Doyle Barbeau strolled through the wrought iron gates that led to Kadic Academy. It was open to many students, both boarding and day students. From the main entrance, the park grounds were dead ahead and were surrounded by two main dirt pathways. It was a pleasant day. The sun was shining through very few clouds. The sky was a vivid ocean blue. He began walking to the right, thinking to himself that it was the perfect day to begin his new job. He noted to himself to take in the beautiful architecture of the school library as he strolled through the shaded path that led to the administrative building.
As he approached the library, its magnificent windows reflected the morning sunlight into his eye. He shielded the brightness away with his hand, straining to see the library in the beautiful morning sunlight. It was an old brick building that showed some wear on the exterior, but it was evident that the building was kept in good maintenance. Two chimneys jutted out from the central part of the building's black roof, which was about a half a story taller than the rest of the building. It was truly magnificent!
Taking in a deep breath of crisp fall air, Doyle continued his stroll along the bath and headed for the Administrative Building. He gazed at the various buildings that made up Kadic Academy. Most of the tall buildings were connected together, with a select few located off by themselves, such as the cafeteria and the science building. He had been given a tour of it a few days prior, so he knew exactly where his office was.
It was a great school to work at, at least, that's what he'd heard from the local townspeople. Doyle was glad that they had chosen him to take over for the principal while he took a leave of absence. One of the interviewers had mentioned that Jean-Pierre Delmas had requested some time off due to his mother falling ill with cancer and only being given less than a year to live.
He felt bad for him, he really did. It was terrible and heartbreaking to know that a loved one was going to pass on in a very short amount of time. In fact, taking the leave of absence was probably his best option. He knew all too well that the amount of time the doctors tell you you have is never a guarantee. It can happen at any moment...which can also be a good thing. He smirked at the thought.
Now's not the time to think about that, he told himself, shaking his head to rid his mind of the thought. It's time to get to work.
Doyle Barbeau stepped into the administrative building, ready to begin his first day at his new job.
Ulrich Stern inserted some coins in the vending machines. He pushed a button for a can of soda and it dropped down into the bottom of the machine with a loud thud. He scooped it up and opened it, taking a long swig, feeling the bubbles of the soda wash down his throat. Just when he was taking another swig, he was startled by a high-pitched voice that called out his name. He choked, nearly dropping the can, and looked up.
"Ulrich!" she waved.
Elizabeth Delmas, the principal's daughter, was striding toward him at full speed, her shoulder bag swinging behind her with every step she took. She had long brown hair that was kept out of her face by a yellow headband that she wore too often. She wore a pink shirt with a heart in the middle, just short enough that her midriff showed. She was pretty, but not Ulrich's type. Elizabeth, or Sissi as everyone called her, had had a crush on Ulrich since elementary school. Now, they were in tenth grade and she was still holding out hope.
She wasn't everyone's cup of tea, that was for sure. Sissi had a real knack for thinking she was high society in Kadic Academy, because of her father and all. Maybe she felt she had to be 'tough' because of that or thought she could get away with pretty much anything. So, she was often viewed as the mean girl in school or the school's socialite. She would often pull pranks and harass him and his friends. But, Ulrich knew that was all an act. He'd known Sissi long enough to know that underneath all of that makeup and 'rich girl' attitude there was a decent human being.
Ulrich, on the other hand, was more of an introvert. He usually kept to himself, keeping his personal life and feelings hidden, even to his group of friends at Kadic. He especially never talked about his parents. Both of his parents had incredibly high expectations of him, ones that he very seldom was able to uphold. Because of this, he often felt like a failure. His grades were never good. His parents disliked his group of friends. Soccer was his only outlet. He was actually good at it. Maybe it was the stress of being perfect that he used to his advantage or the fact that his parents actually paid attention to him when he played it.
Ulrich raked his free hand through his scruffy dark brown hair. He let out an exasperated sigh just a few seconds before Sissi stopped in front of him. She didn't have her usual smile plastered to her face today, which was unusual for her.
"How are you?" she asked, gazing into his brown eyes. She noted that they had a hint of green in them when the sunlight hit them. She always loved seeing his eyes that way.
"Fine," Ulrich replied flatly.
She looked down at her feet, clasped her hands behind her back and stayed silent, like she wanted to tell him something.
"Well, nice talking to you?" Ulrich shoved his hands into his olive-green cargo pants and started to walk off.
"No, wait!" Sissi cried and grabbed Ulrich's arm. When he spun around he noticed her eyes sparked with tears. Sissi let go of his arm.
"No, not really." She wiped a tear that had just fallen down her cheek. "My grandmother isn't doing so well. My dad took some time off to go be with her. He said I needed to stay and focus on my studies. It's just completely unfair! I know it's his mother but it's my grandmother, too!" She paused, biting her lip. "Oh, Ulrich, the doctors said she doesn't have much longer!"
Suddenly the tears she had been holding back overflowed like a waterfall. She threw out her arms over Ulrich and grasped him in a tight hug, her body racking with sobs. Ulrich felt uncomfortable, but he knew she probably needed some comforting. He put his free hand that wasn't holding his soda back around her. After she began to calm down, Sissi broke her embrace.
"Thanks, Ulrich. You're a great listener," she said, wiping the remaining tears off of her cheeks and rubbing her eyes.
Ulrich sighed and looked over his shoulder. "Can I walk you to the auditorium? Apparently we have an assembly with the substitute for your dad. He's going to introduce himself."
A smile played at the corners of her lips and she nodded.
Doyle Barbeau looked in the mirror and tried to redo his tie. Damn, he'd never been good at making a tie look nice! Then again, he never really had to wear one before. But this job was different. It required a more formal look than his previous jobs.
The other jobs just hadn't panned out like he had hoped. Something would always go wrong and then he was forced to leave. He grumbled as he thought of this, cursing under his breath.
Each time it was always some troubled kid that he tried to help that ended up getting him in trouble. It wasn't his fault though. All he had been doing was trying to help them. Make them stronger like his father had done to him. In today's world, strength meant a lot. And Kadic needed to be strengthened.
He had plans for Kadic. That was for sure. First, he'd start with tutoring. He knew that this school lacked a good nutrition program for the cafeteria, and he was going to fix that. Then, he'd find extra funding for the classrooms. Maybe some new white boards and desks and chairs...
However, most importantly were student grades. This school needed more rigidness when it came to that. Weed out the weak students from advanced. Put them in their proper place. Of course, he'd never say anything close to that in an interview, and he hadn't, which is why he had landed the job. No one understood the importance of it. He'd been turned down for many jobs in the past for spitting that out. No. Doyle had learned long ago that it was better to keep his mouth shut when it came to his ideas. Just tell them what you want to hear. After all, he had to pay the bills somehow.
Doyle looked down at his Rolex watch. Taking one final look in the mirror, he fixed his tie one last time. Damn! He still couldn't get it right. Well, it'd have to do. Time to meet with the school to introduce himself and bring some much needed discipline and structure to this school.