The End of the First Day

Positivity quickly drains from you. The afternoon starts fine. 5 girls turn up take their seats, look at you expectantly. Your register says there should be 6, but as you wait for her you ask the girl’s names and crosscheck them with the register and your memories of the meeting last week.

The girl missing is Kelly Golden, that was the girl **** to repeat the year, the one Abigail despaired over. You ask the girls present whether anyone’s seen her. None of them have.

It’s 10 minutes in before she turns up. She barges in as if nothing is amiss, throwing the door open with a bang, leaving it open as she struts in, with no word of apology, no acknowledgement of her lateness, nothing. Her head is thrown back so that her blond hair cascades over her shoulders. Her blazer is on askew. Her tie is loose. Her white blouse clearly has several buttons undone. Her skirt is shorter than regulation. She offers you only a glance with her green eyes, but that glance offers you all the knowledge you need. She’s urging you to react.

“Excuse me young lady, what do you call this?” She stops and pivots to look at you. All you can see is the defiance that darkens her beautiful face.

“History. This is the history class. And you are the new history teacher, Mr Smith.”

“I am. And you are?”

“Kelly Golden.” She pauses before she says it, as if contemplating something else. Then she mentions her name as if it is the most important thing you’ve ever heard.

“And are you going to shut the door?”

“No. If you want the door shut, shut it yourself.”

“It’s called manners. Were you taught any manners? It is good manners to come in, apologise and explain why you’re late and then to shut the door while causing as little disruption as possible.”

You can see the calculation in her eyes. What does she believe she can get away with? How can she press your buttons? You, meanwhile, remain calm.

“I didn’t apologise because I’m not sorry I’m late. And I’m late because I shouldn’t be here.”

“Yes, I know all about you Miss Golden. You’re here because you’re repeating this year. Why’s that? Because you failed all your exams last year. All of them. From what I hear, you achieved some of the lowest scores ever. There were students who didn’t turn up who got a higher grade than you.” She looks quite proud of that fact. “So your father has paid so you can repeat the entire year. Now I think you’re getting off lightly. From what I hear, you should be repeating both years.” She doesn’t like that last line. “I might recommend that. It’s not too late to put you in the Lower Sixth.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Wouldn’t I? Let’s be honest, you’re only here because you rely on your allowance, and your father will only give you an allowance if you attend classes. You know that. I know that. If I can convince your father, you should repeat both years, then what would you do? Stuck in this school for two more years.”

“I won’t be here for 1 year.”

“Yes, your plan is to get expelled. And then you think you can persuade your father to keep up your allowance. We’re all aware of your plan. It’s predictable. You think you can cause so much disruption to classes we’ll be **** to expel you. Maybe your father hasn’t told you, but he’s given the school permission to punish you as it sees fit.”

“I’ll tell the papers. They’ll have a field day; male teacher sexually abuses students.”

“I didn’t say I’d be doing the punishments. I’ve got a feeling you’d like that.” You’re certain you’d like it. She’s got a good pair of breasts on her, you’re guessing C-Cup, and she has a nice round ass. No, why are you thinking like that? You have to shake that idea out of your head. Best to move on. “So, you’re warned. Go and sit down.”

You shut the door. But that’s not the end of Kelly’s disruption. She’s now standing at the back of the room arguing with another student.

“What’s wrong now, Kelly?”

“She’s sitting in my seat.”

“Take another seat.”

“I always sit here.”

“Well, this is a new class, and you won’t sit there. Take that seat. That’s free.” You point to a seat at the front.

“I don’t sit there. I sit here.”

“Well, now you sit there. Move.”

More calculation in her eyes. Finally, she gives in and heads to the free desk. She throws herself into the chair with exaggeration and then makes a loud fuss about extracting her books from her bag. You turn back to the other students, gathering how much they learnt last year and where they’re at.

“I’ve done all that,” Kelly cuts in.

“Miss Golden, you can remain quiet for the rest of the lesson.”

“But you want to know what we know.”

“We all know what you know, Miss Golden. Absolutely nothing. Hence why you failed your exams last year and are having to repeat the year. What can you add to the lesson? Nothing. No question is directed to you. So, be quiet.”

The dismissal of her knowledge hurts her. You can see that. Every time you’ve brought up that she’s being **** to repeat the year she bristles. She’s acting out because her ego is bruised.

And that’s a way to keep her quiet. Every time Kelly disrupts the class, you mention that she’s being **** to repeat the year. Each time her oval face flushes with embarrassment. She tries to come up with a retort, but either doesn’t find one, or by the time she does you’ve long moved on, and you can see she realises stating her response then will make her look weak.

The ringing of the bell is a relief. Kelly doesn’t wait for you to dismiss the class. She’s up and out before you can say anything, giving you only a glance of anger as she does so. Several of the other girls follow suit. You dismiss the other girls with a reminder that over the holidays the girls should have read up on the Fall of Rome and you’re expecting a report on such by Wednesday next week. Also that the next two lessons you’ll be discussing anything they want clarified about what they read.

You sink into your chair and take several deep breaths while the last of girls vanish. It’s in this state that Abigail finds you.

“Survived the reprobates?”

“That Kelly Golden’s going to be trouble.”

“Tell me about it. Not too much for you?”

“No, I had her under control, just. But I’m sure she’ll find new ways to disrupt the class.”

“Yes, she’s probably just assessing what she can get away with. You’re new after all.”

That’s not encouraging. Something to worry about as you head back home.