Texas Tea - Post Malone

Values

She grabs half of the tests she needs to grade and then closes her classroom door behind her as she steps out into the deserted hallway. To get out she needs to walk past Luke's classroom and she hopes he does not see her so she walks past as fast as she can.

"Indy."

She hears him call her name from behind. She keeps walking but he calls her name again and she can hear him running after her. She grids to a halt as he runs around her and cuts her off.

"P-Please leave me alone, Luke."

"I just want to talk."

"I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I can't talk now. I am just not ready."

"When then? You won't pick up the phone and talk to me. I just need you to hear me out."

"I heard you the other day. I heard Carroll too. The sound of you sleeping with her is burnt into my head."

Luke looks down with a guilty face. Good. He should feel horrible for what he has done. He ruined both their lives. Smashed the little glass bubble they had built. "Indy, please. We need to talk. We owe it to ourselves after three years of dating. We can't just end like this. I won't let us end like this. You can't just give up on us for one tiny little meaningless mistake," he says. Indy does not know what to say to that. What Luke was doing with Carroll was not a mistake. It was a choice. "Not here," she whispers trying to step around him but he steps in front of her. He is going to force her to talk to him.

"Mr Sullens."

She hears the principal's voice behind her and turns to see the principal with Austin standing next to him. He does not look impressed.

"My students are taking a test," Luke says. He knows he should be in his classroom. "Good. You have time to talk then. Half my football team is in your class. The other half is in Miss Gold's class. I want to discuss their academics," Austin says, his tone gruff. Indy does not like that and she can feel a lump form in her throat. "Oh...my class is out on the football field doing an activity. I...I don't want to leave them unsupervised for too long," Indy says. "That's alright, Miss Gold. Go to your students. When I am finished with Mr Sullens, I will come out to you," Austin says, his tone now soft. "Mr. Sullens?" the headmaster asks when Luke does not move. Indy does not wait around to find out if he does.

Her students are in high spirits and well on their way to finishing their courses when she arrives and well, they all look happy. That makes Indy happy. She sits in the bleachers and starts marking the tests as her students scurry around. Even Miller is taking part. Maybe she will do more activities like this to allow him to get out of her classroom, he hides in there even during break time.

"There is a stark difference in how you and Mr Sullens teach. Your kids are happier."

Indy snaps her head to the sound of Austin's voice and then watches him walk up the bleachers and sit down next to her. "Kids learn better through play. They are all 17 and 18, they have reputations to uphold. They have to be cool all the time, but when given the chance to just be a kid and play like one - they jump in with both feet."

Austin smiles at her words while he watches her students. "I had a teacher like you when I was at school. After I graduated and got a football scholarship everyone including myself accredited my success to my coach. Except my grandfather. He said while my coach had been hard and pushed me to be my best, but it was the gentle hand of my teacher that gave me a place to rest. Every cowboy needs a place to rest," he says winking at her. Indy can feel the blush on her cheeks. "Each one of my boys will need to go to college if they want a shot at the NFL. I also expect each of them to be well-disciplined and self-motivated on and off the field. I will drop them from the team if they slack in their academics or if they prove to hold no honor," he says. His face is serious and his voice unwavering before he looks back at the students on the field.