Her Alpha Companion
One –
The sharp ringing of the bell reverberated throughout the hallways amidst the juvenile chatter as the students scattered into their classrooms. Natasia took a final swig of her caramel latte, hastily wiping the foam off her lips. She tossed the paper cup into the bin as she walked towards her new classroom, her heels clicking lightly against the linoleum floor. She glanced at her reflection off the window, setting aside the loose, flyaway strands of her chocolate highlights. She smoothened the sleeves of her blazer and adjusted the width of her skirt. The zipper grazed the flesh of her stomach, prompting a soft cursing under her breath. She took a deep breath, bracing herself, as her clammy hands twisted the brass doorknob.
Natasia was greeted by a horde of young, excited faces. Their voluntarily unkempt uniforms – rumpled navy blue jackets, loosened red ties, the knobby knees of the girls with the dangerously short skirts – complemented their adamant expressions of teen apathy. There was a sudden hush in the room as the students exchanged looks with the fresh-faced young woman before them. A few seconds passed before they once again turned to their peers, their casual prattling filling the room.
“Alright guys, settle down,” said Natasia as she picked up a marker and scrawled across the board, “This is my first day at Cedar Creek Academy. I'll be your new Creative Writing teacher.” The students looked back at her in silence. “My name is Natasia Gardner, but you guys can call me Ms. Gardner. Or Ms. G.” Natasia detected several eyebrow raises from the crowd.
“Okay – well why don't we – I'll start with attendance,” said Natasia, her voice quivering. “Then, I'd like you to each tell me a little something about yourselves.”
“Clay Andrews.”
“Here.” A boy with dark rimmed glasses raised his hand meekly.
“Jenna Aziri.”
“Here, Miss.” The girl tossed her curls behind her back, sheepishly stowing away a tube of lipgloss and a compact mirror. She flashed Natasia a sleek, pink smile.
“Alright – Jamie -”
“We're all here, Ms. G. And please, self intros – what are we, eleven?”
Natasia scanned the room, her eyes landing upon a girl in the third row. Really, thought Natasia. On my first day?
The girl had flaming red hair with magenta tips, which was pulled back in a messy ponytail. There was a silver glint of metal on her left cheek, and her pursed lips were painted a dark shade of purple. Her electric blue eyes were narrowed and challenging. Natasia looked down at her clipboard.
“And...your name is?”
“Aurora. Langley.”
“Great. Ms. Langley, you will raise your hand and you will speak when you're called upon. You're completely right – how old are you – sixteen, seventeen? This shouldn't be your first time in the classroom. Another outburst like that and you're getting detention. And yes – I will give you detention on my first day.”
The silence dispersed into audible whispers and snickering, followed by playful oohs and general pointing in Aurora's direction. Aurora waved dismissively, smirking as she crossed her arms. Natasia turned her attention to a girl in the front row. The girl was bent over her desk, her face concealed by a tangle of scraggly blonde hair, giggling as she furiously smashed the screen of her tablet.
“Hey, you – in the front row – put that away.” The girl, clearly unaware, remained tapping away. Natasia walked over to the girl and snatched the tablet from her hands.
“What the hell – what'd you do that for?” said the girl, scowling, “I was so close to a triple-stack bonus!”
“I don't – whatever that means – no video games in the classroom.”
Natasia blinked as a flash went off in the corner of her eye. She turned towards the culprit, her eyes wide with disbelief. “What did I just say?”
A girl with a pixie cut looked back at her innocently. “I'm sorry. Just taking a new selfie for my followers,” she said, shrugging.
Natasia shook her head. “I do not, and I repeat, I do not allow phones, tablets, or any other form of technology in the –”
Aurora stood up, arms still locked against her chest, as she pushed her desk aside, the legs dragging against the floor. “Christ, woman – you've got a lot of rules for someone who looks like they just received their diploma five minutes ago.”
“Sit down, Ms. Langley.”
“Social media, gaming, it's all a form of creativity, isn't it? You teach Creative Writing – all these stupid ass rules – you're stifling our creativity!” said Aurora, her voice amplifying as she ranted on.
“That's fine, Ms. Langley. I'll see you this afternoon in detention.”