Bollocks

[scottxmcbride]

nicolemoon​:

Nikki balanced her bag on one arm and a few soccer balls under the other. After ‘accidentally’ having a student kick one and hit a passing teacher during an experiment, she thought that it might be best to lay low on the physical part of physics, even if it was fucking hilarious. She’d have to leave Newton’s Laws to be learned in a less dangerous way, or at least until enough time passed that she could do this lesson again without complaints. She was just about to head out the door when she was inches away from smacking into Scott.

“Whoa!” she teetered slightly, but a grin grew on her face as he just moved to the side rather than completely scurrying away as per usual. “Thought you were Betterman about to come get his revenge. I’ve never been happier to see you.” From his actions, she was anticipating watching him leave again, but her eyebrows shot up in surprise when he did the exact opposite. It’d been months of will-he-won’t-he, and it was nice to finally see him fall on the will side. She’d been waiting for him to make some kind of move, and as entertaining as it was, it’d started to become more agonizing than anything. “I was just going to dump these in my car, but yeah, that sounds great. And hold on, are those actually their names? I thought you were all fucking with me, like ‘ha-ha, here’s the newbie, let’s give her the most ridiculous sounding wrong names.’ But wow, they really are Blaine and Shane. That’s somehow poetic and tragic all at the same time.”

“Ah, no.” Scott responded with a swift shake of his head. He wasn’t sure if he should be pleased that she was glad to see him, or miffed that she had mistaken him for the worst person to stalk the halls of the school. “If you’re waiting for him to get revenge on you, though, you’ll be waiting a while. Me and Bob swirled him once and we’re still waiting, so you’re safe at least until then.” Talking about flushing their colleague’s head down the toilet was hardly the sexiest topic of conversation, but it stirred fond memories in Scott. Thinking about it made it a little easier to speak to her, in a weird sort of way. “Oh, sure, sure. You need a hand?” he raised an eyebrow in anticipation of her answer, but didn’t move to take the balls just yet. Maybe she wouldn’t want him to. He knew he got annoyed when people tried to help him with things he had perfectly under control. So much to consider. It was no wonder he was lost. “I take it you haven’t met their sister, Elaine. I really wish I was joking.” He managed to crack a smile. What was it about shit-talking his colleagues that put him in such a good mood? “But no. Unfortunately, the Cobains are all real, live people that actually exist. They keep their food hygiene certificates out the back of the kitchen if you don’t believe me.” 

[scottxmcbride]

It was rare that a new teacher ended up at Frankie J. Scott often wondered if there was some sort of APB out on it, acting as a warning for the teachers of America, warning them to stay far, far away. It would definitely explain why it seemed only the most dysfunctional messes ended up working there. What was even rarer was that the new blood turned out to be a hot lady scientist. Basically Scott’s perfect woman, and that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Since the incident with his engagement, he had been totally thrown off his game. He didn’t want these feelings, but they were lingering, doing weird things to his brain-to-mouth connectivity whenever she was around. He was sure she had caught him staring at her, and probably thought he was the words biggest weirdo when he dropped his attempt at conversation mid-sentence. She made him feel tongue-tied, and if that wasn’t bad enough, he had totally forgotten how to flirt. All in all, the outcome wasn’t looking good. 

Her classroom was next to his. He had stopped by a few times, but never quite worked up the courage to actually walk in. He thought about dropping by again, but almost as soon as he opened the door, he bumped into the woman herself. “Shit,” he mumbled, stepping back a bit to let her walk past. “Actually, no,” he shook his head. She probably thought he as completely deranged, given that he hadn’t actually said a word to her yet. She would probably be right. “Um... you aren’t going to the cafeteria, are you? Trust me, it’s not worth it.” He reached up to scratch his neck under his stubble. “I usually get my lunch at the deli on the corner. You can come with me, if you want. Trust me when I say it beats whatever slop Blaine and Shane are serving today.” 

[scottxmcbride]

sierrapratt​:

Sierra was quiet. Not that she had a choice or anything, she didn’t know what to say or how to speak up without bursting into ugly tears. That was bound to happen at any moment, so any attempt to keep it at bay was being utilized. She shut her eyes once he shouted at the students watching. She hated the feeling of being under a microscope, and Scott raising his voice at them probably didn’t help with that at all. If she’d turned around, she’d see the chunky kid giving him a ‘jeez, take it easy’ expression while his friend started pushing him back into whatever class they were supposed to be in. She finally opened her eyes again but found it hard to look at Scott. She may have asked for the reasoning behind everything, but that didn’t make it hurt less. She wasn’t sure what she expected, in all honesty. “So basically, no matter what, I’ve always been and always will be the second choice,” she nodded slowly, her face starting to crumple. She could feel the breakdown she’d wanted to hold back starting to avalanche. “Why did you even bother with this, then? If it’s always been her, why did you go through the effort of anything with me? That is such a fucked up thing to do to someone you love, Scott.” She wanted to say more but physically couldn’t. She was shaking from how hard she was crying now, using a hand to cover her mouth and muffle the sobs threatening to escape. 

As soon as her expression changed, Scott couldn’t help it. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, at a loss for what to say to make it better. “It’s not that simple,” he responded, his voice thick with tension. He felt his own eyes well up, though he did all he could to hold back the tears. He didn’t think he would ever live it down if he cried at work, and he knew he hardly had the right to shed a tear in front of her. “Because I want it to be you.” He answered, eventually, after a pause so long it was almost agonising. “Because I wanted it to be you, Sierra. I wanted it to be you so badly, and for a long time it was.” That, at least, was not a lie. He had honestly and truly loved her, and would have been happy with her. But when it came to Meghan, his head was never quite clear. She had scrambled his mind and made him doubt everything, and Sierra had been a casualty of the destruction that came from that. “I can’t excuse it. I know that. But I ... If I could turn back time, I wouldn’t have done it. It was the biggest mistake of my life.” 

[scottxmcbride]

sierrapratt‌

“No, I didn’t. In fact, this is the last thing I wanted. All I wanted was to find the stupid art room and not run in to you, but here we are.” Sierra remained silent while he spoke. Even when she heard a voice behind her mutter something along the lines of ‘that’s some hot anger, hot enough to pop some corn’ and another voice shushing them, her eyes remained fixed on Scott. At least, the weird, distorted, blurred-by-tears figure of him. There wasn’t going to be a proper way to make him see what she’d been through, although she was sure he could imagine. It was still difficult to wrap her head around the fact that there wasn’t going to be a her and him in the end. “I never said you didn’t love me. I just don’t…” She shook her head, struggling to get the words out. The sobs were choking her at this point. “I don’t know what I did wrong, Scott.” The first round of tears started to roll down her cheeks. There was no use in trying to hold them back, anyways. That dam was bound to break sooner or later, and as much as she wished it wasn’t in front of him, it was beyond control. “Can you at least tell me that? So I don’t have to wonder for the rest of my life why I wasn’t enough for you? Just tell me where I fucked up. Please.”

This whole situation was Scott’s worst nightmare, and the more people who witnessed it, the more he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him. He hated himself in that moment, and it was unfortunate that hatred, in his world, manifested as anger. “There’s a 7-Eleven down the street. Next time, I suggest you just meet there and avoid all of this.” He gestured emphatically between the two of them. He may have been able to rein in his need to scream, until Hockheim’s words reached him. He laughed, manically, and turned on his students, staring at him with clear amusement in their eyes. “Enjoying the fucking show?” he snarled at them. A few scattered at his words, and the ones that were a little bolder, and decided to remain, at least ad the decency to wipe the smirks off of their faces. His face screwed up a little, and he was glad he had aimed his little outburst at the kids, because otherwise, she might have borne the brunt of his impatience, even more than she already had. “There was nothing you could have done.” He admitted. “If there wasn’t a chance for me and Meghan, you would have been it. But I thought that there was. And as long as I had that idea in my head...” he did not need to say anymore. They both knew what followed that statement, and they both knew what came next did not need to be vocalised. 

[scottxmcbride]

sierrapratt‌:

Sierra wanted to keep chewing him out and pretend like she didn’t feel anything other than anger. She did, though. God, did she feel every fucking thing. “Because she works here, you idiot,” she practically spat out. She was trying to keep it together. Trying was the key word. The longer the stood there, the more she felt her resolve crumbling. She knew it was bad when she saw some tall, floppy haired kid and his friend with frosted tips about to enter the hallway, only to pause and listen for a moment before turning around. The tall one had to pretty much drag his buddy away, who seemed pretty curious about what was happening. She understood, she really did. If this was anyone else, she’d want to break out the popcorn, too. Unfortunately, this was her reality. “You didn’t want to make this difficult? Really?” she replied, but she couldn’t mask the hurt behind her anger anymore. She never wanted to let him see how badly it fucked her up, and maybe that was the problem. Maybe that was something he needed to see, so he wouldn’t pull that shit with anybody else. Tears sprang to her eyes as she spoke once again. “Why did you propose to me then, Scott? Why would you do that to me?”

Scott’s short fuse had been his downfall for as long as he could remember. It had been lit when he had seen Sierra again, and not had burned down, the explosive display of his temper incoming. “Yeah? Is there nowhere else in New Jersey she could meet you, then? You knew what you were doing, Sierra.” In truth, there was little need for him to pop off at her like this. She had certainly been the innocent party, but had not been the only one to have hurt. The whole situation had tied him up in knots for months. He didn’t think he would ever be the same, and this little encounter just brought everything back. He was blinded to the attentions of those who had filtered into the corridor. The only thing he saw was her, rage clouding her peripheral vision. “Don’t act like I didn’t love you, Sierra. i did. It just wasn’t enough.” 

[scottxmcbride]

sierrapratt‌:

Sierra would’ve been perfectly happy with leaving their interaction at that, but  that obviously wasn’t enough for her ex. She was initially too shocked to say anything as she was yanked back, her expression incredulous while listening to him blow up at her. It were as if he thought she was the reason they were the way they were. “A scene? Really?” she replied, her voice rising in volume with each sentence. “You want a fucking scene, Scott? Because I can give you one.” She could feel her hands shaking, trembling with pent up anger that’d been building from the moment he mentioned Megan over dinner that night. If Scott’s science teacher friend was there, the other Scottish one, he’d probably compare it to lava about to burst from a volcano. If she was really lucky, he’d probably show up in the middle of this. “I didn’t come to see you, you self-centered, arrogant asshole. I’m here for Tati, my friend. You know, the person who had to console me for days after you decided you loved somebody else? Remember that?“

“Did I want a scene?” He repeated, incredulously. He had been sympathetic to her needs, of course he had, but there was only so much one man could take. He certainly did not take kindly to being screamed at in his own place of work, and that was what caused him to cross his arms over his chest, glaring at her with an intensity usually reserved for his most annoying of students. “I have never, at any point, wanted to make this difficult for you, Sierra. I have been as honest with you as it is possible to be. If you want to continue with this, that’s on you.” He had raised his voice without realising, his words becoming less clear as the Scottish accent began deepening. “Well what the hell else am I supposed to think when you just show up and throw me the stink eye in the hall way? Why would you even arrange to meet here anyway?” 

[scottxmcbride]

sierrapratt‌:

Sierra could barely look him in the eye. After everything, it still felt like too much. It may have been more than a year that had passed, but that sick to her stomach feeling didn’t go away. As long as the memory of having hot tears running down her cheeks while Googling about the possibility of getting refunds on wedding dresses was in tact, she didn’t think that feeling could leave. 

She was sad, and that was probably obvious. She’d just gotten to a point where she was feeling okay, though. Being near him made her feel a lot less okay. In fact, if she were to recall her therapy sessions and the many, many ceramic pots that were thrown at photos of him taped to her wall, angry was the better, more proper term to use. If it wasn’t for that anger, she probably would’ve laughed at his question. “What if I was?” she asked. “Not that it matters. Knowing you, you’d just leave and not look back. Why don’t I make it easier for you this time, hmm? Marilyn or whatever her name is is probably waiting for you, anyways.” With that comment, she turned her back on him and started walking back down the hall. Even if it was the wrong direction, any path away from him was the right path.

He should have left it there, and let sleeping dogs lie, but Scott had never been quite that rational. As a matter of fact, he was a huge fucking idiot, and his next action proved it. Instead of doing the normal thing, and letting her walk away, effectively ending any chance of confrontation between them, he followed her down the hall. Once he was close enough to reach her, he grabbed her upper arm, and whirled her around to face him. “You know what?” He said, eyes narrowing in a mild irritation. “No. You don’t get to come to my work, make a scene, and then storm off.” He released her, and spread his arms wide. “You wanted to see me? Here I am. What do you want, Sierra?” 

[sierrapratt]

It was supposed to be a simple visit to Tati’s school. That’s all that was supposed to happen. Unfortunately for Sierra, there was way more in store for her. For one thing, Franklin Jonas Secondary was gigantic. She couldn’t remember her own high school ever being that big. She squinted at her cell phone, her friends directions to the art classroom seeming enough. It had Sierra wondering if she took a left hallway when she was supposed to go right. No matter how you spun it, she was lost. Maybe it’d just be easier to find the main office and go from there. With a sigh, she turned only to run right into someone behind her. “Oh, God, I’m sorry,” she muttered, wondering what poor teenager she’d managed to collide with. Any smile that way have been on her face was wiped away pretty quick when she met the eyes of the person. It wasn’t a teenager. God, how she wished it was. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” she muttered, probably louder than necessary. Of all people, it had to be Scott. Jilted lover was the most cliche term, but it fit her relationship to him perfectly. She bit her tongue for the moment, trying to think of how to get out of there without committing murder. @scottxmcbride​

[scottxmcbride]

Scott hated his job. He had never enjoyed teaching, and couldn’t remember why he bothered to follow this particular career path in the first place. He wasn’t cut out for it, wasn’t good at it, and the students annoyed him to no end. However, since his last horrible break up, work had become an escape for him. He still wasn’t sure how he went from having two beautiful women telling him that they loved him to none, but what he did know was that he would never stop feeling guilty for leaving Sierra a few weeks before what should have been their wedding. Luckily, he hadn’t seen her since they had sorted everything out and officially parted ways. Until now. 

How she had gotten into the school was anybody’s guess. Perhaps she was visiting Tati. It had been through her that they had met, after all. It was weird to see her there, and even weirder that she seemed shocked to see him. “Um,” he began, breaking off as he fully took in the sight of her. God this was awkward. “Are you here to see me?” 

[scottxmcbride]

robertxsimmons‌:

“He already looks it, in a way. Nobody’s hair is that spiky without a little electric help or super-hold gel. Emmy’s friends with him so I’m nice to the poor guy for that reason alone, but heaven help whoever decides to marry him. He’s lucky has royal connections,” he sighed. Rocco was a good kid, just not the brightest crayon in the box as some would say. How him and Scott had managed to become in charge of Rocco and the rest of those kids education was a whole other story. His eyes narrowed slightly; Scott was pretty much as close as it got to having a best friend, but he sometimes questioned how the guy thought. “Someone’s a little more cynical and grouchy than normal. And too old, my ass, mate. Do I need to chat with Gwen and have her bring in a hot student teacher to spice things up for ya?” he chuckled. The chuckle ended pretty swiftly once he was asked about his own life. “Hmm, let’s see…we’ve got a shit time with the still wife, daughter’s going through a real clingy phase with that Garrett kid which I hope to God passes…the string bean one, not Crazy Lauraine’s son, and I have a bunch of volcano unit tests sitting on my desk that should’ve been marked two weeks ago. As you can see, the life’s fan-fucking-tastic.”

Scott let out a grunt. He wasn’t entirely sure how he ended up as a teacher, given how little he cared about his students. In truth, he found them all a pain in the arse, and preferred not to think about them where at all possible. “Really lucky, considering without that he’d be totally hopeless. I suppose that’s why God decided to give him a little job security.” At least he seemed happy, Scott thought. He had always been intelligent, but he didn’t think he had ever been happy. Everything in his life had come with a caveat, something that gave him pause and made it difficult to truly enjoy his life. He had never been one to look on the bright side as it was - and especially not now he was older, more jaded. “Absolutely not. After the shit show of my last relationship, I’m staying away from hot student teachers, hot grocery store cashiers, and anything vaguely shaped like a female body.” It wasn’t kind, but the fact Bob’s life wasn’t far behind his own in terms of messiness did cheer him up, even if only a little. “We’re both fucked, mate. We might have to just fuck it all off and go back to Scotland.” Things certainly did simpler on the streets of Glasgow. “Divorce the wife, ground the kid, and give everyone a C. Any advice past that is lost on me.” 

[scottxmcbride]

robertxsimmons‌:

“You think? My bet was on Cornelius.Time will tell soon enough, but the odds aren’t really great for either of them,” he shook his head, thinking about two of his most unique students. Although they all seemed to have a strange array this year, those two topped the list of weirdness. “Maybe set yourself on fire next time and they’ll have something to be excited about,” he joked. “Not sure if I should be touched or concerned that you’re thinking about my balls, mate. Guess it’s good that at least someone is,” he practically grumbled, but he wasn’t about to turn this conversation into a rant about the state of his shitty relationship. “You seeing anyone lately? Feels like it’s been a while since someone’s brought a smile to that cute but sour face of yours.”

Scott shrugged. “Could be. Both are equally stupid in their own special ways. GIovanni just has that certain something that makes me think he’ll have electrocuted himself by the time he’s 20, though.” Scott mused. Sometimes he couldn’t help but wonder how he, your average Glaswegian guy, had found himself here, in what could only be described as the arsehole of society, teaching the biggest bunch of reprobates he had ever met. It was better for his own mental health that he didn’t dwell on it. “Not a bad idea. And doable,” he reasoned, cocking his head as he pondered the concept. “Yeah, they’ll definitely lose their collective shit. It’ll be great.” He rolled his eyes, sniggering under his breath. “Please. It’s not a pretty thought, mate. A testament to how much I fucking hate my job.” His brow furrowed, and he was sure he was definitely showing off the best of his sour face at the moment. “I don’t think I’m capable of that shit anymore. I’m too old.” He shrugged, downplaying the drama that had been going on his personal life in recent history. “I could say the same about you, anyway. What the fuck is going on in your life?” If there was anybody else who could relate to his relationship woes, it was definitely Bob.

[scottxmcbride]

robertxsimmons‌:

“Har har,” Bob rolled his eyes. Despite having two siblings of his own, working with Scott sometimes felt like having a third. The guy was his best friend, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t also a pain in his ass from time to time. He followed behind him, leaving the football comments alone. He wasn’t in the mood to start a civil war with Scott. “Anything exciting happen in class today? I’m still waiting for one of the kids to say orgasm instead of organism. Hasn’t happened yet, but I’m thinking it might be the time to start taking bets.”

“That’s easy. Giovanni. You might as well just hand me the money now,” Scott said, confidently. “I set fire to the desk again, but that’s hardly exciting. The students barely even flinch at this point, it’s tragic.” His classes just wouldn’t be the same without fire and explosions on the daily. “Let’s not talk about work, anyway. I have enough of that when I’m actually at work. I’d rather talk about your hairy ball sack than teaching.” 

[scottxmcbride]

robertxsimmons‌:

“Did she dress you and wipe your arse, too?” he snickered, shaking his head. His attention was redirected to his phone once Emmy responded, making a mental note to grab her a strawberry milkshake once they’d gotten to McDonalds. “Actually, I haven’t seen myself during that scenario because it doesn’t happen as much as your precious Rangers losing streak does. But whatever helps you sleep at night,” he replied, giving his friend a pat on the shoulder. “So are you driving us or what?”

“Nah. You’re maw is very well acquainted with my arse though, for different reasons,” Scott quipped. He rose from his seat again fumbling in his pocket for his keys, but shot Bob a filthy look. “You’re full of shit. But if that’s how you sleep at night, snug in your Celtic bedsheets, then so be it,” he shrugged, before nodding. “Aye.” He made to leave, strolling through the hallways to the school’s exit. 

[scottxmcbride]

robertxsimmons‌:

“You say ‘I’m from Scotland’ as if we weren’t forced to eat the same disgusting food as bairns,” Bob chuckled, mainly amused by the look of horror on Scott’s face. He’d already learned that even though he wasn’t a genius chef himself, anything he’d made at home was Michelin star quality compared to the food at Frankie J. Scott obviously hadn’t gotten that memo yet. “Eh, why not,” he shrugged, yanking his phone out of his pocket. “Let me see if Emmy wants anything first, she gets kind of sulky if she figures out I went to McDonalds without her. Must be something she gets from her mum’s side.”

“I don’t know about you, mate. My maw gave me a packed lunch,” Scott shrugged, as though a slice of ham in between dry slices of white bread was any better than the slop he had just dumped in the trash. “Fine, but hurry up,” He huffed. “It’s not from her mum’s side, I can tell you that for nothing. Have you ever seen yourself after the Ranger kick Celtic’s arse? It’s not a pretty sight.” 

[scottxmcbride]

 “Disgusting,” Scott said with his nose wrinkled, poking his food with a fork. He had gone to the school cafeteria today, and immediately regretted it. The “lasagne” he had picked up was nothing short of sad, grey in colour and soggy-looking, yet oddly crispy at the same time. “I’m from Scotland, the country that deep fries chocolate and looks at haggis and thinks ‘yum’, but I’m drawing the fucking line.” He took the tray to the trash can and dumped the lot in, dramatically, a look of satisfaction crossing his face as the plastic clanged off the metal. “Fancy a trip to McDonalds?” 

@robertxsimmons​