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The Teacher's Pet: Part Four


by thediractor

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"I'm sorry, Georgia!" I blurted out. "I was just checking out our attic and I... I found these."

      I held out the paper and closed my eyes, ashamed now that the moment had come.

      "How did you find the attic?" Georgia's voice was nearly a whisper. "I thought I'd never told you. I KNOW I've never told you."

      "Maja was talking about her own attic," I confessed. "She told me where to find the stairs. I'm so sorry. I mean to discover anything - well, I did, but nothing like this, I promise!"

      "I understand." Georgia nodded unhappily. "I knew I couldn't keep this from you forever. I mean, how long can you keep a whole room of the house secret?"

      "Why, Georgia?" I asked, puzzled.

      "Why do I write the cartoons, you mean?" My owner smiled a little. "Because it's fun, I guess. I used to write them because I was lonely and I didn't have anything to do. Milo and Hank, they were like my pets. Eventually, I realized they weren't enough and when I mentioned this to Darth, Kelsey and Maja's owner, she suggested I head to the Pound. I got you then. Once I brought you home, my life got infinitely happier and more interesting. I was really glad I went to the Pound, Asha, and I still am. But it just didn't feel right to abandon my comic altogether after I'd been writing it so long. I just wasn't sure what you'd think if I told you I wrote comics. It seems so... dorky."

      "Dorky?" I repeated. "Georgia, it's amazing! 'News on Fads' is really good! Almost all the kids at Neoschool talk about it."

      Georgia paled. "Are you serious?"

      "Entirely," I said. "But how come they don't know it's you that draws the comic?"

      "Ah, yes," Georgia giggled. "You see, the name printed alongside my comics in the Neopian Times is 'Miss Floud'. A pseudonym. I originally came up with the title to avoid any Neomail I might get. I didn't want my privacy invaded. After a while, I only kept it around because readers would be used to it."

      "Georgia, this is perfect!" I actually leapt into the air for joy. "See, Maja and Kelsey and I came up with this guide to help you in class, and..."

      "You three did that for me?" Georgia didn't look insulted, which made me as relieved as when I had been adopted from the Pound.

      "Yeah," I said enthusiastically. "We didn't want you to be nervous around the students anymore. I think this will really work - but if you don't want to read it, you don't have to."

      "I think that's just what I need," Georgia grinned. "But how does 'News on Fads' fit into this?"

      "I'll explain in a second," I panted, out of breath from jumping around and being generally ecstatic. "But first, how about some trail mix?"

      ***

      It was a beautiful Saturday. Granted, the air was a damp, dull cold and a drizzle of icy rain was falling all about. But I didn't feel it at all, and I don't think my owner did, either. We both felt as warm as the heart of Moltara; I couldn't wipe the smile off my beak.

      Pets were lined up outside the Neoschool, on the opposite side from where I stood, impatient and wet but unwilling to leave. Georgia was seated behind a folding table, with Maja and Kelsey at either side. Maja was trying to protect the stack of "News on Fads" strips from the rain by holding an umbrella over them, and her sister was straightening the pens in front of Georgia. A big sign on posterboard, taped to the front of the table, read, "MEET MISS FLOUD".

      "This is an awesome idea," declared Maja.

      "Should we let them in now?" Kelsey asked, looking around the corner of the building. Most of our Neoschool student body was waiting there.

      "Wait, wait, I have something I need to say first," I cut in, scooting around to face the crowd. I cleared my throat and said. "Morning, everyone! I'm Asha Hallie."

      "Princess Gullible," Jan snickered. "What are you doing here? Back off and let us through to see Miss Floud."

      "Oh, save it, Jan." I rolled my eyes. "Please."

      Even though, over the past three weeks, Georgia's classroom skills had infinitely improved (thanks to "The Georgia Hallie Teacher's Guide to Awesomeness"), Jan, Kincaid, Drake, and the other bullies hadn't let up in their tormenting. You'd think eight trips apiece in almost a month to the principal's office would teach them, but apparently the fact that they were no longer free to do as they wished in class would take some getting used to. Eventually, they would stop, but sooner than later, I hoped.

      Today, however, was special. Georgia had agreed to reveal her secret identity (like a super hero, I thought) as Miss Floud to the students. Not to make them respect her; oh, no, Georgia planned to establish a rule that she was not Miss Floud the cartoonist during class time, she was Miss Hallie.

      No, it was more to show the pets of Central Neopian Neoschool that just because you were a teacher, or a plumber or gardener or businessman, etc., didn't mean you couldn't do something else. It didn't mean you couldn't be nice. It didn't mean you couldn't be smart. It didn't mean you couldn't be courageous. - Or a great ballet dancer, or an artist, or a gentleman...

      ...or even someone who writes a comic strip at a desk in her attic.

      That was why I was there at the Neoschool on a Saturday, to show the pets in my Language Arts class - scratch that, the whole Neoschool - that appearances and professions are not what to judge someone by. As Georgia taught in her class: If you judged a book by its plain cover, you'd pass up on the great read inside.

      "Are you all ready to meet Miss Floud?" I asked, the grin returning to my face.

      "Yeah, yeah, we've been ready for an hour now," exaggerated Drake. "Let us get her autograph already."

      "Okay." I stepped aside and gestured around the corner. "Go ahead around and meet her."

      The stampede of kids was equal in power to a stampede of full-grown Kau. They surged past me, thundering around the school building to see my owner. The three bullies were the first to arrive, and they stopped short at the sight of Georgia smiling calmly behind the table. Maja waved and Kelsey blushed.

      "Is this some kind of sick joke, Queen Gullible?" Kincaid growled.

      "I should've known somebody as cool as Miss Floud wouldn't show up to this lousy Neoschool," grumbled Jan.

      "You don't get it," Maja laughed. "Miss Hallie IS Miss Floud."

      "That's not possible," Drake snorted. "She's just our dorky Language Arts teacher. Maybe you haven't heard, scarab-brain, but Miss Floud is a cartoonist."

      Maja pouted. She hated it when the bullies used her desert paint job to make up insults. She loved being desert; it was her dream color, but it was no fun when it was used to her disadvantage.

      Kelsey took over the conversation. "I'll repeat what Maja said. Drake, Kincaid, Jan, and everyone else: Miss Hallie is Miss Floud."

      "And I'll repeat what Drake said," piped another angry student. "She's just a teacher."

      "Actually, everybody," said Georgia. Maja, Kelsey, and I turned to look at her. "The Xweetoks are telling the truth. I may look like your average eighth-grade teacher, in fact, I am. But I have two other careers. One is being Asha's owner -" I didn't even blush. "-and the other is drawing "News on Fads". You could say the comic is more of a hobby, though."

      "Miss Floud is just a pseudonym." I added.

      It took a minute for the reality to sink into the crowd. Georgia began to speak again.

      "I don't want you all to treat me as a cartoonist during Neoschool," she instructed. "I'm not Miss Floud during first period. I'm Georgia Hallie, or Queen Gullible, as many of you seem to prefer. If you still think of your Language Arts teacher as that, that will be what you call me until you learn respect. My point is that I did this to show you that appearances can be deceiving, not to make you bow down to me while we're trying to diagram sentences."

      "Like one of the cliches we read in class," murmured a girl understandingly to no one in particular. "I get it."

      "Yes, Cindy," nodded my owner. "Though a more proper term might be 'classics'. I promise you I've never brought a cliche into our classroom."

      Jan stepped forward now. "Um... Qu--Miss Hallie?"

      "I'm Miss Floud today," Georgia said. "Miss Hallie is away until eight o'clock on Monday."

      "Well... can I talk to her anyway?"

      "Yes, she's listening."

      "I, um... I'm sorry, Miss Hallie." Jan looked at the ground. "That's all I've got."

      "It was a good apology, Janet." Georgia looked, satisfied, at the Kyrii. "Miss Hallie accepts it full-heartedly."

      "G-Good to hear," Jan muttered. "Miss Floud?"

      "Yes?"

      "Can I have your autograph now?"

      "You didn't have to apologize to get my autograph," Georgia told her.

      "I know."

      I smiled.

      Georgia Hallie is my owner. She adopted me from the Pound on the 5th day of the Month of Relaxing. She teaches eighth-grade Language Arts at my Neoschool, Central Neopian, only a short ferry-ride from our home on Roo Island. All the students adore her, because she's funny, kind, and smart. Georgia loves me, and I love her, more than anything in the world. Her favorite color is violet, soft and strong like her personality. She is a secret supporter of Team Roo Island, and really goes nuts at the Altador Cup. Her favorite snack is trail mix, my least favorite.

      And a really cool fact about our family? Sometimes Miss Floud, the famed cartoonist, visits us. She's a friend of my owner. And when she comes, she always stays in our attic.

The End

 
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Other Episodes


» The Teacher's Pet: Part One
» The Teacher's Pet: Part Two
» The Teacher's Pet: Part Three



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