hearts on fire

true to his newfound rebellious ways, aaron wasn’t particularly close with any teachers – not like some of his friends, rubbing elbows and probably kissing serious ass. but there a comfort, he supposed, in showing up to a classroom and finding a friend. it was weirdly thrilling to hear a teacher curse, like seeing them outside of school; it reminded you that they too, were people. aaron made a mental note that he…liked this.

Silas had been told more times than he could care to remember that you can’t swear in front of the kids, Lancaster. But Silas was of the firm belief that you couldn’t baby them. They were teenagers. Even if there were any of them naiive (read: stupid) enough to be offended by a few curse words -- which he highly doubted -- wasn’t it his job as an educator to prepare them for real life?

“Silas, right?” She asked, walking into his classroom, her heels clacking on the floor, leaning against the doorway, looking over at him. In any other circumstances, she would describe the man as yummy with a soft giggle – but in this situation, she needed to make him like her. Maybe even eventually respect her. Hm.

Silas glanced up from the book he’d started thumbing through. This was the problem with books; he always got distracted from his original task. He snapped the book shut with one hand to give his full attention to the young woman in front of him. He nodded in response to her question of his name to confirm that he had it right. “Lancaster,” he added. He was sure he’d never remember the names of all of the staff at this new school. Hell, he barely remembered most of the teachers from Wardlaw. Although he made a mental note to remember this one. She’d probably be present for the “you can’t drink and administer tests at the same time, Lancaster” discussions that he was sure were bound to happen. (Not that he drank during school hours... That often... Anymore...) “Nice to meet you.”

despite how inconvenient it was to have moved (twice, aaron was quick to grumble), he could admit there was something to be said about the aesthetic of the school: underwater, almost clandestine in nature, lake placid was an impressive place. aaron, not yet succumbed to the social ladder of the americans and getting edged ever so slightly out of the wardlaw-dumfries circle, found himself, more often than not, passing up invitations and plans to roam the nautical hallways. he would argue that he did so because ‘it was better to find his way now than to get lost when it mattered’, but truthfully, aaron found solace in deserted halls better than anywhere else.

Silas’s immediate reaction to hearing another voice was an internal god dammit. The last thing he needed on his day of peace and quiet was to be bothered. But when he looked up, the feeling of irritation faded. As much as he would never admit it out loud, and as much as he frequently acted otherwise, he had a soft spot for the boys. The Lake Placid boys seemed stupid and almost brutish in comparison, although perhaps that was his bias showing.