Heyyyy guys, I've had this waiting to be posted since the holidays but I keep forgetting and wanted to write more before I did, but anyway here is my first parks fic, it's an au I hope you all like it. I'll try and update this once a week because I feel like I've let you all down in the past two years with not updating any of my stories.
Characters — Role
Ron—Principal
Leslie—Vice Principal and Humanities teacher
Ann—First aid nurse and health teacher
Ben—New Accounting and maths teacher
Chris—-Health and sports teacher
Scarlett—Kid
April—–Kid
Andy—-Kid
Jerry—-Secretary that everyone hates because, well come on its Jerry
.
Leslie's POV
*Beep beep beep beep beep*
I open my eyes as soon as I hear the first beep, and immediately search for my phone to turn it off.
I start dialling the perfect tropical fish of a woman's number and hit ring.
No answer, I hang up and try again. After the third time of trying my call is finally picked up.
"ANNNNNNNN!" I scream enthusiastically to my best friend- the beautiful Ann Perkins.
"Leslie?" A half asleep voice answers.
"Of course it is, marvellous manatee, who else would be calling you? Wait..you don't have another best friend that you haven't told me about have you?! What's her name? And why is she trying to sabotage our friendship?!"
"What, no?...Leslie, It's 4:30 in the morning! Why on Earth are you calling me?!"
"It's the first day of school, summers over, it's time to get up and ready to teach!" I yell, even more enthused than before.
"Leslie, it's 4:30! We don't have to be at school till 7:30, that means we don't have to be up until 6am at the earliest, go back to sleep!"
"Oh Ann, you precious soul, how can I get ready in only an hour and a half? Not only that I'm too excited to stay asleep!"
"Ok, well I'm going back to sleep, night Leslie, see you tomorrow."
"Don't you mean today?" I say but then realize she's already hung up.
Silly Ann, how can she sleep when it's so exciting? I ponder this, whilst putting my phone down and hopping into the shower.
.
About 3 hours later
"Ann!" I yell, running up and hugging her, as she walks into the staff room.
"Wow, Leslie, you do realise that we saw each other yesterday.. Don't you?"
"Yeah but yesterday was aaaagess ago! Also word of warning, Chris is in the bathroom."
"Leslie we broke up three years ago, and we've dated multiple people since. Why would I care at all if Chris was here? I mean, he works here too, and sometimes even with me."
I'm about to reply when Chris Traeger walks back into the room, and comes up to us.
"Ann Perkins!" He says in his usual up-beat perky tone.
"Chris Traeger, hi," Ann replies.
Just then our boss, Principal Ron Swanson, walks in with the school secretary, Jerry Gergich, a couple of other teachers. A man I don't recognise also walks in. He's medium height and looks about 35 years old, has poofy brown hair and matching brown eyes. He is dressed in a checkered button up shirt with a matching plain tie, suit pants, and to top it all off a khaki jacket. I stare at him for a few seconds before I'm brought out of my daze by Ron giving me a hinting cough to start the meeting.
Even though Ron is the Principal, he doesn't really like talking to people or being in charge of most important things to do with work. As I'm the Vice Principal, I'm usually in charge of most things.
"Good morning staff, if you could all take a seat we will start," I announce, leading everyone over to the big table in the middle, sitting down at the head of it myself.
"Ok, now, let's get started. Welcome back everyone one for another amazing, exciting school year, before we can catch up, I have a few notices and changes to announce from last year. Firstly there's some construction being done on the back car park and wing so just be wary of that, and that you may need to move your cars and classes," I explain.
"Before you continue Leslie, I have some news. We have a new staff member joining us this year; this is Jobe Franklin," Ron interrupts, pointing at the guy I didn't recognize, who them mutters something under his breath.
"What?!" I question Ron.
"He's a new teacher.." He says and is clearly done talking.
I figure he's not going to see what I'm getting at so I continue on with a few more announcements before giving the teachers my 'excitement for school starting speech' which I give every time the term starts. It is basically saying how great school is and to have fun. We then break off, and everyone gets into chatting groups.
I walk over to Ron and pull him off to the side.
"New staff member?!" I query.
"Yes, I had to find a new one to replace the last guy."
"But you didn't ask me, I wasn't told about this process at all, why wasn't I part of the selection and hiring? Ron why? Why Ron why? Huh? Why? Why?" I interrogate.
"Leslie stop looping and listen, it was easier for me to pick out a random one than have you involved in the process; it'd take too long," Ron explains.
I stare at him completely shocked and out of words.
"Leslie I'm the principal, I'm in charge, I'm the one who needs to hire the staff, not you, I only get you to do most things because I don't like paperwork, but we needed a new teacher quickly so that we weren't spending money on substitutes."
I growl and walk away, in the direction of Ann.
"Hey," the new guy says stopping me.
"Hi, Jobe was it?"
"Ben actually, Ben Wyatt, or uh, Mr Wyatt if you'd prefer to be, um, professional?" He coughs and stutters.
"Oh, uh, sorry, Ron gets people's names wrong on purpose, I'm not entirely sure why, but for the first year he knew me he called me names ranging from Sally, to Kelly, to Joan.. But anyway, hi, I'm Leslie Knope, Pawnee Highschools Vice Principal and voluntary tour guide- because I'm sure Ron didn't show you around." I say through my teeth, trying to be my friendly self but also mad that Ron went behind my back and this guy was a product of treachery.
"That'd be nice, this schools a lot bigger than my last."
"Oh, where'd you used to teach?"
"Um, I was at a little town about an hour away from here called Snerling, I was there for about a year, I've been at many schools over the years, most of them small."
"Why–why do you keep changing school, are you not that good at your job? Or, uh, do you have a drug problem?" I question and he chuckles, obviously assuming I was joking but realizing after seeing my confused, serious, stare, I wasn't.
"Oh, uh, see I work for a teachers agency that employs people to make schools better, by going over their accounts getting rid of unnecessary items that cost the school lots of money as to make room for better programs- therefore, in the end, helping to raise the student population." He explains.
"I thought you were a new teacher?"
"Yes, I am, I do both, I'm good at maths and accounting so I teach both of those, but I also do the accounting for the school."
Trying to ignore the fact that he basically said he wants to cut education, I realize I have to give him the tour I'd already offered. I lead him out of the staff room, still trying to hide my anger.
"So this is the office, which you've obviously seen already." I say, heading out of the staff room and pointing to the main office and then mentioning my office.
I then lead him down 'corridor b' , pointing out all the classrooms on the way, and then into the main hall.
"This is where it gets interesting; we hold many school events in here, all which are beneficial to the students and their learning. Now I don't like to favour any of them, but the most important and best is the 'Model United Nations', which happens to be run by me," I emphasise, grinning proudly to show him the importance of our school clubs and programs.
"Oh man! You have Model UN here! That was my favourite club at school! I don't like to kiss and tell but I was a bit of a legend in my school for the great work I did in it, not that that lasted long..but that's another story," he mentions as we're walking out of the hall, making me hopeful about keeping it.
As I show him all the classrooms in the corridor we're in, the bell goes.
"Uh, now you've shown me a lot of the school but where's this room? Apparently I'm home group teacher here." He points to the room number on his schedule.
"Um, that's just in there, right across from mine. If you ever need anything that's where I am," I point back, directing him to each room.
"Thanks so much for the help, um, uh, maybe I'll see you around at lunch time, I ah, yeah, bye," he blurts out his goodbye and hurries off into his classroom, and stunned at his abruptness, I stand shocked for a moment before walking quickly into my own home room just before all the students come in.
I arrive in my classroom and open my bag, placing my teaching supplies on my desk, ready and waiting for my students to arrive so I can greet them excitedly. As everyone walks in with their usual gloomy, tired looks on their faces, I keep giving them the same smile- until I saw her walk in holding his hand.
April Ludgate and Andy Dwyer! I can't believe they're still together; she could do so much better, he's just ruining her education. She is so smart! If she didn't have him holding her back she could do anything- I could make her into the first female president of the United States of America!
"Miss are you ok?" One of the students says distracting me from my disgruntled haze and making me go back to my warm smile.
"Ah, yes, hmm, ok, everyone here?.. Ok now let's go over this years announcements, first up..." I trail off on my normal tangent about the start of the year.
.
Ben POV
I look around the classroom at all of the unfamiliar faces of those that I am yet to become acquainted with. A lot of them are eagerly chatting away with each other, presumably catching up on what they did over summer break. A few others are sitting alone looking at their computers or phones, but then I see one girl sitting reading a book and am shocked.
At all the other schools I've been to I don't think I have ever seen a kid reading for pleasure, most of the schools I've worked at have been lower demographic.
Just then the second bell rang so I decide to get started.
"Ok, hello, I know you all want to keep catching up but we have a lot to get through so save it until the end. I am your home-room coordinator for the year, and I'll probably have some of you for maths too. My name is Mr Wyatt," I announce writing it in big letters on the whiteboard.
There are a few mutters and laughs in the room, probably usual teenage judging, I get it at every school, especially for being a maths teacher. But I don't know, I like maths. It's fun, so they can judge all they want but I'm the one with a job I love and am getting paid for it.
"Ok, I better mark the roll, let's see who we have here? – Scarlett Brendanawicz?" I call out to the room, but I'm answered by silence.
I call it out again, and still no response.
"Ok, can someone please tell me if Scarlett Brendanawicz is here or not?!" I half yell, getting annoyed that no one in the class knows this person.
I look around the room and noticed the kid who was reading drop her book on the desk and stands up, before yelling out,"Oh crap! Sorry Sir, I'm Scar, I'm here!"
This causes the class to erupt in laughter and she starts blushing.
"Ok, ok, settle down. Thank you Miss Brendanawicz for that late performance, see me after class- and please, pay attention next time," I say smugly, as her face turns redder.
She sits down, answered by more sniggers from the class.
"Ok, moving on—," I say finishing off the roll and other start of the year necessities, before the bell goes.