Mrs. Amanda

Lucus had a knack for memorizing terrain. This was one of the only ways he could get around completely normally after all. He had most of the school memorized by the end of the day. He had sat out for art class too. He mostly sat next to his friends as they talked and painted. He didn't seem to mind having to sit out. This was pretty much just an endless cycle of walking to class, sitting down and listening to other people talk. He liked to play the piano at the orphanage so he assumed music would be fun, but the other kids just made a muddy mosh pit of sounds whenever they were allowed to play. The sounds usually hurt Lucus's ears, so he usually sat outside the classroom when this happened. Sounds prevented Lucus from doing a lot of things. He couldn't eat in the cafeteria due to the whole grade running around throwing food and opening crinkly bags of chips so he sat in the main office. Nobody talked there. There was an occasional greeting, or trade of supplies but the room was almost as quiet as the greenhouse in the orphanage garden. He still hadn't figured out how to do his homework. He wasn't allowed to ask for help with placement or reading because of the school's strict policy of no help for homework. This was a stupid rule, but teachers were fired for small offenses like these. After all, this was one of the most prestigious schools in the country. He often was forced to turn it in blank. His schoolwork was hard, but because they were in school, his teacher was able to sit down next to him and read out the questions. The show your work area was always the hardest. Most calculations were done in his head. He felt there was no use to demonstrating how he figured it out. He clearly wasn't cheating too. These annoyances were repeated day after day on end. He never dreaded school, but it was much more challenging than the braille printed homework Mother gave him. Nothing changed until his 37th day at school.

"Hey dude! It's a sub! Our teacher's out sick!" Ben tapped the side of Lucus's arm and pointed before realizing Lucus had no idea what he was talking about. "Sorry, my bad. A sub is just a teacher who substitutes for our real teacher when they can't make it. You didn't have that at your homeschooling, did you?"

"No, we didn't. We had Mother to teach us everyday. She never skipped out on us." he walked over to his desk and sat down. A shrill voice hung high in the air.

"Hello class! I'm Mrs. Amanda! I'll be your substitute teacher." a few more people trickled into the room. "I'm going to pass out the worksheet for today. It's just a review, so there will not be a lesson! Is that alright with you, friends?" She smiled and walked around the room placing a small packet on each desk.

"What are we, five?" whispered Lucus to Ben when she was out of earshot. Mrs. Amanda glanced down at his walking stick as she passed by. When she finished handing them out, she strode over to his desk.

"Hello, friend! Let's work our hardest to figure this out together, okay?" she patted his paper, "Your teacher left a note about you. She says you're very smart, so I'm just going to help you a little bit." she smiled sweetly.

"Thank you, but I only need you to point out where to write and tell me the questions." Lucus responded calmly.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you understand it very well." She placed her finger on the first question. "Whaaaaaat iiiiiiis theeeeeee miiiiiiissiiiiiinnnnng varrrriableee iiiiin thiiiiiis eeeeequaaaaasion? Seeeeeveeeen squaaaaareed -" Lucus cut her off,

"With all due respect mam', will I be able to finish if you read so slowly? It's making it quite hard to understand when you yawn every time you speak." he smiled sweetly and cocked his head to the side innocently.

"Well I was just trying to make sure you understood me. It can be frustrating to learn with a disability. I was making it a better learning experience." Mrs. Amanda sounded like she had popped out of a guide book for how to talk to your problem child.

"It's okay. I don't need you to talk like that. I understand just fine. Just read me the question and show me where to write." Lucus remained calm, but behind his sunglasses his eye was twitching. He grit his teeth. "I have a good memory so just tell me everything you need to quickly and then you can leave."

"Well I wouldn't be making your learning as thorough as everyone else. What kind of teacher would that make me?" The fake laugh that followed felt as dry as Lucus's patience was becoming.

"Well, aren't you just a sub? Your not a reeeaaal teacher, are you?" he held in a laugh and kept his composure. At this point, the whole class was listening attentively to the exchange.

"Well, it's any day now, and right now, she isn't here, is she? So as of today, I am in charge and you will treat me as such." she snapped and she began to talk rather fast. Her smile was beginning to fade and she seemed to be pinning it with needles, stubbornly refusing to let it fall.

"Yeeeeessss Mrssss. Amaaaaandaaaaa. Iiiiiiii'mmm sooooooo sooorrrryyyyyy foooooorrrr maaaakiiiiiingggg yoooooou feeeeel reeeeesppppeeeeecteeeeedd." he fought to hold in his laugh.

"You will listen here young man. I am your teacher. We are not on equal footing here and you will show me some respect. For heaven's sake, you can't even see! I will not be disrespected by someone who's parents failed to put together properly."

"Well I was just trying to help you to understand. It can be frustrating working with my, disability. I was just trying to give you a better teaching experience." he smiled sweetly, and patted his paper waiting for her to read out the questions. Amanda seemed speechless. She regained her composure and walked over to her desk.

"You there, read out his questions for him. I… need a break." she pointed at Ben and sat down with a sigh. She brought out a small packet and announced that she was going to the bathroom.

"That was the single greatest thing I've ever witnessed in this school." whispered Ben when she left.