spring fever

april 2032
Principal: Bekah Grimsley
Teachers: Simon Millett and Rosabella Steinman
STUDENT ENROLLMENT

Everyone is struggling to maintain their drive and focus with the promise of summer freedom fragrancing the spring air. Romance also seems to be mingling in the air as well, which makes extra work for the teachers. Rosabella Steinman is covering for Brooklyn while she’s on maternity leave, and she’s rather soft since she just covered for Miriam in the fall, but she taught kindergartners which are less prone to making out.

Bekah knows far too much about the couples in her school, and she happened to see Chaz moving on after Cicely broke up with him this past winter.

Oddly, she saw Cicely smile, as if she were happy for Chaz and Lizzie with their new-found romance. It made Bekah respect the young girl more, seeing the maturity of wanting her ex to be happy.

Maturity wasn’t terribly common at the high school. Simon Millett was finishing his final semester as a Student Teacher, his position would be permanent as soon as he graduated later in the month. He struggled though with students, Roman got mouthy with him even. As much as Bekah enjoyed Simon, and thought he would make an excellent teacher, he needed thicker skin to make it in the world of high schoolers.

Vivienne tried enticing Kai, a sophomore, to volunteer for the prom committee. He wasn’t having any of it.

Gemma tried doing the same to Vivienne, which didn’t impress her much at all. Gemma was a grade younger, but she was better on the field, and there had been a rivalry among the two since seventh grade.

Vivienne would miss many things upon graduating, but Gemma was not one of them.

Bekah struggled to get Lit classes excited about the books they were reading, and she couldn’t help but feel a bit weary herself, having read them numerous times over the past decade. Even with switching them out, she was still ready for some newer fiction.

The upperclass students wandered in, taking their sweet time, even as Bekah began the discussion.

Both Vivienne and Cicely had earned an Overachiever Award recently, and they were set to be crowned Valedictorian in just a few weeks. Bekah had always expected as much from Cicely, but she was pleasantly surprised to see Vivienne gain focus and determination in the past few years.

They were both terribly nosy though, always turning their head to watch the commotion. And Bekah had it on good understanding that Vivienne was also a gossip.

When Bekah announced a pop quiz, everyone groaned, while Vivienne gulped. Any poor exams could cost them their 4.0, which Bekah would hate to do to them, so she wasn’t making things extra hard by any means.

Eden was always quiet and studious. She graduated this spring as well, and like everything she did, she was doing it quietly.

Ever since she got hired at Love + Flour, she had been fascinated with cooking. She intended to go to school for business and restaurant management.

She’d sneak into the cafeteria during off hours to talk with the school cook.

They’d actually become friends in the past year, and while she aspired to be more like her boss, Paloma, she admired her cafeteria friend. He came up with recipes himself, and he knew how to make quantities large enough to feed the crowd without being wasteful.

Bekah wished there was a Technical or Trade school still open, but it’d closed down almost twenty years earlier. Eden would have benefited, and she was certain many of her students would have too.

Next door Rosabella attempted to teach students how to paint. They were all talented, beyond her skillset, so she mostly made sure they behaved.

Isla and Logan had been best friends, but fell out when Isla didn’t return his feelings. It seemed she was planning to paint next to him though when Molly took her spot. Logan said nothing, which left Isla feeling vengeful.

Best friends, Ainsley and Isla spent the end of class complimenting one another, insisting the other one’s painting was even better than their own. Rosabella thought they both belonged on the wall, so that’s what she did.

Out in the hall, there was shouting and a raucous. Rosabella and Bekah had to leave their classes to see what the commotion was. It ended up being Marisol and Rita fighting.

No one could explain the sudden animosity, especially Rita was a first year student at Jefferson High.

While they fought, and the teachers worked to break them up, Logan and Molly sat under their table to talk. Technically he was sorta seeing Ronda, but she’d gotten in at private school, so he wasn’t sure what the future was with her.

Back in the hall, Rita successfully beat up Marisol. Bekah sent them both to class, demanding they go to the principals office during the lunch hour.

Unfortunately they had Earth Science with Simon, and it was a very small class. He felt uncomfortable, and he kept looking to Manny to help him with his sister who was bickering with Rita.

He mostly saw Rita instigate the drama, which surprised Simon, as she had always seemed nice all semester.

Simon had been coached by Bekah many times, she insisted he needed a stronger backbone when it came to the students, but he really didn’t want to change. He’d had such a great first semester student teaching, but ever since it was announced he would become a permanent teacher, it seemed students suddenly liked him less.

Nolan asked Rita a question on topic, and Simon was relieved his ‘brother’ remained true and respectful.

No sooner had class dismissed, and the girls were back at it.

They got sent to the principal’s office which was Bekah, she was on her way because she had already arranged the meeting. She was a being delayed because Gemma had an attitude and was being rather surly. Bekah wasn’t sure what had gotten into the students, but there was more animosity than necessary.

Rita began to cry while waiting to see Bekah in her office. This was her first year at the high school, a seventh grader with all her friends still at Longfellow Elementary. It hadn’t been an easy adjustment, and she had thought her and Marisol might actually become friends.

Instead she was being attacked in the halls, having her hair pulled, and yelled at, and now her parents were going to be called. They’d be disappointed in her, and she couldn’t hold it in any longer.

Seeing Rita’s tears didn’t soften Bekah’s firm expression. She had to come down hard on any poor behavior, especially violent ones.

Rita could barely hold herself together as Bekah got to the bottom of the story.

Each fight had been instigated by Marisol, apparently she had a crush on Nolan Millett, and so did Rita. Which Rita didn’t know about Marisol’s feelings, and Bekah was pretty sure Nolan was in the dark about both girls.

Marisol insisted she’d claimed Nolan, because her twin brother was best friends with him, and Rita didn’t know anything about his personal troubles like she did.

This upset Bekah even moreso, because she didn’t want any new rumors starting about Nolan. She was the teacher when Julia had gotten pregnant with him, but it wasn’t well-known these days.

Rita was given detention, and Marisol in school-suspension beginning the next day.

Meanwhile in the library, Alice London had come in to reprise her role of Career Counselor. Each of the seniors applied for EU and scholarships with Alice’s assistance.

Cicely was thrilled with her scholarships and acceptance to EU. She put in a request to dorm with her twin sister, in a shared room, and she hoped her sister put down the same.

After the school day was over, couples lingered seeking quiet places without adults prying eyes.

Chaz made it official, asking Lizzie to be his girlfriend.

Elodie and Kai made out in the gym up in the bleachers. They had been dating for years, and still hadn’t moved beyond kissing.

Asher was on the second floor, making his move on Molly. If Logan wanted to date her, he should have asked her, because Asher was serious about her. He’d snuck out on his birthday, and they’d spent the entire night together, just hanging out, staring at the stars, and talking about their respective futures.

He was happy when Molly accepted his kiss, and he was pretty sure he floated the entire way home.

Notes: I’m just guessing why Marisol attacked Rita, I’m not really sure. They both like Nolan, but neither are dating. Marisol did instigate it though, each time, so I feel bad for Rita Popper. (She’s Henry’s daughter, who used to date Paloma before Oliver for longtime readers).

Cicely didn’t mind Chaz moving on, and Chaz seemed completely over Cicely. And Asher had some wants for Molly. It was nice to get everyone a chance to hang out, and raise a few grades while also socializing.

I think Rosabella will take a permanent position at the elementary school in the fall, with Lucy retired, they are a teacher short. I do think Simon might be too nice for high school, but he’s totally adorable teaching science, and I’m sure he’ll get the hang of it.

Thanks for reading!