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 Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2016 9:10 pm
Chris' office was a relatively normal office, all things considered. It was given to him as recompense for not having a classroom and so in this tiny, rather well lit place, Chris had stacks of papers and books and other things needed to teach. It was kind of astounding how much Chris had managed to shove in here in about half a year's time, but he managed to make it work all things considering.
The only strange thing about Chris' office was that, being teachers didn't tend to have offices, it was a somewhat hidden secret within the school. It was tucked around the end of a hallway as the last room and was hard to find if you weren't looking for it. Combined with the fact that Chris had made it very clear that students were welcome to visit his office at any time, it was known as something of a safe haven. A good place to hide if you didn't want anyone to find you.
At the moment Chris was inside, the door cracked enough to show the office was lit and he was there, but nothing too obvious.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2016 11:07 pm
Rumors among the school-aged always managed to fly further from reality than anyone intended, but if there was any truth to the tale of the safe haven at the end of the hallway, Jamie knew today was the day he'd need it. There wasn't a particular reason for the need, at least not at first glance. He'd been left alone a majority of the day, no poking or prodding or coercion for the answers to last night's homework from a bully who decided not to do theirs. No, it was a mundane day in comparison to some he'd had, but it had been a bad day nonetheless.
Jamie couldn't put his finger on why exactly and quite frankly he'd given up on the chore of trying to figure it out. It only made his head hurt and his mood worsen. Instead, he'd gotten a pass and left the hush of his study hall room for the equal quiet of the abandoned hallway.
It took longer than planned to make it to the small, but obviously occupied office. The time to decompress was appreciated, but fact of the matter was, whether he realized it or not, Jamie didn't want to be alone. He wanted someone to talk to, someone who wasn't a classmate—not that he often reached out to them anyway—someone who hopefully wouldn't judge the fact that he was simply lonely and nothing else. Jamie didn't need academic help, all he needed was a friend.
After a short pause outside the door to swallow the nervousness he always felt, he knocked.
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2016 6:48 pm
There was a knock at the door and Chris didn't glance up from his email, typing out another sentence, before calling out "Door's open, feel free to walk in!" The email itself wouldn't take long to finish, just a reply about how he was free to teach a class at the elementary on Friday (his biology classes were thankfully rather early at the high school) and that he couldn't wait to come in. He was considering maybe trying to get a guest speaker in to one of his classes too, but that of course would create more talk.
He threw a quick glance at the clock, wondering who it could be. It was the middle of a class period and it wasn't a lunch time, so it was unlikely to be a student. A parent, perhaps? Those were unusual, but he had a feeling on who it would be.
"Miss Doughty, I know that while it is highly unusual for me to lose my three classes worth of quizzes, it did happen," He sighed, fingers flying across the keyboard still. She was always easier to deal with when he didn't have to look at her. "However, I went over the quiz in class and I have another one prepared, so please know that I am rectifying the mistake and that my head of department knows and agrees with my plan."
He sighed as he clicked around again, opening another email. This one was from Hyejin and was pleasure rather than work but, again, it was easier to deal with the teacher when he didn't have to look at her. There wasn't much else he could do otherwise, minus the collection of folders on his desk next to his computer, the room was rather neat with everything tucked away into bookshelves and filing cabinets. Besides the scatted handful of knick knacks and the plant on one of the bookshelves, there wasn't much to be found about.
saedusk when will i reply in a decent time? probably the summer when i don't have college
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2016 3:17 pm
Even at the invitation, Jamie hesitated. No surprise there, doubting every tiny detail was in his nature. Still, he'd come here for a reason and it felt like a waste of a study hall to turn around without even saying hello. Not to mention the fact he'd already knocked. If Mr. Watts got up and saw him leaving, how embarrassing would that be?
"Um... sorry to b-" his voice barely raised above a whisper and like clockwork it was cut off. Not on purpose, he knew, but it made his cheeks burn regardless. There was no way in hell he planned on interrupting, though. Instead he stood there awkwardly, barely in the door, hand grasping loosely at it as he looked ready to bolt any second until the teacher was done speaking.
"I... Were you expecting Miss Doughty? Should I, um, come back later?" It was obvious now that he'd spoken up that he was no Miss Doughty and certainly no Miss at all (or so he subconsciously hoped, he did have a higher pitched voice than some boys his age). It was equally obvious how stiff he was, loitering where he could easily excuse himself instead of walking in to have the real conversation he'd hoped to have. About what? Well, Jamie's thoughts hadn't gotten that far yet.
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2016 7:31 pm
The reply Chris had been excepting was absolutely not Miss Doughty and Chris breathed a quiet sigh of relief, glad that the pushy teacher was not about to force his way into his office to heckle him again. Then there was a rush of embarrassment as Chris realized he had just talked rather rudely, and about something rather sensitive, to someone he couldn't even see.
"No no come in, you're very welcome," He rushed out, hands itching to fix something and only fussing with the folders on his desk before finally going towards his pencil cup to pull out a pen to click at. "I'd much rather you than Miss Doughty, as you can probably realize by now."
He gave a small, nervous laugh at that, trying to play off his blunder. He really hoped he hadn't scared off anyone.
saedusk can you believe im signing up for more in the summer? because i can't. ******** college, i wanna be a hobo under a bridge. also i wasn't sure if chris could see jamie so. waggles fingers
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Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 10:03 am
To be fair, it was an honest mistake, and anyone else might've laughed it off with him. Instead, Chris was stuck with Jamie, whose inability to deal with social awkwardness was as obvious as the nose on his face. An unnecessarily long pause later and, "... if you're sure." He finally stepped inside far enough to be seen.
Didn't mean he made himself at home, though. In fact, he loitered at the door a while longer before taking a few tentative steps forward. With all the hesitation and silences, one might mistake Jamie's coming here for an accident.
"Sorry to bother you," he muttered, able to get it all out this time and did so despite the warm welcome. "I was hoping... well maybe..." he struggled to gather his thoughts. "I only have as long as the rest of study hall, but um, would you mind if I stayed here? And maybe... talked? Only if you're not too busy. I have a hall pass, I promise."PeanutButterpies but why would you do that to yourself... 3:
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2016 9:11 pm
"I'm definitely sure," He replied with a smile, taking a glance at the student as he came in. His mind struggled for a second to put a name to the face, before finally he recognized it as Jamie. A quiet, but good kid, in his class.
His smile dipped a little as he recognized the hesitation, faint memories of when he was seven and had moved back to Korea coming to mind. Jamie definitely was nervous, of what Chris didn't know, but he did want to help.
"No, you're not bothering me. You're definitely welcome to stay," Chris grinned, offering him the chair across from his desk with a sweep of his arm. "I can talk and reply to emails, if you want you can help me grade papers? The middle schoolers did a quiz, just multiple choice."
He didn't mind if Jamie had a pass or not, really, but he wasn't about to push that thought on him, not yet. Jamie seemed nervous enough and Chris didn't want to scare him away, especially when he just wanted to talk.
saedusk mostly bc of my degree lmao sobs
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Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 7:47 pm
If Jamie had the insight to notice, he'd be endlessly glad he had a teacher observant enough and smart enough about kids (even if he was an older teenager) to find him something to keep him occupied. Even now, taking a stiff seat in the chair, he hadn't thought of anything to say on his own. It's not as if he felt comfortable enough to blurt out 'I'm lonely, I'd be happy just talking about the weather,' so the fact that he didn't have to struggle for words even further was a blessing.
"Um... I think I can do that," he answered, setting his hands on the desk in front of him. Grading quizzes sounded easy enough, especially when all he had to do was check the bubbles against the answer sheet. He assumed that's what it would be anyway. "I've never really... done anything like this before, though," he admitted next, shifting in his seat. If he messed up something as simple as this, he'd never be able to look Mr. Watts in the face again.PeanutButterpies I get that tho I went to school for 3 quarters and co-oped for the other 1 so I never had a break rly...
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Posted: Wed May 04, 2016 6:49 pm
Chris grinned brightly at his acceptance, shoving the pen he had been clicking back in its cup before going for the folders on his desk. "It's easy enough, if you can just check the answer to the key and mark what's wrong that'd be great. You don't have to put the grade, just put how many they miss at the top. I can calculate that later," He said, setting a stack of papers in front of Jamie and then topping it quickly with a red pen. The key was on top, marked in all red, with the papers under and Chris hoped he wasn't being too eager.
He went back to his email, typing out a sentence before quietly asking Jamie "So, what do you like to do outside of school?" It was up to him to reply or not, but he was curious and sometimes it was nice to not have silence. And Jamie had said he wanted to talk, even if he did seem nervous.
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Posted: Thu May 05, 2016 5:42 am
It might've been a mundane task for most high school kids, but Jamie was fine with things that were traditionally boring to others. He had simple wants, ones that usually consisted of living a quiet life with his fish and not much else. He didn't need grand adventures and excitement everyday. A really close friend might be nice, but sometimes that felt like a far off dream.
"Okay... I'll do that," he responded, grabbing then pen and the answer sheet to give it a short look-over before he moved on to the actual grading. Definitely easy enough. He was already onto the first quiz when Chris spoke up again.
It was small talk, a basic getting-to-know-you type question, one that made Jamie just a tiny bit nervous (but what didn't make him nervous). Truth be told, he just wasn't all that good at talking about himself. Those little internal demons and doubts always asked him who would possibly care about him enough to listen. Still, he'd really wanted someone to talk to, and Mr. Watts was giving him that, so he'd try his best to answer.
"Um... Well, I like to play video games?" he offered. It sounded more like a question and he kicked himself for that. "Like Pokemon 'n stuff." What else, there had to be something else interesting enough to tell. "And, uh, I have a lot of fish I like to take care of..."
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Posted: Thu May 12, 2016 6:31 pm
"Video games? That's really nice, I play a few," He gave back, humming a bit as he continued his reply to Hyejin. "Mostly first person horror stuff, like Silent Hill and Amnesia. I never actually got to play Pokemon as a kid though, it looked fun."
He frowned for a second in thought at his email, Hyejin was demanding from him tea and oreos, weirdly enough. She'd have to send something in return though, it was always a trade, but he didn't know what he wanted at the time. Maybe some of the shrimp chips?
"Oh fish, what kind?" Chris wondered what it was like. "I never was allowed pets as a kid, we moved too much." Or well, moved cross continent too much.
saedusk chris already loves jamie this is a problem
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2016 6:48 pm
Jamie's eyes went wide. The idea of playing horror games was unsettling to him, but it was far too embarrassing to admit that, so instead he just nodded before looking back down at the quiz. It wasn't like Mr. Watts was really looking at him, though. They were both supposed to be multitasking, after all, so eventually he opened his mouth.
"I've never played stuff like that..." he admitted, leaving out the part about how most of the games he played could easily be labeled 'cute.' No where close to scary territory. "But, um, I like to try new games when I can."
There were plenty of things Chris could probably pity Jamie for, but if there was one thing Jamie could offer his condolences over it was the whole no pet thing. His fish were his best friends, no ******** lie, and they meant more to him than almost anything. It sounded so foreign to think about being denied pets, but he supposed for a second it made sense. There was no way he'd be able to move his fish if they changed homes often.
"I have, um, lots of different fish." His eyes got a little brighter, but he was still looking at the quizzes. "My favorites are the goldfish and the angels, but... I wouldn't tell them that." And then he almost laughed.PeanutButterpies no this is good please love him he's so lonely
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2016 9:10 pm
"It's not for everyone," Chris agreed, thinking of Autumn and when she and him had played Silent Hill together (and Jer's subsequent dislike of him calling Other Ashdown Silent Hill). "I've been thinking of trying maybe a puzzle game lately though or something, branch out. Anything you'd suggest?"
He nabbed a pen, rapping it against the desk in thought again as he abandoned typing to just think. Jamie seemed to be getting through the quizzes which was nice, maybe he could hand them back to the middle schoolers today.
"Ooh, tell me, do goldfish really get as big as they say?" Chris sounded like a kid who was on the verge of finding something cool. His expierence with fish was limited but he knew something about that childhood pet. "Angels are the um.. the ones with the fancy fins right?"
saedusk chris "im a biology teacher but doesnt know much about animals" watts. also hes keeping jamie. 5ever
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2016 6:45 am
"Oh man, the Professor Layton games," was Jamie's immediate recommendation, no thought required. "The puzzles are usually pretty good and, um... it's... it's got a really cute style and stuff. The music is so good, too." He only stopped himself short when he realized he was starting to gush. Couldn't help himself. Jamie rarely had a chance to talk about his interests.
If there was one thing it would be hard to keep from gushing his heart out about, though, it was fish. Especially when his teacher sounded legitimately interested. He just hoped beyond hope he wasn't hearing things.
"They... they do, actually. There's a lot of people that think that goldfish, um, only get as big as their tanks. Buuut they can actually get as big as eighteen inches." His pen hand momentarily paused over the quiz he'd been working on. "It can be bad for them if they're kept in tanks that are too small. When I got my very first goldfish, I didn't really know what I was doing, so um, I think I stunted her growth. She didn't get very big... b-but I was only five."
Jamie realized then he hadn't made a single mark since he'd started rambling about fish. It was a little embarrassing and he checked off a couple answers before he said anything else.
"Angelfish fins are pretty fancy," he continued, "but there are a lot of different kinds. Um... i-if you have a piece of paper I can use, I can show you the kind I have..."PeanutButterpies it's ok jamie and shiloh will teach him all about fish and turtles for 5ever
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2016 2:24 pm
Chris reached out for his pad of sticky notes and scrawled the name onto the top of the pad, reminding himself to search it up later. "It sounds good, I'll definitely look it up." He smiled, pushing the pad off to the side. "I think I'd like a change from horror anyways, the music isn't very good in it."
"Eighteen inches?!" Chris was definitely distracted from his email now, good thing Hyejin didn't expect back a reply soon. Or well, she did, but she could wait for a second. "That's huge, wonder why they market them as kids pets if they get that big. Aren't there other fish that stay smaller?" He hummed in reply, before saying "Not your fault, I think you probably took good care of her. What was her name?"
Chris was definitely invested in the conversation and a second later the paper appeared next to Jamie's hand, Chris' excited grin close by. "Do show, it sounds really interesting."
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