Your first class

You finish your coffee, letting yourself simmer down. Donna's perception has unnerved you. Intellectually you hadn't really expected that your cavorting with Monica and others wouldn't go unnoticed but it is still an uncomfortable surprise to see you have been discovered so quickly.

On the up side you don't think that Donna is the type to gossip, and Lorri, who you suspect knows as much as her cottage mate, seem even more tight lipped. If that's the case, your secret is safe for the moment, although you wonder if others have noticed the hints you have left laying about.

You take a deep breath and stand, looking around the dining hall, noticing a few glances from students, and giggling whispers passed from ear to mouth. Holding your head high and assuming an expression that your mind is on higher things, you stride out of the dining hall, heading towards the first class of your teaching career.

The advantage from a teaching perspective, of the Pink Rose physical education curriculum, is that it's extremely basic. Your morning class is essentially a health and nutrition course, "identifying the role that certain lifestyle behaviours, such as regular physical activity, good nutrition and stress management, play in the pursuit of optimal health and well-being" to quote the description. You're not even sure why the course is offered, although you assume that keeping their bodies fit and healthy is a prime interest of the girls of the school.

It's held in one of the lecture rooms of the sports complex. You arrive to find the room empty except for a pretty blonde girl with her hair in braided pigtails who smiles at you in greeting.

"Hi there Coach Watts! My name's Harper. Harper Morgan! I'm really excited about this class!"

She's got a pretty, but rather sulky look to her, and she wriggles slightly in her seat as she looks at you with a hint of wantonness.

"Hi Harper," you smile. "Nice to see an enthusiastic student getting here early. I'm impressed.'

"I'm really looking forward to it Coach Watts! I really am!" she smiles at you, her face full of calculation, her eyes appraising you as other students start to file in.

Just what you need, you think to yourself, grateful for seeing other students arriving. Donna referred to them as scalphunting brats, and you're pretty sure that in Harper Morgan you've identified one of them.