through the fog (throughthefog) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2018-02-18 13:22:00 |
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Entry tags: | #october 2017, charlie, charlie x jasper, jasper |
Who: Charlie and Jasper
When: Tuesday, Oct 3, late morning
Where: the high school
Status: Complete
Working the night before always made Jasper want to lay out of school. Sleep was just so fucking good, and it wasn’t like he was going to make much of himself in life anyway, so why not just turn his alarm off and stay in dream land? He hit the snooze button a couple of times, but then he had to piss, so he got up and then felt guilty for planning to skip. He did want to graduate, at least, and this was his last year to do it. So Jasper got ready and rolled into school after missing first period.
The sleepiness hung with him as the hours went on though, in spite of him getting a Mountain Dew out of the machine and downing it between remedial math and English class. The caffeine was failing him while Ms. Harris called roll, and as soon as she really started to lecture them on whatever it was they were supposed to have read the night before, Jasper started to doze. He always sat in the back, and with his hood up and his cheek propped up on his hand, he felt like he looked awake enough to not be noticed.
Charlie was grateful for the quiet start to the week. The weather was pretty decent and people seemed to be in better spirits than the week before. School was school, and that rarely changed, but she was looking forward to dinner with Gavin later that evening, so it was possible Charlie had a bit of a bounce in her step today. She was just hoping it would last, given how easy it was for some teenagers to get under her skin. Charlie had an infinite amount of patience, but teaching really did feel like a thankless job sometimes.
As she started discussing the sixth and seventh chapters of the novel she had assigned to her senior classes the week before, Great Expectations, Charlie made a mental note of the students who were actively listening and taking notes, and those who were... well, present. Physically, at least. She was not a teacher who took joy in publicly humiliating students, but she had no qualms about asking them questions, just to get their attention. Just to make sure they knew she was paying attention to them.
"So why do you think Joe Gargery married Georgiana?" Charlie asked, glancing around the class. There were a few hands in the air, but Charlie leaned back against her desk, tapping her pen to her palm. "Jasper?"
Hearing his name drew Jasper out of the doze he’d fallen into, and his head lifted with a little jerk. He hadn’t quite heard the question though, all of it just sounding like background noise to him. English was really one of his worst subjects, especially when it came to reading all this old bullshit. It was just all so boring. “Uh ...” he started to stall for a moment. Jasper glanced around him, but there was no help from his classmates. Some looked amused, other were rolling their eyes, and he was pretty sure he heard a sigh from one of the girls across the room who had raised her hand. “What?” It wasn’t the most polite way to ask her to repeat herself, but Jasper didn’t care. He just wanted to be left alone to nap.
Even if Jasper hadn't been Gavin's son, Charlie would have tried to be patient with him. She knew his circumstances, and she knew he didn't have a very stable home life. That being said, he was also old enough to know that actually attending school, and doing the work, was all required if he wanted to graduate. "Great Expectations. Chapters six and seven," Charlie reminded him, calmly. "Did you complete the assignment from Friday?" She already knew the answer, but she felt obligated to ask anyway. A tiny part of her was hoping he could tell her something, anything, about the book. Charlie was guessing his copy was either forgotten in his book bag, or stuffed somewhere in his locker.
Seeing as how Jasper didn’t even remember what the assignment had been -- just reading? Questions about the chapters? Drawing a picture of Dickens’s ass or whatever? -- he was fairly certain he hadn’t done it. And damn, the apathy was strong today. “Nah,” he answered casually, shrugging one shoulder. “Ask Dawn, though, bet she knows.” There was a small wave of titters through the class as many eyes turned to Dawn, one of the brighter students who sat across the room from Jasper. He was pretty sure she’d read the whole book already, a couple of times over, and could answer any question Ms. Harris had and then some.
Charlie's lips twitched into a very brief smile, though it held zero amusement. "I'm sure Dawn could answer just about any question I ask about this book, but she's not the only student in this room. It's not an easy book to read, nor is it a short one, so I expect you to catch up and stay on schedule with the rest of us," Charlie told him. She pushed away from the front of the desk to walk back around toward the chalkboard. "If you haven't completed the assignment, at least put your hood down and try to stay awake for the rest of the class. It might be beneficial to take some notes as well."
Jasper rolled his eyes at her back and barely muffled a sigh, but he pushed his hoodie back off his head. That was at least part of what she’d asked for. Jasper knew there was no way in hell he was staying awake though, especially not after Ms. Harris started droning on about the stupid book no one but nerds cared about. Before too long he was slouching again, his temple on his fist and his eyes closed as he ‘looked’ down at the notebook he’d written nothing in. He was trying to not have as much of an Attitude Problem and not get into as much trouble, but there was only so much he could do about dozing off.
Charlie continued on with class as usual, but noted Jasper had dozed off again, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to catch sight of his blank notebook. She was well aware that Dickens was not for everyone, and the literature could be difficult to understand, but the book and upcoming project also made for a significant portion of the class grade this semester, and she knew it would be difficult for Jasper to catch up if he failed. It could be frustrating as a teacher, knowing the struggles these kids had ahead of them, and trying to make them care.
"Jasper Lucas, I'd like for you to stay for a minute," Charlie called out, once the bell rang to dismiss the class. She had yet to have to talk to a student one on one since taking this job, but Charlie supposed there was a first time for everything. She just wished it didn't have to be Gavin's son.
Jasper sighed and rolled his eyes as he picked his backpack up and slung it over one shoulder. He wasn’t surprised she called him out to talk to her, even if it was kind of exasperating. But she was one of the newer teachers, she hadn’t had time to give up on him yet. She would learn, just like the rest of them had. He walked up to her desk, hands stuffed in his jeans pockets. It wouldn’t be anything he hadn’t heard before, he needed to focus and apply himself, graduation, he could do this, blah blah. Jasper didn’t say anything to Ms. Harris, just raised his eyebrows expectantly.
Once the classroom had emptied and the halls grew noisy with students gossiping and heading off to their next class, Charlie offered Jasper a small, friendly smile. She didn't bother trying to pretend she was a 'friend' to her students, because she wasn't. She also wasn't a fan of 'tough love', although she resorted to it when she had to. Charlie wanted to see her students succeed, but there was only so much she could do on her end. "I appreciate the fact that you've been coming to class," Charlie began, "but it doesn't make much of a difference to your grade if you sleep through the assignments. I know Dickens isn't for everyone, but this book and the upcoming project makes up for a huge chunk of your grade this semester. So before we get so far ahead that it becomes too difficult for you to catch up, is there anything I can do to help you get on track?"
Ugh, he hated it even more when they weren’t disciplinarians about it, they just wanted to help. Jasper sighed again, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “I dunno ... bump me back down to remedial English?” he suggested. He was in a regular-level class this year, but he didn’t have to be, right? He could go back to grammar bullshit and reading easy short stories or something. Literature sucked. “I work a lotta nights, I don’t have time to read a bunch of chapters written like five hundred years ago.” He’d actually tried a few times to get through it, but the language was mostly inscrutable to him, and he couldn’t bring himself to care about some crazy old lady and her little dude friend or whatever.
"One hundred and fifty six years," Charlie corrected with a small smile. "And the chapters aren't terribly long, so I don't believe it's necessary to bump you down to remedial English." She wondered if Gavin knew Jasper's work schedule was potentially cutting into his study time. Or if he would do anything at all if he did know. She had no idea what Gavin's parenting skills were like, and she didn't want to overstep. At the same time, she didn't want to just let Jasper skate by and barely pass her class, or fail, because she didn't want to cause problems with his father. "What I would recommend is setting aside some time in study hall to read the assigned chapters. If it's a matter of not grasping the language, then I'll reluctantly suggest pulling up the Cliff Notes online to at least get a summary and stay present with the class. What I do need from you is to stay awake in my class and take notes. I don't want to see you fail, especially with this being your last year in school."
It didn’t even occur to Jasper that she might tell his dad what was going on. The school usually complained to Olivia instead of Gavin, it seemed like. Considering their last conversation, his mother would probably hang up on anybody who even said his name to her. As far as Jasper knew, she’d washed her hands of him, and he was fine with that. A very small smirk crossed his face when Ms. Harris recommended Cliff Notes -- he’d had that idea, finding chapter summaries online, he’d just been too lazy to do it so far. They hadn’t had a test or anything yet. “Okay,” he said mildly, like none of this really mattered. It probably didn’t, it wasn’t like he had much of a future. If he did graduate, it would be just barely. “I’ll try to do better, Ms. Harris. That it?”
Was that it? It probably was, at least to Jasper. Teachers couldn't motivate everyone, especially kids who didn't want to be motivated. "Try hard," Charlie said after a moment. "I don't want to see you fail." She paused briefly before her lips quirked. "You know, I know your dad. I don't think he would have enjoyed this book very much either. But I'm willing to help if you're willing to put in the effort." And... that was that. It was all she could do beyond express her concerns to Gavin. It didn't even occur to Charlie that she ought to reach out to Jasper's mother. Knowing what very little she knew of the woman, it seemed like a bad idea, and Gavin would probably be more open to discussing Jasper's education.
Jasper’s eyebrow quirked upward at the mention of Gavin. How the fuck did Ms. Harris know him? Maybe she was a drunk and at the bar all the time on her nights off. Maybe they were fucking on the side or something, though Jasper doubted that. If he was getting laid, his dad would’ve been a more relaxed person. He snorted a derisive little laugh and shook his head as he turned to go. “He didn’t even make it this far,” he muttered. He would’ve been shocked if Gavin read any books at all while he was still in school, or any since he’d dropped out. It stoked that tiny flame of competition that lived in him sometimes. He could do better than Gavin Lucas, be better than Gavin Lucas.
Gavin had dropped out of school to take care of his young family. No matter what Jasper's relationship with his dad right now, she hoped someday he would appreciate that. Charlie honestly had no idea if Gavin had gone back to get his GED or not, or if he enjoyed reading... well, there was a lot about Gavin she didn't know about, but maybe that would change with time. But Jasper was the focus now, and she hoped he didn't give up when he was so close to graduating, attitude or not. "No, he didn't get this far," Charlie said, "so make sure you finish."
Jasper had already turned his back on her, so he just didn’t answer. Be goddamned if he was going to get into discussing his dad with his English teacher, no matter how well she thought she knew him. He had doubts about that too. Nobody really knew Gavin, including Jasper. And if he didn’t know his dad, this lady sure as hell didn’t. It was irritating, but he didn’t have time to give a shit right then. He just walked out the door and into the hallway, picking up his pace once he got out there so he wouldn’t be too late to his next class.