I glanced at myself in the mirror once again, my heart pounding in my chest. My hands shook from nerves, and my palms were sweaty. I rubbed them on my skirt, trying to rid them of the sticky perspiration as I studied my appearance in the mirror. I definitely didn't look like I was twenty-one.

My chestnut colored hair was thrown up into a messy bun, supposedly making me look older. Or at least that's why Will had told me. My forest green eyes were hidden behind a pair of glasses- another thing Will had said that would help me look older. I thought it just made me look like a geek. I had applied light make-up as well, which surprisingly did make me look older.

A fitted, white, long-sleeve, button-down blouse covered my torso, and accompanied with it was a black skirt that reached just past my knees. I wore black mini-high heels as well.

I frowned at my reflection in the mirror. I didn't look as flattering as I usually did, but I had to admit, for this kind of style, I didn't make it look all that bad- for an average person like myself.

Turning away from the mirror, I left my room, shutting off the light and closing the door behind me. Elliot was still asleep, so I had to go grab him and send him to Will's while I went to work.

I crept into Elliot's room, trying to keep as silent as possible. I didn't want to wake the poor guy up. Most kids liked getting up early... Elliot didn't. Making sure not to step on any of his toys, I went to his bed and scooped him up gently. He didn't even stir.

Smiling, I made my way out of his room, shutting the door with my foot. I left my apartment, going next door to Will's, not bothering to knock before entering. He was in the middle of the living room, half-naked. A shocked expression came across his face for a moment, but then he frowned at me.

"You should really knock before entering," he told me in a whisper, taking note of Elliot in my arms.

I shrugged. "I've seen men without their shirts on before."

"What if it had been my bottom half naked instead?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You walk around with your bottom half completely naked? Boxers I could understand, but naked?"

"No, never mind," Will said with a sigh. "You can go put Elliot in my bed."

"I was going to do that anyway," I told him, walking past him and going to his bedroom.

I carefully placed Elliot down on the bed, pulling the covers over him. When I finished tucking him in, I turned to leave the room.

"Pig!"

I jumped violently in surprise, twisting around to see Elliot sitting up and staring at me. I placed a hand on my rapidly beating heart.

"Eli! You scared the crap out of me!" I complained, trying to calm my heart.

"Good luck," he said to me.

A smile broke out across my face, my annoyance at him surprising me gone. "Thank you, Eli."

"I love you."

"I love you too," I responded, going over to kiss him on the forehead. "Go back to sleep and when you wake up, don't give Will too hard of a time. Remember he needs to work too."

My brother nodded, lying back down. "Bye, Pig."

"See ya, kid."

I exited Will's room and went back to the living room. Will was still shirtless. He appraised me with his eyes as I walked by him.

"You know Harley, if you dress like an adult all the time, I might consider taking you as my wife."

I rolled my eyes. "Ew. You're like, fifty."

"What? I'm only twenty-seven!"

"Close enough," I responded, a smirk slipping on my face. "I'll see you later."

"Good luck," Will said begrudgingly as I slipped out the front door.

I made my way out to the parking lot where my used Nissan Sentra was. It wasn't the best car, but it was the best looking one I could get a great deal on and afford. When you really need a car, you don't care if it's fancy or not.

I dug my keys out of my pocket and unlocked the door, sliding into the driver's seat. It was freezing, so I quickly turned on the car and cranked the heat. I hated using my car because gas was expensive, but Wesley Academy was way too far away to walk.

I pulled out of the parking lot and began to make my way to the high school. Butterflies made their appearance in my stomach as I grew closer and closer to the school. I swallowed nervously, my anxieties growing.

What if no one believed I was twenty-one? My uncle had made it clear that if my true age was found out, I wouldn't be able to keep the job. The thought made me incredibly nervous.

A large brick building finally made it's way into my vision as I drove around a bend. The size and appearance intimidated me. It really looked like a school for delinquents... or a prison.

A tall, black, barbed fence surrounded the entire school. The building itself was incredibly large and made of brick. Vines climbed up the edges of it to the windows. Windows that were barred from the outside.

I immediately regretted taking the job. Surely I would be murdered here. I pulled into the faculty parking lot, cutting the engine immediately. I sat in my car for a few minutes, gathering the courage to go inside the building.

When I finally stopped deciding to be a milksop, I opened my door and forced myself out. Cool air nipped at my exposed skin as I started walking towards the building, looking around me nervously. I really needed to stop being such a coward...

With new willpower, I straightened out and began to saunter to the staircase of the school. I scaled it, walking right up to the front door, holding out my hands to push it open. Nothing could stop me now!

My arms buckled out from under me, and I walked face-first into the door when it didn't open. I stumbled backwards a few steps, in shock. My nose throbbed in pain as I quickly looked around to make sure no one had witnessed that. I blushed at my stupidity.

I tried every single door of the front entrance, just to find them all locked. Scowling, I pressed my face to one of them, peering in. Hopefully someone walking by would notice me and open the door.

When five minutes passed and no one did, I groaned I frustration. I would not stand out in the cold for any longer! I marched back down the steps, eager to find a different way to get inside.

I rounded the corner of the building, hoping to find a side door. I watched the ground as I made my way over the rock-covered ground. I wasn't used to wearing high heels, so I had to be extra careful with walking on un-even terrain.

A shout of pain met my ears and my head snapped up instantly, looking around frantically. When I didn't see anyone, I relaxed slightly, but became more confused. Another cry of pain came and I realized it was coming from my right.

Slowly, I crept along the edge of the school building, coming to an area where there was a gap in the building. I heard voices now, and they sounded threatening. My heart rate began to climb as I kept myself hidden behind the school wall.

There was definitely a fight going on. I could hear groans, and the sounds of punching. I bit my lip, trying to think of what to do. Pretend that I hadn't noticed? But what if someone got hurt? And as a teacher, it was my job to stop these types of things...

Swallowing my fear, I stepped out into the gap in the building. My eyes landed upon four guys dressed in the school's uniform; black slacks, a white button-down shirt, a black jacket, and red tie.

Two of the men were on the ground. Well more like, one with short brown hair was lying on the ground, being punched in the face repeatedly by the other, who had shaggy mahogany-colored hair. I stared at the pair horrified for a moment, before turning to the other two men.

One of the men was tall and had umber colored hair. He was dodging punches being thrown by the other man, who had dirty blonde hair. The tides suddenly changed as the umber-haired one threw a punch, lightly nicking the blonde.

All four men hadn't noticed me yet, and I was doing all I could to stop myself from running away. I had to stop these guys before they killed each other! I took a few nervous steps closer to the men.

Suddenly, my foot slipped and I fell over backwards, letting out a yelp of surprise. I landed on my butt hard and winced, squeezing my eyes shut. All sounds of fighting immediately ceased and I felt my heart skip a beat.

When I opened my eyes all four men were staring at me. I stared back, becoming instantly terrified.

"Who are you?" the blonde one demanded, a scowl crossing his features.

I didn't respond at first, still gaping at the four intimidating men before me. All of them were tense, their hands still balled in fists.

The umber-man chuckled, and amused look crossing his face. "Nice view."

At first I was surprised by his voice, he had a heavy English accent, but as his words registered in my mind I became confused until I realized that my legs were still spread from my fall and that I was wearing a skirt. Blushing furiously, I pulled myself to my feet shakily, glaring at the brunette. He returned my look with an amused one.

"What am I doing?" I asked, turning to look at the blonde. "What are you four doing? I may be new here, but I'm sure that fighting is against the school rules."

The blonde looked at me in amusement. "So?"

"We don't give a crap about the school rules," the mahogany-haired one commented, a smirk appearing on his lips.

"Yeah," the short haired brunette said, nodding at the blonde. "And it's not like anyone is around to snitch on us."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm not anyone?"

"No," the blonde said, taking a step closer. "Because you're not going to tell anyone, and I'm going to make sure of it."

My eyes widened and I took a shaky step back, frightened by his look. He continued to advance on me, and I stumbled backwards, trying to keep the distance.

"Hey."

Both the blonde's and my attention snapped to the man with the English accent. He looked at the pair of us lazily, a look of indifference on his face.

"Tucker, you can threaten her as much as you want later, but we're in the middle of a fight, aren't we?"

The blonde scowled at him. "But she's-"

"Do you really think she's going to go tell someone? She's petrified."

"Hey," I interrupted glaring at the English man. "I came over here to stop this fight, and I'm not going to let you continue it."

The mahogany-man snorted and I turned my glare on him for a split-second before returning it to the English man again. His lip twitched in amusement.

"And how," he started, taking a few steps towards me, "do you expect to do that?"

"Uh," I hesitated, determined to hold my ground and not be intimidated by this man. "I'll, uh..."

"Uh," he mocked, an amused smirk now evident on his face. "That's such a scary threat."

I flushed in embarrassment, glaring at the man as best as I could. The blond one chuckled.

"Can't we just teach her a quick lesson?" he suggested, looking at the English man imploringly.

"I suppose we have time," the English man responded.

"What about the fight?" the mahogany demanded, glaring at the other two. "Huh?"

"We can finish it later," the blond said dismissively.

"What? You're just backing out because you were losing!"

"Whatever," the English man said dismissively, waving his hand. "Go play in your sandbox."

I stared at him incredulously. Was he trying to start a fight? Well, I guess they already were in a fight but...

"Let's start this lesson then," the blond said, clearly not phased by the provocative words being passed between the other two.

I stood my ground, swallowing nervously while keeping an eye on both the blonde and English man. The blond moved in closer, his eyes narrowing.

"I'll teach you who's in charge here."

He reached out his hand, preparing to grab my arm. I got in position to evade his grasp and run, but before anything could happen a piercing noise sounded across the gap. All four men's eyes widened, shock passing across their faces.

"Shit!" the blond swore, dropping his hand. "If I'm late again I'm going to get detention for two weeks!"

He ran by me, shoving me in the process. I stumbled a few steps, but didn't fall. The next to run by was the mahogany-man, and then the brunette. They also rammed into me, but I still didn't lose my balance.

The English man was taking his time. He walked past me, a smirk on his face. I closed my eyes and sighed, glad he hadn't shoved me. Suddenly I felt a strong pressure forcing me sideways and I twisted my ankle, falling to the ground.

I looked up to see the English man laughing as he walked away. I glared after him, pushing myself to my feet again. What was his problem? It was like he purposely pushed me down! I rolled my eyes. No, that's exactly what he wanted to do.

A shock of realization suddenly ran threw me. If those four men were late, didn't that mean I was late too? I quickly exited the gap, heading back towards the main entrance. To my luck, another person was walking up the steps. I walked as quickly as I could, regretting wearing heels.

The woman took out a key and opened the door, going inside.

"Wait!" I cried, stumbling up the steps.

The woman turned at looked at me curiously. I walked up to the door, slightly out of breath.

"Thank you," I said, looking up at her.

She had short brown hair that just barely went past her shoulders and chocolate colored eyes. She looked like she was maybe in her mid-thirties. She smiled at me warmly.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"No, the doors were just locked and I didn't know how to get in," I told her, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

The woman chuckled. "You must be new here. There's a visitor's button you can press right on the wall there..."

She pointed out of the glass doors to a small red button that had the words "visitor's button" written above it. I flushed, scolding myself for not checking to see if they had a visitor's button.

"Whoops," I commented, forcing out a laugh. "And yeah, I'm new here."

"Nice to meet you then," the woman said, holding out her hand. "I'm Emma Rose."

"Harley Allen," I told her, taking her hand and shaking it. "Nice to meet you too."

"What grade are you in?"

My heart sunk a little and I frowned at her. So she thought I was a student? Did that mean I didn't look any older at all?

"I'm actually a new teacher here," I told her, scratching my head. "Don't be deceived by my looks."

Emma blinked in surprise. "Really? The new Home Economics teacher?"

I blinked at her in surprise. Had my uncle already mentioned me? "Yeah, that's me."

"I heard you looked young, but you look really young!" she responded looking shocked. "You're twenty-one right?"

"Right," I responded, fiddling with my fingers in nervousness.

"Well it was nice meeting you Harley, but I'm late," Emma said, glancing at her watch. "Good luck with your first day! You're going to need it."

I opened my mouth to ask her what she meant, but she was already walking away. I frowned after her, a little miffed. What did she mean? Whatever she meant, it couldn't be as bad as what happened earlier with the people fighting.

Suddenly realization washed over me. If those men fighting were in uniforms, didn't that mean they were students? And if they were students that meant...

They could be in one of my classes.

______________________________________

Vote! Like! Tweet! Comment~ :D

[Today's Song: Savior by Rise Against]