Michael stood behind the desk, gripping the back of the chair. Victor cowered into the back corner.
"Show no fear," Victor shakily whispered.
There was a minute of silence as they waited for the storm to arrive.
The door slowly pushed open. Mrs. Garverdink was still trying to sort the papers as she entered, leaving the door open behind her.
"Silverstone said you wanted to see me?" She looked up from the stack, and her eyebrows tilted further towards her nose as she saw Michael. She looked at Michael, then to Victor, who sunk a little lower into the corner crevice.
"P-p-please have a seat." Michael stuttered.
"I'll stand." Mrs. Garverdink retorted, staring down at Michael.
"Yeah, that's fine," Michael looked at Victor, who avoided his gaze. "So, I— I, I'm here to talk to you… about your job,"
Mrs. Garverdink stood silent, her eyes glared down at Michael.
"You…Well..I.." Michael took a breath before blurting out, "You're fired," As soon as he said it he wanted to take it back.
Mrs. Garverdink's face stayed stoic for just a moment before a broad grin broke out across her face. This was the first time Michael had seen her smile, and really hoped it was the last. She began to chuckle. Her thin lips quivered. She turned and slowly walked to the door and gently pushed it closed. She walked back to the desk and looked from Michael to Victor and back to Michael.
"I must not have heard you right."
"Well—" Michael started, the blood had drained from his face.
"Look me in the eye when you're talking to me," Mrs. Garverdink said sternly.
Michael looked up and observed a single vein pulsing across Mrs. Garverdink's forehead. She was no longer grinning.
"Well, not fired, you…just won't be returning next year."
There was a moment of silence. Mrs. Garverdink began nodding her head as she turned and walked slowly towards the door. Michael thought for a moment that the meeting had gone a lot better than he had imagined it would. The relief only lasted a moment as Mrs. Garverdink turned back to the desk. She walked over, grabbed a chair, and turned to what Michael thought was leave again.
"You cannot take that!" Victor piped up for the first time, portraying a false sense of security.
"I'm not." Mrs. Garverdink closed the door and hoisted the chair beneath the handle. She turned back to face Michael and Victor.
"I have been here for nineteen years." Her voice was slow. Michael backed against the wall. “Nineteen. Years." She clapped her hands with sylable. "Kids that go through my class score higher throughout their entire elementary careers than any other teacher." She reached out and knocked over Victor's pencil holder. She grabbed a pen, turned, and threw it. Victor let out a yelp as it hit his chest. "This school is nothing without me." She grabbed a second pen as Victor used both arms to cover his face.
"Mrs. Garverdink, that is quite enough!" Victor yelled through his arms as a second pen hit his stomach. "Bill! Come in here!" he yelled.
Michael heard the electric buzz approach the door. The handle jiggled, but the chair held the door closed. "Sir, something seems to be blocking the door."
"You can't fire me." She grabbed a pair of scissors and slammed them into the desk.
She glared at Michael, who gazed blankly back at her, not sure what to do. "It's not until next year." He blurted, grasping at straws.
"Why, thank you, Mr. Robinson." She said, sarcastically placing the back of her hand on her forehead. "The best hire this school has ever had, Mr. Robinson!" She grabbed the now-empty pencil holder, "The man with the smart gene, Mr. Robinson," she turned and hurled the jar at the trophy case, causing a loud smack as it bounced off the display.
"Hah! You'd think I'd use standard glass?"
Mrs. Garverdink walked across the room and began peeling the posters one by one off the wall.
"Please don't take those down, those are school property," Victor said, but made no attempt to stop her. She continued taking each poster down without saying another word. After every sign was down and stacked, she slowly made her way to the desk, grabbed the scissors, and began cutting. Michael sat down into the office chair and watched as she kept cutting the posters into smaller and small pieces. After she felt the parts could not be made any tinier, she picked up the stack and tossed the paper in the air, letting it rain down like confetti.
"You can't fire me." She said as she walked towards the door. Michael opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off, "I quit."
She pulled the chair from beneath the handle and tossed it off the unscathed trophy case. She pulled the door open and hurried past Bill, who was still sitting outside.
He wheeled into the room, "Something was stuck in the door." He murmured.
"We don't need you anymore. Please go back to the parking lot." Victor said as he walked out from the corner.
"Yes sir," Bill said as he spun around and buzzed out of the room.
Victor sat at his desk, looking at his disastrous office. "Michael, I'm impressed. I'd suggest not being so blunt next time, but you showed no fear." He paused. "Sometimes life can be hard, but it's hard unless—" He looked as his empty wall, "Never mind." He said, glancing down to the slivers of paper, "Now go tell Mrs. Garverdink she's not fired."
Michael's heart dropped, "She's not?"
"Of course not! With the scores, she produces she is far too valuable! You passed your first lesson, now go and catch her before she gets in her car!"
Michael was thankful when the school day had finally ended. Convincing Mrs. Garverdink to undo her quitting had been harder than firing her in the first place. The meeting included a long strand of cleverly strung-together swear words that made Michael think she'd fit better as an English teacher. She'd finally taken the job back after he agreed to watch her class three times a week for the rest of the year.
Word had traveled fast at the small school, and multiple teachers had already requested they receive the same treatment, which was not taken well when he denied the requests. Mr. Finch had approached him in the parking lot after school, asking if he could also have his job back. He promised he wouldn't even make Michael watch his class at all. Michael again had to deny the request.