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.”