…Miss Cho, the new Latin teacher, fresh out of grad school. Stacie didn’t know the woman, but several of the girls on the team were really enthusiastic about her. She’d recently helped Rebecca Klein get over a really bad breakup with Mark Liddell, captain of the soccer team. Now “boy-crazy Becky” was happily single, determined not to date again until she was comfortable in her own skin and not defined by her relationships.
Stacie walked up to the car and tapped on the window. “I know we don’t know each other,” she began, “but my mom had to work late so she can’t pick me up tonight and—” A bolt of lightning lit the sky, followed a fraction of a second later by a peal of thunder.
“—and you don’t want to walk home in this,” concluded Miss Cho. “Of course I’ll give you a lift, Stacie. Hop in.”
“Thanks,” Stacie said as she circled round the car and slid into the passenger seat. Once she’d buckled herself in, Miss Cho pulled out of the parking lot. A stray thought made Stacie frown slightly. “I don’t take any of your classes,” she said. “How did you know my name?”
“I’ve seen you often enough,” Miss Cho replied. “Some of your teammates are in my Latin poetry class. I go to all the home games to support my girls.” Stacie thought back – she was too focused on the game to pay much attention to the crowd, but now that Miss Cho brought it up she did have a vague memory of seeing the Latin teacher in the bleachers once or twice. “And they talk about you a lot. Rebecca Klein and Kadijah Simms expect you to make team captain.”
“I notice you didn’t say anything about Maria Lopez,” replied Stacie. Maria was the third of the seniors who made up the core of the Lydia Cho fan club. It was no secret that she’d wanted to be named captain.
“Maria will just have to get used to the idea,” said Miss Cho with a smile. “I don’t think she’ll be a disruptive influence – she wants to win as badly as you do. If there is a problem though, let me know and I’ll talk to her.”
“Thanks,” said Stacie. The way Maria gushed about the new Latin teacher, if anyone could convince her to get with the program it was Miss Cho. The woman just brimmed with confidence and charisma. “I know she respects you a lot. If you were a man I’d think she had a crush on you.” Stacie blushed furiously and covered her mouth. That comment had been way out of line.
Fortunately Miss Cho didn’t seem the type to get easily offended. She just laughed and said “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
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