The sweaty palms, the deafening silence. Words and numbers blurring before your vision as you try desperately to recall phrases and formulate answers. Apollo had a vivid memory of what his students went through during exam season, they loathed it. He probably hated it as venomously as they did, if the mad panic he went through each June ensuring at least most passed was anything to go by. He felt more drained, anxious and irritated with every passing second. This had very little to do with the looming reminder of exams however. It was much more closely related to the man that was stood irritatingly close to his desk, without so much as a polite knock at the door.
"Guten Morgan Herr Historiker!"
Cheerful as ever, Mr Klavier Gavin stood poised, surveying the classroom around him with an air of keen interest. Apollo didn't look up from his timetable, dismayed at the definitive lack of free periods his week had in store.
"I presume the chat with fraulein Fey went well, yes?"
Apollo felt an instant cold sweat washing over him.
He had been evading the headmistresses attempts to pull him into her office recently. She said her news was 'impending and unavoidable' so he had been fearing the worst. Mia Fey was a fair woman with a kindly air of authority about her, until you found yourself on her bad side. Apollo had seen fully grown men leave her office in sheds of tears before. Unwilling to take that kind of public humiliation, he had shifted into full ghost mode. Apollo knew keenly he was good at it, tucked away in his classroom was his very favourite place to be left alone.
He shifted his gaze from his timetable, to Gavin and his stupidly bright smile, then back again. Finally, he steeled his eyes on the little yellow and blue squares before choking out,
"I haven't seen her for about a week actually."
"Ach, that is a shame." Gavin turned to pace along one side of the room, gazing through the large windows that framed the small garden beyond it a picturesque manner. 'Marble' statues of historical figures adorned the pathways amongst birch trees surrounding a small fountain. He shot a look back to Apollo, who's nose remained firmly in his papers.
"Did she at least tell you about the arrangements for this month?"
Apollo lifted his head then. He felt a vein in his forehead pop. "What… arrangements?"
Absently Gavin ran a finger through the dust blanketed underneath the window, "Mein Gott… This classroom is rather messy Herr Historiker, do you ever move from that big old desk of yours?
"Don't change the subject Mr Gavin." Gavin and Headmistress Fey were in cahoots? Something wasn't adding up.
Gavin shrugged his shoulders. "Very well. It would have been better for me if you had already been briefed on the situation but…" He gestured both arms towards the back of the classroom, bright and airy in the glow of the morning sunshine.
"Your classroom, disorganised as it may be - is rather large, yes?"
Ignoring jabs at his lack of organisation, Apollo sensed this was headed down a dangerous path. He crossed his arms and sighed, disgruntled at this whole conversation.
"And yet; it seems to be big enough for your ego to fit inside it Mr Gavin. What did you want?"
Undeterred by the retaliation, Gavin merely chuckled lightly, "Well as you should be aware , my theatre hall is being used for student mock exams this year. They start today in fact."
"And this affects me how?"
Gavin's eyes sparkled then, a cheeky smirk playing across his face. Without another word, he beckoned towards the shut door. All at once the door slammed open and students Apollo didn't recognise started filtering in, carrying with them an impressive variety of musical instruments. He felt a migraine coming on, it was still too early for this. Even his most dedicated students weren't here yet.
"Mr Gavin", Apollo rose to his feet and tried to sound as professional as he could startled in front of 30 teenagers,
"If this another one of your impressive April Fool's jokes I might remind you that you are two months too late." Gavin rushed over and greeted his class in a nonchalant kind of way, high fiving and fist bumping a few at the front.
"Ach! Herr Historiker, that is no way to greet the entertainment!" A small and meek looking boy shuffled over to him and handed him an acoustic guitar covered in stickers.
"Danke James."
Gavin strung a few choice notes on it before resting it against his leg and lifting his arm into a dramatic pointing pose - directed at Apollo. A great big, annoying smile dragged across his face.
"On my count everyone, eins zwei drei!"
A deafening screech of instruments that didn't complement each other rose up from the quiet classroom. The pitch and rhythm was all off and Apollo had to hold his hands to his ears in an effort to drown out the awful melody. Oblivious, Gavin led the class band with guitar in throw, lost in his own little world. Apollo couldn't even recognise whatever the song was meant to be. He felt his blood pressure rising with every second he was forced to listen to this chaos.
Minutes passed. Apollo was unable to ignore the pulsating of his poor forehead. He gathered all the strength he could muster and slammed his fists onto the wood of his desk. Chest puffed, brow sweating he screamed over the orchestra,
"FOR THE LOVE OF PLATO, WILL YOU ALL PLEASE SHUTUP."
Suddenly, silence. Shock and bemusement swept across the students faces before laughter erupted. Everyone was falling amongst themselves with hilarity. A few students shouted out, 'We knew this would work!' and 'Way to go Sir!'. Even Gavin was guffawing at the front of the crowd as he came up to slap Apollo on the back several times, wiping fake tears away from his eyes,
"Relax mein dusty friend, you will pop a vein in that well polished forehead of yours. I do wish you had been expecting us, but did you not enjoy our little ensemble nonetheless?"
Vision flicking between the students sat chattering and their clueless teacher, Apollo decided his unsavoury thoughts were best left in his head until he could get away from impressionable ears. Instead, Apollo put on his best smile and tried to join in with Gavin's lighthearted words.
"It may need a few more rehearsals Mr Gavin." He checked his watch. 30 minutes minutes before homeroom. "Has Headmistress Fey asked you rehearse in here before moving to your temporary classroom?"
"Quite the opposite, Mr Justice." Cheeky grin intact, Gavin batted his eyelashes obnoxiously, playing it up obviously for his students as he leaned into Apollo.
"Fraulein Fey thought it best that us poor, classroom-less creative talents took shelter in the refuge of my most favourite History Teacher." More hysterical laughter exploded into Apollo's ears, he only growled quietly in response.
"I'm the only history teacher…"
Gavin was clearly enjoying this moment a little too much, though he saw how uncomfortable he had made Apollo. He was struck with sympathy for the usually quiet man and decided to put him out of his misery.
"Alright, alright rock n rollers! Settle down! Herr Historiker is in quite the state of shock upon being graced with the pleasure of our good company! Let us be considerate in his hospitality! Instruments away if you please!"
Shuffling noises and chattering grew then, with students standing and moving towards the further end of the classroom - some placing instruments in cases whilst others started to practise quietly.
Teenagers now occupied, Gavin leaned into Apollo, eyes lidded and smirk just begging Apollo to punch him there and then. "We'll be on our best behaviour, Mr Justice." He winked. Apollo took two steps back and flailed his arms wildly,
"Your insane racket will make it impossible for anyone to study, much less revise!"
"Fraulein Feys orders." Gavin shrugged and looked over to the chalk board titled, 'The establishment of British Democracy 1820 - 1918'. Just reading that could send him straight to sleep.
"Your kids could use a little fun flair, nein? Relax yourself Justice, this will be a fun way to end the school year. You surely have space in here for us, your class is inexplicably the largest in the humanities department!"
Apollo could not just relax himself as Gavin had so ignorantly offered. His class was historical… it had been here since the school had first opened in the late 1800's and was the only one not downsized upon the remodelling about 50 years back. It held great historical importance. It was only apt that Apollo should teach the very subject within it. He huffed and puffed. The only space that Apollo held as more impressive, ironically, was the theatre hall Gavin loved to call his 'Wembley Stadium' to impress the kids. It had also been untouched during the remodel, it was grand and long with enough stories about it to entrance Apollo mind. But this held little importance compared to todays headache… How would his students be able to hear him!? His chords of steel could only be used once per day at most! He had no choice but to move his own students out to somewhere quiet… kicked out of his own classroom so close to exams! Perhaps he deserved it for being such a recluse each and every June…
Just as Apollo turned and strode towards the door to plead and beg with the Headmistress to give him back his peace, Gavin placed an arm on his shoulder and spun him back around. He had a knowing look on his smarmy face,
"Before you go complaining to Miss Fey with that impressively screechy voice of yours, she did provide one condition to this arrangement. We are to practise any musical pieces in the garden outside. Does this soothe your fretfully obvious migraine?" Apollo shot more daggers but said nothing. 20 minutes minutes until homeroom.
"And… I will refrain from any more practical jokes at your teacherly expense Mr Justice." Gavin looked wistfully at his students, "These kids could use a laugh this time of year, nein?"
Apollo couldn't argue with that, especially coming from the Headmistress herself. Though frustrated with the condition of his now entirely ruined morning, no; entire month - he didn't have time to contest it any further.
"Mr Gavin, though we may be forced to share my classroom for the time being, I won't force the students to share desks. Does the theatre still have those spare desks used for induction day?"
Gavin clicked his fingers, taking the confirmation that Apollo had accepted his new arrangement. He strode over to his students and asked them with gusto to help him move the spare desks from his theatre to the back of the history classroom. Within seconds, his students waddled along in a perfectly neat and orderly line, like baby chicks following a mother duck.
"Back soon Herr Historiker! Keep your desk chair warm for me won't you!" Apollo listened to the fading German accent and looked on intrigued, somewhat impressed at the speed in which they had cleared out the room. He supposed the kids did respect Gavins unorthodox style of teaching in some ways, they had followed him quietly with zero resistance. He sighed a great sigh and sank back into his chair. If only his students could have such enthusiasm about the Ballot Act of 1832...
He felt gloomy. "Ms Fey, you have doomed me and my class. Of all the vain, narcissistic, smarmy-"
"Oh Mr Justice,"
A voice shattered his sentence mid lament, "Over exaggerating just a little now don't you think?"
Apollo's door had been left open. Swathes of students and teachers alike paced through the corridor outside, chattering away about the day's coming lessons. But Apollo now focused his attention onto Mia Fey, stood with a neat bundle of files in one hand and a large coffee in the other. Did anyone else wish to interrupt his last few minutes of peace this morning? Despite himself Apollo sat upright and gave the Headmistress his full attention.
"Avoiding my emails again, are we? I was hoping to catch you and Mr Gavin at the same time… though it seems he's been and gone. I passed him in the corridor just now singing to himself, I trust he's told you?" Apollo only nodded, still reeling at the embarrassment from his personal outburst.
Mia swayed into the room with such grace as to spill none of her coffee and sat half perched on Apollo's desk.
"I know this situation is not ideal for you Apollo, I also understand your distaste for any disruption within your classes. But this might be a good learning experience for you and your students." She looked on expectantly, daring any brash response,
"With due respect, Ms Fey -" Apollos hands quaked under his desk, this might be his only chance to air his grievances! He swallowed and was about to continue when he was cut off,
"Mr Justice, Mr Gavin has requested this classroom, your classroom very specifically. It can fit every student in and then some. He was speaking very highly of your character last week actually, it's what convinced me this was a good idea." Apollo sat agape. Klavier Gavin, speak seriously and positively of him? Exasperated and confused, Apollo pushed out the words,
"Surely there is some other space that he could-" Mias expression shifted from demure to serious in an instant,
"I had confidence that your students would still be able to achieve excellent grades despite this little shuffle around. Do you not think you can manage it?"
Apollos shoulders slumped slightly at the reprimanding shift in tone. Her mind was made up and it was famously known not to upset Mia Fey before she'd finished her first coffee. Teachers stories down in the Arts department were a testament to that.
"I can certainly manage it Ms Fey."
She shifted from her perch and stood to face him directly. "Excellent. I have faith in both you and Mr Gavin. It would stand to benefit each of you to learn how to share and communicate."
Looking over at the clock above the door frame, she moved to take her leave,
"Any serious issues regarding yourself or Mr Gavin, my office is always open. I would like to see your classes progress reports by the end of the week." Apollo knew serious issues didn't mean noise complaints. Sadly.
The door clicked quietly as Ms Fey closed it behind her. Just two minutes to homeroom. He dragged himself back up to his poor, abused door, took a deep breath and composed himself, checking his hair in the glass reflection. The bell indicating homeroom rang loud and shrill from the corridor. Apollo tentatively cracked the door open and waited for his own swathe of teenagers, mumbling tired greetings and good mornings to each of them. Even he was disappointed in his own lack of enthusiasm to start the day. They began to take their seats, looking over with interest at the pile of metal and resin instruments thrown haphazardly behind them. When everyone was seated, he clicked the door shut once more and ambled towards the front of the classroom. Now he just had to break the news to his poor, oblivious students.
"Good Morning everyone. Though exam season is upon us as you all well know," An audible groan moved through the sea of heads, "this year is going to be slightly different…"