Riza filled her classroom mug just as she did prior to every school day. She sighed as she stretched her neck. "Hey Riza!" Hughes marched into the room and took the pot from her hands filling her mug before his own. "So, Roy called in for today and tomorrow, would you mind filling in some of his classes?" Hughes made puppy eyes.
She brushed the bangs from her face and sipped from her mug, she sighed. He smiled and leaned in. "Which ones?" She groaned.
"Well, I know that you have 4th and 7th period free, so could if you help out with those it would be much appreciated. Then we can double up on the 9th period health class." He leaned against the coffee cart.
"I suppose. What are the other two classes?" She took another sip. "Are two instructors really required for health?"
"Uh, Chemistry during fourth and then introduction to Biology with the middle ages during 7th." He looked at his scrap of paper. "I can take the 5th and 3rd period courses."
She nodded "Are his lesson plans in his office?"
"Yea, yea of course." Hughes beamed. "I already took them to his desk in the room. Don't worry about 9th period, Roy and I usually double team them, keeps it interesting."
She hummed. "Okay, did he say why he wasn't coming in?" She tapped on her mug as she peaked at the clock.
Hughes looked away and shook his head. Riza scrutinized him, she knew he wasn't going to share willingly. "He didn't say, but I know he is okay and that's all that matters. Just took a personal day."
"Doesn't matter? Were the ones picking up for him. He's given himself a four-day weekend." She rolled her eyes and refilled her mug.
Hughes shrugged "He would do the same for us." She rolled her eyes again and left the instructor's lounge.
The chemistry and biology course were easy enough. The courses were still in introductory lessons so she was able to follow along with the material.
"If any of you are in any situation that makes you feel..." she turned the Maes unsure of phrasing. He made an accentuated sad face. "Sad. You are always welcome to discuss this with my self or Mr. Hughes or any other facility member that you may be comfortable with." Maes was comfortably leaning against Roy's desk while she stood awkwardly in front of the class. She was not used to this style of teaching and didn't understand why Maes insisted on this laid back style.
Ling Yao raised his hand, he was seated lazily in his seat. She identified him as the class clown after the first week of the semester "Do you ever feel sad Ms. Hawkeye?"
Riza sighed, she was more than willing to help picking up the slack with Roy's classes. She was ill prepared for this, this was not a course that she had wanted to teach. "Yes. Sometimes I feel sad." The faces in the classroom jerked and twisted, exchanging glances with others in the class. Why was she instructing this, this was Maes's course. She turned to the window avoiding Maes's glance and the classes scrutiny. She decided to answer with honesty "There has been times in my life that I have felt overwhelmed with sadness." A couple of students jaws dropped while more glances were exchanged throughout the room. "And during these times I reached out with people that I feel comfortable speaking with. While sometimes it seems as though it doesn't help…" She looked over the classroom stoicly "It can make you feel better just for sharing your burdens with someone." She moved to the whiteboard and wrote her phone number.
"what is that suicide hotline?" Ling chuckled.
"No Ling, this is my personal phone number. I will leave it up for the rest of the day if any of you would like to talk privately or would feel more comfortable texting." She capped the pen and glared at Hughes. This had been unfair she decided. "With midterms closely approaching, you may feel stressed. Just know that we the faculty can and will discuss any of these concerns with you." He had said that they were just going to answer questions, that there was no prep required for the lesson. She crinkled the sheet of paper in her hands of a printed guide for the day's lesson. Maes smirked as he threw up up his thumbs. "I am available during both lunch periods if any of you have any concerns or would to discuss anything. I also recommend Mrs. Havoc upstairs, she is an excellent resource and it is her job." She sighed and deposited the paper in a receptable besides the desk.
"Excellent, thank you for sharing Ms. Hawkeye." Hughes clapped as he returned to the front beside her. "any questions?" He made a show of looking over the room, Riza rolled her eyes her shoulders sunk and she looked to the window again. "None, all right good. There is no assigned reading or assignments while Mustang is absent."
Riza took the desk chair and braced her arms on the desk, feigning reading the lesson plans, where is Roy?. Chatter filled the classroom. She looked over his desk and the small bookshelf beside it. Hughes made short conversation with the soccer boys until the bell rang.
The students filed out quickly to the locker lined halls. After the students left, Hughes chuckled "Well done Hawkeye. That was a great lesson." He pointed to her and the board "the kids won't forget that."
She sighed and put her head in hands. "I'm gonna kill Roy on Monday." She turned to Hughes. "Why did you bring me in here, you didn't need me for this."
Maes sat in the seat across from her "Hey don't sweat it. Besides Roy is having a hell of a time all on his own."
She removed her hands. "Is he okay?" she whispered.
"Yea for now." He put his hands to his knee and sunk into one of the student desk.
Maes studied her "Are you okay? Today might have been a difficult for you, sorry about that." He smiled to her "It's good to see you vulnerable every once in awhile. You can't be all stoic all the time."
"I'm fine, I was just unprepared that's all." She glared.
"You thinking a lot about Roy lately?" he smirked.
She laughed. "No, no." She flipped through his lesson plans from the day. "I was a little worried when you told me he called in last minute. That's unlike him."
"He's okay, Riza. Its just…" Riza scrutinized him, he put his hands to his thighs. "Just something that was worrying him is all, wants it to be sorted out. You know him."
"Yea, that's exactly why I'm worried." She chewed her lip. "I knew him, I think I know him. Were still close but definitely not as close as we used to be."
Maes nodded and stood. "Of course, I'm aware. He will be back on Monday." He chuckled "Any superstars this year for your team?"
Roy and Maes were the coaches of the men's soccer team while Riza was the head coach for the women's soccer team. "I don't know. We have a couple of returning players from the varsity team and some surprises from the incoming freshmen. I'll have a better idea after tryouts." She sighed and leaned back. "I didn't many games for the middle ages last year. I didn't do much scouting."
"Well tryouts are coming up" He stood "I'm going to head out soon. Have a good weekend."
"Of course, and you as well."
Maes stopped at the door "Hey thanks again. Roy's okay, when he's ready to share he will. You know that guy." Maes tapped his head "He keeps it all up here, its not healthy." Riza half smiled.