Jinx caught a glimpse of bright red hair and called out a greeting to Kori, who'd finally made it here after (probably) oversleeping. A flash of blonde hair reminded her of the situation with Raven and the green cardigan, and she smiled evilly. I am so going to "talk" to Gar about that for sure during lunch hour today.

In twenty too-short minutes, the bell rang (obnoxiously, in Jinx's perspective), and a minute later, the hallways filled with sound. Students shoved their way to classes as the freshman peered helplessly at the room numbers. Poor kids; Robin wasn't merciful enough to excuse the tardy ones on the first day because he apparently expected everyone to just know from the very beginning, or at least scout out the classes beforehand or something.

It might suck being a teacher sometimes, but it doesn't suck as much as being a student with Robin as a principal, Jinx thought to herself. She busied herself with the lesson plan that she had brought with her as student after student stumbled into her room and hesitantly took a seat.

Jinx didn't look up to see what kind of students were to be in her very first period until the second bell rang. Her head shot up, and she said, "If you aren't supposed to be in Physics for Grade 9 for first period, get out before the principal finds you in the wrong class."

Nobody moved, which was a good sign, but she waited five more seconds just to be sure. "Well, that was your last chance. Now for attendance."

After attendance came assembly, and after assembly came the syllabus, because what else? First days are supposed to be nice and easy, just like that. Everyone gets their syllabuses, and do some lame ice-breaker game, and the more serious teachers would spring a pre-test on them. Jinx said as much to the class.

"But since I'm neither serious nor wanting to be cool, and since this is the first day of school, I'm going to tell you all about this school. Stuff nobody else will tell you about."

The class was already well acquainted with her dry and sassy attitude, so a student somewhere in the back (Justin? Jacob? Something with a J...) piped up, "Gossip?"

Needless to say, she sent him a look that got the class snickering. "Well, Joseph-"

"Uh, Josh?"

"-Josh, not gossip per se. Maybe... rumors. Secrets that you don't know as a freshman. I'm going to make my class of physics the most well-informed group of freshman today."

"So gossip it is!"

Ah, Jinx could already see that this kid was going to be a loud one. "I can already see that you're going to be the loud one here." The class tittered. "But anyways, if there are any questions during what I'm saying on and on and on, feel free to ask. Got it?" The students nodded excitedly, some of them even taking out a piece of paper to take notes on. Sure, take notes only when it won't be on any test.

"So rumor has it that in the left wing of W building there is a ghost haunting locker 541..."

Sometimes the students would throw out a question, which was when she'd answer it in full detail. But honestly, even if she didn't tell all of these to the class, the freshman usually knew all this by the end of third quarter, so she was just letting them in early. No harm done.

"Miss Jinx, is it true you're going out with the other physics teacher?"

Okay, so maybe some harm is done.

"I feel an urge to facepalm. What gave you that idea"

"I accidentally went into his class and when I told him I was looking for your class, he said you were his girlfriend but that I shouldn't tell you."

Jinx made a face. "Typical West. No, he is not of any relationship to me except for the fact that we're both physics teachers. I tolerate him to the extent of friendship, maybe, but more would be poisonous to me." The class laughed. "He's not that bad, but he's not that great either. My previous classes always had some kind of weird sense of rivalry with the kids in his class, but it all depends on you. Who knows what in the world he's telling them about this class at the moment?"

"We'll fight him for you, miss!"

"Yeah! We can take on the whole class!"

"Our class is the best!"

The class chorused their approvals of the rivalry she'd told them about, and Jinx shushed them with a glare. "Okay, okay, I get it. Now moving on."

"Do you have any dirt on Principal Robin."

"Of course I do, but I value my own life too much to say anything..."

And thus ended the very first period of the very first day of the year. It was now time for break, and she shooed the kids out so that she could enjoy some peace and quiet after talking almost non-stop for 30 minutes. She erased the board in front of her and slumped down in her chair, swiveling around when she heard the door open.

Without looking, she said, "Kids, I said go to recess and look for your next class. Believe me, it's good for you."

"I don't have to look for my class, but thanks," replied an amused voice. And ugh, she knew this voice all too well.

"What do you want now, West?"

"I heard that your class wants to beat me up."

"Can't blame them."

He chuckled. "Ouch. But hey, how was first period?"

Jinx sighed, supporting her head with her hand and leaning on the desk. "Awkward at first then somewhat more relaxed by the end. Same old, same old. There's this loud kid called Josh though, and he's somewhat of a class clown. I'm going to have to deal with him first thing in the morning, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing, but hey, at least he'll keep the class fun to everyone else. Maybe. Hopefully he won't be attention-seeking until he's obnoxious, just until he's funny..."

Without thinking much about it, Jinx was pouring out her thoughts and feelings to West, rambling on and on as he listened with an easy grin.

Suddenly the door reopened and the kid who'd asked about Jinx and West barged in. He stood there, blinking, and then he blurted out, "You said you weren't going out with him!"

Jinx shot up and scooted away from West. "Yeah, I'm most definitely not." She sent a glare to West, who was outright laughing. "Thanks for telling lies to this kid right here, by the way."

"It'll soon be true anyways."

The kid gasped delightfully, and Jinx's glare intensified. "West!"

"What?" he shrugged. "I'm serious."

She groaned. "I do not want to deal with this right now. Out! Both of you!"

Obediently, the two of them scampered out, and Jinx moaned into her hands. This could not be happening. By the time after school tomorrow, she was pretty sure everyone in the freshman class at least would be informed about this. Ugh.

True to her words, afterschool Raven Roth walked in with her usual poker face on, and said, "I heard you're dating West."

Jinx's expression made even Raven smile. "You look like you swallowed a sour lemon."

"That would've been better, actually."

Before she finished that sentence, though, the foreign languages teacher Kori Anders rushed in, flitting around in delight. "Oh, friend Jinx, is it true that you are doing the going out with friend Wally?"

Jinx scowled. She slammed her fist on the desk to emphasize her frustration. "No." Slam. "We." Slam. "Are." Slam. "NOT!"

Kori deflated, and Jinx felt kind of bad for being so angry at her. "That is most unfortunate, friend Jinx. I had hoped and hoped!"

Suddenly Robin waltzed right in, saying, "You have to alert me to all changes in relationships among teachers, Jinx. I'm the principal." Then he noticed Kori was there too and awkwardly stopped, suddenly nervous.

As Raven held back a snicker, Jinx glared. Her poor eyes, must've glared so much (too much) for the first day. "Yeah, you're the principal, shouldn't you be doing principal stuff right now and not scolding me for a nonexistent relationship I have with West, of all people?"

He blinked at her. "It's not true? Could've sworn I heard it from a reliable source..."

"...which would be me," said Victor Stone as he also came in. He grinned at her obvious displeasure.

"Don't all of you have, I don't know, more important stuff to do?"

They looked at each other and shrugged. "Honestly? Not really," said Robin.

"But- but you're the principal, for goodness' sake!"

"Yeah, so? I finished everything I had to do for the entire week. I'm kind of bored, actually."

"Figures." Jinx sighed, eyeing the suddenly crowded front part of her classroom. "Well, I kind of do, so-"

A blonde-headed man with a wide grin on his face popped his head in. "Yo Jinx! Heard you finally got together with-"

"NO!" she roared. Unfortunately, nobody found her intimidating. Why had she become friends with these guys again?

"Aww, that's a shame," said Garfield Logan, edging into the room anyways. He joined the smiling bunch. "I was really excited when I overheard that from one of my students. Oh, hey Rae."

"The name is Raven."

"As I was trying to say, I have to do-"

"Wow, what is everyone doing here? Is there a teacher's meeting?" Ah, the culprit. Jinx wanted to strangle that red head until his face turned just as red too.

"This is all your fault, West."

"What did I do?"

"Oh I don't know, just started a rumor about us two dating?" she hissed.

"...oops?"

"You are so infuriating! You better tell your students tomorrow that the rumors are false and that it is all a misunderstanding!"

"No can do, Jinxy."

She sputtered. "Jinxy?"

All the teachers (and the principal) around her gasped as well, repeating, "Jinxy?"

"Yes, Jinxy. I thought that if we're dating, then we need some kind of nickname for each other."

"For the last time, we are not dating! What part of 'not dating' do you not understand?"

"Maybe the 'not' part?"

"Is this lovers' spat going to end anytime soon?" deadpanned Raven, crossing her arms.

And to think she'd trusted at least Raven to take her side! Amongst the snickers, Jinx threw her hands up. "This is impossible. I'm going home."

"Oh! Oh! I will go with you, friend Jinx!"

As she packed up her belongings, she said, "It's fine, Kori. You should get a ride from Robin, I'm sure he'll be happy to comply."

Robin probably turned red and stuttered out something to Kori's questioning eyes, but Jinx didn't have it in her to enjoy the show. "Well, folks, I'm out." She slung her bag unto her shoulders and stalked right out of the mess.

Safely at home, she groaned to herself. There was no way she would be escaping tomorrow unscathed from all the teachers' jokes and all the freshmen's eyes. She pondered calling in sick, or maybe just disappearing from the face of the earth. Yeah, that sounded pretty reasonable. To do that she'd need a big hat, glasses, maybe some hair dye- the pink hair is a giveaway- and some clothes she'd usually never be seen in public with...

Ugh, who was she kidding. This wasn't going anywhere. (Where would she get all of those in such short notice anyways?) Jinx ran a frustrated hand through her hair, undoing all the tangles absentmindedly.

If she really thought about it, though, better to be rumored to be dating West than those gross folks back at her old high school, like the midget computer tech guy or the uber-annoying teacher who seemed to be everywhere all at the same time... In fact, going out with West might be a lot more fun than she would've thought. Compared to those guys, that is, she corrected herself. Nothing more, nothing less.

Oh well. In the end, they may be infuriating weirdos, but they were her infuriating weirdos, and grudgingly, Jinx acknowledged that even West, the ultimate infuriating weirdo, was a friend she wouldn't leave behind. And even though this did not change the fact that she really didn't want to face the school tomorrow (just thinking about it made her want to face palm the whole night long), maybe, just maybe, it'll be good in the long run.

.

[EXTRA]

"Principal Friend Robin?"

"Y-yes, Star?"

"What did Friend Jinxy mean when she said you wanted to give me the means of transportation?"

"I-it just meant, uh, that she knew we were friends and I want to give my friends rides, maybe."

"Oh."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Don't be so disappointed, Star. Robin's not as honest as he should be."

"Friend Raven! Are you saying that Friend Robin is a liar?"

"You can't deny the truth, Star, you can't."

"Hey, Rae-"

"Raven."

"-ven! If having nicknames is a sign of dating-"

"Don't even go there."

[EXTRA FIN]

Awkward extra, but whatever. Honestly this teacher thing will probably be a recurring thing as well- not only Flinx, but all the other couples too. Soooo I don't know when and I don't know how, but there is a 71.3% possibility that I will be coming back into this alternate universe. With that being said, hope you enjoyed! ^^