Page 14 of Teaching the Kot'oll Coach

I set down my items and Jackel’s. Winnie’s spot is empty. If she isn’t someone big for crowds and a busy environment, she’s going to stay out of here until most have left.

So... It means I probably shouldn’t stay around so I won’t look like a creep who keeps inviting myself around her. I doubt she’d like that.

Okay... Don’t be a creepy dumb kot’oll.

I put my stuff into my backpack and get out of the staff room. There are a lot fewer beings out there, which is always better. Even though I enjoy being with others, I can appreciate a less crowded corridor.

The sky is orange by now and it is going to get dark soon. This is my favorite time of the day. The big windows of the buildings keep nothing hidden. The trees and greenery around the school make working here even better.

Down there, a few kids are playing in the sports ground. There are some after-school activities for kids, as some have to wait until their parents can pick them up after school. The floatball team’s training keeps some busy, but that’s not every day.

I wait at the lift with another teacher. We exchange a nod and wait in silence. Most of the staff are tired after a whole day of work, so I try not to talk too much so that they won’t feel like they have to respond. Maybe I should do that more with Winnie, too. I can keep talking, but I know I’m not the smartest with words.

What’s she up to now? Arranging books in the library? Chatting with kids?

I walk through the road that leads to the main entrance of the school, taking in the fresh scent of trees and bushes. My spaceship is parked a block away so that I can get some walking in. There are some spaceships on the street too, those are probably getting close to their destination.

It is a nice day out here like always. I’m just going to—

There’s a loud honk at the turn of the corner. I spin around to the street to find a kid chasing a ball and...

Oh fuck!

I drop everything and dash over to the kid. I grab her with an arm, but the spaceship is already there. I roll onto the spaceship with the help of my other two arms, but it still sucks...

There’s a sharp pain at my side, but I keep the kid to me and...

Something smacks me, and everything turns dark.

Fuck...

Am I dead?

But I don’t want to be dead just like that!

Chapter 10

Winnie

I flinch at the street as Telke runs to the street, grabs the kid, and...

Oh, fuck...

He is on the ground, not moving... He just rolled off the spaceship and...

Is he dead?

My mind goes blank for a second until the kid Telke saved cries. I shiver and pull my mind back to the present. There’s no time to waste. I grab my phone and dial for the medics.

The kid is crying. She isn’t the youngest, but maybe she is still naïve enough not to remember to watch her path.

Or... Telke...

The kid is too dumb for her own good and...

Do I go over, or...?

Siren comes and fills the street quickly enough. The medic runs out of their spaceship and grabs Telke onto the stretcher.

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