"Thanks...then i'll see you tonight" Danielle said pulling him into a rather quick hug causing one girl to gasp as she made her way into the room. Danielle almost immediatly pulled away fronwing. "Sorry" She seemed to say before darting down the hall, exiting out of the large double doors.

"Now now Eric" Nakata seemed to coo as she leaned forward so their conversation was only between the two of them. "Might want to pull yourself together. Your students are looking forward to this clas$" she smirked pulling away and watching the children come in one by one, awaiting the bell to start.

The hug was certainly sudden and made Andrew gasp quietly to himself. But she was gone before he could do anything about it. He looked down the hall until he rounded a corner and he couldn't see her anymore. He frowned and the bell rang. Well, he'd cross that bridge when he got to it. 

He turned and went into the clas$room and to his seat. "So... what?" Aiden asked. Andrew raised his eyebrows. "What?" He asked, Aiden was so confusing sometimes. "So... are you guys dating now?" Aiden asked. Andrew straightened up in his seat, "Oh, no way~" He answered, embarras$ed that he had even asked that question. "So what was up with the hug?" "I don't know! Stop asking questions." Andrew replied.

"Andrew and Danielle~ Sitting in a tree~" Andrew picked up his jacket and threw it at his friend and laughed slightly when it wrapped around his head. "You're so immature!"  

"Now boys... quit playing and pay attention" Miss Nakata said still on the edge of Eric's desk as the black neko kept his head low and ears pressed against his skull clearly frustrated. "Eric....has something he must address" she smiled warmly lightly nudging Eric who let out a low hiss at her action before standing up and walking around his desk to lean on the front of it. He winced slightly bit ignored the pain as he began to speak.

"Miss Nakata has challened my position here. She has taken a liking to my litature course and wants to take over from here on out" He said simply with a blank ex
pression on his face. "It is really up to you students and the rest of the faculty on who will take over. Does she have power to do so, yes she does. Especially when she goes and rats it out to the bos--" "I didn't rat out anything, Eric" she sneered getting up from the desk and grabbing the papers that he was gradding to pas$ them out to the students.

"Anyway. Since you already know my teaching style I have to back down and allow Miss Nakata to take over for a few days which means she is your teacher not me from now on until it is time for you all to vote" He sighed glancing down at the ground. "It also means that the as$ignments Eric gave to you before he was so tragicly hurt, are no longer valuble to me so you don't have to do that silly little poem" She smiled warmlly handing out the papers to the designated students.

Andrew faced the front of the clas$, wondering why in the hell they were both in the clas$room instead of just Eric since he was obviously well enough to be here. While the explanation was going on, Andrew leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his desk. Tail flicked slowly out to the side of his desk and ears facing the opposite direction.

"How stupid." He spoke up, his eyes just slits now. Andrew didn't like this, not at all. He might not like Eric but this woman he couldn't handle any longer than he had to. Not only did she have the most annoying way of acting, but he wasn't going to be able to study about Edgar Allen Poe. 

He was almost tempted to leave this nonsense and just go to work early. At least he could go and get the ID earlier and maybe get Danielle a job sooner. He smirked, "Why don't the two of you just have it out of the football field?" There were giggles from the clas$room, "That would be something I'd pay to see." Aiden couldn't help but laugh at that one, he'd like to see that too.

Eric seemed to stiffle a laugh as he focused on Andrew. "Sorry, Andrew. That's now how it works. I wish it was that simple" he sighed glancing over at Nakata who had a glare on Andrew. This made Eric laugh and push himself to sit on the front of his desk. "Come on, Nakata. He does have a point this is stupid. It's my clas$room and job. Your trying to steal everything from me. If I hadn't known better it was probably you who se---" "Shut up Eric" Nakata hissed comming up next to Andrew and stopping. She slipped his paper on his desk glaring down at him. "You my child...are the most troublesom out of all the clas$es. It's a shame Eric couldn't break you" She sighed pas$ing him.

"There was no need to break him. I rather enjoy his comments and for once....he's actually semi on my side even though he wouldn't admit to it" Eric said simply now in a good mood and vise versa for Nakata. It was amazing how one student's words could upset a peson that quickly.

"If he wanted to see teachers go at one another in stupid attempts he can wait till the end of the year when they have the charity banquets" she said simply finishing pas$ing back their papers.

It was Andrew turn to chuckle, "Break me?" He asked, "What the hells that supposed to mean?" Aiden laughed harder, know that this was going to be the thing to stick in Andrew's head. "I'm not an animal." He said, still trying to kill the smile of his face. He couldn't believe she said that! And with a straight face too!

He sighed once he was able to stop showing how amused he was by Nakata's words. No one is going to be able to break him. Especially now that the idea was floating in the air. He also noticed that his comment had put her through the roof.

"I'm already... 'voting' for Eric. But it's going to be fun pissing you off over the next few days~" He told her, watching as she pas$ed out more papers to other students. 

"That's not exactly the term that we---" Nakata was cut off by Eric who frowned. "Not we...you. You said that not me" he laughed shaking his head. "Fine. That was not the meaning I was portraying, Andrew. Breaking a student only means to set their minds into an academic perspective versus letting you goof off and fail the clas$" She stated glancing over at Eric who seemed to stand up and shake his head. "But he's not failing my clas$. He's actually pas$ing. If you would have actually taken the time to look at my grade book you would have seen that. All my students are pas$ing. Not a single one is failing my clas$" He sighed seeming to focus only on Nakata.

"How can that be? Your rigging the system!" She seemed rather shocked by his statment. "You underestimate my teaching skills, Nakata. We are ahead of everyone else and yes my course has been modified but not for the student's sake but for the sake of learning something truely valuble than forcing very old litertaure on them that they wouldn't even remember once pas$ing the exam" He explained with a sigh. "If you keep changing my course in which I've had set for years then you are going to have every single student in teh clas$ to fail and retake this course over next year" he frowned, now dead serious.

"The test can always be changed, Eric" Nakata siad with a slight laugh. "I also can get one of the other teacher's tests and go off of that. I do not have to follow your riduculous and boring schedual" She sneered.

Andrew still thought it was funny that she implied that she was going to break him, whatever meaning she has behind it. But that ended however when she said that Andrew was failing. Of course, there it was again. Why did it get to him so much? Teachers just a$suming that he was failing a clas$? Why? Did he just have 'I'm a failure' written on his forehead? Apparently so.

He sighed and leaned back into his seat once again, waiting for the two teachers to stop yelling at one another.  Again, it was upsetting him, and again he wanted to get away from the yelling. Maybe it was because he was around yelling all the time. And now it was at the one place where he could be calm. 

"Whatever" Eric sighed rolling his eyes and watching the clas$. "Tomorrow is supposed to be their recitings" he said simply observing the clas$. "yes and?" Nakata asked looking back at him. "Why don't you let the ones who worked hard recite and use it as extra credit" he frowned watching Nakata.

She staired at him before nodding. "Fine. If you all have done it, you may present now or tomorrow. It will be for extra credit. Fi---" "Ten...it's fair" Eric inturupted only to hear her growl but nod. "Ten....Ten extra points if you present your poems on...Poe?" She asked only for Eric not nod. "Yes poe. I would like you to teach about his life too but I don't think that's going to happen. Your a shakespear type" he laughed bitting his lip. "Yes after your presentations i'm going to teach shakespeare."

Andrew had officially stopped listening and was beginning to zone out. He leaned forward in his seat and resting his cheek in his palm. He hadn't got much sleep last night and all of this running around was starting to wear down on his senses.

He had only just barely won that basket ball game because his reflexes were getting slower and slower. And that basket ball game had taken a big chunk out of his stamina as well. Even though it was fun and took his mind off of his troubles.

During yet another round of the teacher's arguments, Andrew had picked up his jacket off of the floor beside him and rested it on the desk. Man, he was suddenly exhausted. His tail curled up into his lap and his ears drooped tiredly against his head. Aiden looked over at him and had to do a double take on his sudden change in attitude. 

Andrew laid his head down, bruise up so that he wouldn't hurt his face anymore than it already was. Maybe they would argue the whole clas$ period and he wouldn't have to learn about Shakespeare again. Shakespeare was taught all through high school, in every grade. But not Poe and Andrew had taken a strange liking to him.

Eric surveyed the room before smirking noticing Andrew. "Well...You go ahead and teach shakespeare while your clas$ takes a nice nap. Me on the other hand, since I don't have to be here....I'm taking my leave" he said getting off of the desk and grabbing his light brown jacket. "Bye" he waved making his way out of his room only to turn the corner and stop just outside the door wincing slightly as he gripped his side. Oh it was way to soon to come back to work but he was thankful he did. Nakata was about to try to sneak him out of a job but somehow he knew she would fail. His students coudln't turn against him. Hell he taught every single one of them since the beginning of the year.

He sighed tossing his jacket over his shoulder as he slowly made his way to the parking lot, his tail seeming to drag the ground as his ears were pressed against his skull.

Miss Nakata seemed to watch him leave before clearing her throat. "Okay students....who ever is ready may present now" she said sounding rahter bored watching a girl come to the front and begin to recite her poe poem to the clas$. This was going to be a long clas$ period.

Andrew flicked his ear, hearing Eric's comment but didn't care enough and was far too tired to say anything back to him. Something hit him and he sat up quickly, but not quick enough. Eric was already gone. "Damn..." He sighed, ears drooping before he laid his head back down. 

He was going to gave him back his business card that he had given him that other night so that it didn't keep popping up and bothering him all the time. whatever, he could just throw it away later. He half consciously listened to the girl up front recite her poem and then as another girl did hers. So far, none of the guys had gone yet. They were apparently too chicken to do so.

[[ Ah! XD I suddenly want some sort of tension between Eric and Andrew again Dx lol ]]

{ It's only going to bother Andrew to throw away the buisness card. lol. If it's bothering him now, its going to bother him then. lol. Plus Eric is slow and will most likil deffinatly smoke a cigarette. }

Eric neared the exit of the building and stepped outside pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. He pressed the end to his lips as he took a long huff of it leaning against the wall stairing randomly at the parking lot. He watched his car out of boredom trying not to focus on his room and the evil lady who was tryin to kick him out of a job.

Nakata listened to the girls finding nothing interesting at all. Of course Poe was her least favorite person but out of decentness {totally not a word} towards her students she allowed them to recite the thing they had been busting their butts for for the past few days. Her eyes travelend to Andrew watching him for a few moments before another student near the back caught her attention. He was seeming to go over his lines to himself silently trying to memorize them at the last minute. Nice. She wondered how many actually chose to skip the as$ignment.

[[ I know XD He won't be able to throw it away which is only going to make him mad >:3 And I think that it would fatally wound if only kill Andrew's pride to go running after Eric ^.^ ]]

Andrew groaned, tired of hearing the same poem over and over again. 'Alone'. "He sat up, waiting for the last girl to go before he spoke up. "I'll go~" He announced before he stood up and walked to the front of the clas$. And unlike the other girls before him and the guys that were soon to come, he didn't carry a piece of paper that had his poem on it. "Mine's 'Annabel Lee'" He announced, leaning against the teacher's desk before he started. 

"It was many and many a year ago, in a kingdom by the sea. That a maiden there lived whom you may know, by the name of Annabel Lee; And this maiden she lived with no other thought than to love and be loved by me." He looked around the room, completely at home at being the center of attention. Thats where he liked to be.

"I was a child and she was a child in this kingdom by the sea; But we loved with a love that was more than love, I and my Annabel Lee. With a love the the winged seraphs oh heaven coveted her and me." Again he stopped, because the poem stopped briefly there. "And this was the reason that, long ago, in that kingdom by the sea, a wind blew out of a cloud, chilling my Annabel Lee; So that her highborn kinsmen came and bore her away from me. to shut her up in a sepulche in this kingdom by the sea.

"The angels, not half as happy in heaven, went envying her and me. Yes, that was the reason, as all men know in that kingdom by the sea. That the wind came out of the cloud at night, chilling and killing my Annabel Lee." Aiden listened to Andrew quietly, why he had chose this poem... he didn't know.

"But our love is stronger by far than the love of those who are older than we. Of far wiser than we. And neither the angels in heaven above, nor the demons below the sea; can ever dissever my soul from the soul of the beautiful Annabel Lee." He paused again, adding some suspense to the poem.

"For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams, of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes, of the beautiful Annabel Lee. And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride, in the sepulchre there by the sea, in her tomb by the sounding sea."

He finished and went to sit at his seat once again.

[[ Ahhhhhhhh!! I LOVE THIS POEM!! =D ]] 

Nakata listened to Andrew rahter impressed but didn't say anything. She simply watched the next person come up and begin to recite their poems. This was so boring! Tomorrow would not be like this, she would actually start her teachings on shakespeare versus this Poe whom Eric seems so attatched to and obviously Andrew. { You can skip to the end of the day if you want}

____________________

Outside Eric finished up his cigarette and was currently walking to his car when a familar face caught his attention. "Danielle?" He asked watching the black neko make her way down the side walk in rather joyful steps. "Hey!" He nearly shouted causing her to freeze and spin around. "Danielle" he called walking over to the school fence and watching her come and greet him. "Mr. Dashaniel" she said rathe rsoftly pulling her ears back and curling her tail behind her. "I thought you left..." She sighed averting her gaze from him. "No...simply changed jobs" He sighed leaning against a nearby fence.

"You know things died when you left. The order was broken. Kids were cast off to unwelcome homes. It's terible" she frowned only to have her wrist caught by Eric. Her eyes widened as she focused on him trying to free her wrist. "Mr. Dashaniel....that hurts" she whimpered slightly noticing his change in facial ex
pression. "I wasn't the one holding it together. I don't even want to talk about why I left. Do you understand me, Danielle?" He sneered, for the first tim ever his seriousness actually turning into a frightenin look. "I-i-i didn't...or I w-w-wasn't going to g-g-go there" she stammered still trying to free her wrist.

The bell rang and the clas$ all of the students stood up and rushed out of the room. Andrew stood up slowly, fatigue taking his toll of the poor raged neko. "Hey, Andy~" Aiden said as he came over to his friend. "Impressive." He chuckled, wrapping his arm around his friend's shoulder. "Thanks~" Andrew responded, picking up his jacket and shrugging into it and pulling his bag over his shoulder. 

"Hey, I need you to drop me off somewhere else today." Andrew said as they left the clas$room. "Sure. Where at?" Aiden replied. "Stevie's place, I need and ID." Andrew answered. "Oh? For who? Surely you didn't lose yours already~" "No! For Danielle. I'm gonna try and get her a job." Andrew replied.

They walked out of the front doors, still attached and in high spirits until Andrew spotted Damielle. "Hey look! Theres... Danielle..." Aiden said, noticing Mr. Dashaniel at the same time Andrew did. Andrew noticed how scared Danielle looked and that Eric had her wrist, he couldn't see his face since his back was facing his way.

He growled quietly and let go of Aiden and stormed up to the pair before he grabbed Eric's wrist and viciously forced it back toward him. "The f*ck are you doing?!" He exclaimed, eyes narrowed into slits and ears flat against his skull and tail two times the size it usually was.

Aiden came up as well but stood back, simply watching unless a fight broke out. Then he'd break them up. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size!!" He hissed, putting himself between Danielle and Eric. he hoped to god that Eric attacked him and gave his the perfect excuse to beat the ever living daylights out of him.

Eric seemed to return to his normal composure stepping away from Andrew and Danielle. His blue gaze focused on the female before sighing. "I wasn't picking on her but simply reminding her of something. Why do you care? Where do you fit in in her life? I know where I fit in" he said standing up straight.

"Your not in my life anymore!" Danielle seemed to hiss behind Andrew. "You left us therefore screwing up our fates. I hope yours turns for the worst" She growled balling her fist watching Eric snort with a rather amused ex
pression on his face. "Really? I screwed up your life? I watched you grow up, little girl. Ever since you were five and stepped foot in that home. You were so shy, so easly influenced....I had to make sure no one tried anything. No one made you do something you thought would be helpful. I kept you out of trouble" he sighed shaking his head rather lightly pulling his ears against his skull.

"Then you turned around and left. Letting those monsters in to claim us! Officers with corrupt intentions. Do you know how many kids commited suicide because of how things turned out! Do you!" She yelled, tears falling down her cheeks. "The officers covered it up. Who would care for random orphan suicides anyway? No one. I only know of four children out of the 27 you cared for that actually landed good homes. The rest were taken by officers and from there on being brought from home to home" She sighed stepping back tightening her tail around herself. "Go....teach. Try to save children some other way but note...if you fail again, I would give up if I were you. This way....no one has to die" She hissed, her eyes narrowing.

Eric's narrowed as well giving off a low hiss. "I didn't kill him" "But you wern't there!" she yelled shaking her head. "He needed you....and you wern't there. If you were he would have survived then things wouldn't have turned to the way they are. Officers wouldn't have taken over" she sighed lightly grabbing Andrew's shoulder. "Please, Andrew. Your not in this and i'm fine, but thank you" She said softly shaking her head lightly.

Andrew remained in between the two of them. He was confused sure, but he was starting to make connections here and there. That guy that had come to threaten him the other night had mentioned this stuff to him. Now that this was all unrolling out in front of him, he was getting it. 

He didn't want to be a part of this, no worries. He didn't want anything to with death or abandonment or anything else that seemed to radiate off of his Literature teacher. But he couldn't help but think about what he had said.

"If you... watched her grow up, and you helped her know what was right and wrong..." He said, trying to piece this little part together. "Then why would you use pain as a reminder of something?" He asked. A frown on his face. He suddenly felt sick.

He sighed, turned to Danielle. "Come on, I need you to take a few pictures." He told her calmly, hoping that she would pick up on his subtle hints of her fake ID. Aiden moved forward then, but only slightly. Andrew was acting weird. Andrew stuck his hand into his jacket pocket and grabbed the business card there. He hesitated for a moment before he pulled it out. 

"I was... thinking about keeping it..." He said, he had been actually. Those weren't just words. Eric seemed to be a constant pain in his side so maybe he could stick around? "But I don't think... I want help from someone that uses pain to get the point across."

He remembered how his mother would always push him around and hit him when he was young. To get the point across. "I've had enough of that." He didn't feel like fighting or waiting around for Eric to take his card back either. He let it go and it fluttered to the pavement. He didn't want to wait around here after putting himself out there either and walked past Eric toward Aiden's car. 

Aiden was quiet for a moment, wide eyed. "Uhm..." He began, but couldn't find anymore words. He had no idea that Eric had offered help to Andrew. "Are you... coming?" He asked Danielle. 

Eric watched the card fall slowly to the ground before sighing. He immediatly regretted his reactions. He didn't loose just one of his kids, but the potential to help someone else. He bit his lip watching Danielle turn to follow Andrew causing Eric to step forwrd and go to reach for her but stopped himself. "Danielle.....I"m sorry" he said causing her to stop and glance back at him.

"I understand why you did it. He's painful to remember, I know. Your furious with yourself that you couldn't help him. He wasn't a mere kid you were helping was he? You loved him as your own child. You can never have children which is why you dedicate your lives to them but take note of this, Mr. Dashaniel. He is your past, you can't simply forget him or drown your memories in the present. It happened therefore it is apart of you, there's no changing that" she said and with that turned her back on him following Andrew.

"I"m comming" she sighed perking her ears up slightly and unwravling her tail. She bit her bottom lip a little shocked that Andrew was offered help by Eric. It was all new and rather eventful but these were not a string of events that she wanted to follow. Danielle brought her hand up to rub her wrist where Eric had grabbed her. She had never seen him like this, so angry. He was always smiling the last time she remembered him.

"I'm sorry, Andrew" She spoke up lifting her gaze to focus on him. "I seem to be getting in all kinds of situations around you, bringing you in the middle of things" She frowned pulling her ears back once more.

========

Eric simply stayed back watching Andrew, Aiden, and Danielle take their leave. He let out a deep sigh and bent down picking up his card, shoving it into his pocket. He wasn't about to give up, not at all. Today was not his day and that was clearly visable but why had he gotten so upset with the sight of Danielle? He hadn't seen her in years and now she just randomly showed up with Andrew, the one student he was trying to reach out to. He gave a low growl seeming to walk to his own car trying to sort things out in his mind.