Mockingbird -- Jim Hopper

1. JITTERS

Ok, I know I said I was going to write a billy fic, but I just love hop too much. Also, I just gotta be in a mood to write and here I am.

And, I think I screwed up my Billy fic cause a def didn't think of a plot before writing but it's fine lol

not edited

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Nervous caramel colored eyes danced around the small classroom, there was a stack of books placed neatly on the old oak desk. The fishtank by the window was slightly foggy, but the red betta inside didn't seem to mind. The old rusty heater in the back of the room rattled to life with a groan, and let out a puff of dust in the process. Cold afternoon light shone brightly on Allie Wheeler as she smoothed down her black knee length pencil skirt.

This was her first day of school, well, as a teacher of course. She had just graduated from the University of Notre Dame with her masters in Literature. Ideally, she didn't plan to start working as a middle school teacher. Rather, she saw herself becoming a famous journalist or a best-selling author, but one's plans do not always go accordingly.

Allie tucked a loose piece of dirty blond hair that fell from her french braid back into place. The ringing of the recess bell caused her to wring her hands together nervously, and swallow thickly. It felt like someone had injected lead into her veins, that's how nervous she was.

She let out a breathy laugh, she didn't have to be nervous. Afterall, it was just a bunch of eleven and twelve year-olds in her class, how bad can that be?

The sound of pounding feet and a myriad of different voices reached her ears, and before she knew it, a group of at twenty kids raced into the room and noisily sat down at their desks. None of them seemed to notice that they had acquired a new teacher during their recess break.

Allie leaned back against her desk, her eyes sweeping over the classroom and landing on her nephew Mike. She almost let out an audible sigh of relief when she made eye contact with him.

Mike tilted his head, "Aunt Allie? What are you doing here?" he asked.

That one question effectively brought all conversations in the classroom to a halt, and suddenly twenty pairs of eyes were trained on her.

Allie nervously smiled, "Uh, I'm your new teacher. Mr. Hartwell, uh he got fired," she said candidly and then flashed the kids a bright smile.

One boy next to Mike raised his hand, causing his coffee curls to bounce. Allie nodded at him to answer and he gave her a toothless smile before answering, "How did he get fired?"

Allie paused, Mr. Hartwell was fired for feeling up the secretary apparently, but she obviously couldn't say that to them, "Uh, he was taking office supplies or something," she trailed off and the room was silent, her eyes widened in realization. They were waiting for her to teach them, "Right, so, I've been told that you guys have started reading How to Kill a Mockingbird?"

Some blond little girl with a large pink bow in her hair nodded, "Yes, we just got past the part where Scout's teacher get's mad at her for already knowing how to read."

Allie nodded and smiled, it was fake of course, she literally remembered nothing from that book except there was a kid named Scout, and the dad's name was Atticus. "Okay, great, um-"

"My name is Jenniffer Hayes," the blond said with a wide smile, while she tapped the end of her pencil against her desk.

"Jenniffer, great job," she told her and then decided that the rest of the class period could just be icebreaker games so she didn't have to talk about that bloody book. "So, I was thinking I could get to know everyone's names and I'll tell everyone a little bit about me. We can pick up with the book tomorrow."