It's just a spark but it's enough || ENG version

Chapter Six

The afternoon of the meetings seemed to pass in Louis's mind like one of those banal time-lapses from various films that try to condense all the events of a certain time frame into a few seconds.

He saw the twins' parents wobbling in their plastic chairs in front of the desk he shared with Harry, laughing at every word the substitute teacher spoke, clearly too tipsy from who knows what substance. He saw Chris's father—whose baldness was more advanced than his son's maths course—wondering where he had gone wrong. He saw the mothers of the freckle-faced boy who always pretended not to study, trying to impress, yet consistently scoring among the highest in the class.

Louis only started to engage in the various debates between parents and teachers when the families of the more troublesome students arrived, whether it was the bullies of the school or those who were targeted for who knows what reason. It was disheartening to see the devastated faces of parents who were truly trying to secure a better future for their children, often at the expense of neglecting themselves and their own needs. It wasn't hard to notice, especially when some rushed into the small room they shared with a few other silent teachers, still dressed in their work uniforms, or sporting dark circles under their eyes, some even with small children in tow.

Between each meeting, Harry and Louis exchanged glances, almost sighing in unison, but they didn't speak. No, there was really nothing to say in situations where the only comforting words you could offer a parent, instilling hope, were empty platitudes about the undeniable wasted potential of certain students or the belief in their future—which was hoped to be as soon as possible.

(Often, they were even lying, because some students showed no desire to change, improve, or reinvent themselves.)

"Hello, I'm Shirley's mother," introduced a distinguished yet smiling woman, almost radiant if one wanted to exaggerate. She had long, curly brown hair, completely different from her daughter's platinum blonde spaghetti-like locks, which she nervously twirled in her fingers. Louis had always felt a strange vibe from that girl, as if she was pretending to be someone she wasn't. "Mr. Tomlinson, we already know each other, but you must be Mr..." she prompted, snapping her manicured red fingers in a brisk manner as she placed her bag on the chair next to hers and settled in without much fuss.

"Styles. Mr. Styles, pleasure to meet you," he said, slightly rising from his chair to offer his hand, despite feeling a bit reluctant after seeing Louis's nose crinkle and the woman's eyes almost slice through him like blades with their green hue.

"You look well, madam. I hope work is going well," the older teacher said curtly, fiddling with a purple pen while trying to convey to Harry who was in front of them by nervously tapping his foot under the desk.

"Oh, absolutely. My salon is always busy; women come and go through every door," she chuckled, glancing at her tattooed hand adorned with a large hibiscus flower. "I'd invite you both over, but I wouldn't want to seem like something I'm not, you know," she said, forcing a smile after almost whispering the last part, causing Harry's eyes to widen in disbelief.

(Both were well aware of what she was, and it started with an "o" and ended with "mophobic," but the last thing they wanted was to keep her any longer than necessary with pseudo-educational discussions that she would dismiss the moment she stepped out the door.)

The substitute, however, always clad in an enormous coat of superiority and professionalism, cleared his throat and ignored her not-so-subtle jab.

"I don't have much good news about Shirley, Mrs. Clowby. She's never attentive in class, for example," Harry began, sighing while resting a finger on his forehead as he flipped through the twelve-year-old's file, searching for the strength to meet her mother's gaze. "She never completes her German homework and barely passes her English tests. I'm afraid it will be difficult to catch up since we're almost in May now."