3. Problems Are Only Opportunities
Sansa Stark was a woman on a mission.
She was going to be a 'hard worker' this week, whether Mr Snow liked it or not. She had deliberately prepared herself to be extra good for English- brushing up on the extra reading, doing her homework days early, and even beginning her extra project which was not due for months in return. All this was completed over the weekend, instead of going out with her friends like she normally would.
Arya thought she had finally descended into madness after discovering her plans. She had arrived home on that Friday afternoon after school (an hour after Sansa) to make herself a sandwich full of weird combinations which would make Sansa- and every other sane person- grimace.
Storming into the kitchen, she stopped on her heels as she spotted Sansa, sitting on one of the stools with pieces of paper spread all across the kitchen counter. Feeling confused she narrowed her eyes on the determined expression spread all over Sansa's face, pondering on what she must be doing on a Friday afternoon after school.
"What are you doing?" she demands, creasing her eyebrows.
Not expecting a loud demand so suddenly, Sansa raises a hand to cover her beating heart, her head snaps up to see Arya, observing her with curiosity. Her startled appearance quickly turns into a scowl, giving her sister a dirty look for scaring her so unexpectedly.
"Arya! Don't sneak up on people like that. You could give them a heart attack."
Arya blatantly ignores her warning. "I said what are you doing? Why are there pieces of paper all over the counter when I want to make a sandwich?"
Waving her hands in Arya direction, Sansa quickly dismisses her. "Well you have to go make it somewhere else. I need the kitchen counter to complete this project for school."
Arya's confusion grew ever more. "What project? Is this the project that Hot Pie was complaining about to Gendry? Isn't it due like a few months from now?"
Sansa gives a short nod without looking up from what she is writing on the piece of paper, "Yes well, there's absolutely nothing wrong with getting a head start on the project. It means I don't have to stress out on it later."
"Sansa, it's October. Even Sam has not even started on the project," Arya claims incredulously. "Despite that, it is a Friday afternoon. Don't you want to go out in your new pretty dress you kept going on about, with Margaery?
"Yes, Arya. I am well aware of which day of the week it is. I just want good grades that's all. And I already told Margaery I'm busy anyways."
"You already have an A in all of your subjects. What more could you want?"
Arya knew this little fact in particular, judging by the lengths she would go to, to hide her own school report from her mother. It never worked, especially as Sansa would come home every month with A's written on every subject, with Catelyn smiling proudly (though this quickly disappeared when she took a glimpse at Arya's grades on a scrunched up and torn piece of paper).
"You wouldn't understand. Now go away, you are disturbing my work."
Arya was convinced that Sansa was crazy. Well, crazier than usual, that was for certain. No one would willingly want to do even more work after they had just finished school for the week.
She had tried to convince her mother of this fact but she had just smiled and declared that it was nice to see that someone took her education so seriously. After that she had frowned disapprovingly at Arya, stating that she should follow her sister's role and start taking her education seriously, instead of the kick boxing she was so obsessed with.
Arya swiftly avoided any conversations about Sansa and education with her mother after that.
She tried to broach the subject with her father but he just shrugged, claiming it probably made Sansa feel happy and it's what her mother would have wanted. She did not even bother with Bran and Rickon seeing as they would never properly understand what the actual problem was. Robb was out of the question as he was living with Talisa in a different city.
Letting out a sigh, she just came to the conclusion that she and Sansa will possibly never understand each other but instead they can learn to accept each other. Therefore, it was perhaps best to just allow Sansa to continue acting weirder than she usually was, and went upstairs to her room to call Gendry.
Now, that was a whole other mess to figure out.
After labouring through the weekend, Sansa finally managed to complete most of her work. She knew she had come extra prepared for today's lesson, which is why she was firmly convinced that she will have her name up on the board.
This is why she found herself standing outside the classroom door, earlier than any of the other students. After standing there fidgeting with her skirt for a few minutes, waiting for the other students to arrive, Margaery finally turned up- shorter than appropriate skirt, complete with matching heels, and a devilish smirk to match.
"What early bird made you wake up early on a Monday morning and come to school."
She gives a deliberate pause, pretending to think of an actual answer. A bundle of nervous appeared in Sansa's stomach, which she ignored, rolling her eyes at Margaery's deliberate actions.
"It wouldn't have something to do with a certain dark-haired teacher, now would it?"
Sansa knew that luck was not something she had acquired at birth, as it was at this point that Jeyne decides to turn up and overhear Margaery's last statement. Her heart sinks as she made eye contact with Jeyne; the latter giving out a Cheshire cat smirk, her eyes lighting up with excitement much to Sansa's chagrin.
All in all, Sansa was doomed.
"She's here early to impress her favourite teacher, that is what's up. You want to be a teacher's pet, Sansa?" Jeyne's cackle resonates in her mind.
She shakes her head. "No, that is not at all what it is," she protests.
Both of her friends look as if they do not believe her. They have never looked so amused and excited in all their lives.
"What's the reason then?"
"I just want to be a 'hard worker', that's all," she defensively answers.
"Well, you'll definitely 'work' hard as a teacher's pet," Margaery drawls, innuendo dripping out of her words as Jeyne giggles.
Sansa's mouth drops open in mortification, a reprimand on the edge of her tongue when a deep voice behind her made her jump out of her skin, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up straight.
"Who has to work hard, Sansa?" Mr Snow questions, standing behind her with a curious expression on his face.
She hoped the blush on her cheeks were not visible to him.
"Nobody, sir. Margaery was just telling us a joke. It got a bit out of hand."
"What was the joke then?" he curiously stares back at her, his intense eyes sending a shiver down her spine.
"You would not understand it, sir. Meaning no offence. It's an inside joke," she quickly answers, surprised at her ability to lie on the spot so fast.
He gives a suspicious nod, before turning around and slotting the key inside the door. Pushing opening the classroom door, he turns back around and gestures towards Sansa and the door. Feeling a bag of warmth spilling inside her belly, she walks in first, giving him a smile as she walks past.
Her friends saw the entire scene, in which Margaery gives out a raised eyebrow while Jeyne bats her eyes lashes towards Sansa. Scowling at the both of them, she takes her front seat, focusing her attention on being a 'hard worker.' She could not afford to mess this up.
Sitting up straight, she tunes out Jeyne's quiet chattering to a nervous Sam, focusing her attention on the lesson.
Grabbing a board marker, Mr Snow writes something on the board and swiftly turns back around, looking expectantly at the class.
"So, does anyone know anything know anything about what I've just written up on the board."
Taking a glance at the board, Sansa's hand immediately shot up. Mr Snow made eye contact with her before looking away.
"Let's see now, Gilly. Would you like to tell us anything you know about the play written on the board?"
Furrowing her eyebrows, Gilly's face turns red as she notices most of the class' attention has turned towards her. Sansa could see Sam out of the corner of her eyes, sitting on the edge of his seat with an anxious expression all across face; he looked as if he was going to help her if she struggled.
Sansa softly smiles, butterflies fluttering around in her stomach as she glances between the two of them.
"Umm, its…a play about a great love. Written by William Shakespeare during the Elizabethan Era."
She looks nervously towards Sam. He smiles softly, looking proud.
"Yes, well done Gilly. It is written by Shakespeare. But here's a question for the class, is it really love in Romeo and Juliet or just some idealised, petty emotion between two teenagers who just want to rebel against their parents?"
Sansa mouth quickly opens to answer before she can stop herself. "Of course, it's a great love. They are true soulmates."
Mr Snow's attention snaps to Sansa. A smirk grows on his face as he considers her answer.
"Really? What makes you say that then?"
"Because the love, the characters Romeo and Juliet, share is beautiful and passionate," she snaps, feeling her annoyance growing for as he insulted her favourite play.
"You believe that's it a real emotion and not just an intense childhood infatuation. Bear in mind, the fact that Juliet is only thirteen years old. Who knows if she really understands the concept of love."
Her mouth drops open in offence, her eyes lighting up in ire. She was not going to let him destroy her favourite play.
"No! The love they share is also pure, exhilarating, and transformative. It's true love because they are willing to give everything to it. You would not go to great lengths for someone who just has an infatuation," she argues fervently, waving her arms around.
Dark eyes were locked on heated blue eyes, both hardly daring to look away. Sansa could feel a wave of heat slide through her body, her breathing getting heavier. She could have sworn that his eyes were lighter before.
The other members of the class were fixated on the argument before the two of them, their heads snapping one towards the other as if they were watching an intense ping pong match. Nothing this exciting had happened in the classroom since a student fainting in their seat last year.
Mr Snow gives a nod, a half smile on the edge of his lips.
"That may be true Sansa, but you have to consider that it is also chaotic and destructive, bringing death to friends, family, and to themselves."
"That's the point of it! Shakespeare argues that there are several different types of love, the interchangeable love, the painful love and the love based on appearances, but only true love is worth having!"
Mr Snow lips were parted, and if she listened closely she would have heard his heavy breathing. He jolts out of his intense staring session and gives a brief nod.
"Good argument. I look forward to reading your essay later, Miss Stark."
Sansa slowly closes her mouth, feeling shocked that he finally agreed with her. A sense of satisfaction filled her body. She leaned back in her chair, a sense of light-headedness filled her head; she jerked on her tie, breathing out deeply.
She did not know why he certain these types of emotions from her or why she felt like she was losing control of her own body all of a sudden. All she knew is that she felt scared of whatever she was feeling, coming to the conclusion that it was dangerous.
Shaking her confusing thoughts away from her mind, she turned to glimpse at the rest of the class. It was at this exact moment that she made eye contact with Margaery who had the biggest smirk on her face, that Sansa had ever seen. She pretended to fan herself; Sansa narrowed her eyes at her friend as she understood the lip reading from her- Is it getting hot in here? She motions to her and Mr Snow.
Sansa lets out a quiet sigh, giving her friend a pointed look. She turns back around to her table; however, she attracts the focus of her other friend who leans over the table to whisper in Sansa's ear.
"If you and the teacher carried on any longer with your passionate display, we may be forced to get some fans in here."
Turning as red as her hair, she exclaims rather loudly, "Jeyne!"
Everyone turns to look at her, given her loud display. Mr Snow was displeased as he presses his lips firmly in disapproval.
"Sansa! That's the second disruption to this class you have provided. That means you'll spend your break time with me," he declares.
Letting out an embarrassed groan, she sunk low into her chair, hearing snickers and giggles in her direction. Margaery gives her a wink from across the room.
So much for being a hard worker.
The lesson lasts for another fifteen minutes, which Sansa was grateful for. Unfortunately, her break time was straight after the lesson, and so she was stuck with Mr Snow. Margaery and Jeyne wave smugly as they exit the classroom, mouthing the words- have fun.
Sansa had never been asked to stay behind after a lesson before. She was always a good girl. She felt even worse when she found out the hard workers were Gilly and Robin. She vowed that it was the last time she arrived early for his lessons ever again.
She took a glance outside of the classroom, spotting Mr Snow giving out stern words with Ros on her story. He had overheard her vulgarity and crudeness during the lesson, causing him to rant about the inappropriateness of her story and how it was not suitable for a classroom environment.
Tuning out his voice, she takes a glance at his desk. It was a fairly neat desk which surprised her. He took the care to organise the papers on his desk but could not change the colour of his shirt. Of course, he would do something like that, Sansa rolls her eyes.
Mr Snow's desk had the most basic requirements needed for a lesson. There were books stacked neatly on the right corner of the desk, and next to that lay a tissue box which was unopened. He had a grey pot, stood on the left corner of the desk, filled with pens and pencils; next to this was a picture of his dog. Glancing closer, she could see that the dog had a sheet of white fur all over his body while it's tongue was lolling out of his mouth.
She smiles to herself. It was a cute dog.
The shuffling of feet in the room, causes her to turn her head around, seeing him approach her closer.
"So then, what shall I have you do for disrupting the class?"
Sansa cross her arms, huffing loudly and gives a careless shrug. "Break is only twenty minutes, so I guess not a lot," she answers back.
Mirth arises on his face. "Careful now, Sansa. You don't want to miss your lunch to spend time with me as well."
Letting out a sigh she mumbles, "No, sir. So, what am I to be doing then?"
He hands her a cloth and motions towards the whiteboard. "You'll be wiping the board clean. Oh, and by the way if you struggle to reach the high areas, use a chair."
She gives a short nod, grabbing the cloth out of his hand and walking towards the board. She begins scrubbing the bottom half down, seeing as it was easier to wipe the pen marks away. She dreads how hard the writing on top of the board is going to be to get off.
"So, what are your plans after your last year of school finishes? Have you applied for any universities?" he questions while marking work with a red pen.
"I've applied to most of the major universities in this country. But most of the ones I've applied the most for are abroad," she answers, surprised that he making an effort to have a pleasant conversation.
"You want to move away from home?" he curiously asks, his eyes boring into her figure.
She affirms her choice. "Yes, I want to explore what the world has to offer and become more independent in the process."
"What are some of your top places you want to move to?"
"Essos, maybe. Somewhere like Bravos or maybe Volantis. Their Literature course they have down there is very prestige and only the best get in. I'm hoping I go. It's been a dream of since I was a child."
She moves backwards to grab a chair to stand on, placing it in front of the board. She steps on it and begins to wipe again, scrubbing harder to get the marks away.
"You could do anything you put your mind to, Sansa. I hope you achieve your dream."
His voice had gone incredibly soft. Sansa feelings a pang in her heart as she turns her head, making contact with his caring eyes. She feels the same pellicular warmth spreading to her toes.
It was a different feeling she had never experienced before. Not necessarily bad… just different.
He breaks the gaze, clearly his throat loudly and staring back at his work.
An awkward silence settles in the room for a few minutes.
"Here, use this. It'll make it easier." He stands up from his chair desk, clutching a cleaning spray in his hand. He walks over and hands her the bottle.
Grabbing it from him, she squirted the liquid on the board and began cleaning. She hated to admit it, but he was right. It was easier with the cleaning spray.
"You still live with your mother?" she breaks the silence.
He looks ups from his work. "Yes, I still do. She's been there for me for all of my life and I'd hate to leave her alone."
He smiles softly. "She keeps persuading me to leave her, and to go get a house and family of my own but I can't. She's my mother. I'm the only thing she has left in this world. I can't just abandon her like that," he fiercely claims.
Sansa laughs happily, touched by the amount of love he emits when talking about his mother. "Don't worry, sir. I won't tell anyone you're a mama's boy. Your secret's safe with me."
He gives her a grin, and they both fall into a comfortable silence.
A line of black marker was extremely hard to wipe, Sansa discovers. Scrubbing fiercely with the cloth, a determined expression comes across her face. A particularly hard scrub causes the chair to wobble precariously, sending a wave of fear through Sansa's body. She puts her hands up to steady herself, and felt hands reaching up and grabbing her waist, steadying her on her chair.
Looking down, she spots Mr Snow, with both hands wrapped around her waist, looking up at her with concern written all over his face. She had no idea whether her irrational, beating heart sped up because she was about to fall or due to the hands around her waist.
"Thank you," she tells him slightly breathless.
"Your welcome, Sansa." He gives a brief nod.
They stood in that position for a few seconds, neither one moving.
Mr Snow lets out a huge cough, letting go of Sansa's waist in the process. She looks at the board and finds that it is finally clean. She feels proud of the work she achieved.
The ring of the first bell goes off.
"Thank you for your work, Sansa. I trust you won't disrupt the lesson again." He gives her a pointed look.
She shakes her head. "Of course not, sir. It won't happen again.
Mr Snow holds out his head to help her off the chair and before thinking twice, Sansa takes his hand and climbs down from the chair. She feels her palm tingling inside his, causing her to reclaim it quickly, giving out an awkward laugh.
"I'll see you later then, sir."
She claims her school bag and walks out of the classroom. She spots her friends waiting for her in the hallway, an expectant expression on both of their faces. Letting out a sigh, she approaches them both.
"So, how was your one- on- one session with Mr Snow?" Jeyne asks with a sparkle in her eyes.
"I just cleaned his whiteboard," she gives a casual shrug.
Margaery raises an eyebrow.
"NO! Not like that. I meant in the literal term. Get your head out of the gutter, the both of you!" she snaps, her face flushing red.
"Whatever you say, Sansa. Just so you know, I'm naming your kids."
It was going to be a long day.
Through personal experience, Sansa knew that lunchtime was a riot.
Finding a good table in the canteen, was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. If were you not the first people through the large doors, then chances are that it will be quite difficult and exhausting, discovering a good table, that fits all of your friends.
Of course, the older kids had no problem with this, obviously. Most of them would scare the smaller kids away.
Even if accomplishing this, it was the problem of eating decent food. There was the traditional school dinner which always had soggy vegetables with meat. The meat, however was not always cooked.
Sansa avoided this meal like the plague.
Then they would sell a range of sandwiches which were mostly appealing. The problem was, however, that the portion of the sandwiches were so small, it barely counted as a snack meal, never mind lunch. Sansa usually just stuck to the meals her mother would cook at home.
Sansa had volunteered to take her friend's wrappers and rubbish to the bin, when she saw a certain, brooding teacher standing beside the bins, eating his lunch.
Casually approaching Mr Snow, she decides to take the plunge. "Hello, sir."
He looks up surprised at the sound of her voice. "Hello Sansa, how's your lunch going. Didn't get into any more trouble then."
"No course not, sir," she rolls her eyes.
"Good. That reminds me. Can you drop by my classroom after school for about fifteen minutes? I need to talk to you about something."
She resists the urge to groan out loud. How much time has she spent with him today anyways?
Instead she nods and accepts his requests, no matter how much she dreads it.
"Sure. Am I in trouble for something?" she questions worriedly.
"Well talk about it later, Sansa."
He walks off, approaching one of the other teachers and having a discussion with them. She watches him walk off for a second before turning and heading back towards her friends.
Taking a deep breath, Sansa raises her hand and knocks on the classroom door. Most of the students have left after the last bell indicating the end of a school day leaving the hallways empty. She hears him telling her to come inside.
She notices him sitting at his desk, shuffling through his papers as if searching for something. His head pops up, hearing her come in through the door.
"Ah, Sansa. Take a seat in front of my desk."
"What is this about, sir?" she asks, sitting directly in front of him.
"I wanted to talk to you about a new opportunity I heard and I think you could benefit greatly from it. Now, you are the most talented and gifted person in the school even with the most potential."
Sansa didn't know what to think.
"The university in Volantis is doing an exam to take on the most talented people in the world. I thought that if I could tutor you for extra lessons, then you have a clear shot in getting in. What do you think?"
Sansa processes this information for a moment, chewing on her lip.
"How long would the extra tutoring session be?"
"Three times a week, for an hour and a half. We could do at my house or your house if you wish?" he encourages.
"Can I have more time to think on it?"
He nods quickly. "Of course, take your time. This is a big decision to make. You could take these papers with you. It provides the student with more information on the outline of what the university is looking for."
He leans over the table, handing her the sheets of paper. His body leaning closely to her; she could smell his intoxicating aftershave. She freezes, unable to process anything. Her breathing shallows, coming out in tiny inhales and exhales as she could feel his body heat.
He must have noticed his face being so close to hers that he pauses. His warm breath blowing all over her face, turning her cheeks red. Sansa feels her tongue come out to moisten her dry lips, his strong gaze immediately focuses on her pink lips.
He blinks and leans back on his chair, his hands clenching tightly to arms of the chair so firmly that Sansa can see his knuckles whiten.
She could still smell his scent wafting around in her nostrils, making her unable to think properly.
"Was there anything else you needed, sir?" She's shocked as her voice comes out an octave deeper and sultrier.
But most of all she wishes she could stop her rapidly beating heart.
Avoiding her gaze, he intently stares on one spot in front of him, letting out a strangled "No."
She wonders if the words he really wanted to say, got stuck in his throat.
Nodding she gently gets up and walks out of the classroom, hardly daring to look behind her. She leans against the wall, outside the classroom. She closes her eyes, telling herself to breath- inhale, exhale- as calmly as she could.
All she could picture in her head is his darkened eyes staring back at her, and her skin tingling with fireworks as she felt his hot breath against her face.
She was at the edge of something. But had no idea what it was.
Author Notes
And that was chapter three complete. This was the longest one I have written so far, over 4k words.
I would like to thank for your follows and reviews, it breaths life into my soul.
Enjoy reading.