Faculty lounge, Monday, February 13

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

Everything Josh knew about feeding a crowd he learned from working on campaigns.

Thus: pizza, sandwiches, coffee and soda.

It worked for college volunteers. Maybe it'll work on teachers, too.

He tacked up a sign on the bulletin board:

WANTED:

Faculty members to help chaperone the Valentine's Day dance this Friday night.

Please, oh, please, don't make me be there alone.

Sign up below.

Josh sat down with a copy of the Washington Post, flipped the television to C-SPAN and prepared for the day.

Comments

[susanofnarnia.livejournal.com]

"Snow monster trauma, and vampire trauma, and enough of the new students finally comfortable enough to get help with existing trauma, all adds up to busy weeks for me," Susan said. "I'm hoping there won't be any new reasons for them to be upset any time soon."

"Valentine's Day dance? I haven't seen any posters for that so far. Will it be this weekend?"

As Parker goes to put up a poster somewhere.

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

"Here's hoping," Josh said, lifting his coffee mug and taking a sip. "And the kids should be putting up posters sometime soon about it, yeah. It's on Friday night." He gave her a small smile. "And exactly what I wanted to be doing on my weekend. Really."

[susanofnarnia.livejournal.com]

"Oh, dear." Susan bit her lip. "It really isn't a very exciting island if you're an adult, is it? I know I'd find it more engaging if it were warm enough to swim, but..." She shook her head. "Valentine's Day dances. Lord, that takes me back." Her eyes got big in remembered horror. "I think there was a fight at ever single one I attended."

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

"Over you?" Josh smiled. "'Cause I can see that."

[susanofnarnia.livejournal.com]

"Only one of them was over me," Susan said primly, then grinned. "The other one was because of me, although Meredith was completely mad. I was *not* flirting with her boyfriend. Just talking fot him." She smiled. "Are you still in need of chaperones? Because it might do to remind me why it was I hated being a teenager so very much."

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

"I believe there is so such thing as too many chaperones," Josh said. "You can keep me company, make sure the kids don't put too many different kinds of booze into the punch."

He coughed. "I mean. Stop them from spiking the punch. Because underage drinking is wrong. And also something I never did. Really."

[susanofnarnia.livejournal.com]

"Or smoking. Or driving without a license. Or sneaking out after hours..." Susan shook her head. "Dear Lord. Do their parents expect us to keep a rein on them here? They can't, can they? I suddenly have an urge to tell them to read a book and eat an apple."

She smiled. "And we can be very mature at the dance, and hopefully the worst that will happen is some poor girl ends up in tears in the restroom. That, I can handle. Anything like a fight, and I'll toast you from the sidelines."

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

"These kids face off against snow monsters and vampires. I think we'd be lucky if we only had to worry about them driving without a license."

He raised an eyebrow. "And you're kidding about the toasting me thing, right? You don't have laser beam eyes or something?"

[susanofnarnia.livejournal.com]

"And the very sad thing is, Mr. Lyman, that the first answer that springs to mind is 'not yet.'" Susan shook her head and took another bite of pizza. "And you're right. They *should* be having a party instead of fighting wars and demons." A determined look crossed her face. "And so I shall most definitely be there on Friday, so the dance goes well."

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

"See? Now I'm actually looking forward to this thing," Josh said with a smile. "I'll save you a seat--I'll even make sure it's a non-wobbly seat because I like you."

[susanofnarnia.livejournal.com]

Susan returned the smile. "Lovely, Josh. Then I'll see you there."