Chapter 2

"It can only get better, right?

Nathan's first four periods went far better than expected. He had always been interested in what he taught and the students picked up on that, making listening to him far more pleasant. He only had to dodge a few spitballs in third period and he had an AP class to look forward to in the afternoon; the class that the more serious students were enrolled in.

When the bell signaling lunchtime rang, he exhaled and waited for the masses to pass his door before poking his head out. He knew he wasn't going anywhere near the teacher's lounge, as he hardly wanted anyone asking how he was, or whether it was "weird" being lower on the faculty ladder. Originally, he was going to stay in his room, but remembering his mentor he changed his mind. He grabbed his lunch out of his messenger bag and walked across the hall.

Knocking on the doorframe, he saw Sydney at her desk looking a little frazzled. "How're you holding up?" he asked.

Sydney looked up at him, relief washing across her face. She stood up to be polite and Nathan took the opportunity to look at her without her stained, wool coat. She was wearing a black pencil skirt and pink cardigan with a string of pearls around her neck. Her brown hair down and slightly curled at the ends. Her makeup was modest and she realized she wasn't as young as he'd originally thought…late twenties, perhaps. "I'm not so sure I can do this," she said honestly. "As a day to day sub, something I have a little too much experience with, you can pretty much take anything, but…I'm actually afraid of not being able to give them what they need.

Nathan smiled. "Give it more than four classes, hm? They come off a lot tougher than they really are. Well, most of them anyway." He saw a lunch bag on her desk. "Teacher's lounge?"

"Uh, no, thank you," she replied, thinking he was asking her to go with him. "Not really all that comfortable there."

"I don't blame you."

"Even though I'm here the rest of the year, I'm 'the sub', you know? So the other teachers always talk just a little too low and… What?" She saw that Nathan was smiling again, a bit wider than before.

"Well, I may as well tell you before someone else does." She looked at him, puzzled. "I was the principal here until," he cleared his throat, "rather recently. I hated it, my family hated it, and the kids hated it. A few unforeseen incidents and I was fired, which is now actually okay with me. Another problem popped up and I'm back into my old position. Huh." He paused for a moment, cocking his head. "I just made myself sound like the best guy to help you out didn't I?"

Sydney had no idea what to say. "Um…well, I guess I don't have much to complain about now, do I?"

"Well, teachers are worse gossips than the kids most of the time. Today's my first day back." He saw her grow more concerned. He rested against the edge of one of the front row desks. "Look, I taught here for a good while before I stupidly moved into something I never wanted, I'll be able to help you out."

She sat back down, her stomach the slightest bit uneasy. "I didn't mean to somehow imply that you weren't…" She stopped before she said something that she knew could sound worse than she meant. A small, awkward silence and she followed up with, "Am I part of your…probation?"

Nathan laughed. "Yeah, I guess you are." He had expected some sort of offense from her, but instead she smiled. "Oh?" he asked, wanting to know what made her mood a little lighter.

"I'm not as alone here as I thought I'd be."

"Mind if I stay? We could go over a few things."

"Sure." She watched as Nathan pulled a spare chair to her desk and sat down. "Thank you for your help."

Nathan nodded. "Let's save the technical stuff for later, shall we? Passwords and 'rules' can wait a bit."

Confused, Sydney answered, "Okay. So, what do you want to go over?"

"Your nerves," Nathan said bluntly. "Some of these kids are literally like animals and can smell your fear. How bad was it, really?"

Her eyes brightened just a little. "Ninth and tenth grade this morning…and they didn't seem all that sad to see that Mrs. Levings was gone – although they weren't all that glad to see me either when I got right down to the work we had to start."

"And?"

"I just felt a little…under prepared." She hardly wanted to sound whiny and she quickly worked to reverse that. "I'm certified in secondary English. I student taught in these grades and poked in for a day here and there in the beginning of my far too long subbing career, but…I found my comfort zone, you know? I guess I sort of forgot where I wanted to be and now…" She looked Nathan in the eye. "I didn't realize things could change so much in..." She stopped, embarrassed.

"Hard to get in somewhere now?" Nathan asked, understanding.

"Yeah. If someone would have told me what I was getting myself into way back in college…" She laughed at herself. "Wow, I talk a lot and nothing remotely good has come out of me. Sorry."

"I like the fact that you aren't sugar coating anything." Nathan took a bite of his sandwich. "As for the 'changes' you think you're seeing, it's more the district than the world, I promise you that. You've never really done much in a school with the, uh, charms of this one, have you?"

"That obvious?"

"We'll get you through the trenches here and you'll be better for it." He hesitated a moment, then added, "It'll be fine here after a few days. You'll love the kids in your AP class after lunch. They want to be here, they want to learn, and they want the good grades for college. After a little while, the tough ones won't seem so tough, and if they are, you'll learn to point to the door and they know where to go. On the bright side, it's only a three day week."

They ate in silence for a minute or so before he spoke again, mentally kicking himself as he did so. "I don't mean any offense, you look just fine, but I think you may be a little, uh, overdressed."

"The pearls don't make any sense at all here, do they?" she asked, laughing.

"Guessing I didn't offend you, then?"

She laughed a little harder. "Not at all." She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Remember the nineties and the lovely little sitcom 'Will and Grace?'" Nathan nodded, confused. "Okay, well in my life, I'm Grace and my best friend in the world is…very much, 'Jack.' I love him to death and have known him since we were toddlers, but he's almost stereotypical in his flamboyance at times and insisted on picking out my first day outfit. I knew it was overkill for this dis…" She cringed.

"You're not offending me, either, believe me."

"I think I might have offended a student or two though. I don't want them to think I think I'm better than any of them or…"

"We have both extremes here. I've found it best to try and meet this place in the middle."

Sydney took a sip of her water. "I'll make that note for tomorrow."

"Ah, so you'll be coming back then?"

Sydney only smiled in response and the bell rang. Lunch had ended and the rest of the day was ahead of them both.

Nathan was right on one count, Sydney instantly fell in love with her AP class. They were bright, polite, and ready to work with her. While taking role she noticed one student's last name matching up with her mentor's, but decided not to ask if there was a relation. She wouldn't have to either. As she made her way to the restroom, she saw the girl, Susan, call Nathan "Dad."

When she got back to her room Nathan was there, several papers in hand. He gave her all of the login information she needed, as well as the school rules and guidelines, phone tree information for the staff, and a few other odds and ends he'd requested for her. He stayed for a while asking her about the last class and was happy to see Sydney more at ease and hear some brighter comments than before. She continually apologized for her downbeat attitude at lunch and swore that she'd make a better impression the following day. He assured her that she had nothing to worry about.

He stood outside her door, just out of sight, as classes changed for seventh period. He pulled several students aside before they went in, making it very clear that they were not to give their new teacher any trouble and that he'd be keeping his door open to keep them in check. They were rather loud in class, but no real trouble erupted.

By the time Nathan got home late that afternoon, Susan was already there. Rather than being holed up in her bedroom, she was sitting at the kitchen table, her trigonometry book in front of her. "You made it," she said happily. She then got up, went to her father, and hugged him. Nathan hugged her back, thankful. There had been times when she couldn't even look at him, let alone hug him.

"I did," he said, feeling strangely proud of himself. "And your day was?"

"School, Dad. Got a new teacher though, two actually." She winked at him.

"Well, I know you just loved history class, but how about English?"

"It was pretty cool, actually. That might wear off after a few days, but today was good. Miss Turner said she really wants to see what Mrs. Levings put into us so far, so we have to come up with an essay or short story for next week. It's almost like artistic freedom for a change – we get to pick what we write about, no prompts."

"But she was alright?"

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

"Principal Hawkins decided that I was going to be her keeper," he said, grabbing a glass from the cupboard.

"Ah, I get the probing now. You're on probation like Mrs. Anderson was after she had her little breakdown on the football field…" She shook her head, trying not to laugh at the memory. "What do you think of her?"

Nathan's mind quickly went to her eyes, scared but warm, and how they conveyed far more than the nerves an uneasy first day had manifested in her. Realizing that he hadn't answered yet, he quickly said, "I think she'll do a good job with what she has to work with – your class excluded."

Susan rolled her eyes in jest. "Of course." She then smiled widely. "So, Chinese to celebrate your first day back?"

"Read my mind, Susie Q."

When Sydney walked through her front door she was greeted by Arlen, the best friend she had told Nathan about earlier. "A little something came for you today," he said, almost singing it.

Sydney's eyes began to water when she saw a vase filled with two-dozen roses, half red, half pink. She rushed over and plucked out the card. In unmistakable handwriting, it read:

To what I am sure was a wonderful first day. I love you. ~John

Sydney had only been dating John since the start of the summer, but she was sure she had found the elusive "one" she had been looking for. After a few complicated romances, things just seemed to fall into place with him; things were easy for a change. The flip side of that coin was that John traveled for work. He too was in education, but he went city to city doing presentations on maritime figures…or as Arlen would say, "He plays pirates with the kids." After a wonderful few months he left for Chicago, not able to stay a few days longer and wish her well on her first day in person.

Arlen smiled, giddy. "I told you not to worry about him, honey. In a few weeks you'll be meeting him at that romantic little place you two picked out and you'll be frisky little love monkeys again."

Sydney sighed. "A few weeks is a long time in lonely woman days, Arlen."

"You can't be lonely when you have me…"

"And me!" Another voice came from the hallway. "You like the flowers?" A young man stepped into the living room.

"That depends," Sydney answered. "Did John really pick them out or did your uncle?"

"John, one hundred percent." He neglected to mention and he and Arlen were there to help, as John picked the arrangement a week in advance.

Adding to the slight complexities in Sydney's life was the fact that Arlen's nephew was currently living with them. It wasn't that anything bad had come of it; there were just added bits of drama and tension from time to time as there is with any young man. Jess was attending a local college and was dating a young woman, a neighbor that Sydney had known for years. From time to time the house got a little…hectic.

"So," Jess began, plopping down on the couch, "how was your first day of school?" He asked in the most obnoxiously sweet voice he could muster.

Sydney sat as well and gave them the highlights of her day: spilled coffee, a principal that forgot about her, and a history teacher assigned to her as probation. Both men were slightly slack jawed.

"Um…" Arlen searched for any encouraging words he could think of. "…it can only get better, right?"

Sydney sighed and leaned her head against the back of the couch, her eyes closed. "I'm not making any bets."