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Kurt walked into his classroom on Tuesday morning feeling tired and in desperate need of a coffee. The room contained the two odors it always did: Axe Body Spray and teenage ignorance, the stench Kurt recognized the most. He had been working at this particular high school for five years, and ever since day one it had smelled this way. He didn't really mind it, it was something to focus his attention on while he watched his students ignore the assignments he gave them to work on. He even gave them class time to do them. So why did they just sit there? Why do they just sit there like the little jackals they are and just stare off into space. Ugh, that he'll never understand. The smell he gets, but they act they put on? It's not even an act, which is the worst thing. That's actually their personalities...God kill him now.

“Good morning,” Kurt said monotonously to his students. He got a chorus of moans and mumbled “hellos” in return. He smiled back at them sarcastically, “I am having a wonderful morning as well! Okay, guys. Get out your To Kill A Mockingbird books.”

He sat on top of his desk as he watched eighteen unexcited Sophomores reach into various bookbags, binders and trapper keepers to pull out their books. He noticed the student in the front row (he had put him there purposely to keep an eye on him) had an empty table in front of him.

“Chris?”

“Yes, Mr. Hummel?”

Kurt pursed his lips and made a sucking sound. “May I ask where your book is?”

Chris slouched in his chair some more, his Nike Shocks almost touching Kurt's feet. “I guess by asking if you could ask, you have already asked me the very question that is on your mind.”

Kurt started to get annoyed with this kid. It wasn't even ten minutes into first period and he regretted skipping that coffee this morning. “Chris, just tell me why your book isn't on your desk right now.”

“I lost it.” Chris rolled his eyes. Kurt could barley stand this kid anymore. He's gotten angry at him too many times and wasn't even mad. Just disappointed.

“Alright, Chris. Whatever, just pay me the ten dollars the book cost by the end of the quarter.”

Chris rolled his eyes again, “Whatever, dude.”

Kurt snapped. He slammed his fist down on the desk. “Hey! Look, buddy! I am not a person you can call 'dude.' I am not in the mood, nor the position for you to call me that, and never will be. You are a student. I am the teacher. You do not talk back to me, you do not think you're better than me. Because you are not. I am the superior person here! I am 28 years old and you are 16! I've put up with your crap for too long to deal with your attitude, and quite frankly I am tired of it!” Kurt was screaming now. He was leaning on Chris's desk and the teenage boy was leaning back in his seat with fear. “From now on as long as I am teaching you, you will bring your book to class, and your face will either be stoic, or smiling without a hint of sarcasm, do you understand me!” Kurt waited for a response. The entire room was silent and all of his pupils were staring at him in shock.

Chris nodded at a quick pace.

Today was going to be a long day.

***

Blaine saw Kurt walk into the cafeteria with hate resting on his shoulders. Could you actually see hate? Blaine didn't know, but Kurt sure made it seem like you could. Kurt came up to the teacher's table in the lunch room and plopped his tray down with a loud thunk and his body followed suit.

“Rough day?” Blaine asked the pale English teacher.

Kurt snorted, “More like a rough past, present, and future. Tell me again why I became an English teacher.”

Blaine pondered his statement, “Well I didn't know you until five years ago, but I'm pretty sure you were just like the rest of us. The old, 'I want to help kids! I want to make a difference!' mantra running through your head.”

Kurt laughed then explained his remorse. “I yelled at a student today.”

Blaine's eyes lit up with the potential of student gossip. He hated teaching as much as the next guy, and hearing about students being caught as the little assholes they were just made his day a little bit brighter. Blaine popped a carrot in his mouth, “Do tell!”

Kurt rolled his eyes and opened his carton of milk. “Oh, it was Chris Russel.” Blaine made a face. Kurt saw it and responded, “Yeah, I know the feeling. He sits right front and center first period everyday and every single God damn day he makes it his mission to make my life a living hell. Just last week he put a tack on my chair. A tack on my chair! I mean, what is this? A 1990s nickelodeon cartoon? I mean who actually does that!”

Blaine couldn't contain his giggles. “As funny as that is, why did you yell at him?”

Kurt sighed. “He didn't bring his book to class.”

Blaine's eyes widened. “That's it?”

“He claims he lost it.”

Blaine chuckled. “Um...Kurt. Don't you think that might have been a little...much to yell at him about?”

Kurt rested his face in his palm and let out another exasperated sigh of discontent, “I know, Blaine, I know. I just hate this kid so much!”

“I can see that!” Blaine let out a smile as Kurt looked up at him. “You know, Kurt.” He paused for a beat. “Can I give you some advice as a more experienced teacher?”

“Oh shut up!” Kurt threw a grape at the man sitting across from him. “You're 29 years old! You started here a year before I did!”

Blaine waved his hands in the air as to calm Kurt down. “As a man with a year's more experience than you under his belt, let me give you a trifle bit of knowledge I collected while working here.” He put his hands down and looked directly into Kurt's eyes. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful they were. They were brown...but not a normal brown. They had flecks of hazel and the light from the window was making the small flecks almost look like they were burning the iris they rested on and...ah! Blaine get your head together. Okay, speech time. He shook his head and got back on track. “Anyways! What I've learned is that you just can't let shitty students affect you. There's gonna be a lot of fucked up students in your career and if you let every one of them control you mood and emotions it's going to come back and bite you in the ass.”

Kurt thought about what he said for a second.

“That's some good advice, Mr. Anderson.”

Blaine smiled.

“That's why they call me the 'Biology Teacher Extraordinaire'.”

“I don't think anyone calls you that.”

“Well if they did, my advice would be even more appreciated, so let's pretend they do.”