Learning Something New [SilverScar X Goddess]

[SilverScar]

It was a cold, wet Monday morning. Just the sort of morning you would expect on the first day of school. Still, Alexander wasn't about to let a little cold get in the way of his morning routine, getting up early before anyone else, throwing on a pair of sweatpants, t-shirt and hoodie before heading out into the streets of the dreary neighbourhood. Since he'd started high school, he'd been jogging every morning, waking up just before the sunrise to get a breath of the fresh morning air. He hated feeling slow and sluggish in the mornings, and since drinking coffee just wasn't his thing, exercise and cold showers turned out to be the next best thing.

Alexander Jackson was a tall young man entering his final year in high school. His blue eyes always seemed to have a spark in them, a sort of energy that seemed to infect those around him. Dark brown hair was always cut short, spiked up stylishly when out and about. A swimmer and a runner, he had a lean, cut look, the muscles beneath his clothes winding across his body like cords of steel. He wasn't bulky like some of his football buddies, but no one would ever dare say that Alexander was anything but 'athletic'. Especially since he was apart of that certain clique of the 'popular' students, his phone often showing at least one unread text or email awaiting his attention. And on the outside, he loved every minute of it. His brilliant smile and charming mannerisms were well known and documented on all his social media.

On the inside, he hated it.

That was another reason for his early morning runs. Here, he could be alone with his thoughts, push himself until his lungs burned and muscles begged for a rest. The park across the street was always empty, except for the occasional dog walker or other jogger, and here Alexander would fall back on the grass and just stare at the sky and wonder what sort of BS drama he'd have to deal with today. The summer had been a welcome break from it all, his families camping trips the perfect excuses to dodge the parties and social events but school would bring it all to a head. He'd have to stop writing his poems and stories and go back to being the charmer, the guy with the bright smile.

And it was definitely time to stop feeling sorry for himself.

Getting back home, Alexander quickly washed up, getting into a simple white t-shirt and jeans, a silver necklace with a shark tooth hanging from around his neck. Phone and wallet went into his back pockets, backpack slung over one shoulder, Alexander was ready for his first day. Grabbing a granola bar for a quick bite, he hurried out the door with quick goodbyes to his mom and dad, making his way hurriedly to the street corner, the sun peeking out over the suburban neighbourhood and brushing away the dreary morning.

Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad day. After all, according to his schedule he had his new language course...

 

[Goddess]

It was dreary mornings like these that made Julia Almodóvar glad that she invested in a gym membership. With earphone buds blasting in her ears, her breasts held in place by a high tension sports bra, her feet in comfortable running shoes, and her long, brown hair up in a high ponytail, she felt like she could almost go the day by without her cup of coffee, almost. She ran in place on a treadmill facing a window, with a tumbler full of espresso in reach, the good kind, not that muddy water Starbucks claims is coffee. As she jogged, her almond-shaped brown eyes watched the cars pass by on the dreary streets, remembering fondly her time in her college, which was down that road in front of her.

At 32, Julia felt she was in her prime, with a witty mind and everything in her body where it needed to be, and she made an effort to keep it that way. She was petite, but decently curvy, her Latin heritage showing with her wide hips and strong, full chest, and her thick lips and her olive skin the envy of many. After a good hour of being in the gym, her tight abs glistening with sweat, she headed off to the shower, downing the last bit of coffee in her tumbler as she walked.

The gym's warm shower felt refreshing, and allowed her to untie her hair and tame her wild, long mane into a braid. Soon, she changed into her work uniform, which today was black slacks, a navy blazer and a white button up shirt, where she kept the first few buttons undone, but not enough to give her students many ideas. She wore a delicate golden cross necklace, some of her more modest jewelry admittedly, and matching golden button earrings, choosing to wear some natural looking makeup and use mascara on her already long eyelashes. Putting her gym clothes in her bag, she got in her car and made her way to school.

Julia spent some time at the faculty lounge, complaining playfully with fellow teachers about having to do their jobs once more, before grabbing some markers and heading, close to the ring of the bell, to the classroom for Spanish 101.

 

[SilverScar]

Spanish 101.

Looking at his agenda as Alexander made his way to class, he couldn't help but wonder what exactly his reasoning had been for taking the course. Was it to impress someone? Had he been arguing with his parents again and had decided to take the course to spite them? June seemed like such a long time ago when he'd signed up for his courses and it was only the reasoning for this one that had him slightly confused. Had someone else decided to take it and they'd signed up together? It was hard to figure out the meaning while constantly saying hi to everyone along the way, flashing his trademark grin and waving while focusing on the paper in front of him.

"Dude, if you focus any harder on that paper you'll set it on fire"

Matthew Von Esqulare was the very definition of the 'rich kid'. Looking as if he'd just stepped out a limo, his attire had a price that some claim could buy a small town. His bright blonde hair was combed to the side in an elegant wave, his pale complexion giving the smaller male an almost sickly look when paired with light green eyes. Sunlight wasn't something Matthew got allot of and the rumored drug addiction certainly didn't make matters any better. Still, Alexander and Matthew got along well enough to be considered friends even if they didn't exactly have matching lifestyles. They moved within the same circle of 'Popular' and Matthew's claim to the group was his attachment to the Von Esqulare name.

Chuckling to himself, Alexander closed his agenda and shook his head "If only. I can't remember why I decided to take Spanish. Seems like forever ago when we decided on what we were all going to take..."

"Couldn't tell you man. I'm just as surprised as you are" Matthew shrugged as the pair moved through the crowds of students all moving about "You get a text from Brad yet? We're all meeting at the Pizza Palace for lunch, his treat"

Brad Austin. Football quarterback with all the stereotype trappings slapped on. He wasn't such a bad guy, but he played to the jock cliche painfully without the charm. He liked to consider himself the group 'Alpha' but really he just paid for everything thanks to his dad winning the lottery. It only made the jock personality more insufferable.

"Sounds good, I'll see you later then!"

Spanish 101.

It was close to the ring of the bell when Alexander arrived, coming in just as the bell rang and quickly moving to grab one of the last remaining seats at the front of the class. He didn't really have a chance to look around, but it seemed like your typical classroom setup. Whiteboard, teacher's desk at the front, textbook shelves and a pair windows that looked out onto the school field and pool. A few recognizable faces were scattered about the class but no one from his 'group'. Maybe that's why he picked it.

And then his eyes found Julia Almodóvar.

Well...for a teacher she was certainly something. Maybe it was the look of actually taking care of herself while other teachers either looked overweight or overtired. Maybe it was simply after a summer of pretty girls in skimpy clothing, it was nice to see a woman who didn't look like she was trying to impress anyone with cleavage or navel. Or maybe Alexander had just been single for far too long. That brought a grin to his features as he leaned back in his seat, waiting for the bell to ring and for class to start.

 

[Goddess]

The classroom was relatively unadorned, something that she hoped to fix with projects throughout the semester and upon learning the tastes of her current class. She knew that each group had a bit of a personality to them and how finicky high school students were about information charts, lest they feel like children again. Inwardly, though, this made them look even more like kids in her mind.

"Buenos días, estudiantes," she said, her pronunciation fast and casual, if a bit sloppy, as if acclimated to Spanish more than to English itself. When she switched to English, her pronunciation was also almost immaculate, but a light accent, almost singsong, remained. "I am Julia Michelle Almodóvar Sánchez, first born Puerto Rican and your Spanish teacher for the year. I know that is quite the mouthful, so you can just call me Julia. Next year, I hope most of you will be in college, and you'll find addressing professors by their last name as ridiculous as I do."

Taking a red marker in hand, she wrote [Llámenme Julia, por favor.] "In this class, you'll learn to string basic sentences together, from pronouns" she circled the me in the first word, "to verbs," she circled the rest of the first word, "to accent marks and pronunciation. If you can leave this classroom properly pronouncing every Spanish name from now on, I'll consider my job one well done."

She began pacing around the classroom, trying to assess groups of friends that she might have to break up if they talked too much, to the interest of the students. "And if you can manage those things, well, I will even teach you how to curse. Now, lets start with introductions, from the left row. Tell me your name and something you hope to learn from this class."

 

[SilverScar]

Ahhh yes, the age old 'name and learning' routine. You'd have the incredibly serious answers and the ones attempting to be funny. Everyone was so damn self conscious, fearing to stand out from the social norms that a majority of the answers would barely count as anything more than a pre-recorded blurb. Of course it was easy for Alexander to privately chastise everyone around him safely within his own mind but soon it would be his turn to speak aloud on what he'd come to this class for and right now, he didn't have an answer. Would he say he was nervous about this? No, not really. The calm, cool smiling mask was one that he'd perfected and even if Julia had a proper BS detector, Alexander wasn't going to lie about why he was in this class.

Just make it up.

Slowly, row by row, the students talked about family influence, curiosity and the want to speak to sizzling Spanish ladies. Hilarious. Glancing up in front of Julia as it came to his turn, Alexander leaned back in his seat, mentally preparing his answer before he spoke "My name is Alexander Jackson and honestly..." He paused for a moment, a brief moment of uncertainty flashing across his face before he veered off course from the BS and went with the honest answer "...outside of learning what I'm here to learn, I can't tell you what I hope to learn. But hey, I can tell you I'll do my best anyways and hopefully I'll have a better answer for you once we hit the midterms"

It wasn't quiet the charismatic speech he'd initially wanted to open with but it was about time he started putting his money where his mouth was and acting out against all the BS he internally hated. Maybe that's all it would take for someone else to open up and say something other than 'My mom signed me up' or 'I want to learn about my heritage'.

"Maybe I'll even be able to tell you in Spanish"

 

[Goddess]

Every time a student said they wanted to meet sizzling Spanish ladies, Julia had to hold herself from rolling her eyes, maintaining in her face what looked like a cross between a smile and a grimace. After all, she had been a teenager once, and maybe she would have laughed then. Maybe. Probably not. She'd likely be the kid in the front row, rolling her eyes. When she was in their seat, she was the one who thought herself too mature to hang out with most of these kids, and now she was teaching them. The world was certainly ironic.

Most of these kids didn't really have a reason for taking this class, she figured, but this sort of question was always good to learn who would be the class clown and who she would have to watch out for the rest of the semester. When it was Alex's turn, however, she was mildly surprised by the answer. "Well, Mr. Jackson, I do hope you find out and find what you are looking for." With a bit of Caribbean flair, she gave the rest of her answer. "Y si de aqui a alla puedes articular oraciones y pronunciarlas como Dios manda, te vas a ganar un viaje a Puerto Rico." Of course, she didn't expect anyone to understand it, not even most who were raised with some Spanish, due to her fast pronunciation, but she just kept the ball rolling in class.

After the rather lengthy introduction of everyone in the classroom, where she would likely remember few names if any at all, Julia taught them the basics about pronouns and the alphabet. "Now, if anyone wants extra credit, you can come after class anytime during the week and recite the alphabet in Spanish with proper pronunciation. Also, check your emails during this weekend for an idea of the challenges you'll face. Class dismissed"

On the meanwhile, in Alex's house was Elizabeth Evans. She was a college student, a psychology major, but because of some recommendations from here and there and a marked lack of funds, she was now doing tutoring for high school students. They had let her into the house and she laid on the couch, the latest novel from her English Lit class opened over her face as she took an unceremonious nap waiting for the young man she had to tutor. While you couldn't see her head aside from the long red hair dropping from the couch. Her clothing was pretty plain, a red t-shirt featuring Marceline of Adventure Time and a pair of jeans ripped at the knee, although not by fashion but by wear. Her converse shoes were worn and faded, red to match the shirt, and her large bookbag, mostly empty since the semester was just starting, laid by her feet.

 

[SilverScar]

A gentle swell of pride bubbled up within Alexander as the teacher seemed to find his answer pleasing. It was an odd feeling, as he wasn't exactly the prideful type...well, not outwardly. Perhaps because it was the first day, it simply felt nice to be acknowledged. The sudden flurry of words that followed had Alexander raising an eyebrow in surprise, glancing around the room and feeling comforted by the other confused faces. So it wasn't just him feeling completely confused by that then. Excellent.

The basics that followed were much less exciting. Again Alexander had to wonder why he'd signed up for this class in the first place. Class choices of the previous year seemed impossibly far off in the past and the summer fun had all but muddled whatever knowledge he'd tucked away for safekeeping. As someone who liked to think of himself as the exception to the 'jock=dumb' rule, Alexander certainly wasn't doing himself any favors now. Hopefully his words at the beginning of class would ring true and he'd find his inspiration for the class. Failure was not an option. The option of extra credit after class looked to possibly be his saving grace as class was dismissed, making his way to his first break of the day with the rush of students heading for the door.

Other than Spanish, every other teacher played by the same 'First Day of Class' guidebook. Introductions. Course outline. First lesson. Alexander didn't even have the thrill of sports practice to keep him excited for the days end, and lunch break was nice enough for seeing everyone again, but nothing was really feeling as if it had clicked yet. The final year was supposed to be special, wasn't it? And he was a handsome, athletic young man that looked as though he would be getting a golden ticket wherever he wanted to go. So why the feeling of such...boredom?

Walking in the front door after school, Alexander wasn't surprised to see a stranger surrounded by textbooks in the living area. His parents had always hired tutors, believing it important that someone always be available for Alexander to ask questions too. That said, it had never been a girl before....maybe his mom had finally decided that being alone in the house with a girl would be cool since he was so mature?

Yeah, that was it.

"Hey there" Alexander called out as he kicked off his shoes "You're the tutor, correct?"

 

[Goddess]

Almost in the distance, it seemed someone was calling. It took her a few seconds to respond, but soon enough Elizabeth slumped forward, pulling the book from her face. There were light marks from the book in her cheeks, but despite that, the freckled college student smiled, if a bit drowsily. Seems the kid had gotten here already, and it was time to do her job.

As her gray eyes scanned him, looking at him up and down, she guessed this was the high school student she was tutoring, not that his parents bothered to give her an introduction before leaving her inside the house and telling her to make herself comfortable. For all they knew, she was a thief or a rapist, but the kid seemed old enough to at least take care of himself, so at least it wouldn't be a babysitting job along with the tutoring. "Alexander, right?" she said, getting up. Once she was standing, you could see her standing at 5'5, her red hair in a bit of a mess, but her posture still confident and relaxed. She had a lean, somewhat lanky body, with a small chest but thin waist and wide hips. "Call me Eli, I'll be helping you with studying for your SATs and whatever else you need in school."

She offered him the right hand to shake while the left hand pushed her red hair back. "So, where do you want to do this? Any idea on what to focus yet? I wanna know at what level you're at."

 

[SilverScar]

It always felt weird to Alexander to stand above his tutors. Maybe it was because of all the psychological babble about how having to look up at someone put them in an inferior position, but there was always something that ticked in the back of his mind whenever this happened. Eli, as she wished to be called, looked like the bookworm-ish shy type if stereotypes were anything to go by with accuracy. Being the athletic jock, it felt like being home alone with this girl was going to be the start of some kind of romantic comedy or high school drama.

The confidence in her posture was a pleasant surprise though, his hand coming out to take her's in a grip that almost engulfed her hand "Alexander, that's me." He nodded, eyes giving her a quick once over. His nighttime wishes of a busty tudor seemed to have gone unanswered for the third year in a row now, but that was probably for the best. Making his way over to the couch, Alexander made sure to sit a cushion length between himself and his new tudor as he unpacked his things onto the space that would be between them. Anything to convince his parents that they'd remained a blessed pair of saints while they were out.

"Well...being a first day, it wasn't a lot of groundbreaking stuff. Lots of course outlines and simple starting assignments" The young athlete explained as he rummaged through his backpack, sorting out his course binders "All that said, I've never really taken a language course before and for some reason, I've decided that Spanish is a course I need on my transcript. A head start in that would probably be a better place to start than pretending I know how I'll end up in Math or Chemistry"

With his homework and assignments all laid out, Alexander stood up from the couch and made his way to the kitchen "I'm getting myself some water. Need anything?"