Puppy Love

001.

I was getting ready for the challenging day ahead of me. I work at the local elementary school, and while there is never a dull moment, today would be the most insane of them all.

Before I go any further, allow me to introduce myself. I am Dakotah Rae Stevens. I have recently graduated from The College of William and Mary, and I am only 18. Thanks to an early college program, I have already received a double major in History and Education and I am working on my minor in French. Along with being exceptional in my studies, I have landed a job at River Heights Elementary School. I teach the fourth grade. I love every minute I get to spend in the classroom with my bunch of kids.

I got into the shower, as ready as I will ever be to begin this day, and quickly bathed. My water suddenly shut off.

"Dammit," I growled, getting out of the shower and putting a robe on. I got dressed in my navy high-waisted skirt and a simple red and white striped sweater. It was a little big on me, but I shrugged it off. It would do. The simple outfit was enough to impress any visitors to the parent teacher conference this afternoon. I slipped on my white crochet Toms and quickly put on my gold heart necklace and matching earrings. I let my hair air dry, allowing the curls to come freely. I sighed, grabbing my purse and leaving my apartment building, locking the door behind me.

I got into my car and drove to the elementary school. Once I arrived, I got all of my stuff out of the car, then locked it. I walked up to the big doors leading into a small area with chairs and bulletin boards. I walked into the office, signed in, and got my mail. I walked silently to my class room, knowing there wouldn't be much more quiet in about thirty minutes.

I unlocked the door to my classroom and turned the lights on. I smiled. My classroom was definitely fun to be in. My room was bright and airy, with colors everywhere. Other teachers in the school had traditional rooms. I considered my classroom a place to express any and all creativity. I went to my desk and sat down, leaving my door propped open. I began to grade some tests and quizzes as busywork. I heard a couple knocks on the door. I looked up as a petite little girl with long brown locks and beautiful blue eyes walked up to me.

"Hello, Ms. Stevens!" She said, coming around my desk to hug me.

"Hello, Anne!" I said, hugging her, "You want some paper and crayons so you can go draw?" I said, standing up and walking over to my giant colorful cabinets and pulling out the paper and crayons. I handed them to her and she walked to her desk and began working. I went back to my desk, where a boy that seemed to be my age, was standing. He was tall, with dark brown hair and breathtaking blue eyes.

"Hello, I'm Ms. Dakotah Stevens, are you her father?" I asked, the resemblance between the two being very noticeable.

"Oh no, I'm her brother. I'm Damian. Damian McGinty," He said, in a thick Irish accent.

"Well Damian, it's very nice to meet you," I said, smiling and shaking his hand. He smiled and sat down in one of the many beanbag chairs placed around my room. I walked around to my desk and sat down and began to go back to grading papers.

"So how long have you worked here? You look really young," He said, watching me.

"Oh, this is my first year. I just graduated, actually. I'm 18," I said, marking an 'A' on the paper and putting it to the side.

"How did you graduate college so quickly?" He asked, taken by surprise by my age.

"I did dual enrollment stuff in high school. It all added up and I just had two semesters of college courses before I was able to get my desired majors. I just took the semesters during my senior year to keep busy. I'm still working on my minor," I said, smiling. He looked like his mind had blown away.

"Wow. That's impressive," He said.

"Ms. Stevens!" Anne called, raising her hand.

"Yes, Anne?"

"Can I go to the bathroom, please?" She said standing up beside her desk. I waved her over and gave her the bathroom pass. She thanked me and went on her way.

"So, Ms. Dakotah Stevens," Damian said with a loving ring to my name.

"Yes?" I asked, not looking up from my papers.

"Would you like to go to dinner with me this week?" He asked, standing up and taking my pen out of my hand.

"I would love to," I said, smiling and grabbing my pen from his hand.

"How about Friday night? 6?" He asked as the bell for class rang.

"Sounds good," I said smiling, "Now you have to get out of here. Class is starting."

"Goodbye, Ms. Stevens," He said as he walked out of the door, getting pummeled by fourth graders who were all eager to learn.

"Good morning, guys!" I said at the front of the classroom when everyone arrived.

"Good morning, Ms. Stevens!" All twenty-one voices replied, smiling.

"So lets talk about ancient Greece!" I said, smiling and peppy.

-----

Lunch came around, which meant that the only other teacher who was close to my age would be arriving in my room soon. She is 20 and she has a student aide job through job placement at her college. Next year she would become a teacher and would be on the same hall as me.

"Hey Caroline," I said, hearing her sneak into my room. She sat down and we began our lunches.

"So this little girl's brother came in this morning," I said, trying to start the conversation.

"How old is he?" She asked, munching on some chips.

"He's around my age, I'm sure," I said, eating a forkfull of my spaghetti.

"Ah," She said, wiggling her eyebrows and taking a sip of her water.

"We have a date Friday," I said, eating some more spaghetti. Caroline did a spit take and started coughing.

"Atta girl!" She said, smiling, "You've gotta look hot!"

"Nah, I was thinking just dress like I do normally. I don't want him to think I'm a bad mamma jamma or anything," I said, chuckling.

The bell rang for the end of lunch.

"Go have fun with your first graders!" I said, smiling.

"Bite me, Stevens," She said, walking out of the door.

I finished the rest of the day and had no problems until parent-teacher conferences.