SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT
Author's notes: This story is not meant to infringe on
any copyrights. It was done purely for entertainment. Hope everyone enjoys
the story.
Officers Jim Reed and Pete Malloy walked into the Watch Commander's Office
and plopped a pile of reports on the desk in front of Sergeant MacDonald.
"There ya go, Mac. End of watch." Jim announced.
"You guys sure were busy today," Mac noticed.
"Yep, I'm sure glad we have tomorrow off!" Pete smiled.
Mac's smile was even bigger. "I wouldn't go making any plans, Pete."
Pete and Jim shared a suspicious look before Jim voiced the first question
that sprang to both of their minds, "What's goin' on, Mac?"
"I have a special assignment for the two of you."
"Oh, c'mon, Mac," Pete protested, "We handled the last special assignment
you had. I think it's Wells' turn."
"Oh, trust me," Mac chuckled, "Ed would never be able to pull this off!"
Pete and Jim grew even more suspicious as their commanding officer continued
to laugh at whatever mental image of Wells he had conjured up. They were
beginning to wonder if he was ever going to come up for air when he finally
regained his composure. Pete crossed his arms and cocked his head, waiting
for an explanation.
"Oh, that was good!" Mac wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and regarded
his friends. He almost started laughing again as he thought of the assignment
he was about to give them. However, he decided he'd like to retain some
degree of professionalism and cleared his throat. "You're to report to Washington
Junior High in the morning."
"What's so bad about that?" Jim wondered. "If you want us to be Policeman
Bill again…"
"It's not the Policeman Bill program." Mac interrupted. "You're to report
there at 7 a.m. for a staff meeting."
"7 a.m.?" Pete questioned. "Isn't that a little early to talk to the staff?
Can't we wait till after school?" He was watching his one day to sleep in
vanish quickly.
"You didn't let me finish with the assignment." Mac was beginning to enjoy
this. He couldn't wait to break the rest of it to them. "You're not going
for an informational lecture. You'll be reporting for duty there…
as substitute teachers."
There was a moment of stunned silence as Mac's words sank in. "As what
?!" They both exclaimed in unison.
Mac grinned. Their reaction was everything he'd hoped it would be.
"Oh, c'mon, Mac…"
"You gotta be kiddin' me…"
"Would you guys wait a minute?" Mac held up his hands to stop their arguments.
"Let me explain this."
"This better be good." Pete muttered to his partner. Jim simply nodded
in agreement.
Mac ignored the insubordination and continued with his explanation. "Mr.
Clemons, the principal, called me this afternoon asking for our help. It
seems they're having a major drug problem at the school. They think someone's
dealing out of the school itself, but they can't figure out who it is. He
thought maybe we could give them some help."
"Wouldn't it be easier if we went in as uniformed officers instead of
as teachers?" Pete was hoping they could still escape the assignment.
"I discussed that with him. He seems to think that the kids might not
be on their toes as much with a substitute teacher around. He thinks maybe
you'll hear something they wouldn't say in front of a regular teacher, and
more importantly, around a uniformed officer."
"How long is this assignment for?" Jim, ever practical, was wondering
how long he should be prepared to call in sick.
Mac shrugged, "We'll take it a day at a time. Maybe you'll get your big
break tomorrow."
Pete narrowed his eyes and nailed his superior officer with a glare. "We'd
better!"
"What's the matter, Pete? Afraid you can't handle a teenager?"
"It's not one teenager I'm afraid of," he shook his head, "It's twenty
of them. In one room. Together. That's what I'm worried about. But
I guess it can't be too bad with two of us."
"Uh, Pete," Mac's face was starting to hurt from all the smiling, "You
and Jim'll be in separate rooms."
"Separate rooms!" Jim threw up his hands. "We're dead! That's all there
is to it. We're dead." He mentally began adding up his sick days.
"You'll manage. Report, in street clothes, to Mr. Clemons at 7 a.m. tomorrow.
He'll give you your, uh, class assignments," Mac snorted at the mere thought,
"and give you a tour of the school. Of course, you'll need to come back
here after school," another snort, "to fill out your report. You better
get going. You'll want to get plenty of sleep tonight."
The two officers glared at their sergeant, and former friend, and headed
out the door, muttering under their breaths. Mac's laughter echoed around
the room as the door closed behind them.
The Following Day
6:30 a.m. , Pete's Apartment
Jim pulled up outside his partner's apartment complex and cheerfully greeted
his groggy friend, "Morning, Pete."
"Don't start with me, Reed." Pete grumped as he got in the car.
"Don't get sore at me, Pete. This was all Mac's idea," Jim pointed out,
"I'd rather be at home snuggled up in bed with my wife than stuck on this
assignment with you."
Pete finally smiled. "Sorry. Let's just get this over with."
"Oh, c'mon, Pete, this can't really be that bad can it? I mean, it's only
one day." Jim tried to cheer him up.
"Yeah, it's only one day if we clear up this mess today." Pete
reminded him. "That's a big if, partner."
Jim shrugged his shoulders. "Think positive, Pete."
"Oh, I am thinking positive. I'm positive I'm not going to enjoy
this assignment."
"Just keep telling yourself that you're bigger than they are." Jim suggested.
"It's only one day. We can do anything for a day."
Pete remained unconvinced but didn't want to destroy his partner's forced
cheery outlook on their present assignment.
6:51 a.m., Washington Junior High School
Pete and Jim walked through the halls of Washington Junior High, following
the signs to the office. There was no secretary in sight when they finally
found it, but a door to an inner room was open. Pete knocked and waited
expectantly as the man turned around.
"Yes, may I help you?" The short, balding man turned around and blinked
quickly at the two officers. He seemed startled to see them.
"Pete Malloy." Pete introduced himself then gestured at Jim. "Jim Reed."
The man's blinking grew even more furious as he tried to place their names.
Then, as if a light bulb had suddenly come on, he brightened. "Oh, yes,
yes, of course. I'm sorry, do come in. I'm Mike Clemons, the principal."
The two officers sat in the chairs he indicated. Jim looked slyly at his
partner as they took their seats across from the principal. I think this
is the first time I've ever been called into the principal's office.
Jim thought.
Pete, too, was thinking about the position they were in, but along a somewhat
different line than his partner. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
This makes me just as nervous as it did when I was in school. You'd think
I'd be used to it.
"Your sergeant filled you in on why you're here, I assume."
"Yes." Pete nodded. "What makes you think the drugs are being sold here?
How do you know the kids aren't just bringing them with them in the morning?"
"There's been some scuttlebutt going around the school but nothing we've
been able to pin down. You'll each be covering two different rooms today,
one this morning and a different one this afternoon. I'll let you decide
which rooms you want and introduce you to the teachers so they can explain
their lesson plans."
Pete and Jim shared a look at the mention of lesson plans but didn't say
a word. It was far too late for them to get out of this. All they had to
do now was to make it through the day in one piece and figure out a way to
get back at Mac.
"How about if I give you a tour of the school now?" Mr. Clemons suggested,
"I can give you more details as we walk."
7:42 a.m. Principal's Office
"Well, that's it, gentlemen." Mr. Clemons announced as they returned to
his office. "They're all 8th grade classes but in different subject areas.
Now, who would like the math class in the morning with English in the afternoon?"
"That'll be me," Pete announced.
"How do you figure?" Jim wondered, looking askance at his partner.
Pete shrugged. "I'm the senior officer so it's my choice. Besides, you'll
be a better gym teacher than I would."
"Humph."
"Okay, then Mr. Reed, you'll have science in the morning and gym this
afternoon. You'll both have a little free time before switching rooms so
you'll get lunch during that time. That'll be from 12:15 to 12:35."
Pete's eyebrows threatened to leap from his face as they shot up to his
hairline. Jim had to forcibly keep his mouth from dropping open. They'd
had their share of short lunch breaks, but this seemed a bit excessive.
"Feel free to use the teachers' lounge for your lunch and break time.
I believe you'll each have a planning period, but I'm not sure when that'll
be for each of you. Any more questions, gentlemen?"
Pete shook his head after seeing Jim shrug. "I don't really think so.
I think we'd better talk to the teachers so we know what we're doing."
"I really do appreciate you being here today." Mr. Clemons ran a hand
through his thinning hair. "I know it will be much different than what you're
used to, but I have every confidence that you'll do just fine. I only hope
we'll be able to solve this drug problem."
"We hope so, too." Jim agreed. The closer it got to school time, the more
nervous he got about pulling off this particular undercover assignment.
"Oh, Mr. Clemons," Pete turned in the doorway as he thought of a question,
"what happens if we hear of a deal going down but we're both in class? I
mean, I'd hate to leave 20 kids in a room alone…"
The principal nodded, "No, that really wouldn't do, would it? I'm sure
the teachers will point out a student that can be relied upon to bring a message
down to the office, or there are hall monitors that could also serve this
purpose." He shrugged. "I guess it's up to you. I trust your judgment in
this matter."
Pete nodded, unsure if the man's trust was well placed in this particular
instance. He and Jim were good police officers, but this was hardly a standard
operation for them. I guess we're about to find out how good we are as
teachers.
7:58 a.m., Hallway
"I'll see you later." Jim paused at the bottom of the stairs that would
take him to his first room.
Pete nodded, "We can compare notes over lunch in the teachers' lounge.
Maybe one of us will have heard something by then." By the tone in his voice,
it was obvious Pete was less than hopeful about that.
"Good luck, partner." Jim smiled.
Pete returned the grin. "You, too. If you hear anything, let me know."
"How?"
"Send a student with a note." Pete suggested.
"See ya later." Jim started up the stairs. Pete watched him go and then
turned down the hallway that would take him to his own classroom.
8:01 a.m., Room 17
"Mrs. Shumpert?" Pete leaned in the door to Room 17 where a middle-aged
lady was busy putting papers on desks.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes, I'm Pete Malloy." Pete extended his hand to her in greeting.
"Oh," the woman's face brightened somewhat, "you must be the sub for this
morning."
"Yes," Pete responded a little slowly.
The woman continued on as if Pete hadn't spoken, "I must say that I'm
not sure why I get a substitute this morning. Mike called me up at home
last night to tell me about it. Oh, well, I'm not going to argue! I can use
the spare time to catch up on grading papers."
He didn't tell the teachers we're cops. I wonder if he suspects a teacher's
involved or if it just slipped his mind. He does seem like he's awfully
busy.
Pete tried to listen intently as Mrs. Shumpert outlined the lesson plans
and dug out a seating chart for him to use. "I'm sure you're fairly familiar
with school policies on behavior so I won't go into that. Don't let them
think they can do whatever they want just because a sub's in the room, and
if you have any problems, I'll be in the teachers' lounge working on paperwork.
Now, any questions?"
"Um, no, I think that'll do it." Pete was trying to get the deer-in-the-headlights
look off his face as he tried to absorb the sudden influx of information.
"I'm sure you'll manage just fine." And with that, Mrs. Shumpert gathered
up a stack of papers and hurried out the door.
As the door swung shut behind her, Pete suddenly realized he was all alone
in the classroom. He shook off a sudden feeling of impending doom and read
over the hastily scribbled lesson plans again.
8:03 a.m., Room 221
"Ah, you must be Mr. Reed." A young man around 30 years old greeted Jim
when he entered the room. "I'm Todd Greene."
"Jim Reed." Jim shook hands and glanced around the room. The science room
had lab tables with stools instead of traditional desks as in the other
classrooms. A Bunsen burner was set up on the front lab table with graduated
cylinders and beakers scattered about as well. There was an almost overpowering
smell of formaldehyde in the air.
"I'm sure glad Mike got me a sub for this morning." The man explained
as he straightened up the table. "I can use this time to work on my graduate
thesis. I was just finishing up an experiment so now I can go chart my data."
Jim nodded, unsure of what to say. His nervousness increased at the thought
that the classes might be doing some sort of experiment. The image of the
lab exploding flitted through his mind, but he quickly banished the thought.
"I'll get you a seating chart and jot down some lesson plans real quick
for you." The teacher explained as he rummaged through the piles on his
desk in the corner of the room. "It should be fairly easy for you today.
They have to finish a worksheet on a lab that they did yesterday, and then
they have to read chapter 25 and do those questions. They know the routine.
You'll just have to supervise and make sure they're doing what they're supposed
to be."
"That sounds good." Jim commented and watched as the man scribbled some
notes on the paper and handed it to him. He looked at the shorthand and
hoped he'd remember what it all meant later when he looked at it. Good
thing I've had practice reading Pete's handwriting.
"I'll be down in the teachers' lounge working on this if you have any
trouble, but I really don't think you will. They're pretty good kids." He
was just about through the door when he turned around again. "Oh, you'll
want to keep an eye on Tiny in third period."
Jim was left with that cryptic piece of advice as he watched the teacher
head out the door. What have we gotten into here?
8:25 a.m., Room 17
Pete jumped as the bell rang and he heard the unmistakable sounds of students
in the hall. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. C'mon,
Malloy, how bad can it be? They're a bunch of junior high kids, not hardened
criminals. This'll be a piece of cake. He was about to find out how
wrong he could be.
The first student through the door was a boy carrying a stack of books
and papers that threatened to fall out of his hands at any moment. He stopped
short at the sight of Pete. "Who are you?"
Pete blinked in surprise at the antagonism in the boy's voice. "Mr. Malloy…"
"Where's Mrs. Shumpert?" If possible, the boy's tone got even more antagonistic.
"She's gone this morning," he explained, "I'll be here instead."
Without another word, the boy turned around and plopped his books on a
desk in the back row. Pete didn't see the gleam that had appeared in his eye.
"Where's Mrs. Shumpert?" The door opened and two more students walked
in to grill Pete about why he was there. "Are you the sub?"
"She's gone, and yes, I am." Pete tried to explain while not flinching
at the word 'sub.'
"Who are you?"
"Oh, man, we have a sub!"
"You're not Mrs. Shumpert."
Pete quickly gave up trying to explain his presence to each student as
they walked in the door. He just let them make their comments and have a seat.
He already had the feeling it was going to be a very long day.
8:30 a.m., Room 17
"Okay, find your seat and settle down." Pete instructed as the bell rang,
signaling the start of the school day.
A few students grumbled but eventually everyone was in a seat and staring
expectantly at Pete.
Pete swallowed nervously as 23 pairs of eyes suddenly focused on him.
He willed himself not to break out into a cold sweat. "I'm sure you've all
realized by now that I'm not Mrs. Shumpert…"
"No, really?"
"My name is Mr. Malloy," Pete continued without missing a beat at the
sarcastic comment, "and I'll be your, uh, substitute this morning."
"Where is Mrs. Shumpert?" a girl in the front row wondered, "Is she sick?"
Pete shook his head, "She's not sick. She, uh, has a meeting this morning.
Now, I need to take attendance so I want you to raise your hand when I call
your name so I know if you're here."
"I can tell you who's missing." One of the girls volunteered.
"I think I'll do it myself so I can learn a few names. Okay?" Pete quickly
shuffled the papers and located the seating chart for this class. "Tom Adams?"
Pete looked up and located Tom with his hand up and nodded at him. "Lacy
Daniels… Troy Henderson?"
"He's not here."
"He's never here."
"I heard he moved."
"Yeah, I heard he moved to Wisconsin or something."
Pete held up his hands, "Okay, okay, I just need to know he's gone. I
don't need his life history."
"We're just trying to help."
"Thank you. I appreciate it, but let's keep going here, okay? Seth Hunley…
" Pete finally made it through the seating chart and dutifully noted the
absent students, putting the sheet on the outside of the door when he was
finished.
"Mr… what's your name again?" Lacy raised her hand.
"Malloy."
"You should write your name on the board," Lacy suggested, "Can I go to
the bathroom?"
"You just got in here." Pete pointed out.
"I really got to go."
Pete sighed, "Fine, go quickly."
Lacy dashed from the room as someone snickered from the back row. Pete
turned to the chalkboard to write his name. The only piece of chalk he could
find was no bigger than his fingernail. He shrugged, picked it up, and started
to write his name.
A paper airplane hit the board an inch from his hand.
Pete turned to find the class staring at him. All of the students had
their hands folded innocently in front of them. There were a few chuckles
but nothing that would betray the culprit. Pete let his gaze linger on each
student hoping to find some clue that would tell him who had thrown the
airplane. No such luck. He finished writing his name without fully turning
his back on the class again.
Pete glanced at the clock and had to suppress a groan. It was only 8:41.
8:45 a.m., Room 221
Jim's first class was off to a good start. He had answered his share of
questions as to why he was there but had settled them down rather quickly.
They were now busily working on answering questions on their lab sheets.
His gaze wandered around the room again, finally settling on a knot of girls
at the back of the room. Their heads were bent over the lab table, but it
didn't look like they were writing anything.
"Do you need help with something?" Jim wondered as he went back and found
all the girls staring at blank pieces of paper.
The four teenage girls jumped at the sound of his voice and looked up
guiltily. Each of them turned a fiery shade of red. One girl finally found
her voice, "Um, no, sir, we don't need any help."
"Are you sure?" Jim was puzzled at their reaction. "You don't have anything
written down. I thought you might be stuck on a question."
"Um, no," another girl spoke, "we're doing okay. Thanks."
Jim smiled, puzzled, as the girls once again bent down so they were all
apparently staring at the table top with the tops of their heads almost
touching. He shrugged and started to walk back to the front of the room.
He'd gone two steps when he heard the unmistakable sounds of giggling coming
from the gaggle of girls behind him. He thought about turning back around
but decided he was better off going back up front.
Tyler Taylor, who sat in the front row, glanced at Jim then back to the
girls. "Sorry about the girls, Mr. Reed. They're like this with Mr. Greene,
too."
Jim, who thought Tyler's parents hadn't been in their right minds when
naming him, smiled at the boy. "Thanks, Tyler. I'm sure it'll give my wife
a good laugh tonight when I tell her."
Tyler smiled and turned back to his partner to finish their homework.
Jim stole another glance at the back of the room and was rewarded by seeing
two girls spin around in their seats so he wouldn't see them watching him.
He sighed. This could be a very long day.
9:15 a.m., Room 17
Pete had managed to get through the first period without any more paper
airplanes and had even accomplished most of the things in the lesson plans.
As he finished taking the attendance in the second class, he allowed himself
the brief hope that maybe the worst of his troubles were over. The thought
didn't get very far before being abandoned.
"Mr. Malloy?"
Pete consulted the seating chart which had become an extension of his
hand by this time, "Yes, Tina?"
"May I go to the restroom?"
"You just got in here. Why didn't you go before you came in here?"
"I didn't have to go then," the girl shrugged.
"Fine. Make it quick." Pete shook his head.
"Mr. Malloy?" a boy in the back raised his hand. "May I get a drink?"
"Robert, why didn't you do that on the way in? The drinking fountain is
right outside the door."
Robert smiled and shrugged, "But I'm really thirsty now. Can I please
go get a drink?"
"You have ten seconds."
Robert sprinted from the room, nearly tripping flat on his face as he
reached the door. The room erupted in laughter.
"Okay, let's settle down." The noise level didn't decrease in the slightest.
Pete raised his voice to the level he usually used to calm a domestic disturbance,
"Settle down." The noise level remained the same. He took a deep breath
and raised his voice to his 'unruly mob' level, "Quiet down!"
"Geez, you don't have to yell!"
"Man, you yelled right in my ear!" a redheaded girl in the front row complained.
"Lisa, do you have a question?" Pete wondered as a girl in the third row
raised her hand.
"Yeah," Lisa cocked her head to one side and regarded Pete, "were you
a drill sergeant?"
Everyone turned to Pete expectantly. He merely shook his head and grabbed
the math book. "You need to turn to page 112 in your math books and get
out your homework assignments."
There were a few chuckles from around the room and quite a bit of grumbling
but most of the students complied and opened their books.
Pete took a deep breath, found the correct page and started to read off
the answers, "Number two is 34. Number four is 725. Number six is $101..."
"Mr. Malloy?"
"Yes, Trevor?"
"How did you get 101 for number six?" Trevor wondered, puzzlement etched
all over his face.
"Okay, let's take a look at the problem." Pete quickly scanned the problem
in the teacher's edition of the math book. He had never been good with story
problems so this would be interesting. "It says, 'You have just won $5000
in a contest…"
"Yeah, right," a girl in the second row interrupted, "Like anyone is ever
going to win that much money!"
Pete smiled, "I wouldn't be too sure about that."
"Can you imagine winning that much money?" another girl spoke up, "What
would you do with it all?"
"You could buy something you'd been wanting but couldn't afford," Pete
explained, "Like a boat."
"That's dumb! Who would waste their money on a dumb ole boat?"
Pete cleared his throat. "Can we go on now?"
10:05 a.m., Room 221
Jim sat on a stool at the front of the room watching the students doing
their work. This class was being particularly well behaved and his mind
was starting to wander a little. He was wondering how Pete was getting along
in his classes when a sudden commotion in the back of the room caught his
attention. Words left him as he took in the sight at the back of the room.
You'll want to keep an eye on Tiny in third period. Mr. Greene's words
came unbidden to Jim's thoughts. He couldn't help but keep an eye on Tiny
now.
Tiny stood atop a table dancing. He was waving his hands frantically in
the air as he sang an off key rendition of "Louie, Louie." He shook and
gyrated so much Jim thought the table was going to collapse.
Why do the big guys always get nicknames like Tiny? Jim wondered as
he watched the 5foot 6 inch, 200 pound eighth grader dance wildly to his
own singing. The rest of the class just shook their heads in amusement, not
looking surprised at the sudden outburst.
"Okay, Tiny," Jim finally shook himself out of his reverie. "Get down."
Tiny stopped singing and looked down. For a split second, Jim thought
he was going to have to pull him off the table. Then, Tiny shrugged, hopped
off the table, and started working on his assignment as if nothing had happened.
Jim shook his head and returned to the front of the room. He didn't let
his thoughts wander again.
11:03 a.m., Room 17
Pete sank into the teacher's chair at the desk for the first time that
day. He'd been standing up all morning and realized he wasn't used to that
much time on his feet. He couldn't wait to get back to riding in the black
and white. He vowed to never again complain about a slow day sitting in the
car.
The class was quietly working on their math assignment. They were allowed
to work in pairs as long as they were quiet and so far Pete hadn't had to
remind them about the noise. He found it a refreshing change after the last
class, which had been very talkative.
Pete was busy writing a note to the teacher about what each class had
accomplished when he heard someone humming. It took him a moment to recognize
the tune, but he finally placed it as the theme song to Mission: Impossible.
He had just watched the show the night before or he probably wouldn't
have recognized the song. He looked around the room for the source of the
humming but couldn't bring himself to reprimand the student just yet. He
was having too much fun watching him.
Kyle, a student in the end row by the door, was furtively glancing around
the room as he sang the theme song, "Doo - doo - do - do - Doo - doo- do
- do - Doo - doo - do - do - DO-DO-DOOOO. DO-DO-DOOOO!" Suddenly, Kyle jumped
up into a crouch on his desk seat. He glanced around, still singing, and
jumped over the side of his desk.
Pete sat enthralled with the spectacle being acted out and quickly looked
around the room. The only other ones watching the little scene were the
two girls that sat near Kyle. All the other students were busily working
on their homework, unaware of the drama unfolding by the door.
Crouched on the floor by his desk, Kyle continued to sing and glance around
him. He quickly threw himself to the floor so he was lying on his belly.
He started to 'commando crawl' towards the door, inching himself along on
his elbows and knees.
Pete finally decided he'd better end the little charade before he had
an escape on his hands. "Okay, Mr. Phelps, you wanna crawl on back to your
desk now?"
Kyle finally stopped singing. He calmly stood up and took his seat at
the desk. Without a word, or an explanation, he went back to his homework.
Pete just shook his head.
11:06 a.m., Room 221
"Where's Mr. Greene?"
Jim sighed. It seemed like he'd answered this question a hundred times
already. He answered with the simplest explanation he could come up with under
the circumstances, "He's in a meeting this morning."
"Man, you're the second sub I've had today. I had a sub for Mrs. Shumpert
in second period." A girl in the front row explained. "He was mean! I bet
he used to be a drill sergeant or something."
"Yeah," another student chimed in, "and when he gets upset he rubs his
right hip. He sure was doing that a lot!"
Jim smiled as he realized Pete was probably unconsciously reaching for
his gun. He refrained from asking them for more details. He'd grill his partner
later. He couldn't wait to exchange stories with Pete. He was betting nothing
could top his Tiny dancing on the table story.
"Mr. Reed?" A boy in the back row raised his hand. He was short enough
that he had to stand so Jim could see him clearly.
"Yes, Johnny?"
"Mr. Reed, can I please go to the restroom?"
"You just got in here a few minutes ago," Jim sighed, "Why didn't you
go before coming to class?"
Johnny shrugged, "I didn't have to go then, but I do now. Please?"
Jim reluctantly nodded as he saw the boy furiously jiggling his knees.
He'd be a rich man if he had a dime for every time a student had asked to
use the restroom today.
Five minutes later, Jim was helping a student when he heard the door open.
He didn't think anything of it, figuring it must be Johnny returning from
his restroom break. However, the rest of the class started to laugh uncontrollably.
Jim turned and had to stifle his own laughter.
Johnny, presumably, stood in the doorway in full alien costume. If this
were any indication, aliens were green, three-eyed monsters that wore cloaks
that hung to the floor. There was also a cape that the alien casually tossed
over his shoulder as he walked across the room.
Jim felt a migraine starting to form and resisted the urge to walk out
the door, never to return again. Instead, he decided he'd better stop this
before it got even more out of hand. He made a conscious effort to sound stern,
"Johnny, what do you think you're doing?"
Silence reigned over the room at the sudden heat in Jim's voice. Johnny
froze.
"Take the head off." Jim's voice was hard as nails though he made an effort
to keep it low and not yell.
"I just wanted to show everyone my costume." Johnny explained quietly.
"This isn't the time, Johnny." Jim admonished. "Now, take off the costume
and finish your homework. I don't want to hear another word from you for
the rest of the period."
"Yes, sir." Johnny quickly shed the costume and sat down again.
Jim turned back to the student he had been helping when he was interrupted.
He almost started laughing when he heard a voice in the back of the room,
"Geez, Johnny, it's March, not October!"
12:20 p.m., Teachers' Lounge
Jim hurried into the teachers' lounge to find Pete already occupying a
chair in the corner. He threw him a hasty wave before heading to the vending
machine and buying himself a bag of pretzels and a candy bar. Pete handed
him a cup of coffee as he sat down.
"Well, how's it going?" Jim wondered as he opened his pretzels.
"Mac's a dead man!"
Jim laughed, "C'mon, Pete, it can't be that bad. I'll admit, I've had
some interesting moments, but it could be a lot worse."
"I guess so, but if this goes another day I don't care what Mac says,
Ed can do it."
"Mac's right, Pete," Jim pointed out, "Ed could never do this."
"I know!" Pete smiled with a twinkle in his eye.
Jim, too, smiled at the thought. "Seriously, Pete, have you heard anything?"
Pete shook his head, "Nothing that's gonna help us break this case."
"Yeah, me neither. Maybe this afternoon." Jim didn't sound too hopeful.
"You're in the gym next, right?"
"Yeah," Jim sighed, "What room are you headed to?"
Pete glanced at the paper he'd written the room number on. "Upstairs to
301. English for Mrs. Baker."
Jim nodded and glanced at his watch. "I guess it's about that time."
Pete slowly stood and headed out the door with his partner. "I'll get
Mac for this," he muttered.
1:12 p.m., Gymnasium
Jim watched the students doing their daily calisthenics routine under
the direction of Jorge Martinez, the student leader of the day. Jim was
reminded of the Police Academy as the 25 students did jumping jacks. When
they were finished, Jim explained that they could choose to either play
basketball or walk laps around the gym. Several students grumbled but teams
were soon formed for basketball while everyone else started to walk around
the gym.
Jim kept an eye out for rough play on the basketball courts while also
making sure that everyone was doing something and not just standing around.
He became an unofficial referee for the basketball games when some of the
arguments became quite heated.
As he stood off to the side of one of the games, he heard snatches of
conversations as the others walked their laps. They seemed oblivious to
his presence as they discussed different things. However, not everyone was
oblivious to his presence as he noticed one particular group of girls eyeing
him every time they passed by. He was getting very tired of the giggles.
2:23 p.m., Room 301
Pete circled the room once again making sure everyone was working on their
writing assignments. This group had settled in quickly and had actually
been very pleasant towards him. For the first time all day, he could understand
why someone might actually choose teaching as a career.
"Hey, Mr. Malloy," Jeremy called, "know what I'm writing about?"
"What are you writing about, Jeremy?"
"My story's about ferble elephants."
Pete thought a moment, "What's a ferble elephant?"
Jeremy grinned, "They're found in the deepest, darkest regions of Africa.
I'm going to become famous one day when I discover them!"
"I see." Pete lied. "Sounds like a good story." He looked over at the
two girls next to Jeremy and noticed them talking once again. "Problem,
Cathy?"
"I'm okay, Mr. Malloy."
"You just seemed to be asking Stacy a lot of questions." Pete pointed
out.
"She wasn't asking me questions." Stacy informed him. "She was swooning
over the substitute she had in p.e. last period."
Pete grinned, "Really!"
Cathy blushed, "Well, he was cute! I mean, did you see his eyes? They're
the most gorgeous eyes I've ever seen! They're like a cold, blue flame!"
Stacy just smiled indulgently while shrugging at Pete.
"I'm sure they are." Pete tried not to laugh out loud and could just imagine
his partner's face when he told him he had junior high girls swooning over
him. And Pete would be sure to tell him!
The girls were saved from any further explanation as the door opened to
admit an out of breath student. Pete went to the front of the room to see
what was going on.
"Are you Mr. Malloy?" the student managed to ask between gasps for air.
"Yes."
"Mr. Reed said to give this to you." The student handed him a piece of
paper.
Pete opened the paper to find a hastily scribbled note. It read: GYM CODE
3!
"Okay," Pete quickly turned to the class. They were all watching him expectantly.
"I have to leave for a little while. Cathy, you and Stacy are in charge,"
he turned back to the student that had brought the note. "I need you to
run down to Mr. Clemons office and tell him where I'm headed. He'll know
what's going on. And I do mean run!"
With that, Pete followed the boy out the door and started running down
the hall. Thankfully, the halls were empty, as the bell wouldn't ring for
another several minutes. At one point, he did hear a hall monitor yell a warning,
but he continued on his way without acknowledging or explaining.
Pete slowed as he reached the gym doors. He saw Jim standing outside,
glancing around impatiently. Jim straightened, all business, as Pete approached.
"I heard a group of kids talking a few minutes ago." Jim explained. "Sounds
like there's a deal going down any time now in the locker room."
Pete nodded, "Are you sure?"
Jim shrugged, "As sure as I can be with what I heard."
A student coming out of the gym interrupted the two men. "Mr. Reed?"
"Yes?"
"Um, well, maybe I shouldn't say anything." The student started to go
back inside the gym.
"Trevor, wait." Pete stopped him once he recognized him from an earlier
class. "What were you going to say? You can tell us."
Trevor hesitated but stepped into the hall and let the gym door close
behind him. "Well, I heard some guys talking today about having some drugs
down in the locker room."
"Do you believe them?" Jim wondered.
"Yeah," Trevor nodded, "they've done it before."
"Why haven't you said anything before?" Pete asked quietly.
"I don't know. I guess I wasn't sure who to tell or who would care, but
I recognized one of the guys today. He rides the bus with me… and
my little sister. I don't want him trying to sell her that junk. Besides,
I thought if they found out they might try to hurt me. I've heard they've
roughed up a couple other kids who were gonna tell on 'em."
Jim put a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, Trevor, we'll make sure
they don't know you helped us."
"But what are you gonna do about it? I mean, you ain't cops."
Pete smiled, "Actually, Trevor, that's exactly what we are."
"You are!"
Jim nodded, "That's right."
"Wow!"
"Trevor, I want you to wait right here. There should be some officers
coming any time now. If they get here before we come back out, point them
in the right direction, okay?"
"Sure, Mr. Malloy!" Trevor watched as the two men headed down a back stairway
towards the locker room.
Pete and Jim paused at the door to the boy's locker room. They could hear
muted voices coming from inside. They silently opened the door and went
inside.
"…c'mon, man, this is primo stuff," they heard a voice say.
"That's what you said the last time," another voice argued.
"Yeah, well, this is really good stuff. I promise."
"Okay, I'll take some."
"Ah, ah, ah, not until I see the dough."
Pete risked a glance around the corner and saw a group of boys standing
in a far corner. One of them pulled something out of his pocket. The other
boy nodded and grabbed the bookbag sitting on a nearby bench. Pete nodded
at Jim.
"Hello, boys." Pete announced their presence as they walked around the
corner.
The second boy quickly shoved a pouch back into his bag. "We wasn't doin'
nothin', teacher, I swear!"
"That must include not attending English class," Pete observed, "What's
in the bag?"
"Nothin'. Just some books, you know."
"Right," Pete nodded, "Open it up."
The boy shook his head. The other boys merely watched as Jim took a step
closer but remained in position to intercept anyone trying to make a getaway.
"Either you open up the bag, or I will." Pete warned.
The boy sneered. "You can't do that, man! You ain't got the right."
Pete smiled and quickly glanced at Jim while reaching into his jacket
pocket. He flipped open the wallet to reveal his badge and ID. "Officer
Pete Malloy, LAPD. Open the bag."
The onlookers' jaws dropped as they saw the badge. Jim tensed and waited
for them to make a break for the door, but they were too stunned to do anything
except back into the corner.
The ringleader, however, regained his composure rather quickly. He threw
the bag at Pete's face and attempted to follow that with a right hook. Pete
easily dodged the bag and grabbed the boy's arm before it connected with
his jaw. In no time at all, he had the boy on the ground with his hands pinned
behind his back.
"Give it up!" Pete ordered. "It's over. Stop struggling." The boy finally
complied and Pete was able to take the handcuffs out of his inside jacket
pocket and put them on the boy. A quick search revealed a switchblade in
the kid's back pocket.
"The rest of you turn around and face the wall." Jim motioned to the three
boys cowering in the corner. He quickly patted them down but found nothing.
"Okay, turn around and sit down, backs against the wall."
"Pete? Jim? You guys in here?"
"Yeah, Jerry, in here." Pete replied.
Jerry Woods and Ed Wells walked in, followed by the principal. Woods and
Wells handcuffed two of the students while Jim found his pair of cuffs in
his pocket and took care of the third one.
Pete unzipped the bag and whistled at the contents. "Looks like you guys'll
be in for a pretty rough time. This stuff's packaged for sale. A judge sure
isn't gonna look too kindly on you pushing this stuff at school."
"You can't prove nothin', pig." The ringleader found his voice again.
Pete just shook his head, "Get 'em out of here, Jerry."
"Right, Pete."
"We'll finish up here and meet ya back at the station to square up on
the report."
As the boys were led away, Mr. Clemons turned to the two men. He was still
blinking wildly and wringing his hands as if nervous, but he seemed to be
a little more at ease now that the problem seemed to be taken care of. "I
don't know how to thank you gentlemen. I can't begin to tell you how relieved
I am that you caught them. Thank you."
"We were just doing our job, Mr. Clemons." Jim informed him.
"Oh, it was much more than that! It's not easy to come into a room and
sub, and I know it must have been much more difficult for you gentlemen. I
just want you to know that I appreciate it, and if you ever want a job as
substitute teachers, just let me know!"
Pete and Jim shared a pained look before following him out the door and
to his office to get started on their report.
The Following Day
3:30 p.m., Police Station, locker room
"Hey, looky here! The teachers are back!" Ed Wells yelled as Pete and
Jim walked into the locker room to get changed for their shift the next
day.
"Hey, Teach, how's it goin?"
"Funny, Ed." Jim smiled at the good-natured teasing.
Pete opened his locker and shook his head. "Cute, guys, really cute."
He pulled out an apple for Jim to see.
Jim opened his own locker and also produced an apple.
"Aww! It's an apple for the teacher." Wells teased.
"You know, Ed, I bet you were the kind of student that just loved to give
substitute teachers a hard time." Pete ventured.
"He probably gave all teachers a hard time." Jim amended.
Wells just grinned and sauntered out of the locker room. Pete and Jim
exchanged amused glances and continued to put on their uniforms. Mac came
in as they were finishing and looked them up and down quickly, "Well, you
two don't seem any worse for wear today."
"Gee, Mac, we would've told you all about it last night when we got back,
but you'd already gone home." Pete informed him.
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that, guys, but my work was done." Mac smiled and
folded his arms across his chest in a self-satisfied manner. "But I hear
you guys put in some major overtime."
"We didn't get out of the station until almost 7:00." Jim informed him.
"We were at the school till 5 or so starting the report and checking back
in with the teachers."
"Yeah, I wanted to ask you guys about that." Mac said as if he'd just
thought about it though Pete and Jim knew that's why he'd come in to talk
to them. "How'd you guys do yesterday as teachers? Any problems?"
Pete and Jim smiled at each other in amusement. They'd swapped stories
and compared notes in the car yesterday and decided that teachers must see
as many strange things as cops do.
"Well?" Mac waited impatiently. "What happened?"
"It'd take a lot longer than we have right now to fill ya in, Mac." Jim
told him.
"No, but I did discover one thing." Pete looked at him, a smile tugging
at the corners of his mouth.
"What's that?"
"Every student in the room will have to go to the restroom at some point
during class." Pete told him as Jim nodded in agreement. "And they won't
have to all go at once; it's one right after the other. It doesn't matter
if they just came in or if the class is almost over, they have to go right
then. They can't wait. That would be too easy…"
Mac raised his hands in surrender, "Okay, okay, I get the picture. I'll
have to buy you guys a beer to make up for this, won't I?"
"Oh, it'll take more than one, Mac," Jim told him, "You haven't heard
about Tiny yet."
"Don't forget about my Mission: Impossible kid," Pete reminded
him.
"That's right. And little alien Johnny…"
"Okay, I give up. I give up." Mac pointed at his watch. "Roll call in
five minutes." He quickly turned and left the locker room before they could
tell him any more.
They grabbed their gear and headed for the door after a quick laugh at
Mac's expense. Pete clapped Jim on the shoulder as they left the locker room,
"C'mon, partner, let's go educate the public."
The incidents you have read about are mostly true
The names have been changed to protect the not-so innocent.
The things that Pete and Jim encountered in class are all things that
have happened to me in my job as a substitute teacher (minus the drug deal,
of course, though I wouldn't be surprised…). I changed them a little
to fit the story, but in essence, they are true stories. I could have had
them sub for a whole week and never let them have a dull moment, but I didn't
want to torture them that long! I hope everyone enjoyed the story.
