Teacher's Pet

[redkage]

Teacher's Pet
1

It was 7:50 AM on Tuesday, the day after Labor Day. The school bell was going to ring in ten minutes. I could hear the kids on the playground, getting reacquainted with old friends after a long summer vacation while making new ones. They sounded so carefree and happy that it almost made me forget that I was nervous.

Note that the keyword in there was “almost.”

Groaning, I rested my head against the steering wheel of my car. “Get a grip Brian.” I told myself. “You’ve been around kids before. You’ve taught a couple, you even tutored a few of them and you managed to come out okay.”

But that was when I was a student teacher, a greenhorn that had the genuine article to help in case things were looking bad, and I only had to deal with one kid at a time when I was a tutor. This time, I would be in charge with around thirty ten-year-old students that were depending on me to guide their young minds to a successful future.

Was I feeling nervous? The answer was a definite ‘yes.’

I looked up at my reflection in the rearview mirror. At the age of 26, I looked pretty good…okay, more then just good, I was drop dead gorgeous. I know saying that about me makes it look like I have a big ego, but it was true. Silky blonde hair, blue eyes, a strong chin and a smile that had a touch of dimples: the recipe for a handsome face. If that wasn’t enough, my body was pretty hot as well. I hit the weights on an almost obsessive level ever since I first learned the meaning of the word ‘bodybuilder.’ My dedication rewarded me with pretty solid 230 lbs. of fat free muscle on a 6’1” frame. I had the perfect combination of good looks and strong physique, and hundreds of people across the country would agree with me with that point. Normally I liked to dress in tight fitting clothes to show off a bit, but today I was wearing a crisp white dress shirt with khaki colored slacks and a blue and white stripped tie for a more professional look.

After a second thought, perhaps I looked too professional. I took off the tie and loosened the top few buttons to give myself a more casual look. The kids could probably relax around someone who looked like he was fun, though knowing that didn’t help me to relax.

I know what you’re thinking: if I’m so afraid of kids, why did I become a teacher? Well, the thing is I really do like kids. Seeing their intent expressions while soaking up my words gives me a thrill that I am doing something good. What gave me the idea of becoming a teacher? Well, for starters my Dad was a teacher. My Mom died while giving birth to me, so it had always been me and him. Between his two jobs as a college professor and a cram school instructor the man single handedly raised me up in a tiny apartment. Despite his busy schedule he would always find the time to play catch, take me on fishing trips, the usual father/son activities. He was a great man, and now I was trying to honor him in my own way.

Now that I’m here, however, I was beginning to have second thoughts. One of those thoughts was that I actually looked too casual for a role model to impressionable young minds. Quickly I buttoned my shirt back up and donned my tie again. There, now I looked like someone who knew what he was doing even thought I really didn’t.

“Come on Brian, you got everything planned out already.” I reminded myself. I had a complete schedule of the day in my bag to go by. But what if something not on the list happens? It could push back the entire day, messing up my carefully planned lessons and causing a disaster. Last night I couldn’t get any sleep at all because I kept on dreaming of desks being lit on fire, kids fighting with each other, guns firing bullets made out of chalk, mutant gophers dragging innocent young children underground…

Okay, those last few probably won’t ever happen, but it kept me up all the same.

“Just relax Brian.” I told my reflection. I took off my tie and loosened my buttons again to get more comfortable. “Take a nice, deep breath.” Listening to my own advice, I took several deep breaths to clear my head and finally calmed down.

A moment later the bell rang, and I fell to pieces once again.

“I’m going to be late!” I cried out as I grabbed my bag, jumped out of the car and ran for the school entrance. I probably took five and a half steps before I turned around and went back for the tie.

Luckily for me that bell had only been the five minute warning, so I didn’t have my students waiting for me outside of the classroom. Unluckily for me, the real class began five minutes later. I watched in dreadful anticipation as the kids walked in one after another, taking a seat and claiming their positions until the end of the year. This school had podiums in all of its classrooms, so I had something to stand behind to put some sort of protective barrier between me and the 50 eyes that were staring at me (after reviewing my attendance sheet, I counted 25 names.) At 8:05, a third bell rang. The first day of the school year had officially started.

Nervously I looked at the class, and they looked back at me. I was completely petrified, unable to think or act at all. We all sat there silently until the intercom rang and everybody stood up to do the pledge of allegiance. Realizing that I couldn’t spend six hours doing this, I forcibly snapped myself out of it just as they finished the morning announcements. All you have to do is follow the schedule I told myself. I glanced down and read the first line of the crumpled sheet of paper in my sweaty hands.


1. Introductions (8:05-8:06)


That wasn’t too hard, I thought. I stood up straight and cleared my throat. “H-hi every…body,” crap, two words in and I was already cracking up, “I’m Brian. I mean Mr. Brian! Err, no, what I meant was Mr. Whitmore. Yes, Mr. Whitmore!”

The class giggled and I felt my face burn up. Great, the day barely started and I was already looking like an idiot. Quickly I looked for my schedule for help, but all I got was the next item on my schedule.


2. Ask students to introduce themselves. (8:06-8:10)


Quickly I regained what little composure I had. “So, how about we, ah, go down the rows and have everyone stand up and introduce themselves to the class?” I say out loud. To my relief, the students did what I suggested and started to tell me their names. I focused intently to match the names with the faces. Naturally it was impossible to memorize 25 names in a space of a few minutes so the moment we moved on to the next kid I forgot the last one that went before him or her. The names just flew by and before I knew it the last boy had introduced himself, and we were back at square one at the stare off between teacher and class. Sweating bullets, I looked down at the schedule to see what I had planned next.


3. While students are introducing themselves, mark down who is present in attendance sheet. (8:06-8:10)


Oh shit, I forgot all about attendance! Frantically I looked at the role sheet and at the kids looking at me. If I asked them to say their names again, I’d might as well tell them that I was the worst teacher in history. But if I didn’t take role, then I’d still fail as a teacher. Quickly I tried to figure out what to do, but I could feel everyone’s attention on me to see what I would do next. Knowing that this wasn’t the time to dawdle, I decided to ditch attendance for now and come back to it later.

“Alright class, please come up here and select a book from each of the piles here.” I pointed to the stacks of textbooks that were lying on the table. For the next two hours I taught them using my carefully planned lesson. I had practiced those same two hours over and over again by myself for a week in front of an audience of kitchen appliances so I was pretty confident. However I forgot that toasters and frying pans don’t ask questions, so I still stumbled to answer them and still finish the lesson in time to stay on schedule. I was more than ready for a break when the bell rang for recess.

After the last kid ran out of the classroom, I collapsed onto my chair. I had to do four more hours of this? I didn’t know if I could last that long, much less an entire year! I groaned loudly as I tried to figure out something. I felt like I could use a cup of coffee, but if I went to the teacher faculty lounge, someone was bound to ask me the question “So how did it go?”

Feeling just a bit like a coward, I decided to take a walk instead. Maybe some fresh air would help clear my head a bit. God knows I needed it.

At first I thought about walking around the halls, but I decided that seeing doors and walls over and over again would get dull pretty quick so I went outside. They say a nice, scenic view can really calm a person down after all.

Out on the playground, all the kids were having a blast. Climbing around the jungle gym, swinging around on the monkey bars, playing basketball or kickball with a bunch of friends; everyone looked like they were having a good time. Seeing those kids playing freely really made me feel better. I was still nervous about my class, yes, but at least I wasn’t sweating bullets.

Carefully I made my way across the blacktop and onto the fields, making sure I didn’t interrupt anyone’s fun time in the process. Out here it was a lot quieter since the kids were all playing closer to the school. There I enjoyed the sight of the solitary trees, the squeaking sound of the wet grass underneath the rubber soles of my shoes, and the cool air of mid morning. Yea, I know it sounds like a bad poem but my Dad was an English professor, remember? The man thrilled on making ordinary stuff sound poetic, and I guess it rubbed off on me.

I was just passing the biggest tree on the school grounds when I heard a sob. Frowning, I made my way around the trunk to find a small ten year old boy hugging his knees and crying his eyes out.

“Are you okay?” I approached him.

The kid jumped with a start and looked up at me. “Mr. Brian!”

Seeing how the kid knew me, he had to be in my class. Now that I had a decent look at him, I sort of remember him sitting in the back. He was a tiny kid, shorter then the other boys by about a few inches. His hair was dark and combed over there, but there was still a tuff of bed hair in the back. His eyes were a deep brown, though the whites were still pink from crying. I felt a bit ashamed for not recognizing him right away but that wasn’t important at the moment.

“Are you alright?” I knelt down next to him.

The kid hesitated before nodding, but I could see it in his eyes that there was something troubling him.

“Is this seat taken?” I motioned the spot next to him, and when he shook his head I sat down. “So, you like coming to this spot often?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I’ve never been to this school before.”

I nodded. It looked like he switched schools and was having trouble adjusting to a new environment, I presumed. The pain on his face indicated there was more, however.

“It must be scary, going to a new school away from all your friends.” I say casually. “It’s my first day at school too.”

“But you’re old.” He frowned. “My first day at school was when I was in Kindergarten. How come you haven’t gone to school yet?”

I laugh. “I didn’t mean my first day as a student. I meant my first day as a teacher.”

“Oh.” The boy’s ears became red, probably embarrassed for making such a simple mistake.

“But it feels just the same.” I say quickly. “I mean, meeting new people, learning new things, trying hard to not look stupid in front of everybody.”

“Like when you called Vincent ‘spatula’ during class?”

Ouch, figured that he’d remember that blunder.

“Yea, well, I’ve never taught a class all by myself before, so I was pretty nervous.” I tried to justify my mistake. “Sometimes I wonder how my Dad taught over a hundred kids at a time and remember each of their names.”

“He taught a hundred? Wow.” He was visibly impressed, but I just managed to catch the crinkle in his eyes.

“Yes, my Dad was amazing.” I continued on. “He was a teacher too, you see, and he taught older kids. He would stand in a big room like a movie theater and talk to everyone about the books he read and what he thought of it. He always made sure that everyone was having fun, so every year people would race to be in his class.”

The boy listened to every word I said as if they were made of gold. “Where does he teach? I wanna take his class too!”

A lump formed in my throat. “I’m afraid he doesn’t teach anymore. He…died, eight years ago.”

A familiar look of pity formed on his face. “I’m sorry.” He apologized.

“Nah, it’s okay.” I said. “He was happy with his life, and that’s all that mattered.”

The boy nodded and stared down at his shoes. “My Dad is gone too.” He said softly.

“Is he?” I say, knowing I was finally making a breakthrough.

“He said he doesn’t love Mom anymore and went away.” He said sadly. “Mom says that they were getting a divorce. She made us move far away from Dad, so now I can only write to him.”

The tears were streaming down his face. “I don’t think Dad loves me anymore.”

Finally, the full picture was revealed. It looked like he was the unfortunate victim of his parent’s dispute. Reaching over, I pull him close and let him cry into my shirt while patting him on the back.

“There, there,” I comforted him, “Your Dad still loves you. He writes you back, doesn’t he?”

I felt him nod against my chest.

“Just because your Mom and Dad aren’t together anymore doesn’t mean they love you any less.” I told him. “No matter what, you’re still their son.”

The kid sniffed and his sobs died down. Pulling away, he wiped his face with the back of his arm. “You think so?” He asked hopefully.

I replied with a warm smile. “I know so.”

For the first time I saw him, the corner of his lips curved upwards in a happy grin. Quite suddenly the kid launched himself at my and hugged my waist.

“Thank you Mr. Brian!”

I blinked down at him a bit stunned by the sudden action. “Ah, you’re welcome…err…”

“Ethan.” He let go and grinned at me. “My name is Ethan.”

“Ethan.” I repeated, registering it firmly in my head. “So, how about we head back to the playground and enjoy the rest of recess Ethan?”

Instead of jumping for the chance, Ethan shook his head. “No…I think I’ll stay here.”

I definitely smelled the beginning of a loner in development and quickly tried to think of something to head it off. “Do you like to play basketball?”

Ethan nodded. “But I’m not very good at it, so I don’t really play with other people.”

“But playing with others is how you improve.” I encouraged him. Sports were a good way for kids to make new friends, and it looked like Ethan needed a few to make him forget his troubles.

“But, what if I make my team lose and they hate me for it?” Ethan asked.

“They won’t hate you.” I tried to reassure him, but didn’t make any process. “Tell you what, how about I play a game of one on one with you?”

Ethan became genuinely interested, but still a bit hesitant.

“I’ll give you a ten point head start.” I offered. “And tie one hand behind my back. Will that be fair enough for you?”

“Okay.” Ethan gave me a shy smile and nodded.

“Then let’s go! Recess doesn’t last forever you know.” I said as I pushed myself up and brushed the grass and leaves off the seat of my pants.

“Mr. Brian?” Ethan piped up as he stood himself. “Is it alright if I say something?”

Mr. Brian…I think I liked the sound of that.

“Sure, what is it?” I asked, bending down so I could look him in the eye.

“I think you look better without a tie.”

I stared at him blankly for a brief second before I burst out laughing.

About half an hour later we were all back in class, studying hard. I had ditched the tie, rolled up my sleeves and undid the top two buttons of my shirt. Right before I dove into the next lesson, I took my carefully planned schedule, crumpled it up into the ball and threw it into the waste basket.

* * *

“You’ve done an amazing job on these kids, Brian.” Mr. Montell, the school principal, praised me as he viewed the collection of A+ test papers pinned on The Wall of Excellence I had set up. As impressive as those scores were, what was even more impressive that there were twenty-five sheets up there. How many fourth grade teachers can say all their kids passed with a hundred on their test? And no, I wasn’t going easy on them. In fact, they were testing above grade level, can you believe that?

“I just hope the parents feel the same way.” I answered him, readjusting my tie for the hundredth time that night. It had been a few months since I first started teaching, and now the school was throwing its annual open house. After my rough initial start with the kids, I worked hard to teach them the things they needed to know while keeping it interesting and somewhat fun. In return, my kids performed past the school’s expectations and almost always got A’s on everything. I felt so proud of them that I could burst!

“You’ll do fine.” Mr. Montell patted me on the back to reassure me. “The parent’s will love yah since you’re the one responsible for the high grades on their kid’s report cards. Anyways, I have to check the other classes. I’ll see you later Brian! Don’t forget we’re going drinking after this is over.”

Before I could protest Mr. Montell was already out the door, leaving me alone to man the fort. I looked up at the clock to see that my conversation with the principal had taken up only ten minutes, and it was only the start of open house night.

A chill went up my spine as I felt someone staring at me. When I turned around, however, all I saw were a few of my students showing their moms and dads around the classroom, pointing out a specific project, artwork or test paper. Still, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that someone was watching me closely.

“Mr. Brian!” A familiar voice called my name. Looking around, I spotted none other than Ethan pulling a petite looking woman behind him by the hand.

“Hello Ethan.” I greeted him. Ethan was in a long sleeved red shirt and a pair of really small jeans, and the woman beside him was dressed in a lavender blouse with cream pants.

“Hello Mr. Brian!” Ethan said cheerfully. Ethan had come a long way from the depressed kid I first met in September. After some gentle coaxing and encouragement he was finally opening up to other people and making friends. Even though he didn’t need me anymore, I fell into the habit of joining in their game of soccer, basketball or so on occasion. I’d also play with other students as well, but most of the time I stuck with Ethan’s group. Maybe this was because I was still a bit worried about Ethan, but in the end we all enjoy ourselves.

“Mr. Brian, this is my mom.” Ethan introduced the woman next to her.

“Good evening Ms. Charleston.” I nodded my head towards her, remembering that she was a divorced woman.

“Good evening.” She replied with a smile. I could see her take in my handsome face before her eyes flicked up and down, checking me out. Since I had such a handsome face and attractive body I was used to having just about everyone I meet look me over, but honestly I was a bit appalled that she would even consider her son’s teacher. Luckily for me I wasn’t interested in women.

“Ethan has told me a lot about you.” Ms. Charleston continued, apparently pushing aside her attraction for the sake of her son. “He keeps on saying what a great teacher you are. He claims that you’re the smartest, strongest and the most fun teacher ever in history.”

“M-mom!” Ethan cried, blushing deeply.

I laughed. “No, I’m just an ordinary teacher that was lucky enough to have such wonderful students.”

“Well, I have to agree on some of the things Ethan has told me.” She replied. “His grades are higher than I’ve ever seen them before, and he’s been a lot more energetic since the…” She trailed off and her eyes flickered towards Ethan.

“Ethan has made great development since I met him.” I nodded in understanding. “Moving to a new town and a new school must’ve been hard on him, but now he’s playing with the other kids and making new friends.”

“Well I’m glad he’s fitting in.” Ethan’s mom put her hand on her son’s shoulder. “Thank you for taking care of my son, Mr. Whitmore.”

“Please, call me Mr. Brian.” I winked, making her check go rosy.

“Mr. Brian, why are you wearing a tie?” Ethan pointed at my neck.

There it was again, that feeling of someone’s eyes boring into my back. I was too busy talking to the Charleston’s to look.

“Ah, well, I thought that since I was going to meet everybody’s parents that I should dress properly.” I explained.

“There’s no need to do that.” Ms. Charleston chuckled. “After what you’ve done for the children, I don’t think anyone would care even if you wore a dress and miniskirt.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. If only she knew of the little experiment I did back in high school. “Thanks, but I think I’ll stick to shirts and pants.” I replied out loud.

After Ethan and his mom moved on to view the displays, I felt that sensation of someone watching me again. I turned around, and this time I found a teenaged boy standing behind me.

“Err, hi there.” I said, recognizing him as the brother of one of my students.

“Hey.” He said simply, looking me over. Once again I felt an uncomfortable feeling form in my gut.

“Can I help you with anything?” I asked.

The teenager looked at me intently, studying my face.

“Are you Will Athens?” He asked.

Remember that uncomfortable feeling in my gut? It just turned to ice.

“Sorry, you must have me mistaken for someone else.” I said, trying to feign ignorance. I could feel the beads of sweat form on my forehead and my heart pumping faster.

“You are, aren’t you?” He looks me over. “You’re Will Athens.”

“I can assure you, I’m not.” I said quickly. “My name is Brian Whitmore. I’m just a simple 4th grade teacher. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do.”

The look on his face didn’t change as I brush by him and pretended to busy myself. I acted as normally as possible, but I kept on looking over my shoulder. Even after that guy left, I still couldn’t shake the uneasiness within me. Here I was, all happy and successful at my dream job, and my past has come to haunt me. Silently, I prayed that he would forget all about me and move on with his life without telling anyone.

Teenagers: if there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that they never do what you want them to do.

* * *

It was a quarter past 8 in the morning. The bell had already rung and class should have started ten minutes ago. However, instead of standing in front of a chalkboard taking attendance, I was in my car looking at the school through my window. Beside me were several newspapers with titles such as “Brian Whitmore: Dirty Educator?”, “Porn Star Teacher” or my favorite “Sex Toy Playing with Kids.” My car itself had seen better days, covered with scratches or spray paint saying words like “faggot” “sicko” and so on.

I wasn’t in such a good shape either. My clothes were all wrinkled, there were dark bags under my eyes and I had a week’s worth of stubble on my chin. I hadn’t been able to sleep ever since I first started appearing in court. As bad as I looked, however, it couldn’t compare with how I felt.

I had been fired from my job. Why? Because they found out that when I was 19 I became a model for a gay porn industry. My fame as a hot, sexual object named Will Athens had brought me a lot of money when I was younger, but now that fame had come back to bite a huge chunk out of my ass. The teachers I had gotten along so well with become cold and ugly. The principal, whom I had trusted and called a close friend, betrayed me. My only comfort was the fact that the students still wanted me to teach, but mostly because they were too young to know what was really going on.

Not wanting to give up my dream job because of this, I took the matter to court; to try to convince everyone that I didn’t deserve to be fired for my sexuality or what I did when I was a teenager.

I lost.

Not only did I lose my chance to regain my position as a teacher, the question of my actions towards the students during the seven months I was with them had been raised. Did I molest anyone? Did I push myself sexually onto my own students? Did I scar innocent young minds? It took everything I had to fight back, and then some. Thanks to my lawyer, we managed to have those charges dropped and I was spared a life in prison. Thanks to my lawyer, I was also completely broke.

And now I had nothing. No job, no money, no dream.

Unable to take it anymore, I threw back my head and wept.

A knock on my car window cut my sobbing short. I bolted upright and fumbled for the keys in my ignition. I wasn’t supposed to come anywhere near the campus! If I was caught, I would be thrown into jail for who knows how long!

“Mr. Brian, wait!”

My keys stopped in mid turn as I recognized the voice calling me. Forcing myself to look, I found Ethan standing outside my car. I rolled down the window so I could talk to him clearly. Today he was dressed in a plain t-shirt and shorts, and his hair looked just a bit messier than usual.

“Ethan, what are you doing here?” I asked. “You should be in class right now.”

“The power on my block went out last night, so my alarm clock didn’t go off and wake me up. That’s why I’m late.”

“I-I see.” I didn’t know what else to say at that point. I had no right to even look at my students in the face after the humiliation I had been through. “Well, goodbye then.”

“W-wait!” Ethan cried out again. “Mr. Brian, why can’t you teach anymore? Everybody misses you!” A tear fell from the corner of his eye.

Shit. That sad face tore at my heart. I started to reach out to wipe that tear away but jerked my hand back. It was exactly this kind of action that started the whole ‘child molesting’ lawsuit in the first place.

“I…did something bad when I was younger, and the school thinks that because of this I wouldn’t be a good teacher for you kids.” I cut out some of the more rated X details in order to spare him the trauma.

Ethan sniffed loudly. “But you’re a good teacher. The best teacher! Why can’t they just forget what you did and let you teach again? Please, come back! I don’t want to learn from a new teacher, I want you!”

“It’s not that easy.” I sighed deeply. If it were, I would have been back in there, teaching them how to subtract mixed fractions. But this was my reality, and I was stuck with it.

“Ethan, I want you to listen to me alright?” I looked at him in the eye. “Every student must move on to a new teacher some day. When you start a new school year, you get a new one, and then you leave them when summer comes. It’s just how it is. I’m just leaving you guys a bit sooner. However, even though you move on to the next grade, you’ll always carry the knowledge they gave you inside. Even though we might never see each other again, you’ll always be my student.”

Slowly, Ethan nodded glumly, taking those words to heart. “Is there anything I can do for you, Mr. Brian?” He asked hopefully.

I gave his a sad smile. “Grow up into a big, strong boy for me, alright? That’s all I can ask for.”

Ethan nodded again with a bit more energy. “Okay, I will. I’ll become the biggest, strongest boy in the world!”

“That’s the spirit!” I forced some life into my voice to cheer him on.

We stood there silently for an awkward moment, neither one of us knowing what to do or say next. I was about to tell him it was time for me to leave when he suddenly jumped forward and wrapped his arms around my neck.

“Goodbye Mr. Brian.” He cried.

“Goodbye Ethan.” I choked back my own tears.

Ethan lingered on the hug a bit longer than what was considered normal, but eventually he let go. Rolling up my window, I turned the key, started up the car and drove off without looking back at the figure standing alone in the school parking lot.

[redkage]

On this day many years ago, I started out in life. Today, I do the same with this story.

Teacher's Pet will be, what I hope, a great story. I'm enjoying giving this work life, and am anxious to see where I can take it.

Hope you enjoy the second of my birthday gift to you guys!

-Red

[arpeejay]

Happy birthday, Red! Your stories are always topnotch and this one already matches the best of them. As usual, I'm eager to see the next installment!

xoxo

Richard

[Jaypat]

Good luck on the new story. Why do I feel Ethan is going to get pretty damn big?

[sierraca]

Happy day, Redkage. Hope you have many more (so you can finish these great stories).

So the question is, how did the older brother know who this "Will Athens" is. Since Will appeared in gay vids, I can only presume that the this brother is gay--how else would he know about Will? So will this older brother reappear later on in the story?

I agree with Jaypat. Ethan seems like he's going to be going up into something mighty fine.

[Otaru_grower]

This made me sad

[muscl4life]

Ever since you sent me the earlier drafts I knew it would be a hit, somethings are just easy to predict

Anyway, wonderful start, now we both know how eager you are to continue with this great story, just take your time and enjoy the ride, because this, my friend, is already a classic.

Cheers

[mlbjock]

Well happy birthday man! And I agree with with muscl4life, this looks like it will be a great hit.

[Mdlftr]

"A" for the day, Mr. Redkage!

Excellent writing!

Mdlftr

[tagsnola]

... everything you write yanks at the heartstrings! I am really looking forward to the next chapter. It seems like, so far, Ethan has done as much for Brian as Brian has for Ethan. Such a shame that Brian's decisions as a teen have ruined his prospects in his chosen profession. But without that, I guess there'd be no story. M4L and the other readers are right. You've started another classic here!
- TagsNOLA

[bribear1042]

Being a former elementary education teacher myself, I totally can relate to this story. And what do you know, my name is Brian as well. :-)
I just wanted to give my thumbs up to a great plot set up. I can see this is going to be a great story! You write inner monologues really well. I definitely felt like I was in the story when I was reading what Brian was thinking.
Like the main character does, I often refer to myself in the third person but that is where the similarities stop cause I am not a 6'4", 230 lb, blond hair, blue eyed, muscle god. Anywho...great start red. I can't wait for the next installment.
-Bribear