The Principal's Office

I glanced up at the clock in the teacher's' lounge. It was a quarter until 2:00 p.m. I groaned, looking back down at my phone again. It was pretty obvious my last tutoring kid was not going to show up, again. That was so frustrating. It was easy money and I liked the kids I was tutoring this summer. However I was ready to get back in my own classroom (which was currently out of commission having just been waxed), with my own students and all my own things. This was my third year teaching and I was fully prepared for my new crop of 5th graders.

What I was not prepared for, however, was the new Principal, essentially my new boss. Like stated previously this was going to be my third year teaching and my first two were under the elderly woman Principal who hired me. She micromanaged a lot, but was sweet and I liked her for the most part. Our new Principal was supposedly nothing like her. He moved down from the Assistant Principal position at the Catholic High School my school was a feeder to. Apparently none of the students liked him because he was a total asshole. A total asshole that I was supposed to meet in fifteen minutes.

I decided it was better to be prompt and try to give a good first impression. I shut the lights off in the lounge and headed up the central hallway towards the front offices. My flip-flops made a loud clicking noise in the almost spooky empty school. Flip flops were probably not the most professional thing to wear upon meeting your new boss. Neither was a football team tshirt and black yoga pants from Old Navy that did nothing but accentuate my bubble butt.

But he's the one that had emailed all the teachers, asking us to meet him at some point during the summer, our time off. I lived across the river literally in another state. I wasn't going to make a special trip to work when I was already tutoring there twice a week. He said it would be an informal meeting and that's what he was getting. He was lucky I put mascara on this morning. I swept my long blonde ponytail that faded into pink and purple over my shoulder. I just knew he was going to say something about my summer hair. Why was I being so defensive? I hadn't even laid eyes on the guy and I was ready to argue with him. Arguing wasn't normally in my personality. Strange.

I walked up towards his office and saw the shiny new gold nameplate on the door: JOHANNES BURNS. It took everything in me not to roll my eyes. I should be the last person to make fun of someone's name, but really? I took a deep breath and tapped on the door. There was a noise of movement inside and a bit of shuffling. Finally the door opened.

In the doorway stood a man literally looking down at me. Now I understand I'm a short woman, barely 5'2" with shoes on. But the man in front of me had to be a good fourteen to sixteen inches taller than me. His eyes were dark, and not just because they were in fact a chocolate brown but because he just looked so intense. His short black hair was delicately peppered with gray, as was the very short, well kept beard he was sporting. He was built like a former athlete. Maybe baseball or possibly football. He height was more evident when he opened the door wider to let me in. "Come in, Ms. Walker," he said and for a moment I felt like a small, misbehaving child who had been sent down to the Principal's office.

I stepped inside and let him make the guest move so I could figure out where to sit. He sat down at his table and I sat across from him, wringing my hands in my lap. I glanced around the office. It was so different than the previous Principal. This one had installed a TV, put up Star Wars paraphernalia everywhere and on his desk were pictures of three little brunette children and a pretty, slender brunette woman. He seemed to be checking something on his phone but then put it down and smiled at me. I felt a strange rush of anxiety as I tried to smile back at him, wringing my hands tighter.

"Alright, Ms. Walker. What do I need to know about you? Let's see..." He started looking at his phone again.

"Wait...is this your real name?"

I sighed. Most people would be offended by this type of question, but not me. I was more than used to it right now.

"Yep, totally me. Alitta Sunshine Walker, but everyone calls me 'Litty'. My parents are sort of free spirits." This time when I smiled it was genuine. But my smile quickly turned dark when the man in front me muttered, "Yeah. Sort of...something."

This did offend me. Yes, my name was a little kooky but my parents are artists. They're creative by nature and my name means sunshine and happiness to them. How dare Johannes Burns, whose name sounded like the love child between Mr. Smithers and his decrepit boss off the Simpsons, make fun of MY name.

As if reading my mind he spoke up, "Well, Litty, you can call me Jack. Tell me about this school. How's it been so far for you? What would you like to see change?"

I started off slow, almost quiet. I don't like to rock the boat. I love my coworkers dearly but I'm more of a flying solo kind of educator. Taking after my parents I might have a little too much creativity in my blood and tend to be a bit louder, a bit messier than my coworkers. But that's what came spilling out of me. I told him all about my first year, how it was so magical. I told him about my second year, the challenges it brought. I started to tear up talking about one of my students from last year, a boy with Dyslexia who was brave enough to read a Petition at Mass because of my encouragement.

When I finished I was the one that was smiling now. But all he did was nod and went into a spiel about how he was a very blunt, straightforward kind of person who would rather offend with the truth than sugar coat to make someone feel better and that I shouldn't take it personally when he says things like that to me. I was silent, unsure how to even respond.

When he finished his speech he shook my hand and told me he looked forward to working with me. "I like your positive outlook and the energy you put off. You really are a ray of Sunshine," he said as he walked me to the door and wished me a good day. "Oh, and Ms. Walker? Your hair."

Here it comes, I thought. He's gonna tell you to get rid of it.

"It's the perfect length," he said as he shut the door.

What the hell? The perfect length? The perfect length for what? I was fully prepared for him to make a snide comment about the pink and purple, but the length? I was still thinking about that as I pulled up in front of my house and headed inside. Even though I knew he was working I texted my boyfriend, Luke.

'Met the new Principal today. It was interesting.'

My phone buzzed and I checked to see if it was Luke, but it was a messenger notification from a group chat of some of the teachers I worked worth.

'Um, so whos met Jack yet? Talk about GORGEOUS!!'

'Ur not lying! How are we supposed to concentrate w/ him walking around all the time!?'

'I sure hope I get called to the Principal's office! ;)'

I laughed and rolled my eyes. Good lord. Working with predominantly woman, sometimes catty at that, could be downright hilarious. I tried to imagine my meeting less than an hour ago. Was he attractive? I was so intimidated and nearly offended by him that I guess I didn't see it. The messenger went off again, but I didn't open it. I'd had enough Jack Burns for one day.

The last month of summer flew by and before I knew it we were back at the school, meeting whole group for our first day of Inservices. There was a lot of chatter and banter from everyone not seeing each other over the summer months. I smiled and said hello, but chose a seat and got my things ready for the meeting. I brushed my newly highlighted hair (pink and purple now faded almost completely out) over my shoulder when I got a strong, lovely smell of men's cologne.

"Ms. Walker, your hair..."

Goosebumps broke out all over my arms. I felt the Principal leaning over me, almost whispering in my ear when he spoke. I felt his breath on my neck. I instantly thought to the summer when he made the strangest comment about the length of my hair. I prepared myself for it, almost half expecting him to touch it.

"...I like the color change. It really fits you, Sunshine."

I shivered at the way he said Sunshine. Had he forgotten that I went by Litty? I definitely didn't go by Sunshine, except maybe to my Mom when she sang the old folk song to me. I didn't look up as he walked away, prepared to address the group to quiet us down. I saw some of my coworkers snickering and giggling as they watched him. I myself scowled. How could they be attracted to this guy? Sure, he did have a great body, er, he filled out his dress clothes well. He smelled amazing. And his smile was really sexy, especially the way his forehead wrinkled when he laugh. Um, whoa there, Litty! This is your brand new boss AND he's a total WEIRDO, I thought to myself as he jumped into welcoming all of us. I let myself get lost in the hustle and bustle and excitement of a brand new school year.

The school year started off without a hitch. I could tell after the first day I was going to adore this class. The first week consisted of the usual, going over rules and procedures. The kids seemed to be catching on quickly and they were just as adoring to me as I was to them. I wondered where the silver lining was to this seemingly magnificent school year.

It didn't take me long to figure it out. It came in the form of a 6 foot 5 inch man whom I couldn't decide if I admired or hated. He had to give the absolute most boring announcements at the beginning of the day I'd ever heard, but he always sent the teachers a really sweet daily inspiration email. He always seemed to be busy during lunch time and avoided lunch duty, but left handwritten thank you notes in our mailboxes when we covered. He was blunt and to the point, so all our meetings were a short as he could possibly make them, filled with sarcasm and God damn it, that cocky smile.

Whenever he saw me he smiled and made a comment pertaining to something that interested me. He asked me if I was excited for Thursday night football, which my team was playing in. He commented when I started wearing the new necklace Luke got me to school. He complimented my ability to joke around with my students and relate to them on their level. I felt appreciated.

I found myself going out of my way to go down the central hallway to maybe catch catch a glimpse of him in his office. I found myself laughing a little louder if he was in earshot. I found myself picking out dresses that accented my small waist and stereotypical hourglass figure and eyeshadow that would make my blue eyes outshine any Disney Princess. Did I have a crush on my boss? No way. He was at least ten years older than me. He was married with kids at the school. I had a boyfriend and most importantly he was my BOSS. And besides all rational thoughts aside, he'd never look at me that way.

Or so I thought. About a month into the school year my boyfriend, Luke, got summoned for jury duty. Any normal person would've been pissed but not Luke. He was stoked to get out of work. On the third day he texted me in the morning, saying the guy plead out and he was free the rest of the day. He said he'd love to bring me lunch and to meet my students, something his work schedule didn't normally allow. I was so excited!

We ate together in my classroom and waited for my kids to get back from recess. I stood in the hall outside the door, having him stand just inside so he could surprise them. I thought I heard something so I looked down the hall to see if they were coming. They weren't, but Jack was. He saw me standing there and a strange, almost wolfish smile crossed his face. I instinctively gulped but wasn't necessarily sure why. I felt my heart race as he made his way toward me.

"You're always in your room during your lunch, aren't you? Don't you want to go outside? Maybe enjoy a little sunshine. I know I'd like to enjoy a little sunshine..."

My eyes widened as he came towards me. He seemed to be extending his hand. Was he going to...?

"Litty, wh-?" Luke said as he stepped into the door frame.

I nearly jumped out of my skin. In the moment of Jack hungrily coming towards me I had completely forgot Luke, my loving and dedicated boyfriend, was damn near right next to me. Jack had heard Luke, too, stopped, and even stepped back a few paces. I stood there, stupidly silent, too stunned and embarrassed by what had just happened to even speak. Finally it was Jack who broke the silence.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize Ms. Walker had company."

I should've said something. I should've introduced Luke to Jack. I should've said he was my amazing boyfriend who loved me and supported my career by coming for a visit. But I didn't. I stood there. Jack turned to continue on down the hall past my classroom but turned slightly over his shoulder to say,

"Ms. Walker, I was coming by to ask if I could speak with you in my office after school. If I'm not there just have a seat."

I nodded quickly watching him walk away as Luke let out a chuckle. I turned to him.

"What's so funny?" I asked maybe a bit too sassy.

"You have to go to the Principal's office!"

I stuck my tongue out at him. He sighed.

"And I didn't think I'd have to worry about THAT with you working here."

"Have to worry about what?" I asked, extremely confused.

Luke sighed. "That dude totally wants to fuck you."

"WHAT!?" It came out a little louder and harsher than I'd meant it to. My cheeks burned red.

"No he doesn't! He has a beautiful wife and even more so he's my BOSS."

Luke shrugged and then kissed my cheek.

"Sorry, sweetheart, but I call 'em like I see 'em. Guys know 'the look'."

At that point my students came rushing in from recess and I forgot all about the hallway encounter. The kids squealed when they saw Luke. He was basically like a celebrity to them, the boyfriend of their beloved teacher. I loved watching him interact with them. I was sad, too, when it was time for him to leave. We said goodbye and I jumped back into our afternoon routine, which seemed to fly by the one time I didn't want it to.

There was no avoiding it when the end of the day came. After seeing my students off I slowly made my way down to the Principal's office. I tried to wrack my brain of what he could possibly want to talk to me about. Maybe a parent complained about me? I had forgotten to have my students put their chairs up one day last week. Maybe it was about the guinea pigs my students were asking him if we could get. I looked into his office and saw he wasn't there. I had a seat, just like he told me to. See? You can follow directions, I told myself.

I glanced around his office, nervously wringing my hands like I had the day we met over the summer. His office seemed more lived in now, with cute little pictures drawn by his children and the room having a faint smell of his cologne. However suddenly the smell got stronger and I heard the door shut behind me.

Jack strode around his desk, not looking at me. He leaned over towards the window and pulled down the blinds, shutting out the sun and making his office a bit darker. It was then he looked at me.

"Sunshine seems to have a mind of its own. I don't need it thinking it can get whatever it wants."

I was confused. Was he being literal, or...was he talking about me? In front of people he always called me 'Ms. Walker' but when we were out of earshot of others he would always mention Sunshine. I nodded once, not knowing how to respond. He sat down at his desk and folded his hands.

"We need to talk about appropriateness."

"Okay. Yes? Did something happen at recess?" I wondered if something had happened at recess between students. My group was behaved for the most part but when they got mixed up with the other 5th grade class it seemed to be total chaos. Name calling, shoving, the works. I really hoped nobody got into too much trouble after I had just basically rewarded them with a surprise from Luke.

"You tell me," he said, and raised his eyebrows as if challenging me.

"I'm...not exactly sure, Mr. Burns. The students didn't say anything to me this afternoon. Normally they always do." I felt my face getting flushed. Did he know something I'm didn't?

"I'm not talking about your students. I'm talking about YOU." he said sternly.

"Me? My appropriateness? Sir..." My mind was reeling at this point.

"You had a man in your room today when your students were at recess," he said.

"I...I did. My boyfriend, Luke. He's a driver for UPS and he's had jury duty. He got finished early today and he-"

"He was in your room with you unaccompanied! Do you think that is appropriate for a Catholic School teacher? An unmarried one at that!?" he wasn't necessarily speaking loudly, but his words had me on edge.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered. "He brought me lunch. He wanted to meet the students."

"I understand that, but can you see it from my point of view? What if the door had been shut? Anyone would jump to those conclusions. Any accusation like that could get out of hand and I'd have no choice but to fire you," he stated matter of fact. "Now, you may go."

I took a breath to try and steady myself and swallowed the lump in my throat so I wouldn't cry. "It won't happen again, sir." I stood and walked towards the door.

"Make sure that it doesn't. We can't all enjoy the Sunshine."

I'm not exactly sure why, but I cried in the car the entire way home. I was so embarrassed. I really hadn't thought twice about Luke visiting. He'd done it my first two years and no one said a thing. It couldn't be that big of a deal, could it? He was the one that made sly comments, subtly calling me Sunshine. He was the one that was coming towards me in the hallway looking like he wanted to eat me for lunch...wait!

I blinked through my tears. When he was coming towards me in the hallway just before recess ended he didn't seem upset with me. It changed when he saw Luke. But he said he came to tell me he needed to see me in his office. How was he coming to tell me about my inappropriateness when he didn't even know Luke was there!? It didn't make any sense and the more I thought about it the angrier I got. I didn't want to dwell on it. I just wanted to stay away from Jack Burns as much as possible.

The next morning I decided to try and start my day off on a good note, hoping it would carry over into the day. I chose a simple black cotton dress and tights that made me feel cute but comfortable. I wore my hair down, admiring the shine to it. I made myself a good breakfast and jammed loud to Lady Gaga on the drive to school to get me pumped. Today was going to be great, damn it!

Unfortunately that was slightly short lived. As I was heading out to do parking lot duty one of my students told me I had a big run in my tights. Great. I ran inside and pulled them off. Thankfully my dress was long enough because like normally when I wear tights I was not wearing any panties. I knew there was no way anyone could possibly know, although I still felt slightly exposed.

The day went smoothly. The kids were a little hyper and caused my own energy to rise. Therefore I decided I was going to use that extra energy to revamp our classroom door. I decided to wait until the kids left for the day because I wanted to not be interrupted. Once they were gone I got to work. I kicked off my shoes and pulled my hair back in a low ponytail using one of the rubber bands from the lunch cards. I got out all the paints and other supplies I needed. I cranked some Buddy Holly on the SmartBoard and dove in.

A few hours later I was a sweaty, paint spattered mess. I had an idea for the lettering but I needed some glue. Maybe because I'm an unorganized mess I didn't have any glue bottles in my classroom. I looked down the hallway. It was safe to bet all the other teachers were gone. It was a little eerie, but I liked it. I wondered if the supply closet was still unlocked and thought it wouldn't hurt to try.