TYSHA“Good day, everyone. My name is Henry Colterzon. Nice to meet you all,” Henry uttered in front of my class. There was a hint of shyness in his voice but that was understandable since he was a newbie. I was pretty sure he would get used to his classmates after some time. All of my other students smiled at him, warmly welcoming him. “Okay then, Henry. Sit beside him please.” I ordered him to sit beside his best friend who was also a new transferee here in Mason Academy. It immediately put a genuine happiness on Henry’s face. Then, I started our Math class. Henry was a great student but there were some things he seemed to lack knowledge about. Maybe, it was because the curriculum here at Mason Academy was different from the school he came from. “Call dismissed. See you again tomorrow,” I announced after I gathered all the papers from my last class for the day. They all stood and greeted me back. “Thank you, Ma’am Tysha!” My students said altogether. I smiled at them before
RUEThe shock on Charles' face earlier was priceless. It was as if he had seen a ghost that was going to take revenge on him. I’d like to see more of that. I’d like to be the one haunting them. So, I purposely followed their car. Since luck seemed to be on my side, they seemed to plan on having lunch in a fancy restaurant near Mason Academy. Henry invited his best friend to come with us. Our original plan was to eat outside. Coincidentally, Tysha's family planned on doing so too. So, to annoy them further, I tailed them. Damn. The satisfaction I felt when Tysha started choking on her food after seeing me being assisted by the restaurant’s staff was the best. It seemed like she didn't expect she would see me here too. Charles extended a glass of water to her.As we settled in at the adjacent table to Tysha's family, Henry also noticed their presence.“Dad, look. It’s Ma’am Tysha,” Henry exclaimed, pointing at them.“Yeah,” I acknowledged.He then asked for my approval.“Should I g
TYSHA“Charles.” I halted on my way out of the restroom when I saw Charles waiting outside.I just excused myself for a moment to do a bathroom break and I didn’t expect him to follow me. “You left the kids?” I asked him. "I just wanted to talk to you alone," he replied, his tone serious, capturing my full attention.Frowning slightly, I asked, "What's going on?" His uncharacteristically somber expression was concerning, devoid of its usual lightheartedness.“Did you know that Addison already met Rue?” he asked. Oh… that? To be honest, I didn’t expect that too. God knew how my heart raced so fast when I saw my daughter waving at her real father. It scared me that they would know the truth even before I told them myself. Even before I was ready to tell them everything. “No,” I answered to Charles’ question. “That’s why I was shocked to the core when I saw her waving at Rue.” Relief washed over his face, and I could sense his tension easing. Perhaps he had feared that I had dis
TYSHA"Ma'am Tysha."Rue and I were interrupted by the sound of someone calling my name. It was my co-teacher, Rupert, holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach as I already had a suspicion about who the flowers were for."Sir Rupert," I greeted him back as he approached, stopping right beside Rue and me. With a knowing look, he handed me the flowers."Here. Happy Mother's Day," he said with a smile.Among my colleagues, Rupert was the only one who never forgot to give me flowers on special occasions. And it wasn't lost on anyone that he only did it for me. Speculation among our other co-teachers was rife, with many suspecting there might be something more between us. To be honest, I couldn't help but entertain the thought myself. It was hard not to, considering the obvious attention he paid to me.Not wanting to be impolite, I graciously accepted Rupert's gift."Thank you so much. These flowers are beautiful," I expressed my gratitude as I held
TYSHA"Why are you with those two punks?" Charles's question, laced with irritation, grated on my nerves. I took a deep breath, trying to maintain my composure as I addressed him.I wanted today to be calm and enjoyable, especially since it was Mother's Day—a day meant for a mother like me. However, the tension and drama from earlier were already giving me a headache."I didn't appreciate the way you acted, Charles, especially in front of my colleague," I stated calmly, hoping to reason with him.But Charles remained steadfast in his stance. "What? I'm just marking my territory," he argued. "He needs to know that you're off-limits now."His words only added to my frustration. I didn't need Charles to assert his dominance like some territorial animal. I needed understanding and respect, especially on a day meant to celebrate motherhood.As Charles's arrogance persisted in his tone, I chose to remain silent. It felt like talking would only lead to further frustration, as his mind seemed
RUE My blood was boiling beyond measure. If only I hadn't mastered controlling my emotions, I might have rearranged Charles' face on the spot. The sight of so many guys surrounding Tysha was a sickening eyesore, especially knowing that the one who could lay claim to her was my ex-friend. It could have been me, you know? Truth be told, I had actually intended to greet her, but my plans were dashed to pieces by those assholes who showed up. Another thing that grated on my nerves was the flowers those guys gave Tysha, and her reaction to them. First, there was the bouquet from her co-teacher, who happened to be Henry's Social Science teacher. “"These flowers are beautiful,” she said? What a damn lie. That was the ugliest bouquet I’ve ever seen in my entire life," I muttered to myself as I drove back to my company. I shook my head, recalling the bland bouquet Charles had given her. It didn't hold a candle to the ones I used to surprise her with. Did Tysha lower her standards again?
TYSHA“Who’s that from?”Suspicion was evident in Charles' tone when he asked me about the huge bouquet I was holding aside from the one he gave me. Given the way he reacted earlier when Rupert gave me a bouquet, I was sure he would be even mad once he found out this was from Rue. So, to avoid any argument, I lied. “I-I think it’s from Madeline,” I stammered, noticing Charles's furrowed brows.“Really? She’d make that kind of effort?” Until now, there was still a hint of suspicion with the way he talked. Not to appear nervous, I chuckled. “Of course, she always does,” I uttered. “You know we’re super close, right?” Charles examined the bouquet. He let his finger slip on the cellophane that was wrapping hundreds of red roses. Then he stared at the single note that was on it. "Why didn’t she write her name on this note?" he questioned, eyeing the note that came with the bouquet. All it said was "Happy Mother’s Day.""I’m worried my colleagues might tease me again. They might thin
TYSHAAfter Fred made my life harder, I went back to the faculty room because I had no choice but to wait for Rue. Fortunately, when I checked my kids, their teacher told me that they would overtime in their PE subject. I would still have time to talk to Rue. I told Rue to go to my department’s faculty room as soon as possible. While waiting for him, I took the time to prepare myself.I don’t know but when it comes to him, no matter how expert I am in my field, he still makes me nervous. I just learned how to hide it better. When someone knocked on the faculty room’s door, I sat straight, expecting it was Rue already. As expected, after three distinct knocks, the door creaked open, and Rue strode into the room. Instantly, all eyes turned towards him, including Celeste's, whose table was positioned opposite mine. Her jaw dropped in disbelief at the sight of Rue, mirroring the stunned expressions of everyone else present. I wasn't exaggerating when I described their reactions. Thei