I WANNA CRY GREGORY I NEED GREGORY SO BAD OMFG. JANINE IF YOU FUMBLE HIM, SEND HIM OVER TO ME. MAKE ME YOUR QUESTIONABLY YOUNG GIRLFRIEND. GOOD GOD SDGAHKJGD
Someone said Gregory from Abbott Elementary is kind of messy and I agree, firstly dating Barbara’s daughter, secondly trying to kiss Janine while dating one of his students parents..
Edit: As of season 2 episode 16, Gregory has kissed Janine while she was dating his friend.
the latest episode of abbott elementary is all the proof you need on how autistic gregory is, i mean that man isn’t just on the spectrum, he is the spectrum
author's note: Wanted to write something for Gregory so I did. I did the best with the little information we know from the show. Please enjoy!
summary: On a busy day at Abbott Elementary, Gregory encourages you to follow your dreams.
wc: 1,832
warnings: humble beginnings of a pre-established friendship/relationship, mentions of vomit, super slow burn, gazing
dedicated to @mloszi
The sound of shoes squeaking down the hallway and the occasional yells of frustration from the teachers didn't cease to annoy you. You weren't used to being in this environment—hence why you were locked away in Mr. Johnson's office—his "sanctuary" (as he liked to called it), trying to find some peace and quiet.
For the past four days you had cleaned up upchucked chicken noodle soup in one of teacher's classrooms, a mysterious puddle of what you hoped was apple juice in the center of the gym floor, and a pile of confetti in Ava's office (she had recently purchased a confetti machine for God knows why).
"I need a cleanup in 105, over."
Groaning, you quickly closed your laptop and swiped up the walkie-talkie perched on the edge of the desk. Whatever progress you were making on your website for your jewelry making business, quickly dissipated into disgust for whatever you would have to clean up in Room 105.
You just weren't sure how much more vomit you could take.
A gust of bravery made the hairs on your arms stand erect as you swiped up the walkie-talkie to give Mr. Johnson a piece of his mind. Although you were readily available to do the job, you couldn't help but wonder why you had yet to see him pick up a mop. Or why he was always doing something else other than cleaning.
Unfortunately, the walkie-talkie crackled again before you could speak. "Also, just wanted you to know I'm proud of you, [First Name]. You're mama...I know she is too."
Your breath hitched for a moment. Whatever complaint was sitting on your tongue had vanished. Pinpricks of tears entered your eyes and you quickly blinked them away.
Reluctantly, you pressed the button to speak: "Thanks. I'm on the way." You released the call button and gathered all the cleaning supplies you might need for the battle that laid ahead.
"This is only temporary," You kept muttering to yourself as you grabbed an extra set of gloves, numerous bottles of bleach, and the only rusty mop you could find. You strapped them to your cart before making your trek down the hall.
"Oh and can you grab me somethin' from the vending machine?"
You lifted a brow as you eyed the walkie talkie in your hand before strapping it to your hip with a shake of your head. Not only did your job include cleaning up messes, but running errands for your superior as well.
On your way to 105, you dodged kids running down the hall and picked up flyers that had fallen off of bulletin boards. Given how chaotic this school could be, you never understood why your grandpa decided to work here.
"Oh, thank you!"
You turned your head to see Janine approaching you from her classroom. Carefully, you fastened the thumbtack on the flyer against the wall.
"Seems like I should just hot-glue everything, you know? These walls are just...noncompliant, you know what I mean?" She grinned and you shook your head and smiled at her poor attempt to joke with you.
"It's either that or the kids," You muttered as you stepped back to admire the bulletin. It was a flyer for an afterschool step team.
"Hey," Janine stepped forward offering you a motherly gaze. "Everyday gets easier. You just have to find the joy in it."
Your first week here had obviously been hectic, but you were gracious your grandpa was able to put in a good word for you to Ava about getting the job. It wasn't the ideal job you wanted, but at least you had met Janine—among others— who were slowly becoming your friends.
You had a chance to meet Barbara, Melissa, and Jacob and although they had been more than nice, you couldn't help but notice how much bubbly Janine was. In fact, on your first day she had offered to buy you lunch as a welcoming gift.
A sudden crash followed by a set of "ooh's" echoed from Janine's classroom. Her eyes widened and she slowly backed away towards her room. "We'll talk later, okay?" She shot you a thumbs up. "Find the joy in it, [First Name]!"
You stood there for a while after she had left, her words echoing throughout your mind before you continued on to Room 105. You could never imagine yourself being as bubbly as Janine given your circumstances. But luckily, this job was temporary.
"This is only temporary. This is only temporary. This is only temp—"
Grape juice.
It was all over the floor.
You didn't have time to groan in frustration as you got to work. The quicker you cleaned this up, the faster you could get back to working on your website.
Grabbing the mop, you dumped it into the bucket attached to your cart and began to mop up the mess. As you cleaned, you went back to repeating the mantra in your head.
This is only temporary.
This mess was temporary.
This job is temporary.
The sound of footsteps entering the classroom startled you and you lifted your head to meet a young man with neatly buttoned down shirt, a tie, pressed slacks and sleek black dress shoes.
"Sorry about the mess. I would've cleaned it up myself but the teacher's lounge is out of paper towels...and I couldn't find any cleaning supplies."
"They're few and far between," You said with a shrug.
"As are a lot of things here," he said while adjusting the sleeves of his shirt. He then stepped forward. "I'm Gregory. I don't think we've met yet." He stuck out his hand.
You reached out to grasp his and you shook it. "[Your First Name]. Nice to finally meet you."
You didn't meet Gregory on your first day, but you knew of him thanks to Janine. She had given you a whole run down of everyone at Abbott while giving you a brief tour. The first time you saw Gregory, he was teaching while simultaneously breaking out into dance sessions with his class—unbeknownst of you and Janine's presence outside his classroom.
Slowly, you both released each other's hands before you went back to mopping.
"So," You said as kept your eyes to floor. "Do I even know want to know how this happened?"
You could hear Gregory sigh. "Let's just say some of the students thought it would be fun to pretend the trashcan was a basketball hoop and well...you can fill in the blanks." He walked over, carefully avoiding the puddles of grape juice, and picked up the discarded juice boxes before tossing them in the trash properly.
"I see," You said as he tossed the final juice box into the trash. "You must be their new teacher."
"Substitute teacher," He correctly you gently. "Until they can find someone long-term, I'm just...keeping the desk warm until then." He walked over to his desk. Briefly, you followed his gaze to the stack of papers on his desk. From what you could tell, they were handwritten letters and drawings addressed to Mr. Eddie.
A small silence passed between the two of you.
"So you're Mr. Johnson's granddaughter, right?" Gregory asked, breaking the silence. He looked up and you both met each other's gaze before you went back to cleaning.
"Is it that obvious?" You said with a sigh.
"Well, given how much he talks about you...yes." Gregory sorted through the papers before putting them in a neat stack. "Before you got here he kept saying he how proud of you he was for wanting to work with him and following in his footsteps."
You stopped to look at Gregory. "He did?"
Gregory nodded. "Yeah." He studied you with a lifted brow. "Is that a bad thing?"
Sighing, you go back to cleaning. "No offense to him—or anyone—but I don't exactly want to be a janitor for the rest of my life."
You never had the courage to tell your grandfather this, of course.
"So what do you want to do?" Gregory arranged his desk neatly before he walked around and leaned against it. He crossed his arms and gave you his undivided attention. You could feel the surface of your cheeks grow warm but that didn't stop you from saying:
"I want to own my own business."
"What's stopping you?" Gregory asked, with a lifted a brow.
"Family expectations. Disappointment. Fear. Front row seats to Boys II Men."
Gregory frowned.
You shook your head, deciding not to explain the last thing you said. "The point is my family isn't fond of me making jewelry for the rest of my life."
You held up your wrist to display one of your prototype pieces—a pattern of ruby red and gold, crystalized in alternating rhomboid and oval shapes.
Gregory pushed off his desk to get a closer look. He reached out his hand, brushing his fingertips along your wrist as he peered at them.
"You made this?"
"Yeah," You said, trying to remind yourself to breathe despite his close proximity.
He inspected it a couple of more seconds before he stepped back. "You should go for it. You're talented."
"Thanks," You said, returning your hands to the mop. "But my mom called my grandpa for this job as a favor. I just don't want to disappoint either one of them."
It had been a couple years since you had found your passion...and had a decent job. You couldn't bring yourself to ask for favors from your family members, but your mom pushed your pride aside and was gracious enough to do it for you. The job brought a steady income, which was something you needed right now. It wasn't as stressful as working as a barista and you weren't as lonely—the people at Abbott were nicer.
Yet, there wasn't a day that went by that you regretted not going back to college. Perhaps in hindsight, you would be making more than minimum wage by now.
"I see," He said as he began to pace a bit. "I've been there before. Being a teacher—let alone a substitute teacher—wasn't something my father wanted for me."
You nodded, glad to have someone who understood.
"But it wasn't until recently that I realized that...it was a matter of pleasing my father or...doing something that brought me joy," Gregory added with a shrug.
It wasn't until then that Janine's words from earlier echoed in your mind:
Find the joy in it.
You looked at Gregory, a small smile poking through your lips. This conversation, although minimal, was enough confirmation for you to find the joy in the temporary.
For a moment the two of you had gone silent again. Gregory had ceased his pacing, as if waiting for you to speak. You were too distracted to move.
"Thanks for the pep talk," You said as you turned your back to him and started cleaning again, your cheeks on fire now.
"Y-yeah," He said, clearing his throat. "Anytime."
