette is our mutual best friend since our childhood times. Yes, I used to hang out and play mostly with girls when I was a kid, because the other boys would just tease me for being a pansy and stuff.
Olette is married to a guy named Hayner, who was one of my former bullies, but we're okay now. I'm actually getting on better terms with him each time they come over, or when I go visit them. Turns out he's actually a pretty good guy, he just seems to have some... attitude problems.
Speaking of problems, I suddenly remember the red-haired bozo from earlier today. For some reason, I get really annoyed every time I try picturing his face, or the situation I was in with him. Is it because of the devaluing look he gave me or the fact that he thought I was an enrolling student, I don't know.
But what I do know is that I won't let him look down on me again. And I definitely won't tolerate any kind of harassment ever again from anyone! Not when I've worked so hard to get up from the hellhole, which I call my past. This is where my life truly begins.