BFB High (with a continuous plot wow)

Chapter 8: Budget Cuts

After Teddy's meeting with the principal wrapped up, she returned to class to see that the principal was, in fact, wrong to think that he could rely on a teacher's pet to mediate the whole class. Felicity and Stephan were arguing with Lila, while Eve's sinister glare had reduced a few of Teddy's classmates to tears.

As Teddy headed to her seat by Dora and Sawyer (and realized that Ellie was now standing near the table too), she heard the principal call someone, asking for someone to come handle the situation.

As soon as Teddy approached, Ellie breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Phew, I thought you were in trouble for a moment," the blonde girl told Teddy.

Teddy raised an eyebrow, took her phone out of her pocket and began typing on the AAC app. "Didn't Sawyer or Dora tell you it was just about my IEP?"

Sawyer looked guilty at this, her expression akin to that of a scolded puppy. "Sorry, I told Dora that maybe you wouldn't want anyone else to know about it."

Teddy shook her head, typing a reply into her AAC app. "I don't mind at all. Sure, in the past, some people have been mean about it, but without it, I wouldn't be able to use this app to communicate."

Suddenly, Teddy thought for a moment, before typing something else. "In case I ever lose my phone, would you like to learn American Sign Language so I can still communicate with you?"

Sawyer, Dora, and Ellie all agreed, so Teddy got to work teaching some basic ASL to them. Soon, however, the door to the classroom burst open and an upperclassman with light brown hair entered the room, having clearly hurried here.

"F-" the upperclassman started, before suddenly realizing where he was. "I mean, uh, Principal Announcer, what seems to be the problem?"

"Is it really that hard to tell, Don?" Principal Announcer deadpanned, gesturing with his head towards the argument between Lila, Felicity, and Stephan, as well as the students who were crying due to Eve's glare.

"Alright," Don grumbled as he went over towards the commotion, trying to break up the argument.

Teddy frowned in contemplation. She remembered Penelope telling her that she had been put into a group with Don in middle school, along with Connor. Teddy was told that Don had a hot temper, maybe even rivaling Fleur's or Sebastian's, Penelope had joked. This Don did seem a bit grumpy, but he didn't seem to have the same explosive temper that Penelope was describing. In fact, he reminded Teddy a bit of Penelope, funnily enough.

"Thank you, Don," the principal nodded.

Don shot him an unamused look. "Aren't I supposed to only be a TA for Professor Four?"

"Budget cuts."

"That can't be your answer to everything, you know."

"It can because I'm the principal."

Teddy watched as Don just rolled his eyes and went back to trying to mediate the pandemonium within the classroom, trying to urge her peers to do their homework instead.

"Right, we haven't started on our homework at all..." Sawyer realized.

Teddy typed onto her AAC app. "You didn't start on the math homework when I was gone?"