Page 25 of A Chance at Forever
With her confidence already tattered and torn, Victoria met her first period English class as her trepidation mounted. At least with these students there was a subtle difference. They were quiet and respectful, even though her introduction to the course was unorganized because she couldn’t find her syllabus. The tone for the year seemed to be set, however. She knew this class possessed the right combination of personalities to make them a pleasant group to face every morning.
By lunchtime, Victoria felt as if she’d been through World War Three. Her lectures to her English classes improved since she’d finally located her syllabus, but she knew she wasn’t at her best. She still had to face her toughest critics—the drama classes. These particular students would be able to see right through the façade of her confidence.
Oh lord, what am I going to do?
Victoria joined Jonica for lunch in the faculty cafeteria and slumped into her seat with a harried, “Hi! How’s it going?”
Jonica took one look at Victoria’s haggard face and laughed. “Fine with me, but you look exhausted. Tougher than facing your father’s board of directors, right? Are the kids raking you over the coals?”
“Actually, I like my English classes. It’s just that I haven’t worked this hard in a long time. I forgot that teaching is physicallyandmentally demanding. Homeroom was a bust this morning. I swear they sensed my fear and used it to their advantage. I haven’t felt that afraid, not even when I dealt with the most high-powered executives in New York City.”
“You’ll get back into the swing of things again. Give yourself time.”
“Time?” Victoria repeated with a slight smile. “Meanwhile my students think I’m incompetent. If you hear them discussing me, don’t tell me.”
“Well, as a matter of fact,” Jonica teased. “Honestly, Tori, relax. I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think. You only have two classes left, and you should be looking forward to them.”
“I am. Thanks for letting me vent.”
“Tomorrow it will be my turn.”
They finished eating and returned to their classrooms before the bell rang.
CHAPTER 8
Victoria paused outsidethe auditorium although the tardy bell had already rung. Every introduction running through her mind sounded dull and trite. What in the world could she say to these pupils that would make an impression?
Slowly, she opened the side door and entered. Inside, twenty-five pairs of curious eyes turned in her direction and watched her progress in the pit until she stood directly in front of them. Victoria placed her gradebook on the stage and looked at her class. She lowered her head. When she raised it a moment later, she was no longer schoolteacher, businesswoman, and heiress, but a frightened runaway.
“What am I doing here?” she whispered. “This street looked so safe during the day. God, I’m so hungry! Stop it! Leave me alone! Who are all these…these people?”
Victoria continued the monologue for another minute. When it ended, she lowered her head and looked up after a second or two. She saw the awed expressions on their young faces.
“That, everyone, is drama. It grabs your attention and makes you feel what the character is feeling, see what the character is seeing, and be what that character is for a brief period of time. I’m Ms. Lockridge, and I’m here to teach you the art of performing. Let me call the roll, and as I say your name, please tell me how long you’ve been enrolled in the program.”
She discovered most of the class consisted of freshmen and sophomores. Three juniors stood out among them. Troy Williamson, Brian Wilson, and Kaylee Johnson. Victoria recognized Brian, one of Jeff’s cousins.
“I’m going to be blunt. As long as you remain in this class, you will work hard. Be prepared to give one hundred percent of your effort. I will make you reach into your souls for your very essence and present it to your audience as a gift. Is there anyone who wants a schedule change? From this point on, there won’t be any turning back.” Victoria waited. Her eyes pierced each student in turn. No one said a word. “Good. I’ll accept your silence as acquiescence. Now, what have you done in the past?”
Brian raised his hand. “Nothing, Ms. Lockridge. Old Professor Deen made us read Shakespeareevery day. That’s all we’ve done for two years, and we’ve never been allowed to perform it. Shakespeare, Shakespeare, Shakespeare!”
Victoria grinned. “Well, now that you have a great appreciation for the Bard, I think we can move on to modern dramatists. All right, we’ll start by uncovering your strengths. Troy, Kaylee, and Brian, I’m going to need your assistance in teaching the technical aspects of the stage and…”
Troy interrupted her by raising his hand. “Ms. Lockridge, um, well, what the three of us know about stagecraft we learned on our own. None of us feel competent enough to teach anyone else what we know.”
“I see. Thank you for enlightening me. So, we work from scratch beginning tomorrow.”
The bell rang announcing the end of class. Victoria expected them to exit as fast as they could, but the majority of them gathered around her in the pit and expressed their happiness at finally having a real drama teacher. Buoyed by this small success, she faced her next drama class with confidence. She performed a comedic monologue this time and found an enthusiastic audience.
After a faculty meeting to discuss how the day went, Victoria and Jonica parted at their cars. As she passed the practice field, she caught a glimpse of Rusty and his two assistant coaches running plays with the team.
“Yay. Go Bears,” she muttered.
When Victoria arrived home a few minutes later, she and Bud needed to burn their excess energy. She changed into her jogging clothes and whistled for her dog. Her mind cleared as she set an easy pace along the edge of the lake and listened to her favorite tunes through her earbuds. After she’d jogged halfway around the placid body of water, Victoria retraced her path with Bud running at her side.
Hot, sweaty, and tired, she removed her earbuds and collapsed on the dock. Bud jumped into the cool water and paddled around. It looked so inviting, Victoria set her cell phone on the planks and dove, fully clothed, into the lake. They frolicked for a while until hunger drove her out of the water.
“Come, boy. Let’s eat.”
