Status: Active
Even If You Turned into a Cat...
Try to Keep It Light
“All right, all right, quiet down,” said Mr. Sherman. “Today we will be going over a few pieces by Tenneson today, but first, we have a new student.” All heads turned towards where Mr. Sherman was gesturing, and Layla turned beet red. “Sorry for the embarrassment dear, but please, tell us a little about yourself.”
“U-uh,” Layla stammered. “Well, my name is Layla Torelli, and…well, I guess I’m pretty boring,” she smiled, and the class laughed.
Mr. Sherman smiled and shook his head. “No one is boring, Ms. Torelli. Come on, one interesting fact?”
“Um,” she said, playing with her hair. “Well, I speak Italian and a little French.” Layla saw Aiden perk up beside her.
“Do you really? Where’d you learn?”
“My dad is from Italy, and my mom was French. I only got to learn a little French, but my dad has taught me Italian.”
“You only ‘got to’ learn a little? What do you mean?” asked Mr. Sherman. Leave it up to an English teacher to focus on little words like that.
Layla took a quick, but deep, breath, choosing her words carefully and answered, “I only got to learn a little French before my mom passed away. I was very young, but I still remember a good chunk of what I did learn,” she said, giving a small smile and looking painfully aware of the awkward silence that had fallen across the room. Well, she’d tried to end on a lighter note.
“Ah,” said Mr. Sherman. “I’m very sorry to hear that. But that background knowledge in those languages will certainly help you understand Literature better, and the roots of words. I trust someone is helping you find your way around?”
“Yes, sir. Aiden and I have the same schedule.”
“Lucky guy, Aiden,” said Mr. Sherman jokingly, winking, and Layla blushed again. “Anyhow, enough of that. Please pull out your books and turn to page 34…”
Layla breathed a sigh of relief as the last person turned away from her to dig in their bookbag. She glanced at Aiden, and he gave her a small, sympathetic smile, and mouthed, “Sorry. Awkward.” She smiled back and nodded, a tiny laugh escaping her lips from nerves.
Class went by quickly, and Layla found herself looking forward to the next class. She already made one friend, and that was a record in all of her many first days! It didn’t take long for Aiden to doze off, and Mr. Sherman caught her looking and took a moment between poems to assure her he wasn’t dead and that this was a fairly normal activity for him, which got the whole class laughing. Layla thought to this morning, when she had no hope for things to improve or be better here, and couldn’t believe she was hearing herself laugh, for not even the first time today! She bit her lip, and looked upwards, to the sky. Please, let me stay here, she thought. Don’t make Daddy move me again.
Her father was due to visit and check in tomorrow evening.
“U-uh,” Layla stammered. “Well, my name is Layla Torelli, and…well, I guess I’m pretty boring,” she smiled, and the class laughed.
Mr. Sherman smiled and shook his head. “No one is boring, Ms. Torelli. Come on, one interesting fact?”
“Um,” she said, playing with her hair. “Well, I speak Italian and a little French.” Layla saw Aiden perk up beside her.
“Do you really? Where’d you learn?”
“My dad is from Italy, and my mom was French. I only got to learn a little French, but my dad has taught me Italian.”
“You only ‘got to’ learn a little? What do you mean?” asked Mr. Sherman. Leave it up to an English teacher to focus on little words like that.
Layla took a quick, but deep, breath, choosing her words carefully and answered, “I only got to learn a little French before my mom passed away. I was very young, but I still remember a good chunk of what I did learn,” she said, giving a small smile and looking painfully aware of the awkward silence that had fallen across the room. Well, she’d tried to end on a lighter note.
“Ah,” said Mr. Sherman. “I’m very sorry to hear that. But that background knowledge in those languages will certainly help you understand Literature better, and the roots of words. I trust someone is helping you find your way around?”
“Yes, sir. Aiden and I have the same schedule.”
“Lucky guy, Aiden,” said Mr. Sherman jokingly, winking, and Layla blushed again. “Anyhow, enough of that. Please pull out your books and turn to page 34…”
Layla breathed a sigh of relief as the last person turned away from her to dig in their bookbag. She glanced at Aiden, and he gave her a small, sympathetic smile, and mouthed, “Sorry. Awkward.” She smiled back and nodded, a tiny laugh escaping her lips from nerves.
Class went by quickly, and Layla found herself looking forward to the next class. She already made one friend, and that was a record in all of her many first days! It didn’t take long for Aiden to doze off, and Mr. Sherman caught her looking and took a moment between poems to assure her he wasn’t dead and that this was a fairly normal activity for him, which got the whole class laughing. Layla thought to this morning, when she had no hope for things to improve or be better here, and couldn’t believe she was hearing herself laugh, for not even the first time today! She bit her lip, and looked upwards, to the sky. Please, let me stay here, she thought. Don’t make Daddy move me again.
Her father was due to visit and check in tomorrow evening.
♠ ♠ ♠
just a shorty. big business coming.