{Present}
.
.
Some people start their mornings with peace and quiet.
Claire Anderson started hers with a splash and a curse.
“Oh my god, my shoe!” Ruby’s shriek echoed through the small apartment as iced coffee dripped from her black heel onto the floor.
“This is brand new!
I just bought it yesterday!”
Claire didn’t even look up from where she was carefully arranging her teaching materials in her bag.
“The coffee will come out if you clean it quickly.”
Ruby grabbed a cloth from the counter and started wiping the shoe.
“But what if it doesn’t?
What if I have to go to my first day at Westbridge Academy with a stained shoe?
All those rich children will think I’m a mess!”
“You are a mess,” Claire said calmly zipping her bag.
“That’s why they hired you.”
Ruby stopped cleaning for a moment to glare at her roommate.
“That’s not funny.
This is a big school, Claire.
The school where senators’ children and CEOs’ kids go.
I can’t show up looking like I just crawled out of a dumpster.”
Claire glanced at the clock on the wall.
7:28.
“You have seven minutes to stop panicking and get yourself together.”
Ruby’s eyes widened as she dropped the shoe in her hand onto the coffee table.
“My other shoe!
Where is it?
I saw it before I spilled the coffee.”
Claire rolled her eyes and pointed at her foot.
“Of course you did.”
Ruby looked down at her left foot where the matching black heel sat perfectly in place.
“Oh.” A blush crept up her neck.
“Right.”
Claire couldn’t help but smile.
Ruby had been her roommate since their university days and five years later, nothing had changed.
Ruby was still Ruby: beautiful, chaotic, and somehow lovable despite all of it.
Their small two-bedroom apartment was simple but comfortable.
Claire had taken the smaller bedroom while Ruby’s larger room was always a mess of clothes, books, and things she refused to throw away.
The living room also served as Claire’s workspace with her teaching materials neatly arranged on the dining table that she used as a desk.
“Aren’t you excited?” Ruby asked as they finally stepped out of their apartment and into the morning air.
“It’s a job with good pay,” Claire replied, locking the door behind them.
“That’s excitement enough for me.”
“But seriously!” Ruby’s voice rose with excitement as they walked down the street.
“Can you believe it?
Two girls from our neighborhood are going to teach at the most prestigious school in the city?”
The neighborhood was already coming to life around them.
Mrs.
Henderson who lived across the hall waved when she saw them.
“Off to your new jobs, girls?”
“Yes, Mrs.
Henderson,” Claire called back.
“Wish us luck!”
“Good luck!” the elderly woman called.
“You’ll do great!”
As they walked, the small shops along the street began opening for the day.
The smell of fresh bread from the corner bakery filled the air.
Mr.
Kim at the newsstand gave them a small nod as he arranged his magazines.
It was the familiar little world they were used to and they would be leaving it behind, at least for eight hours a day.
The bus arrived right on time and Claire was glad Ruby had remembered to grab their transit passes that morning.
She knew how terrible Ruby’s memory could be.
They found two seats and Ruby immediately started looking out the window.
Her eyes widened whenever an expensive car passed by.
“Look at that one!” she gasped pointing at a silver sports car.
“I bet that’s one of the parents dropping their kid off at that school.”
“Or someone who works there,” Claire said.
“Or maybe they have nothing to do with the school at all.”
Ruby shook her head.
“No way.”
Claire rolled her eyes and sighed.
Ruby always had a way of making everything sound more exciting than it really was.
One expensive car passed by and somehow she had already decided it belonged to one of the parents.
The farther they traveled, the more the streets changed.
The houses became bigger, the cars more expensive and everything looked cleaner and quieter.
When they finally reached their stop, both girls looked up at the huge gates of Westbridge Academy.
The school looked like something out of a movie.
There was a large brick building, neatly trimmed lawns, and a fountain shining under the sun.
“This is…
too much,” Ruby whispered, clutching Claire’s arm.
“It’s just a school,” Claire replied though her heart was beating faster than usual.
They walked through the gates and Claire suddenly felt very aware of how simple their clothes looked compared to the other teachers and parents around them.
Expensive cars passed by dropping off children in neat uniforms who barely looked back before running toward the building.
“Remember orientation?” Ruby asked nervously.
“The principal said we should report directly to the main office.”
Claire nodded and led the way inside.
The entrance hall was also impressive.
The floors were marble and there were paintings on the walls that looked very expensive.
It was nothing like the small public school where Claire had done her teaching practicum.
The principal, a stern-looking woman in her fifties greeted them with a small smile.
“Miss Anderson, Miss Bell.
Right on time.
We have a brief assembly for all new staff members, and then you’ll meet your department heads.”
The assembly was mostly names, faces, and information about the school rules.
Claire tried to pay attention but she kept thinking about the class she would be teaching.
Grade One, with twenty-five six-year-olds.
After the assembly, Ruby was taken away by the English department head leaving Claire alone with the principal.
“Miss Anderson,” the woman said, her expression softening slightly.
“Your references were exceptional.
Professor Miller spoke very highly of you.”
“Thank you,” Claire replied.
Professor Miller had been one of her professors back at university.
He had always encouraged her and had even recommended her for this position.
Claire knew his recommendation had played a big part in getting her accepted by Westbridge Academy.
“We’ve assigned you to Class 1-A,” the principal continued.
“It’s…
a little different from the other classes.”
Claire’s eyes narrowed a bit.
“Different how?”
The principal hesitated for a moment.
“The children in that class come from families who expect a certain level of treatment.
Some of them are not used to being corrected.”
Claire went quiet.
The principal continued, “So you’ll need to be careful with how you handle them.
Be firm when necessary, of course, but try not to be too harsh.
If there’s a problem, it’s better to inform the parents or the school rather than deal with it yourself.”
Claire kept her expression calm though she was already a little annoyed.
It was her first day and she was already being told to think twice before correcting her own students.
Back at the public school, teachers had to deal with their students themselves.
If a child misbehaved, they corrected the child.
It was part of the job.
“Understood,” Claire said politely.
“Good.” The principal checked her watch.
“The class should be settled in by now.
Let me show you to your classroom.”
As they walked down the hallway, Claire couldn’t help but notice how everything seemed to sparkle.
The floors, the windows, even the light fixtures looked expensive.
This was very different from the school she was used to.
They stopped outside a door with “Class 1-A” written in gold letters.
The principal turned to Claire with a serious expression.
“This is it,” she said.
“Your classroom.”
Claire nodded at her calmly, then she took a small breath and turned the doorknob…