The Teacher's Pet Ch. 01

I got about halfway there when the offending teenagers must have realized an angry teacher was approaching. They scattered to their seats before I could take another step, so I stopped and looked at them with great disdain. I then gave a pitying look toward the victim of their ridicule, but she had her head down. It was obvious she was quite upset.

As I was about to go to her and offer consolation, the bell went off to mark the start of the period. That thing had such rotten timing! I let out a sigh, figuring I could talk to her later. But before I returned to my desk, I saw the girl seated behind the one who had been treated badly put a hand on her shoulder. I overheard the girl say it was awful for her to be treated like that again - especially on her birthday.

Once I delivered my speech about who I was and what I expected from my students - for the third time of the day - I collected their homework. I gave a sympathetic smile to the unfortunate girl when she handed her papers to me. I looked at the name on the front: Polly Wilkerson. I nodded to the girl sitting behind Polly and saw from her assignment she was named Tanya Zimmerman.

The rest of the period went off without a hitch, and most of the students were quick to leave when it was over. Polly and Tanya were the last two to get up from their seats, so I asked Polly if I could speak with her for a moment. She nodded and told her friend she would catch up with her later.

When the door closed behind Tanya, I stepped toward Polly. She seemed nervous, as if she was in trouble. I smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm down the petite and shy-looking girl.

"Polly, I feel terrible that those kids were teasing you. Do you want to talk to me about it?"

She looked up at me with her big green eyes and shook her head.

"I want you to know that I won't tolerate that kind of behavior. If I see it happen again, I'm going to hand out punishments."

I could feel her tremble slightly and she cleared her throat. "Th-that's okay, Miss Nolan. It's, um, no big deal."

"But it is a big deal. Well, it is to me anyway."

She gave me a curious look.

"When I was younger, I got picked on... a lot. Believe me, I know how horrible it is."

"R-really?"

"Yes, really. I used to be called 'Ugly Amber', especially when I wore braces."

"I, wow, I can't believe that, Miss Nolan. You're so... beautiful."

I chuckled and patted her shoulder. "Thank you, Polly. I did blossom nicely, but I went through a really awkward and embarrassing phase before that. And trust me, some kids were absolutely brutal."

I heard her sigh as she looked down at the floor. After a few moments, she looked back up at me.

"Yeah, it, uh, does kind of bother me a little. But I, I don't want you to do anything."

I cocked my head. "Why not?"

"I, well..." Her eyes welled up, and she took several deep breaths. "The last time a teacher tried to help me like that, the kids who were, um, teasing me, got really mad, and they, uh, made it a lot worse outside of class."

At this point, tears were running down her cheeks. I remembered I had a few tissues in my bag, and hurried to get them for her.

"Thank you, Miss Nolan," she said as she took them from me.

"You're welcome." I waited for her to dry her face and then I continued. "And I just want you to understand that I'm here for you if you need someone to talk to. I'll try not to do anything to make things worse for you, but at the same time I will have to discipline them if they're causing a disruption."

She sniffled and offered me a half-smile. "I understand. And, and thanks again for being so nice to me."

I smiled as I put an arm around her. "Of course. You don't deserve to be treated like that. No one does."

After I gave her a slight squeeze, she looked up at me with a bigger smile and pulled away.

"I gotta go now, or, or, I'll be late for my next class."

"Okay sure. Just remember what I said."

"Thanks, I will."

I watched her walk to the door and open it. I then realized I had forgotten to say something to her.

"Polly!" She swiveled her head toward me. "I heard it was your birthday."

"Yeah, I turned eighteen today."

"Happy birthday. And I hope the rest of your day goes well."

"Me too. Thanks!"

As I gathered up my belongings and the stack of papers from the desk, I wondered how long this girl had been dealing with verbal abuse. Maybe it had even gotten physical, too. It pained me to think she may have been enduring this for years. I decided right then I would continue having a chat with her after class each day.

Later in the evening, I was grading the papers my students had worked on during the holidays. Some were very good, and some were just okay. A few of them, however, were so bad I couldn't believe high schoolers had written them. I laughed, thinking maybe they had each hired an eight-year-old to do it for them.

When I was about halfway through the pile, I noticed how late it was. I figured I would read one more and call it a night. I still had to write in my journal, and I didn't want to get less than six hours of sleep.

I flipped over the next one, and chuckled when I saw it was Polly's paper. She had been on my mind ever since I witnessed her being teased, so I felt like it was the perfect note to end on.

And "perfect" was the appropriate word, as it was by far the most well-written assignment I had come across. If her paper was anything to go by, she was an intelligent and mature young woman. In fact, I was pretty sure it was better than anything I could have produced myself. The only words I wrote on it were at the top of the first page: "Excellent work, A+."

While making the first entry in my journal, I thought about the reserved and anxious girl. She was short, perhaps five feet tall at the most. And she appeared to weigh ninety pounds soaking wet. Her clothing and hairstyle were plain and drab, and it seemed like she wasn't wearing any makeup. All of this combined to make her look frumpy and nerdy - an easy target for bullies.

Aside from the height difference, I saw so much of my young self in Polly. Heck, I still succumbed to uneasy feelings at times. Earlier today, I had nearly feinted from nervousness when I was about to teach my first class - before I pulled myself together.

I shook my head, knowing all-too-well what it was like to be shy and apprehensive.

That's when an idea struck me. Perhaps I could use my experiences to help boost Polly's confidence. I smiled at the notion, and hoped it could lead to a day when she was no longer the victim of her classmates' ridicule - but was instead the object of their envy.

* * *

Friday, January 9

Today began with a surprise, at least as far as I was concerned. I woke up before the alarm went off!

Okay, so it was only a minute prior. But I never thought I could get out of bed before 5:00 AM on my own.

I supposed this was what having a full-time teaching job did to a person. I was sure the fact I was asleep by 9:30 the previous night didn't hurt.

Nine-thirty! Wow, I was becoming my parents. Correction, my grandparents. Even my mom and dad wouldn't go to bed before ten o'clock. I decided not to dwell on this, so I crawled out from under the covers and made my way to the bathroom.

After I showered and got dressed - which included putting on a red top that showed a little cleavage and matching red stockings - I made myself breakfast.

As I ate, I thought back to the events of this week. My comfort level with the school's environment was growing day by day. I was enjoying the interactions with the faculty and my students.

I couldn't be happier with how things were going in my second and third period classes. Aside from several hiccups, they paid attention and seemed eager to learn. I believed some of that was due to my teaching style, and how well I could relate to students who were only four or five years younger than me. But I also knew that my looks and what I wore caused a number of the boys to stare at me.

Perhaps I should've had a problem with being objectified by my male teenage students. However, I saw it differently. I had their complete focus, and they weren't dozing off or creating disruptions. It was a win-win in my book!

My sixth period class, however, left a bit to be desired. While most of the pupils behaved well, there were a few more incidents similar to what happened on my first day. I threatened the offenders with additional homework when it occurred again on Tuesday, but two days later they were back at it. So, I gave them tedious writing assignments. I was curious to find out whether they took it seriously - or if they even bothered to do it at all.

With this in mind, my thoughts went to Polly. I had spent a minute or two talking with her each day after class, to see how she was doing. I could tell she was uncomfortable opening up to me. Maybe the reason was due to her shyness, or because she didn't really know me, or the fact we had such a short time to chat each day.

Whatever it was, she was holding something back. She also needed to leave before I could get her to say much, or before I could suggest things she might do to help her situation.

On my ten-minute drive to school, I tried to come up with a way to get through to her. It had to be something non-threatening. I didn't want to lose her trust. But I needed to let her know that with a few changes - both in her appearance and her mindset - she could make this problem go away.

The morning went by in a similar fashion to previous ones. I spent time engaging in small talk with Principal Ferrera and several male teachers before the homeroom period started. I then prepared the day's syllabus, before teaching my morning classes. I gave the students a lengthier reading assignment for the weekend - one which would take them about an hour. This didn't seem too bad, given how long I would be spending preparing coursework for them.

My lunch routine continued, with the same three married guys sitting at a table with me. It was fun to talk and flirt with them. I figured they were harmless. Well, I hoped they were - since they had wives. Of course, this hadn't stopped some of the creeps from coming on to me when I was waitressing. However, those jerks weren't my coworkers.

As usual, I saw the pretty female teacher. I found it odd she always sat by herself, either doing something on her phone or reading a book. I still hadn't said anything to her. I had yet to find the right opportunity.

After reading the last few pages of my book, I headed to my classroom to teach AP English. What I found when I arrived startled me.

There sat Polly in a front-row desk, with her head in her hands. I rushed to place my bag and papers on my chair, as I heard her sniffle.

"Polly," I said while squatting down beside her, "what's wrong?"

She lifted her face to reveal her puffy eyes and wet cheeks. "I, i-it's, th-they..." She broke down in tears, burying her head in her hands once more.

I placed an arm around her, and let her cry for several moments. When I heard her sobs become soft whimpers, she removed her hands from her face and leaned into me.

"Th-they were t-teasing me again." She sniffled and wiped away some of her tears. "I-it was those s-same kids who, who p-pick on me in class."

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry." I gave her a gentle hug and went to my bag to retrieve tissues for her. "What were they saying?"

She dried her eyes and blew her nose. "They, they called me a dork, and, and a nerd, and 'Plain Polly', and 'Puny Polly', and, and even 'P-pathetic Polly'."

"That's horrible!" I moved a few stray hairs from her face and looked into her eyes. "How long have they been doing this to you?"

She glanced down and took a deep breath. "S-since I started high school. And, and it keeps getting worse."

I shook my head and was about to say something, but she continued.

"Like, at lunch today... they, they came to where I was sitting, and started calling me names... like, really loud, so everyone could hear it."

"Wow, that's awful."

"Yeah, and, and then one of them messed up my hair, and, and another one spit in my face... and everyone laughed at me!"

I could see tears welling in her eyes again, and she turned away from me.

After letting out a sigh, I rubbed her shoulder. "Is that when you came here?"

"Yeah... I, I was only here for like a minute before you walked in."

I used my hand to gently turn her face toward me. "I am truly sorry that you have to deal with this. Believe me, I know how much it stinks. But I want to help you."

She sniffled and tilted her head. "How?"

"Well, first of all, I think you should sit right here in front during my class. Being so close to the teacher, those mean kids should leave you alone... at least during this period. How does that sound?"

"Um, o-okay, I guess."

"Great! But there's still the issue of how to get them off your back when you're not in this room."

She shook her head and exhaled deeply. "Yeah, I, I don't know."

I gave her a warm smile. "I believe I do. It's something I was thinking about this morning."

The look on her face changed to one of curiosity. I stood up, walked in front of her desk, and placed a hand on my hip.

"Do you like the way I dress?"

She nodded. "You look really pretty, Miss Nolan."

"Do you own any clothes like these?"

She shook her head. "Not really."

"Then we need to take care of that. What are you doing next Saturday?"

That question seemed to confuse her. "I, um, I'm not sure. Why?"

"Because I want to take you shopping. I know a place where we can get clothes like the ones I'm wearing for fairly cheap. What do you say?"

"I, well, I—"

"Look, it won't cost you anything. I can pay for a few outfits. I just think if you update your wardrobe to something a bit more, let's say, stylish... those bullies might see you differently, and maybe they'll stop bothering you."

"Hmmm..." She scratched her head, and I could tell she was thinking about it. "Okay, sure, I'll go. But you don't have to pay for me. I have some money saved up."

"Excellent!" I clapped my hands together. "I can pick you up at noon. You'll just have to give me your address."

"Okay," she said while nodding, "I, I will. But, uh, I think it would be best if, um, my parents think you're helping me with a school project. It might be weird if they know my teacher is taking me clothes shopping."

"No problem, I understand." I glanced up at the clock. "Oh, it's almost time for class to start. You might want to go to the bathroom and fix your hair, before anyone else comes in."

"Yeah, good idea." She grabbed her purse and sprang to her feet. "And thanks, Miss Nolan. You're being really nice to me."

"It's my pleasure, Polly."

After she returned, the other students began arriving. As each one entered the room, I told them I was assigning them to new seats. They looked at me like I was from Mars, but they went where I instructed.

I made sure that Polly's friend Tanya sat next to her - and the troublemakers were in the back, on the far side of the room.

This seemed to work, at least in the short term. Other than a few whispers between the mischief-makers, which I ended with a scowl, there were no problems.

Of course, I received the usual stares from the boys in the class throughout the period. Some of them were quite transfixed on my legs, which I liked to show off by wearing stockings with skirts or dresses that ranged in length from mid-thigh to just below the knee. On this day, my black skirt was a bit above my knees - so they had plenty of leg to gawk at.

One thing I noticed was that Polly appeared to be eyeing me up the same way. For a brief moment, I wondered if she liked girls - and was attracted to me. But then I remembered I had asked her to go clothes shopping with me. No doubt she was just admiring my wardrobe, perhaps imagining how she would look in a skirt like mine.

When the bell rang and most of the room had emptied, I walked to Polly's desk. After she finished gathering her things, she stood up and gave me a smile.

"Thanks again, Miss Nolan. You're, like, the nicest teacher ever."

"And you're just the sweetest student ever."

We both chuckled and I patted her shoulder.

"I thought of something else that should help you. Do you have any makeup at home?"

"Um, well, I have lipstick. But that's all."

"Okay, because I've never seen you wear any. Also, have you ever considered a different hairstyle?"

She lowered her eyebrows and scrunched her nose. "What's wrong with my hair?"

"Nothing," I said as I threw my arms up. "I didn't mean to offend you. You have great hair. It's just, well, perhaps giving it a little more body would make it look even better."

She ran a hand through her shoulder-length, straight brown hair. 'Straight' wasn't the right word. A better description would have been 'limp and lifeless'.

"Well, I don't know. This is how my hair's always been. And my mom might get mad if I change it."

I placed a hand on her arm. "I don't want to pressure you into this. But perhaps you could try talking to your parents about the possibility of doing a little something different with your hair, or wearing a bit of makeup."

"I, I guess," she said with a shrug.

Seeing her reluctance about this and knowing she needed to leave, I decided not to push the issue.

"We can talk about it next week. Okay?"

She glanced at the clock. "Sure, but I gotta go, Miss Nolan."

"Have a good weekend, Polly."

"You too!" She flashed me a grin and hurried out of the classroom.

I spent my time after school eating a microwave meal, watching television, and playing a game on my laptop. I couldn't believe a young single woman such as I was not out trying to find Mister or Miss Right. Did I really become this boring? Was I actually staying home on a Friday night?

Then again, I had seen first-hand what type of assholes showed up at bars and night clubs. I didn't feel like subjecting myself to that environment - at least not now. Perhaps once I was fully comfortable with my new routine, I would put myself out there again.

In the meantime, I had to focus on being the best teacher I could be for my three classes of students. And I had a fun side project to work on as well: helping a meek and ordinary girl blossom into a bold and extraordinary woman.

* * *

Monday, January 12

Is it just me, or do alarm clocks sound louder and more annoying on a Monday than any other day of the week?

In a related topic, I'm pretty sure Mondays have the most cases of them being damaged or destroyed.

After tossing the broken remains of mine into the waste can, I washed myself and took a few minutes to pick out my wardrobe. It seemed like a good day to wear blue, so I chose an outfit in varying shades of it - including a skirt that hung just below mid-thigh, and three-inch navy heels.

I went to the kitchen and poured myself a bowl of cereal. As I ate my cardboard flakes, the events of the past weekend replayed in my mind.

If I thought my breakfast was dull, the memory of the previous two days was even more bland. The highlights included buying a few new pairs of stockings on Saturday and having lunch with my parents on Sunday. The fact that working on a lesson plan qualified as a 'top three activity' was evidence of how sad I had become. At least I didn't own a cat - yet.

On my way out the door, I grabbed my umbrella. While watching the evening news on Sunday, I had seen there was a chance of showers. I was thankful for having paid attention to this, as the rain began falling when I pulled into the faculty parking lot.

During my time in the break room, there was an addition to the group of men I chatted with before the homeroom period started: vice-principal Martinez. I was somewhat surprised when he insisted I call him 'Rob' - despite many of the other teachers referred to him as Mr. Martinez. Then again, his eyes kept wandering to my legs the entire time. I should have known his libido would guide how he treated me.