random stories i found on the internet to read in school offline

tumblt

That smile. That damned smile.
Obtaining a job as such a prestigious school, you only wanted to make a good impression on your peers and future students. To build a stable work environment and ensure pleasant memories to look back on. A firm handshake for your colleagues, a promise of a shoulder to lean on for your students - all wrapped together with a faint, but sincere smile.

What a fool you were.

"Hey, Teach? You mind if I stay with you this period to go over today's lesson? I had some trouble."

You drum your pen against your desk, swallowing the sigh that rises in your chest. "Toby, you know you don't have to lie to get my attention, dont you?"

You flash a quizzical look, lips edged on that smile everyone had come to love over the audacity of the situation. The student looks away with a sheepish grin. Straight A, honor roll student with a full ride through college on top of what their parents had already saved. To many, it was a mystery why their scores suddenly plummeted after switching schools. There were a few possibilities for the sudden decline. The building stress, peer pressure, or the relatively unknown fact of them using the time to discuss their grades to bump shoulders with their favorite teacher.

You pull out your schedule book, their eyes darken seeing all the names already penned down. "I have an opening on Friday at 4. Its a bit later in the day, but if it works for you-"

"Yes!"

Why did you even ask?
A knock on the doorframe catches your ear. The teacher snaps their fingers at Toby, pointing over their shoulder.

"You. Leave. Lunch began seven minutes ago."

Toby clicks their tongue, but obediently leaves the room; shooting a glare at the authoritative figure as their paths cross. With them out of the way, your colleague saunters up to your desk. You move the stack of papers out of the way before they take a seat.

"Afternoon, Y/n." They begin, rolling your name off their tongue like thick honey. "Hope you don't mind me using your first name. I like to imagine we're... close enough for that at the very least."

"It doesn't bother me."

Satisfied with your answer, their hand smooths across the desk to your outstretched arm. "I'm glad to hear that. I was just heading out for lunch and was wondering if you'd like to join me. We can pick something up from a restaurant, but my place is right around the corner if you'd like something homemade and you wouldn't mind the leftovers."

"I'm fairly certain the last time I joined you, you tried to keep me in your bathroom under the guise that the lock was broken. Besides, if I don't get lunch from the cafeteria, Ms. Thompson may leave her station to find me and I don't think any of us want that."

The sourness in your colleague's mood is almost enough to make you cringe, but you offer them a compromise to keep the peace.

"I'll let you join me to the cafeteria, and drive me home - on the condition I send your license plate to a friend."

"Deal."

You set aside the papers and place your belongings in your drawer as you prepare to leave, making sure everything goes underneath the false bottom you installed in case the janitor breaks the lock again when they come to clean. The second you exit the room, your colleague's hands are wrapped tightly around your arm. You ignore the yearning glares as you head off to the cafeteria.