THE REASON - Part Eleven: A Visitor At School
Summary: Kim makes an unexpected visit to the school, to confront Tommy yet again. Can he accept her or throw her away?
Disclaimer: Power Rangers not mine. Won't be mine, and if I fought the system, I'd lose. Oh well. I could try, but see no point. Facts, still not straight, and never will be. So, if you oppose. Bash or dash. Your choice. But, I'm trying okay? There is a reason for all this. Gotta give credit to who needs it. Thanks all.
A/N: Okay. So, it's getting there. It's getting a little more serious. Kinda crazy. Just a lot of questions wanting to be answered. But, I can't say much when I try to shorten a chapter and it just can't be done. Some things just can't be shortened. Sorry. But, read and reply.
"Hiding behind closed doors may mean isolationism, but will help to deal with not hurting others, if that's what seems best." –Eclyptyk Neo
Tommy began to pick up his pace as he skipped down the stairwell onto the main floor. He nearly tripped as he cleared the last few steps with a jump. He wasn't sure how he felt on the inside. He felt happy. Relieved that something had come to distract him from teaching his class. But than again, the visitor was the one person he wanted to try to get out of his mind. Kimberly. He was shaken. Felt stupid. Felt a tinge of anger spark up for the visit to come at a time like this.
What was so urgent that it couldn't wait until lunch or perhaps after school? He came to a halt, fixed his tie and slipped into the main office.
He caught his breath, and saw his true love sitting on the bench looking absently at the ground.
She wore a pair of loose-fit khakis with a pink baby T-shirt that said "Baby" on it.
Tommy's heart began to race as he tried to get rid of the provocative images of her doing what he had hoped would bring some peace to their past. He looked away, clearing his throat avoiding making any eye contact with her. "Hey."
Kimberly looked up, a smile passing her face. "Hey."
"Hey." He said again, but didn't even look at her as she got to her feet. He wanted to apologize for what had happened the night before, but couldn't find it in his heart to do it. He couldn't seem to move again. "So, what's up? What brings you down here?"
She shrugged, sensing his uneasiness. She saw the pain in his heart. And she wanted to find a way to stop it. To comfort him. "Thought I'd come by and see how they teach students nowadays in high school."
He nodded, slowly. "Yeah, I guess. But there are some strict rules about visitors coming to the school..."
"Oh, just tell them I'm a coach or athletic trainer for some sports team," she brushed away his comment.
"If only that were possible, Kim. Principal Randall doesn't exactly like to give anyone a nice friendly visit to the school."
"Well, we'll see about that, now won't we?"
Tommy looked up, finally meeting Kim in the eye. It was at that moment, his heart had skipped a beat. He got pulled into her eyes. Forgotten how easy it was to melt in her eyes every time they met. And now, he just wanted to bust open his heart like a wound and reveal every bit of information he had to mention to her about their years apart. But he didn't. He couldn't.
She looked away, but noticed something strange about his appearance. "What happened to your hand?"
He chuckled sheepishly. "You."
"Are you serious?" she walked over to him, taking it into her hand. "Does it hurt?"
He pulled it away, annoyed at her concern. No, Tommy. Don't get mad. Don't get mad. "No. I'm fine. It's not broken. Just a sprain."
"Just a sprain that I did. Let me see it."
"No." he snapped just as the other teachers and secretaries looked at him with confusion. He pulled Kim aside. "Okay, so I did give you the invite to come by and talk, but I didn't actually expect you to come down to the school for this little discussion. Not here. You didn't even call."
"I did. I left one on your home phone, but I guess you left." she stated. "And, I guess your cell was on silent or something, because I left a message on that, too."
"No, you didn't." he pulled out his cell, flipping it open.
It read: One missed call. Voicemail received.
He held back a breath, kicking himself mentally. Damn it, Kim. Please not now. Not now. "Fine. I take that back." He shook his head. "Why must you always have to catch me off-guard?"
"You always liked surprises, Tommy." she met his stern glare. "Besides, I am not giving up on us. I know there's still something there. I see it in your eyes. So, don't even lie to me about that." He let out a dry cough. "Giving up on us? Since when are we all of a sudden a thing? We haven't seen each other in nearly three years, Kim."
She pushed an index finger into his chest. "Hey, don't give me your bull, Tommy! I know you're in denial about this whole thing, but I will not give up until I know we're at least on good grounds. And right now, we have a lot of work to do."
"More than you can think." he defended. "But you haven't even given me a chance to really recover after what happened last night."
"Give you a chance to recover? I didn't sleep last night. So, don't even start with me, Thomas Anthony Oliver."
Tommy cringed at the use of his full name. He hated to hear that from anyone. But worst of all, from her. "Don't do this, Kim. Not here."
"Do what?"
"Do this. Not now." he pleaded. "Look...."
But before he could finish, the door to the principal's office opened up wide. And a very unhappy woman stood at the door, holding something rather peculiar in her hand. She looked at the two people in front of her door, not too excited. She glared at the teacher. "Dr. Oliver, this is truly not a good day to push me over the edge..."
He caught his breath. "Um...my apologizes, Principal–"
"And who is this?" she cut him off, pointing absently at Kim. "I was not informed about her visit."
Dr. Oliver groaned. "I'm sorry, Principal Randall..."
Kimberly butted in, holding out her hand as a salutation. "Oh, Dr. Oliver must have forgotten to mention I would be coming. I'm Kimberly Hart, and I'm just passing by as an athletic trainer for your school's sports foundation."
Principal Randall looked at the woman for some time, pushing away her hand without any regard. She looked back at Dr. Oliver. "Is this true?"
"Um..sure." he got an elbow in the chest by Kim, nodding firmly. "That's why I was running late this morning. You see, she just got into town, and she doesn't exactly know..."
"I thought you were having car trouble, Dr. Oliver?" Randall made no reference to his last statement.
"Well, I did." he directed Kim out of the office. "But, ya know, I will get that checked. Plus, I thought I could show Ms. Hart, here, the school, and..." Randall waved her hand absently. "Whatever, Oliver. Just hope I don't find you do anything wrong the rest of the day, or you'll be packing your bags."
Dr. O nodded and left the office with a sigh of relief.
-----
Randall disappeared back into her office.
She looked down at the object in her hand, the readings sparking up for a brief moment. She pulled it up to take a closer look, making the read-out that a strange residual power was radiating off of Dr. Oliver's female visitor.
"Could she be the source of what Mesogog is looking for? Or perhaps a pawn for our next set of plans?" she asked herself.
-----
Dr. O followed Kim up the hall back to the stair case that led up to his classroom. "Um...thanks."
"Hey, don't I always got your back?"
Be careful how you say that, Kim. But yeah, I guess you do. "Um..yeah. Sure."
She looked at him, again, but couldn't get him to look at her. He was still avoiding to make any eye contact with her. C'mon, Tommy. What's wrong? You can tell me. That's why I'm here. That's why I came.
A silence fell over them as they began to climb the stairs to the second floor.
Kim let out a sigh. "Maybe I should just go. Catch you at a better time..." she turned away.
"Kim." he directed in his leadership voice, grabbing her arm. "Don't go." He pulled her close to him, slightly frighten that they were in each other's arms. So close. Their eyes met. The world set for them alone filled their minds. "Please. Don't go. I let you go once. I don't want to do it again." he forced back the tears. "I never realized how much I needed you until now. These past few weeks. These months. These years that I've spent without you, it was a nightmare."
Kim looked away, blushing slightly. "Wow. That's the most sincere and truthful thing you've said to me since I got here, Tommy."
He let out a sheepish chuckle. "Well, it could have been better but it was at the spur of the moment."
"They grow up so fast. Bend to your will just as they obey your wishes." she regarded how well she could win him over with no hesitation.
He let out another smile. "Funny. But, that doesn't mean anything. I never said that things were fine between us."
"Times change. So do people. Don't worry, Dr. Oliver, I didn't expect to win you over that easily." He raised an eyebrow, surprised she addressed him in that way. She turned away and proceeded to opening the door to his class. He cut in front of her, before she could completely open the door. He turned back to look at her. "Are you sure about this? High school isn't exactly how it was a few years ago." "Hey. I'll be fine. I've dealt with kids of all ages in the past few years, I think I can handle a class full of raging hormone filled high schoolers."
He let out a sigh. "Fine. Just go to the back of the class, and try to avoid any confrontations. Just let me do all the talking. And since, I don't have a class next hour, it'll give us a chance to talk."
She looked at him, matching his look of annoyance and determination. "Fine."
He let out another sigh and opened the door.
Paper balls flew across the room. Two paper balls and a paper plane flew passed Dr. O's face. He caught one of the balls, looking back at the class with some admiration hidden behind a stern look.
Conner and Ethan was trying to stop three students from using the gas channel as a flamethrower. Kira and Trent was in the back of the room trying to clear up the mess of bones set by two more students. Devin was in the front recording the action, while Cassidy was trying to provide a source of a good story. The rest of the class was off doing other things.
Dr. O cleared his throat, tossing the ball into the trash. "So, this is what happens when the teacher is away for far too long?"
Everyone stopped to look at him as he cleared the room back to his desk.
He rubbed his temples, dropping his head. "I didn't come back here to find my room completely trashed..but I gotta hand it to you guys, you definitely had me going for a second."
The students exchanged looks, not liking the strange silence their teacher was giving them.
"Ooh. An exclusive," Cassidy said happily, turning the mic over to her teacher.
The class groaned, throwing paper balls at her.
"What is the punishment for dumb and dumber being left to watch your class?"
"Hey!" Kira called from the back, setting a set of bones back on the table. "I'd watch what you'd say."
"I'm sorry." she sounded slightly disgusted. "The three dumb musketeers and their ability to control a class full of high school students?"
He pushed it away, annoyed. "No, Cassidy. There is no punishment. But actually, I thought I'd come back to a room that would end up in flames and have this entire school's sprinkler system go off. So, for that I give you guys some credit that you didn't try to kill anyone. Yet, upset to find this place a mess. So, if you don't want me to make that summary homework–and I will make it a long summary--I suggest you guys get this place cleaned up."
The students dropped to the floor and began to clean up their mess.
Dr. O turned to the figure at the door and could only shrug. She gave him a reassuring smile.
Conner and Ethan walked up to their teacher, a little embarrassed.
"I don't get it, how come they don't listen to us, but they listen to you?" Conner stated, scratching his head in confusion.
"Maybe because he's the teacher, dude." Ethan sighed.
"Hey, I deal with you guys more than I need to. But I get by." Dr. O shrugged, peering over his shoulder again.
Ethan and Conner followed his gaze, and saw the mystery woman standing by the side of the room. Ethan looked back at his mentor a look of worry on his face, but couldn't find anything to say. Dr. O exchanged a look with him, making it clear if he said something he could be looking at a world full of harsh extra curricular activities and detention time. Conner looked star-struck, but was shaken when Cassidy cleared a path to approach the mystery guest.
"Hi. I'm Cassidy Cornell. Reefside High's Top Reporter," she introduced, startled Kim. "I've never seen you around. Are you new to the school?"
Dr. O came between the two, pushing the mic away. "She doesn't go to the school, Cassidy."
"So, she's just some random student..."
"She's not even a student. She's a friend of mine." he turned to the class, clapping his hands together. "Class, if I may, this is Kimberly Hart. She's an old friend of mine. And she'll be in town for a few days."
"So, what does she do?" Cassidy grew curious. Dr. O exchanged another look with Kim before looking back at the class. He was at a loss of words. Kim saw this, and took her place before him.
"Well, I'm an athletic trainer. I just got in from Florida. But like your teacher said, I'll be here for a few days, so if you guys have any questions about what I do, I'll be glad to answer them."
"Yeah. How old are you?" someone called out.
She chuckled. "Old enough."
BRING!
Dr. O forced out a breath, relieved. Oh, thank you. The bell.
Students began to grab their stuff and head for the door, but the teacher came to a halt at the door, forcing them to stop. "Since, you guys failed to follow my instructions, I will be looking for a two-page summary of Earth's geological history by tomorrow." The students groaned. "And expect a quiz tomorrow, too. Now, must I add anything else to the agenda of your busy teenage lives, or will that be good for today?"
"No. That's cool." some students said.
Dr. O relayed a smile, letting the class out for their next class. Students couldn't bare to look at their teacher, knowing when he said something he really meant it. Teacher mode. They were lucky not to see him in sergeant mode.
The last three students were his young proteges. Ethan was keeping as much distance away from the other two as possible.
Conner stopped in front of Kim, hand out in a greeting. His best charming smile across his face. "I'm sorry, we didn't formally meet. I'm Conner McKnight. I'm six feet. I'm quite an athlete. I love to play soccer and my favorite color is red..."
Kim took it for a brief second, a light smile on her face. But a punk-star girl dressed in yellow pushed him aside. "Okay, I really don't think that's necessary, Conner." She turned to Kim holding out her hand, as Kim took it. "I must apologize for my friend here, you see, he was dropped on his head several times as a baby, and had several concussions involving a soccer ball. And doctors haven't been able to find a way to cure his stupidity. By the way, my name is Kira."
Conner glared at Kira for the remark, but she returned it with an elbow to his chest.
"Well, it's pleased to meet the two of you," Kim nodded to them in turn.
"Well, hey, ya know," Conner turned back to the petite woman in pink, "if you ain't busy after school, we could go get a drink or something. Talk. Get to know each other..." Conner went on.
Dr. O came up behind Kim, hands on his hips, stern look on his face, clearing his throat. "Don't you need to be getting to class, Conner?" "And we were just on our way there," Kira stated, pushing Conner toward the door.
"Hey, but you never gave me an answer to my offer," Conner called back into the room.
"I'll think about it." Kim called after him.
Kira turned back to her teacher and his guest at his side. "See ya, Dr. O. It was glad to meet you, Ms. Hart."
"See ya later, Kira." Dr. O nodded. "Keep Conner out of trouble."
"I will." She nodded and left the room.
The two exchanged a look before averting their attention to the computer gamer still lingering in the room.
Dr. O sighed. "What's up, Ethan?"
Ethan slowly walked over to his teacher, eyes still hanging to the ground. "Are you sure I can't say anything?"
"Anything about what?" Kim asked with curiosity.
Dr. O brushed it away, looking at Kim. "It's nothing. Not really. Ya know, about us dating in high school or whatever. I just don't want those kinds of rumors going around school."
"Well, I don't see no harm in that. People don't even know who I am."
"And it won't take long..." Ethan began.
"No." Dr. O snapped, making the two jump. "Okay? Let's just drop this issue before it gets out of hand. Ethan." he looked directly at his student. "You will promise me you will not say anything. Not to Conner. Or Kira. Or Trent. Or anyone. You got that? This is something rather personal that needs to be dealt with first before anyone begins to get ideas."
"Okay. Okay." Ethan nodded, obediently with some fear. He looked at Kim for some assistance, and saw that she was holding his teacher back from unleashing another world of pain. "I'll let it go. I won't talk about it to anyone."
Dr. O forced out a breath. "Thanks, Ethan. If you still need help, I'm always available later."
Ethan looked back at Kim and saw some confusion. He wanted so badly to spill the beans, but couldn't do it with his teacher right there. "Yeah. I think I'll need that time to get some help on my homework."
He slowly eased toward the door, watching as the falcon eyes of his mentor kept on him like prey. He flashed a peace and headed out the room without saying anything more.
To be continued..........
Summary: Kim makes an unexpected visit to the school, to confront Tommy yet again. Can he accept her or throw her away?
Disclaimer: Power Rangers not mine. Won't be mine, and if I fought the system, I'd lose. Oh well. I could try, but see no point. Facts, still not straight, and never will be. So, if you oppose. Bash or dash. Your choice. But, I'm trying okay? There is a reason for all this. Gotta give credit to who needs it. Thanks all.
A/N: Okay. So, it's getting there. It's getting a little more serious. Kinda crazy. Just a lot of questions wanting to be answered. But, I can't say much when I try to shorten a chapter and it just can't be done. Some things just can't be shortened. Sorry. But, read and reply.
"Hiding behind closed doors may mean isolationism, but will help to deal with not hurting others, if that's what seems best." –Eclyptyk Neo
Tommy began to pick up his pace as he skipped down the stairwell onto the main floor. He nearly tripped as he cleared the last few steps with a jump. He wasn't sure how he felt on the inside. He felt happy. Relieved that something had come to distract him from teaching his class. But than again, the visitor was the one person he wanted to try to get out of his mind. Kimberly. He was shaken. Felt stupid. Felt a tinge of anger spark up for the visit to come at a time like this.
What was so urgent that it couldn't wait until lunch or perhaps after school? He came to a halt, fixed his tie and slipped into the main office.
He caught his breath, and saw his true love sitting on the bench looking absently at the ground.
She wore a pair of loose-fit khakis with a pink baby T-shirt that said "Baby" on it.
Tommy's heart began to race as he tried to get rid of the provocative images of her doing what he had hoped would bring some peace to their past. He looked away, clearing his throat avoiding making any eye contact with her. "Hey."
Kimberly looked up, a smile passing her face. "Hey."
"Hey." He said again, but didn't even look at her as she got to her feet. He wanted to apologize for what had happened the night before, but couldn't find it in his heart to do it. He couldn't seem to move again. "So, what's up? What brings you down here?"
She shrugged, sensing his uneasiness. She saw the pain in his heart. And she wanted to find a way to stop it. To comfort him. "Thought I'd come by and see how they teach students nowadays in high school."
He nodded, slowly. "Yeah, I guess. But there are some strict rules about visitors coming to the school..."
"Oh, just tell them I'm a coach or athletic trainer for some sports team," she brushed away his comment.
"If only that were possible, Kim. Principal Randall doesn't exactly like to give anyone a nice friendly visit to the school."
"Well, we'll see about that, now won't we?"
Tommy looked up, finally meeting Kim in the eye. It was at that moment, his heart had skipped a beat. He got pulled into her eyes. Forgotten how easy it was to melt in her eyes every time they met. And now, he just wanted to bust open his heart like a wound and reveal every bit of information he had to mention to her about their years apart. But he didn't. He couldn't.
She looked away, but noticed something strange about his appearance. "What happened to your hand?"
He chuckled sheepishly. "You."
"Are you serious?" she walked over to him, taking it into her hand. "Does it hurt?"
He pulled it away, annoyed at her concern. No, Tommy. Don't get mad. Don't get mad. "No. I'm fine. It's not broken. Just a sprain."
"Just a sprain that I did. Let me see it."
"No." he snapped just as the other teachers and secretaries looked at him with confusion. He pulled Kim aside. "Okay, so I did give you the invite to come by and talk, but I didn't actually expect you to come down to the school for this little discussion. Not here. You didn't even call."
"I did. I left one on your home phone, but I guess you left." she stated. "And, I guess your cell was on silent or something, because I left a message on that, too."
"No, you didn't." he pulled out his cell, flipping it open.
It read: One missed call. Voicemail received.
He held back a breath, kicking himself mentally. Damn it, Kim. Please not now. Not now. "Fine. I take that back." He shook his head. "Why must you always have to catch me off-guard?"
"You always liked surprises, Tommy." she met his stern glare. "Besides, I am not giving up on us. I know there's still something there. I see it in your eyes. So, don't even lie to me about that." He let out a dry cough. "Giving up on us? Since when are we all of a sudden a thing? We haven't seen each other in nearly three years, Kim."
She pushed an index finger into his chest. "Hey, don't give me your bull, Tommy! I know you're in denial about this whole thing, but I will not give up until I know we're at least on good grounds. And right now, we have a lot of work to do."
"More than you can think." he defended. "But you haven't even given me a chance to really recover after what happened last night."
"Give you a chance to recover? I didn't sleep last night. So, don't even start with me, Thomas Anthony Oliver."
Tommy cringed at the use of his full name. He hated to hear that from anyone. But worst of all, from her. "Don't do this, Kim. Not here."
"Do what?"
"Do this. Not now." he pleaded. "Look...."
But before he could finish, the door to the principal's office opened up wide. And a very unhappy woman stood at the door, holding something rather peculiar in her hand. She looked at the two people in front of her door, not too excited. She glared at the teacher. "Dr. Oliver, this is truly not a good day to push me over the edge..."
He caught his breath. "Um...my apologizes, Principal–"
"And who is this?" she cut him off, pointing absently at Kim. "I was not informed about her visit."
Dr. Oliver groaned. "I'm sorry, Principal Randall..."
Kimberly butted in, holding out her hand as a salutation. "Oh, Dr. Oliver must have forgotten to mention I would be coming. I'm Kimberly Hart, and I'm just passing by as an athletic trainer for your school's sports foundation."
Principal Randall looked at the woman for some time, pushing away her hand without any regard. She looked back at Dr. Oliver. "Is this true?"
"Um..sure." he got an elbow in the chest by Kim, nodding firmly. "That's why I was running late this morning. You see, she just got into town, and she doesn't exactly know..."
"I thought you were having car trouble, Dr. Oliver?" Randall made no reference to his last statement.
"Well, I did." he directed Kim out of the office. "But, ya know, I will get that checked. Plus, I thought I could show Ms. Hart, here, the school, and..." Randall waved her hand absently. "Whatever, Oliver. Just hope I don't find you do anything wrong the rest of the day, or you'll be packing your bags."
Dr. O nodded and left the office with a sigh of relief.
-----
Randall disappeared back into her office.
She looked down at the object in her hand, the readings sparking up for a brief moment. She pulled it up to take a closer look, making the read-out that a strange residual power was radiating off of Dr. Oliver's female visitor.
"Could she be the source of what Mesogog is looking for? Or perhaps a pawn for our next set of plans?" she asked herself.
-----
Dr. O followed Kim up the hall back to the stair case that led up to his classroom. "Um...thanks."
"Hey, don't I always got your back?"
Be careful how you say that, Kim. But yeah, I guess you do. "Um..yeah. Sure."
She looked at him, again, but couldn't get him to look at her. He was still avoiding to make any eye contact with her. C'mon, Tommy. What's wrong? You can tell me. That's why I'm here. That's why I came.
A silence fell over them as they began to climb the stairs to the second floor.
Kim let out a sigh. "Maybe I should just go. Catch you at a better time..." she turned away.
"Kim." he directed in his leadership voice, grabbing her arm. "Don't go." He pulled her close to him, slightly frighten that they were in each other's arms. So close. Their eyes met. The world set for them alone filled their minds. "Please. Don't go. I let you go once. I don't want to do it again." he forced back the tears. "I never realized how much I needed you until now. These past few weeks. These months. These years that I've spent without you, it was a nightmare."
Kim looked away, blushing slightly. "Wow. That's the most sincere and truthful thing you've said to me since I got here, Tommy."
He let out a sheepish chuckle. "Well, it could have been better but it was at the spur of the moment."
"They grow up so fast. Bend to your will just as they obey your wishes." she regarded how well she could win him over with no hesitation.
He let out another smile. "Funny. But, that doesn't mean anything. I never said that things were fine between us."
"Times change. So do people. Don't worry, Dr. Oliver, I didn't expect to win you over that easily." He raised an eyebrow, surprised she addressed him in that way. She turned away and proceeded to opening the door to his class. He cut in front of her, before she could completely open the door. He turned back to look at her. "Are you sure about this? High school isn't exactly how it was a few years ago." "Hey. I'll be fine. I've dealt with kids of all ages in the past few years, I think I can handle a class full of raging hormone filled high schoolers."
He let out a sigh. "Fine. Just go to the back of the class, and try to avoid any confrontations. Just let me do all the talking. And since, I don't have a class next hour, it'll give us a chance to talk."
She looked at him, matching his look of annoyance and determination. "Fine."
He let out another sigh and opened the door.
Paper balls flew across the room. Two paper balls and a paper plane flew passed Dr. O's face. He caught one of the balls, looking back at the class with some admiration hidden behind a stern look.
Conner and Ethan was trying to stop three students from using the gas channel as a flamethrower. Kira and Trent was in the back of the room trying to clear up the mess of bones set by two more students. Devin was in the front recording the action, while Cassidy was trying to provide a source of a good story. The rest of the class was off doing other things.
Dr. O cleared his throat, tossing the ball into the trash. "So, this is what happens when the teacher is away for far too long?"
Everyone stopped to look at him as he cleared the room back to his desk.
He rubbed his temples, dropping his head. "I didn't come back here to find my room completely trashed..but I gotta hand it to you guys, you definitely had me going for a second."
The students exchanged looks, not liking the strange silence their teacher was giving them.
"Ooh. An exclusive," Cassidy said happily, turning the mic over to her teacher.
The class groaned, throwing paper balls at her.
"What is the punishment for dumb and dumber being left to watch your class?"
"Hey!" Kira called from the back, setting a set of bones back on the table. "I'd watch what you'd say."
"I'm sorry." she sounded slightly disgusted. "The three dumb musketeers and their ability to control a class full of high school students?"
He pushed it away, annoyed. "No, Cassidy. There is no punishment. But actually, I thought I'd come back to a room that would end up in flames and have this entire school's sprinkler system go off. So, for that I give you guys some credit that you didn't try to kill anyone. Yet, upset to find this place a mess. So, if you don't want me to make that summary homework–and I will make it a long summary--I suggest you guys get this place cleaned up."
The students dropped to the floor and began to clean up their mess.
Dr. O turned to the figure at the door and could only shrug. She gave him a reassuring smile.
Conner and Ethan walked up to their teacher, a little embarrassed.
"I don't get it, how come they don't listen to us, but they listen to you?" Conner stated, scratching his head in confusion.
"Maybe because he's the teacher, dude." Ethan sighed.
"Hey, I deal with you guys more than I need to. But I get by." Dr. O shrugged, peering over his shoulder again.
Ethan and Conner followed his gaze, and saw the mystery woman standing by the side of the room. Ethan looked back at his mentor a look of worry on his face, but couldn't find anything to say. Dr. O exchanged a look with him, making it clear if he said something he could be looking at a world full of harsh extra curricular activities and detention time. Conner looked star-struck, but was shaken when Cassidy cleared a path to approach the mystery guest.
"Hi. I'm Cassidy Cornell. Reefside High's Top Reporter," she introduced, startled Kim. "I've never seen you around. Are you new to the school?"
Dr. O came between the two, pushing the mic away. "She doesn't go to the school, Cassidy."
"So, she's just some random student..."
"She's not even a student. She's a friend of mine." he turned to the class, clapping his hands together. "Class, if I may, this is Kimberly Hart. She's an old friend of mine. And she'll be in town for a few days."
"So, what does she do?" Cassidy grew curious. Dr. O exchanged another look with Kim before looking back at the class. He was at a loss of words. Kim saw this, and took her place before him.
"Well, I'm an athletic trainer. I just got in from Florida. But like your teacher said, I'll be here for a few days, so if you guys have any questions about what I do, I'll be glad to answer them."
"Yeah. How old are you?" someone called out.
She chuckled. "Old enough."
BRING!
Dr. O forced out a breath, relieved. Oh, thank you. The bell.
Students began to grab their stuff and head for the door, but the teacher came to a halt at the door, forcing them to stop. "Since, you guys failed to follow my instructions, I will be looking for a two-page summary of Earth's geological history by tomorrow." The students groaned. "And expect a quiz tomorrow, too. Now, must I add anything else to the agenda of your busy teenage lives, or will that be good for today?"
"No. That's cool." some students said.
Dr. O relayed a smile, letting the class out for their next class. Students couldn't bare to look at their teacher, knowing when he said something he really meant it. Teacher mode. They were lucky not to see him in sergeant mode.
The last three students were his young proteges. Ethan was keeping as much distance away from the other two as possible.
Conner stopped in front of Kim, hand out in a greeting. His best charming smile across his face. "I'm sorry, we didn't formally meet. I'm Conner McKnight. I'm six feet. I'm quite an athlete. I love to play soccer and my favorite color is red..."
Kim took it for a brief second, a light smile on her face. But a punk-star girl dressed in yellow pushed him aside. "Okay, I really don't think that's necessary, Conner." She turned to Kim holding out her hand, as Kim took it. "I must apologize for my friend here, you see, he was dropped on his head several times as a baby, and had several concussions involving a soccer ball. And doctors haven't been able to find a way to cure his stupidity. By the way, my name is Kira."
Conner glared at Kira for the remark, but she returned it with an elbow to his chest.
"Well, it's pleased to meet the two of you," Kim nodded to them in turn.
"Well, hey, ya know," Conner turned back to the petite woman in pink, "if you ain't busy after school, we could go get a drink or something. Talk. Get to know each other..." Conner went on.
Dr. O came up behind Kim, hands on his hips, stern look on his face, clearing his throat. "Don't you need to be getting to class, Conner?" "And we were just on our way there," Kira stated, pushing Conner toward the door.
"Hey, but you never gave me an answer to my offer," Conner called back into the room.
"I'll think about it." Kim called after him.
Kira turned back to her teacher and his guest at his side. "See ya, Dr. O. It was glad to meet you, Ms. Hart."
"See ya later, Kira." Dr. O nodded. "Keep Conner out of trouble."
"I will." She nodded and left the room.
The two exchanged a look before averting their attention to the computer gamer still lingering in the room.
Dr. O sighed. "What's up, Ethan?"
Ethan slowly walked over to his teacher, eyes still hanging to the ground. "Are you sure I can't say anything?"
"Anything about what?" Kim asked with curiosity.
Dr. O brushed it away, looking at Kim. "It's nothing. Not really. Ya know, about us dating in high school or whatever. I just don't want those kinds of rumors going around school."
"Well, I don't see no harm in that. People don't even know who I am."
"And it won't take long..." Ethan began.
"No." Dr. O snapped, making the two jump. "Okay? Let's just drop this issue before it gets out of hand. Ethan." he looked directly at his student. "You will promise me you will not say anything. Not to Conner. Or Kira. Or Trent. Or anyone. You got that? This is something rather personal that needs to be dealt with first before anyone begins to get ideas."
"Okay. Okay." Ethan nodded, obediently with some fear. He looked at Kim for some assistance, and saw that she was holding his teacher back from unleashing another world of pain. "I'll let it go. I won't talk about it to anyone."
Dr. O forced out a breath. "Thanks, Ethan. If you still need help, I'm always available later."
Ethan looked back at Kim and saw some confusion. He wanted so badly to spill the beans, but couldn't do it with his teacher right there. "Yeah. I think I'll need that time to get some help on my homework."
He slowly eased toward the door, watching as the falcon eyes of his mentor kept on him like prey. He flashed a peace and headed out the room without saying anything more.
To be continued..........