Chapter Two
I rushed into my history room just as the tardy bell rang. Mrs. Williams shot me a censorious glare, but I ignored her and the students' snickers as I hastily made for the only empty desk left in the classroom. Unfortunately, it was in front of Devin Gomez, who had a habit of shooting spit wads down your shirt. I moaned inwardly as I pulled my chair out from under the desk.
She waited pointedly until I was seated, then addressed the class.
"Alright, students, I am very pleased to announce that we have a new student teacher." The students looked around at each other grimly. We had had bad luck with student teachers in the past. We always ended up with perhaps the dreariest, mind-numbing, and lackluster of the lot.
Just then the classroom door opened and a tall, tanned, muscular young man walked in. He had to be at least six feet tall, but seemed pretty young. Eighteen maybe. His black hair was disheveled, but endearingly so. He wore blue jeans and a light blue button up shirt over a white t-shirt. A pair of black shades covered his eyes.
The girls in the classroom collectively breathed in, and my friend Monica shot me an excited look. I, however, cocked my head at the visitor. He was cute, but seemed a little familiar. Did I know this guy?
"Class, this is Mr. Jackson. He'll be taking over for the rest of the year. I expect you to welcome him to Amelia Earhart and treat him with the utmost respect." With that, she quickly left the room with an air of exultation, relieved to have us out of her hair.
When she was out of hearing range, the man spoke.
"Please, do not call me 'Mr. Jackson'." He said grinning. The class tittered softly, almost nervously, as they observed our new educator.
"My name is Percy." He said.
Percy Jackson. The name shot a jolt up my spine, but I couldn't recall ever hearing it before. I knew this guy, somehow, but at the same time he was still a stranger.
He strolled slowly around the classroom, examining us.
"Well, you know my name now. How about I learn yours? Holler when I say your name." He said as he picked up the role-call papers on Mrs. Williams' desk.
"Michael Anderson,"
The kid sitting next to me, lifted his hand tentatively and whispered, "Here."
"Can I call you 'Mike'?" Percy asked hopefully. Michael nodded, smiling shyly.
"Yes. Okay, Daniel Bosco? I am calling you Danny, my friend. Whether you like it or not….Do you like it?"
Daniel tried to appear nonchalant as he shrugged, but could not conceal his smile. Percy grinned back and continued.
"Amanda Carlow? Nice to meet you. What a storm last night, huh?" He smiled at her, and she blushed profusely.
"Kyle Demelo? Excellent. Where are you from?"
"Madison Fisher? Cool name. Do you ever do any fishing?"
"Anthony Foster? You're here? Hey, did you watch the game last night?"
And so on and so forth. He struck up a conversation with every student whose name he called. He continuously made jokes, and the students laughed each time. We were almost giddy with the luck we had scored with our new teacher. I had to admit, I was actually starting to enjoy myself in what was my least favorite class.
"Courtney Myers? You're here? That's good. I like your hat. The Yankees are your team, then?"
"Monica Nelson?" My friend squeaked, "Present," frivolously.
"Awesome. Are you going anywhere cool this summer?"
She answered breathlessly, saying she was visiting her aunt in Los Vegas. He nodded.
"I've been to L.A. too. I hope you have a better time than I did." He snorted at an apparent inside joke, and then went to the next name.
Monica looked like she was about to faint with joy.
"Reggie Parkinson?"
No one answered. The class looked around, smiling, waiting him to ask another question.
"Reggie? Come on, Reg. Don't be bashful."
A kid in the back of his class began to speak.
"Er – I'm Gregory Parkinson."
Percy stopped and looked at the role, and if his sunglasses were off, I imagined he would be squinting. He stared at the list for a while, then smiled and shook his head.
"I thought I was doing pretty well there for a minute. That's the problem with being dyslexic; you give people retarded nicknames. Alright, Reggie. Thanks for clearing that up." He laughed, and the entire class laughed with him, including the newly-dubbed "Reggie".
"I should also warn you guys that I have ADHD too, so if jump up on my desk and start imitating Michael Jackson – no relation, I think – don't be too alarmed." Percy laughed.
Everyone cheered and chortled.
Everyone but one, and I'll give you three guesses.
I stared at the mysterious guest, a strange feeling growing inside me. It was a mixture of excitement and astonishment.
He was dyslexic. Just like me. He had ADHD. Just like me. Could this person have gone through the same experiences I was going through now? Well, not all of them, I was sure. But I didn't want to think about that.
He continued down the list, chuckling, and still asking students random questions.
"Patricia Rain? Love the rain. You?"
"Evan Redderson? Is your favorite color red? I have to say, I prefer blue."
Percy looked at the next name on the list, and his broad smile faded and turned into a more serious look.
"Kendra Rhodes?"
I raised my hand.
He looked at me intently, as if studying me. I felt a blush coming on, but stared back just the same. I wish he would have taken the shades off so I could read his eyes.
Percy looked at me just another moment more in deep thought, than abruptly looked away and back at his role. "Very good." He said, almost to himself, and then unexpectedly stood up, smiling again.
"Well, that took a lot of time. At least I know your names now. The last five minutes of class are yours to do whatever the heck you want."
The class immediately merged into different groups, whispering eagerly, no doubt about their "totally wicked" new instructor. I stayed at my desk, however, and watched as Jackson turned from the class and moved to the teacher's desk. He slapped the role onto the table and then plopped onto the swivel chair, placing his feet on the desk and his hands behind his head.
"Oh my freak, Kendra. Isn't this amazing?"
"Hmm?"
"The new student teacher. Are we lucky to have him or what?"
"Yeah. He's…cool. I like him."
"Just cool? I don't think you're giving him justice. I mean-"
The bell suddenly rang and the students were instantly crowding at the door. The space in the wall was definitely not built for the thirty bodies trying to squeeze their way through. I tried to hang in the back, knapsack in my arms, trying to get one more look at Percy. I was able to catch one last glimpse of him before I was pushed into the hallway by the wild herd of students.
He was staring back.