The Emo School (A Fanfic)

Chapter 8

Gerard

"Mr. Way?"

I glance up from my coffee to see Bethany, my best student, gazing at me with admiration.

"Yep?" I respond, putting my drink down on my desk.

"I've finished!" she says, holding up her neat pencil drawing of her partner.

"Me too," adds Courtney, showing me her portrait of Bethany. Both drawings are excellent, each with all the right colors and tone added to make them realistic. Bethany has gone for a simple, yet effective black and white depiction of Courtney, while Courtney has drawn Bethany in color. I'm impressed. They are both very talented. "See if the others need any help," I tell them. "Well done, these are fantastic. And you realize you can just call me Gerard, you know. This isn't public school!" I wink at them, and they both get up eagerly and start helping the other students.

I sit back and survey the class. They all show promise. That's what I love about emo school. Everyone gets outstanding grades because they're so incredibly motivated. We make learning really fun for them - they're so busy laughing, having fun and sharing ideas with like-minded people they forget they're learning. People learn so much better when you treat them with kindness and not with cruelty. That's why they're so much better off here.

I love teaching them too. They hang on to my every word. Seeing their eyes light up when I talk to them, their faces filling with joy...it reminds me of being on tour. Obviously I'm happy here, but still...there's nothing quite like being on tour, I muse.

The bell rings and I snap out of my daydream. I stand up and the students look at me expectantly. "Alright, you can go," I tell them, chuckling. There is an almighty scraping of chairs and they clear out in seconds. They can't actually wait to get to their next lesson and have more fun. The corridors are filled with a volume of chatter only the most satisfied students could make.

I refill my coffee using my personal coffee machine on my desk. I used Starbucks coffee beans and cream instead of milk to make it extra delicious. It's too hot to drink but it smells so good... I drink it anyway and end up burning my tongue. Yep, definitely too hot. I sit back down just as the next class comes in. They all greet me with a smile and I start the lesson. I love my job.