Ms. Tanada took a deep breath, opened the door, and reeled from the blast of voices that came from the room. It took her several seconds to get back her bearings and shake the stars off from her eyes.
She took a brief moment to appreciate how the door had masked the level of noise the students were making. She then stepped inside and sealed her fate as she closed the door.
She surveyed the room as she walked towards the teacher's table. The blackboard was littered with graffiti. Some students were chatting near the windows. Some girls were clustered around a particular table where a tuft of black hair was draped over the table. That would be Rukawa. There was a redhead, whom she guessed to be the infamous Sakuragi, alternately glaring at the group and gaping at a brown haired girl whose eyes were glued to the dark head. A good-natured guy with slicked back dark hair smiled at everything. He seemed to be the only one aware that she had arrived. Ms. Tanada guessed he would be Mito since he seemed to be the only one interested in what Sakuragi was doing.
Ms. Tanada reached the table and cleared her throat. Nothing happened.
"Uhm…hello…class…"
They still ignored her. She saw Mito try to get Sakuragi's attention. Try being the operative word.
She tried to make her voice louder.
"Class, please be seated."
Still nothing.
"QUUUIIIIIEEEETTT!!!"
Everyone froze, staring at her giant disfigured head. Then people madly scrambled to their seats. Even the tousled head of Rukawa lifted up to regard her while Sakuragi managed to focus his attention to her.
"Er…that's better," Ms. Tanada's voice lowered in volume. She smiled at them. "My name is Ms. Tanada. I will be your Social Studies teacher for this year."
She never lost her smile as she went through her practiced introductions. Remarkably the whole class remained quiet and attentive. They had learned for a brief moment not to incur her wrath again.
"Now, the major part of your grades will be based on a special project I will ask you to do."
She noted that all eyes were still glued to her, even those of Rukawa's.
"Our lessons will deal with how modern society is like. How people live their daily lives. You probably don't even know or care how food is served on your tables everyday. Do you even know how much your parents make just to be able to send you to school?"
Several students shook their heads.
"Just as I thought. So, here's what you'll be doing this year," she moved to the front of the table, her hands clasped tightly in front of her, "I will pair each of you. Then I will give you small assignments that will test your ability to survive in modern society under certain circumstances. You and your partners will be—" she paused for some dramatic effect, "playing house!"
Crickets practically chirped in the silence the pervaded the room. Ms. Tanada looked at her students expectantly. No one moved. She blinked at them. One student slowly raised her hand.
"Yes?" she smiled kindly at the uncertain girl.
"Uhm, when you say "play house" what exactly do you mean by that?"
A random voice at the back of the class shouted, "Yeah does that mean we're gonna live together in the same house from now on?"
Most eyes turned to Rukawa whose own eyes were beginning to droop.
"Oh no! No!" Ms. Tanada waved her hands and all gazed at her once again. "The Board would never approve that! Although there will be a time when you will do a sort of sleepover in your partner's house…."
Some students developed glazed looks.
"No," Ms. Tanada quickly said. "What you'll be doing is this. I will be giving you a specific budget and it will be up to you to organize it enough to survive for about three months. It will be as if you and your partner will be…hmm…newlywed couples."
Heart-shaped eyes were riveted one more time to Rukawa.
"You all will start on an equal footing meaning you will be given a budget and nothing else," Ms. Tanada gestured vaguely around the room. "It will be up to you to scout out your imaginary house, your imaginary furniture, etc. The outcome will depend on how well you manage what you will be given."
A tanned hand went up into the air. Everyone gaped at Sakuragi.
"Your project sounds fishy," he stated. "Exactly how will we be graded for this?"
Jaws dropped to their tables. Sakuragi had actually shown some interest in the project and had actually asked an intelligent question.
"Like I said, I will give you assignments that will affect your starting plan. Say for next week I want you to submit what kind of house you and your partner agree to live in," she moved her fingers in the universal sign of quote, unquote as she said the last two words.
"You can choose an apartment or a complex or you can even scout for a real house," she further explained. "You will submit to me what you have put together, which I will then grade. I will compile all those pieces of homework and give them to you after about one month. You will then make a report on what you have accomplished so far. This report will have another corresponding grade. This project will be in three phases so I will expect three full reports. At the last phase, you will make an overall presentation plus the written report."
Mito raised his hand.
"That sounds like a lot of work," he commented. "Don't you think we're a little too young to be doing that?"
Ms. Tanada nodded, "Yes it is a lot of work. And no, I don't think you're too young to be doing this. You're old enough to make decisions. Think of this project as an exercise at decision-making. Only this time you'll be able to erase your data and start over if you think you've made the wrong choice."
"Don't some people just inherit some stuff or even their houses from their parents?" another student queried.
"Yes, but as I said I want you all to start on an equal footing. No inherited houses or cars no matter how filthy rich your parents may be." Ms. Tanada smiled. "That will make the grading much easier."
She looked around.
"Are there any more questions?"
No one raised a hand. They were all still digesting all the information that they had just been given.
"If there aren't any, why don't we start this whole thing off by seeing who will be partnered with whom."
Shrill voices erupted yet again.
"I want to be with Rukawa!"
"No you can't be with him 'cause he's gonna be partnered with me!"
"No with me!"
"Me!"
"Shut up bitches, Rukawa will be my partner!"
The classroom was again treated to a brief period of silence as everyone looked at the blond boy glaring at the girls who had made the earlier remarks.
"Ahem!"
The students turned wide eyes back to their teacher.
"To be, er, fair, why don't you just write your names on any piece of paper, put them in—can anyone lend me a bowl or erm, anything deep?"
Someone thrust a pencil case in her hands.
"Thank you. Put your names in here and I will pick out two random names who will then be partnered together. Sound good to you?"
Some people groaned.
"Unless of course you have any other ideas," Ms. Tanada said with a dangerous glint in her eyes.
Her students quickly pulled out pieces of paper each one hoping to be partnered with at least someone suitable for them *cough*Rukawa*cough*. Everyone thought that, except for the resident redhead who fervently wished to be partnered with Haruko and the sleepy basketball star who just wanted to be left alone.
All of Second Year, Class Three should have realized that fate took a perverse delight in thwarting wishes.
-To be continued-
A/N: To all who reviewed: rj, Hisashi Loves Yelen, Tina Caps, Kuroi Neko-kun, lambie, annalei, sLL, unchained, and hagane, thank you very much.
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