say what I'm feeling

Calum had gotten to the school early, both excited and nervous about his first day as a Math teacher at the school. More than anything, though, he was proud of himself for coming this far, and he hoped that he'd make a good teacher in the end. If he could encourage his students to chase their dreams while also ensuring they learned the essentials of Mathematics, though, then he'd consider it a job well done. Grinning with the thought, he tried to push away his nervousness, hopeful that the day would go well. Lifting his gaze to the clock on the wall, he eyed it for a moment, aware the first bell would ring in less than five minutes, and he took a breath to prepare himself for the day.

Adrielle closed her locker, adjusting her bag on her shoulder before she leaned against it, peering over at her best friend, Elle, with a small grin. "You think we're gonna survive today?" she joked lightly, because, really, she'd much rather just skip, but it was their last year and she'd promised her parents she'd at least try this year. Once this year was over, though, she planned to get as far away from this city as possible. Outside of her parents and her best friend, she didn't have much of a reason to stay, after all, and she didn't want to just feel trapped there for the rest of her life.

Ashton never thought he'd get this far. He didn't even think that teaching was the right career path for him at first, but with some encouragement from his friends and family, he'd continued on, and now here he was, ready for his first day at teaching English. Ashton had always had a passion for words, a way to make people think, and interpret as they wanted to, and he was eager to pass on that passion to any students he'd encounter that seemed eager enough. Straightening out the classroom once more, Ashton leaned against the desk and glanced at the clock as he straightened out his shirt. The first bell was three and a half minutes away from ringing, and he was nervous.

Eleanor offered a grin to Adrielle as she closed her own locker. "Definitely not." She laughed with her best friend's words, shaking her head in amusement as she fixed her bag on her shoulder. "I think this is the longest I've stayed in school." She joked. It was their senior year of high school, and Eleanor was lucky to have had naturally good grades, but she was desperate to make a good effort this year to finalise that she could actually make something of her life - the only subject that seemed to be holding her back was Math, which was her first period. "The question is, are you going to survive, Ad?"

Calum found himself mentally counting down the seconds until the first bell would ring, watching the second hand as it ticked away on the clock. When it was drawing near the last minute, he stood from the desk and made his way to the door, wanting to greet each student as they came in, wanting to learn what names went with which face without having to always rely on the class register. More than anything, though, he wanted to have good interactions with his students, to let them know that he was looking forward to being their teacher and that he would be there for them for anything they could possibly need, because every student deserved a good role model and he knew that not every student would have that at home - and that they wouldn’t all have somebody to rely on. When the first bell finally rang, he exhaled his nerves and focused, smiling as students came in and, each one that came, he greeted them and got their names, even introduced himself, eager for the day to proceed.

Adrielle couldn’t hold back the laugh that Eleanor’s words forced from her and she grinned broadly, unable to help it. “You’re probably right there. When’s the last time we actually attended our first classes?” she joked lightly, though she knew there was a good amount of truth to her words. She’d attend classes for important things, but, usually, she just studied up on what she needed to know alone, outside of the classroom. She made a joking face, though. “Probably not. My first class is English and, as good as I am with the essays, I hate the readings and never do them, so my grade there always suffer.” Shrugging, she looked up when the bell ran. “Guess it doesn’t matter now, though. We should probably get to our classes.” Looping her arm through her friend’s, she led the way, because their classes were right across from each other, thankfully.

Eleanor laughed with Adrielle's words as she kept her arm connected with Adrielle's. "Exactly." She hummed out happily. "When was the last time we attended school before afternoon classes?" She teased. The girls had done their fair share of truancy, but those were days Eleanor would never regret. "Do we have to?" She groaned. "I hate Math." She grouched, following Adrielle's lead with enthusiasm in her step, despite her words. However, when she reached the usual classroom - with Adrielle's English classroom being right opposite hers, Eleanor blinked as she saw the door was open. "Hm," she hummed quietly. "Meet me out here after class?" She grinned at her best friend.

Ashton had spent the last remaining three and a half minutes psyching himself up and writing a welcome message on the board. He knew English was a tedious subject to most, but he wanted to make the class as fun as he could, and he wanted his students to feel that they had a space where they could express themselves openly. Grinning as the bell rang, Ashton sat on the edge of the desk once more, relaxing as his nine am English senior class began to come in one by one. Seeing an empty desk near the back, Ashton ignored his curiosity but stood to his feet. "Hiya guys," he grinned. "I'm Mr Irwin, I'm your English teacher for this year and I promise you, I'm not going to make you read Hamlet and write a million essays." He grinned.

Calum grinned, watching each student as they went to their seats after each greeting, making sure that he memorized the names they’d given him, their faces, and where they were each sitting. Looking to the clock on the wall, he saw that there was still a good three minutes left before the final bell rang for class to begin, and, while the class wasn’t yet full, he didn’t intend to move from his spot; there was only one desk empty, but whoever sat in that desk still deserved the same greeting all the other students did. Waiting patiently, he still observed the other students, looking forward to really leaving a good impression on them, hoping that he could encourage them to love learning or to at least enjoy this class. Hearing students outside, he straightened a bit, wondering if one of the voices belonged to his missing student - admittedly, one of the voices was melodic, easy to enjoy listening to, but he tried not to pay much attention to that thought and tried even harder not to eavesdrop.

Adrielle grinned to Eleanor’s words, lifting her shoulders in a small shrug. “Um, probably Freshman year,” she hummed out easily in response as they walked, settling her gaze ahead, watching other students rush off to their classes, though she just walked leisurely, casually, in no particular rush to get to her English class. “Back when we were good little students, before we discovered how fun it was to skip.” Looking to her friend, she laughed as she nudged her. “You can survive Math. I have all the faith in you.” Still, though, she nodded to Eleanor’s suggestion. “Of course.” Her grin returned to her features. “After all, you’re stuck with me in our next class.” Winking jokingly, she playfully pushed Eleanor towards her class with a laugh before turning to go to the classroom opposite Eleanor’s.

"That's four years of being a bunch of assholes," Eleanor grinned at Adrielle, unable to help herself as the hallway began to empty out. She was, admittedly, in no rush to get into her class. Her rebellious nature was a large factor, but Eleanor wasn't very confident in Math, and she tried her best to avoid it when she could. "Hey, I'm still a good girl! I just like to be a bitch, that's not an issue." She teased, shoving Adrielle away gently. "Go, you asshole. I hate you." She grinned at her best friend, squealing slightly as Adrielle pushed her. "Oi, I'm telling my teacher." She teased, but made her way towards the Math classroom, pausing when she saw a handsome man stood by the door, and Eleanor studied him for a long moment, before smiling, trying to act collected. "Such a gentleman, holding the door for a lady." She teased.

Ashton was well aware that the final bell for class attendance hadn't rung yet, but that empty seat in the back of the classroom was beginning to drive him up the wall. Once Ashton was curious about something, that curiosity had to be fed. Still, Ashton paused as he noticed the door handle turn, and he focused on the door, still speaking about this year and the prospectus he had set up for the seniors - their classes were going to be more about doing rather than listening, and Ashton was hoping he could execute it in a way that would make English exciting for them. When the door opened though, and an ethereal young woman stood in the doorway, Ashton blinked in surprise, stuttering on his words slightly as he studied her for a long moment. Silently chastising himself for ogling a student, Ashton cleared his throat and smiled. "You're late." He spoke in a teasing tone - although she wasn't technically. "Welcome to English, your highness. Can I get you some tea while you're at it?"

Calum waited patiently to find out who his final student was - or to find out whether his final student would even show up in class today, - but, more than anything, to find out if the owner of the voice would belong in his class. Chewing on his lip, he shifted a bit, leaning against the open door for a moment, offering a smile to his class while he waited for the final bell, before pausing when he noticed movement. Looking at the entrance, he paused in shock, his heart racing immediately when he saw the gorgeous young woman there and, for a moment, he forgot where they were, and forgot that she had to be a student and that he was a teacher, unable to help but to find himself curious about her, wanting to know her, wanting to earn her trust and more. Still, he smiled, straightening, and nodded, offering his hand out to her, his heart swelling with her voice, surprised with how elated he was to know that the voice he’d been paying so much attention to belonged to her. “I’m Mr. Hood,” he introduced himself, “Your new Math teacher. I figured greeting each of you as you came in would be a nice way to get the day going. Welcome to class.”

Adrielle grinned to her friend, winking teasingly in goodbye before she headed into her class, though she paused in surprise when she saw a man against the desk, and, for a moment, she was confused, because since when were any of their teachers even remotely attractive? And how long had he been working there? Could she have actually enjoyed her usual English class if she’d been coming prior to today? Shrugging the thought aside, she offered a small smirk, tilting her head. “You’re lucky I showed up at all. I usually don’t, just ask anybody,” she said easily in response, “Since when do we have a new teacher working here?” And, a damn attractive one at that - it really wasn’t fair. Still, shifting, she moved to her seat, setting her things down before she slid into her seat, peering to the front, watching the new teacher with idle curiosity and major interest.

Eleanor broke out of her thoughts when the gorgeous man, presumably her teacher, smiled, but she blinked with his words - his voice was the sweetest thing Eleanor had ever heard, and she wanted to hear more of it, and the thought of listening to him for the next hour wasn't the worst thought she'd had. Accepting his hand to shake, Eleanor tried, desperately, almost, to ignore how she felt a jolt of electricity travel up her arm and throughout her entire existence. "Mr Hood, nice to meet you." She grinned. "I'm Eleanor Tomlinson." She figured that he was making an effort, so she should too, although she knew it wouldn't be for long. "Great first impression." She winked.

Ashton grinned as he studied Adrielle further. He could tell there was the makings of a troublemaker in her, and the whole idea excited him, he had to admit. Not only was she gorgeous, but when she spoke, Ashton swore he could get lost in her voice - better than any song or rhyme he'd ever heard, and god dammit, he wouldn't mind hearing more. But her words struck a chord, and Ashton's smirk mimicked hers. "Well, new teacher was hired over the summer when your old teacher was found to be crap." He offered in an easy response, grabbing the roll. "Alright, is everyone here now, or is there another Queen Bee due to make an entrance?" He grinned at Adrielle.

Calum paused in shock when he felt warmth and electricity flood through him the moment Eleanor’s hand was in his and all he wanted in that moment was to continue holding her hand, to continue enjoying her presence near him, because something about her was already so addictive, even though he knew he shouldn’t be thinking this way about a student, ever. And, yet, he couldn’t really stop those thoughts from infiltrating his mind. Still, he smiled slightly, giving her hand a gentle squeeze after the shake before he dropped his hand. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Eleanor,” he greeted her gently, making sure to tuck her name away because, even if it may take a few tries to remember all the other students’ names at first, he just knew that her name was already ingrained in his mind. “Thank you, I’m glad you think so.” He grinned, watching her, his heart swelling at her wink, and he motioned. “Go ahead and have a seat. Today will just be an introduction to myself and how I plan to go about the semester. If we get through that fast enough, we may dive into a lesson, but no promises.”

Adrielle hummed in response, leaning back in her seat as she watched the teacher. “Really? It took them that long to realize that the old teacher sucked?” she asked, arching a brow, though she grinned slightly. At least having this man as the teacher would give her a reason to actually attend English from now on, because there was no way she was gonna pass up any chance to be in this man’s presence. Not only was he gorgeous, but he was also entertaining, amusing, and it gave her a reason to actually enjoy class, she hoped. “There’s another Queen Bee, but she’s in Math right now, so you’re just stuck with one of us, lucky you. I doubt you could survive two. You’ll probably barely survive one.”

Eleanor smiled when Calum squeezed her hand, and she couldn't help but wonder if he squeezed anyone else's hand. Watching him as she walked past him with confidence, Eleanor smirked with his words. "No rush for that lesson, sugar." She told him, going to her usual desk and tucking her bag underneath so it wasn't a tripping hazard. Still, if Mr Hood was her new Math teacher, she was almost positive Math wouldn't seem so bad. He was gorgeous, his voice was soothing, and there was something about him that was so undeniably attractive. Sitting back in her seat, Eleanor ran a hand through her ponytail as she got her notepad and pen out - she never wrote notes for Math, opting instead to doodle, and she was sure Mr Hood would be the subject of all her future mini masterpieces.

Ashton smirked with Adrielle's words. "I should probably introduce myself again, seeing as you were late. Try not to be next time." Ashton winked, hoping he was coming off as laid back and approachable and not flirtatious. "I'm Mr Irwin." He introduced. "But they found out that Mr Lewis sucked when all of his classes failed the standard exam, no way can that many students be that dim." He teased, grinning when the class laughed. Hearing Adrielle's words though, Ashton laughed. "In that case, I'm glad there's only one troublemaker in my class." He grinned. "Alright, let's get roll done." And after reading a few names, Ashton looked up as he read out the name Adrielle - and his gaze was instantly drawn to the student who could stand her ground - a name as beautiful as that had to be attached to a woman as gorgeous as her.

Calum grinned slightly when he heard Eleanor’s words, but he quickly ducked his head to hide it, forcing his grin into a smile instead to avoid attracting attention from the rest of the students. Moving to close the door, he went to the desk. “Alright, let’s get started, shall we?” he asked with a small grin as he picked up the register, making sure to mark off the students who were there, remembering all the names he heard, though his gaze naturally went to Eleanor when he marked her name as present, unable to help but to look at her with the reminder of her staring right in his face in the form of her name on the register. As he finished, he set the register down and grinned at the class, trying to force his gaze away from lingering on Eleanor too much or too often. “As you all know by now, I’m Mr. Hood. I’ll admit, this will be my first year teaching, but I plan to do my best to help each and every one of you enjoy this class - and if any of you ever need help in anything or need somebody to talk to, I’m here for all of you, always, I promise. I want this class to be a safe, open environment for all of you, and I want to ensure you each leave this year, feeling more confident in yourselves and looking forward to your futures - and I hope to make Math at least a little bearable.” He grinned.

Adrielle chewed on her lip to hide the grin that threatened to form on her features when she heard Mr. Irwin’s words and saw his wink - and she tried not to think too far into the action, but she figured she was at least allowed to daydream, and Mr. Irwin was definitely worth daydreaming about. “Welcome to Hell, Mr. Irwin. We hope you enjoy your stay,” she chimed out easily in response, offering a small grin as she examined him before she settled into her seat, finding herself watching him more than she probably should, but she couldn’t help it. When he started to call roll, she waited until her name was called, and she tried not to pay attention to the fact that Mr. Irwin’s attention went to her, but she smirked as she raised her hand. “That’d be me, Mr. Irwin.”

Eleanor doodled as Mr Hood spoke, but she still listened intently, because his voice was something that Eleanor was sure she would never tire of hearing. Still, she frowned with the mention of Math being bearable, tensing with the thought. Eleanor's grades were naturally decent, but Math was something she always struggled with and just couldn't overcome. And knowing that Mr Hood would see her steady grade of 'F' on the system, for the past four years, made Eleanor wish that the ground would swallow her up. Lifting her gaze to Mr Hood once more, Eleanor studied his mannerisms - how his hands were tattooed with initials, how he spoke, his smile... and she couldn't help but bite her lip slightly, knowing it was wrong to be attracted to a figure of authority.

Ashton laughed, shaking his head jokingly with Adrielle's words. "I'll be sure to make Hell feel like home, don't you worry." Ashton chimed back easily, not even having to put much thought into his comebacks. Still, as Adrielle raised her hand to confirm his suspicion, Ashton smirked. "Thanks for the confirmation, Adrielle. I kinda guessed." He teased, finishing roll and putting away the register, sitting for a moment to log into the system to look at everyone's 'profiles' on the school system. "Alright, so I'm gonna have an easy first lesson for you guys." Ashton explained with a grin. "This is my first year teaching, so while I brush up on your past offences, I'm gonna have you interpret some poem by a writer from the 1800s. There's a copy on each of your desks." He explained with a grin. "Raise your hand if you need any help, don't be afraid to approach me." Ashton sounded more sincere, because he genuinely wanted his students to do well.

Calum smiled as he examined the class as he spoke, though his gaze continuously went to Eleanor, despite how many times he tried not to look at her, tried not to stare, tried not to be completely caught up in her. Still, he nodded slightly. “Alright, guys, while I promise I don’t plan to have an actual lesson today unless it’s necessary, I do have a worksheet for everybody to do - you’re welcome to take it home to work on it, but it’s really just to see where everybody stands and what exactly we all need to work on,” he told the class as he moved to gather the stack of papers before he peered around. “Eleanor, do you mind passing these out for me?” A part of him really just wanted her near him, even if it would only last for a few moments, but he didn’t want to be too obvious about it, not wanting to cause the other students to be suspicious, and definitely not wanting to disturb Eleanor in any way. “And, guys, please don’t cheat on these, okay? I won’t be grading them, but I’d like to see how well you each do, and I’d love it if you all would show your work, the usual stuff. And, if any of you need help on this, don’t hesitate to ask - there’s absolutely no judgment here, I promise, because even Math teachers need help sometimes.”

Adrielle paused with mild surprise, finding herself staring at Mr. Irwin for a few long moments. Still, a small, amused grin formed on her features, unable to help it, because it was hard not to consider the possibility of a hidden meaning behind Mr. Irwin’s words. The grin fell as quickly as it had appeared, though, when he talked about the lesson and brushing up on their offences, and all the confidence she normally felt suddenly seeped out of her, causing her to slide down in her seat, trying to make herself appear as small as possible, and grateful she was in the back so that nobody was really paying attention. Chewing hard on her lip, she ducked her head, trying to ignore the way her heart ached with the thought that Mr. Irwin was going to see just how awful her grades were in this class. Still, she shifted, reaching to grab a pencil from her backpack, and she tried to focus on the poem that was left for them, wanting to at least make the effort, but she frowned when she didn’t understand anything in it.

Eleanor blinked as Mr Hood called on her to hand out the worksheets, but she nodded, having no problem about being in front of her peers. Moving to Calum, she accepted the stack of papers with a smile, just being near him feeling like some sort of religious experience - she could smell his cologne, and the sight of him was enough to drive her wild. Handing the paper out to the class, putting one on her own desk, Eleanor listened to Mr Hood's words and almost cringed, because she knew she couldn't even recite a simple times table. Sitting down once more, Eleanor ducked her head, staring at the work sheet and internally groaning, sinking down in her seat in shame.

Ashton didn't spend too long on the computer - everyone's grades looked good, and if they continued to uphold this standard, they would all pass the year with flying colours. There was one student, however, who stood out to him the most, and that was Adrielle. Her grades were brilliant in every other subject, but in English, she was on the brink of failing. Blinking in surprise, Ashton read through previous reports before switching off the computer, standing to lean on the desk once more, studying his students carefully, and seeing Adrielle sunk down in her seat. Watching her, Ashton bit his lip, wondering how he could let her know that it was okay. Grabbing a pen and paper, Ashton wrote See me after school, we can discuss your grades! If you don't feel up to it, just write me a little poem. No pressure Underlining his final words a few times, Ashton folded the note and hid it as he walked around the classroom, reading what everyone was writing, until he got to Adrielle and placed the note on her desk, walking away casually, seeing no one had noticed.

Calum smiled slightly when Eleanor came to take the stack of papers, unable to help the way his heart swelled happily with her being near him, even for that small moment. He tried not to watch her while she passed out the papers, instead forcing himself to turn to go to his desk, pulling up his computer so that he could see how everybody had been doing in their classes prior to this. His eyes occasionally went to Eleanor while he went through each student’s records, mostly because he couldn’t help it, finding that his eyes always searched for her already, and, personally, he couldn’t see himself ever wanting to change that, so long as nobody really noticed it. Regardless, his eyes went back to his computer as he pulled up Eleanor’s grades, too curious about her to not pay extra attention to her records, though his heart ached for her when he saw her grades in Math - at least that explained why her head was ducked and she was sinking down in her seat. His expression softened and he found himself wanting to help her; of course, he’d want to help any of his students, but he just knew that Eleanor would especially be his priority. Chewing on his lip, he tried to think of a way to help her and, when he came up with an idea, he smiled to himself, deciding to reach for a pen and a piece of paper. If you don’t mind, I’d love to talk to you after class about your grades. I think I have an idea on how to help you out, if you’re up for it. You’re completely welcome to just ignore the offer, of course, but I want you to know that I’m always here to help and I intend to follow through with that promise. He neatly folded the note, slipping it into his pocket casually before he stood up to walk around the classroom to help a few students who’d raised their hands for help but, when he walked pass Eleanor, he made sure to discreetly place the note on her desk after making sure nobody was watching before he continued his way to help other students.

Adrielle had been racking her mind for any way to interpret the stupid poem, her fingers so tightly wrapped around her pencil that her knuckles were almost turning white. She paused, though, when she saw Mr. Irwin walking around the classroom, an anxiety she wasn’t familiar with bubbling up in her chest with the fact that he was getting closer and she hadn’t written a damn thing when it came to the poem. Her head ducking again, she tried to focus, but she paused when she saw a note being set on her desk and her gaze went to Mr. Irwin as she watched him walk away, her brows furrowing. Shifting, she grabbed the note to open it and she read over it for a few moments, chewing on her lip, her shoulders slumping when she saw the words written over it, because it meant he’d noticed how bad her grades were. She was grateful for his offer, though, and her fingers curled around the note as she thought about what to do - still, a part of her was grateful for the note just because of Mr. Irwin’s handwriting, but she didn’t want to admit that aloud.

Eleanor, instead of answering the questions on the worksheet, merely doodled a loveheart in the corner of the page, looking around at her peers and feeling her heart sink in her chest when she saw everyone answering the problems with no difficulty. Exhaling, Eleanor shaded in the heart, but when Mr Hood walked past her, she lifted her head, her head tilting slightly as he dropped a note onto her desk. Blinking, Eleanor watched as he walked away before grabbing the note, re-reading his words, Eleanor toyed with her lower lip and nodded to herself, grateful for some help. Still, she studied Mr Hood's handwriting, before lifting her gaze to him once more, folding the note and holding onto it tightly.

Ashton leaned against his own desk once more, studying the classroom and noticing that every student was too preoccupied to notice that his gaze naturally drifted to Adrielle. She was gorgeous, and Ashton was keen to ignite a love for English in her that she probably didn't have now. Ashton frowned though, with the thought that the previous teacher must of noticed her struggling and never reached out to offer any help. How could a teacher watch a student struggle and not doing anything to help? Folding his arms across his chest with the thought, Ashton offered Adrielle a small smile, even when she wasn't focused on him, but he always wanted to be a positive force for her to turn to, because she deserved something good.

Calum made sure to help the students that asked, which took out quite a bit of time from the class, before he headed back to his desk, sitting down to peer around at the students, though his gaze went back to Eleanor naturally. He chewed on his lip, hopeful that she’d accept his offer to help, but he figured he would understand if she didn’t. Still, he smiled to himself as he watched her, wanting to do whatever he could to help her, because she deserved it. Seeing her gaze lift to him, he couldn’t help but to quickly avert his gaze, not wanting to be caught staring, and he almost made a face at himself for acting like a school boy with a crush. Still, his thoughts never left her, and he found himself hoping that he could spark some interest in Math from her, or that he’d at least manage to make it bearable for her, because he knew many students saw Math as torture. As the bell rang to dismiss class, he stood up. “Alright, guys, that’s it for today,” he announced with a small grin, “I’ll see everybody tomorrow. If you’re done with your worksheet, go ahead and turn it in - otherwise, try to turn it in tomorrow, okay?”

Adrielle chewed on her lip nervously and she slipped the note into her pocket, a part of her just wanting to keep the note close, wanting to keep that part of Mr. Irwin close, because she was sure it was all she would get. Dropping her gaze back to the poem, she rubbed at her forehead with frustration before she lifted her gaze to look at the clock, though her attention instead went to Mr. Irwin. For a moment, she could feel her heart swell and race, even more so when she saw the smile, and she quickly ducked her head, chewing a little harsher on her lip. When the bell rang, though, she grabbed her bag and slowly put her things away, figuring that taking her time would at least make it seem less suspicious for anybody to ask why she was staying behind for class, because she wasn’t sure she could come up with an excuse on the spot, and she didn’t want to talk about her awful grades to anybody.

Eleanor snapped out of her daydream - admittedly about Mr Hood - when the bell rang, and as her classmates began to slowly filter out of the classroom, Eleanor packed her things away slowly, taking her time so she could grab the opportunity for some extra help, and grab the opportunity to be around Mr Hood a little longer. Eleanor wanted to laugh at herself, because in her four years of high school, she had never, not once, developed a crush on a teacher, but there was something so incredible about Mr Hood that she couldn't ignore it. She didn't want to. When the last of the students left, Eleanor approached Mr Hood, hitching her bag over her shoulder. "Uh," she cleared her throat nervously, still holding onto the note, a piece of him she could keep. "I'd love to take you up on this." She showed him the note she was holding. "What's the idea, teach?" She tried to sound confident, hoping it came across.

Ashton studied Adrielle as the bell rang, wanting to see if she would take him up on his offer, and he grinned as she packed her things away a little slower. "Alright guys, great lesson." He clapped his hands enthusiastically. "I promise the next one will be more fun," he teased - although he did have a few fun ideas in mind. Watching as students began to filter out, Ashton shut the classroom door after them and approached Adrielle gently - she was the only student he really wanted to make a good impression with. "Adrielle," he spoke softly, sitting on the desk in front of Adrielle's, resting his feet on the chair. "You gonna take me up on my offer?" He kept his voice quiet, sincere, gentle, knowing that some students needed to be approached sensitively when it came to bad grades. "I couldn't help but notice that this is the only class you're struggling with. You don't have to struggle by yourself anymore."

Calum watched as the students filtered out of the classroom, almost relieved when he saw that Eleanor didn’t seem to be in any rush to leave; he hoped that was a good sign, that it meant that she’d put some thought into his note and that she’d be up for it. When she approached, though, he smiled slightly and nodded, glad to see that she seemed interested in the idea. “I’m glad to hear that, Eleanor,” he told her honestly before he shifted to stand up, moving to close the door - both to ensure that no students walked in and interrupted the conversation and to ensure that nobody overheard the conversation, because he was sure that Eleanor didn’t want anybody to know about her grades and he wanted to respect that; the last thing he wanted to do was to embarrass her in any way. Moving back over to her, he offered a gentle smile. “You’re completely welcome to pass up on the offer, but I want to help you, Eleanor. I know Math isn’t easy for a lot of people - even I had trouble with it in uni, despite it being what I wanted to teach. I’m telling you this so you know you’re not alone, but also so that you know that it is something we can work on, and I intend to help you with that, if you’ll let me. As for my idea, I was thinking that, perhaps, we could meet after school for tutoring sessions?”

Adrielle closed her backpack when she heard Mr. Irwin’s voice and, blinking, she peered up at him, her fingers curling around one of the straps of her backpack as she lifted it to her lap, listening quietly to his words. “What exactly do you have in mind, Mr. Irwin?” she asked after a moment, shifting a bit as she listened to him speak, cringing with the knowledge that he’d noticed how poorly she did in English compared to all her other classes. “Because if this is one of those too-good-to-believe offers that comes with a hitch, I’m definitely not interested. But, if it’s an offer that actually seems doable, I might as well give it a try.”