Chapter 4
Ari
It takes a special breed of person to teach high school.
That is, if you want to survive teens these days.
I’d like to think I’m that special breed.
You can’t just say, ‘Hi, I’m Ms. Langford,’ and expect to grab the students’ attention. No, you have to do more. Really commit to the job.
That's exactly why I have a pillow stuffed under my shirt, making it look like I’m pregnant.
This is me committing to The Great Gatsby.
The entire theme of the book is based on deception.
So, at three a.m., when I couldn’t sleep because of first-day-of-school jitters, I came up with the plan to deceive my students.
Really drive the theme of the book home.
It’s going to be epic.
The first bell rings, and within thirty seconds, students begin piling into my classroom. I feel a few curious eyes on me, but I remain behind my desk, pretending to be busy.
“Did you see Stevie this morning?” A girl with long blonde hair walks into the room, talking to her friend. They take a seat at the two desks closest to me.
“Yes, the huzz looked so bad today,” the friend replies.
Translation: the guy every girl has a crush on looked hot this morning, even though she said he looked bad.
I’m fluent in teen slang. Sometimes.
I recognize girls like them. Popular girls. I used to be one. And Stevie is probably the captain of the football team. The high school clichés recycle through year after year.
The first girl runs her fingers through her hair. “I look chopped, but I swear he smiled at me.”
“Low key, you never look chopped,” her friend gives the classic supportive friend response. “Besides, Stevie is totally into you. I see how he watches you. Give it a few weeks, and you’ll be together.”
“Ugh. It better not take that long. I’m planning to make a move this weekend, to get things going.”
The tardy bell rings, and I get up from my desk, moving to the front of the room.
“Okay, class. Quiet down.” I infuse my voice with authority.
It’s important to start out strict and ease off as the year goes on.
And then you wait—an important part of teaching.
Wait for the respect and silence before speaking.
Everyone stops talking and turns to face me. Just as I’m about to introduce myself, Wade walks into the room, announcing his entrance like a tardy teenager who loves to be the center of attention.
“Hey, hey, hey!” His arms go out wide.
The students erupt with noise once again as Wade’s eyes shoot to me. His gaze lands on my pregnant belly, causing his brows to drop.
His lips twitch. “I didn’t know congratulations were in order.”
I shake my head, pleading for him not to out my lie.
Instead, he leans in closer so only I can hear. “I’ve always had a thing for pregnant women.”
My lips purse in an effort not to smile.
“Bruh, are you our teacher today?” a boy in the back asks.
“Negative.” Wade turns to me. “Why haven’t you introduced yourself yet?”
“Why are you in my classroom?” I snap back.
The students oooh like a fight’s about to break out, reminding me that I shouldn’t be talking to my boss that way. Wade, as my principal, is going to take some time getting used to.
“What I meant to say,” I try again, softer, “is that I was about to introduce myself when you walked in and disrupted the class.”
He puts his finger to his mouth like he’s shushing himself. “Ignore me.”
As if that were possible.
He’s in a gray fitted t-shirt, a backward baseball cap, and gym shorts again. Way too casual for the principal but perfectly styled for what I’m attracted to.
His body twists as he funnels his way down one of the rows of desks to an empty seat in the back. “I’m just here to observe.”
That’s the last thing I need.
He gestures for me to continue as normal.
I smile at the students, soldiering on. “My name is Ms. Langford, and I’m your new English teacher. I grew up in Autumn Ridge, graduated from this very high school, then moved away for college, and now I’m back.”
“Langford?” The popular girl from earlier raises one skeptical brow. “As in Landrie Langford?”
“Dude, she’s so hot,” a boy in the back mutters, and every other boy in the class nods.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Landrie’s small-town fame extends to teenagers.
“Yes,” I confirm with a smile.
“I cannot wait for her wedding!” a new girl gushes to her friend next to her. “I heard her wedding dress cost twenty thousand dollars.”
Before I can refute that, the popular girl says with disgust, “What are you? Like, Landrie’s mom?”
There’s a burst of laughter from the back.
From Wade.
I shoot him a glare, and he does his best to pretend like it was all a cough. But I know the truth.
My eyes dart to the teenager. “No, Landrie is my little sister.”
Everyone seems content with that answer and lets me move on. After taking roll, I introduce the class rules, grading system, and homework expectations, noticing the look of boredom on each of their faces.
But this isn’t my first rodeo. So I lift my chin and my enthusiasm and steamroll forward with my awesome lesson plan.
“The theme for the month is deception. Does everyone know what deception means?” Blank faces stare back at me, so I take that as a no.
“Deception is the act of intentionally misleading someone by hiding, distorting, or withholding the truth to create a false belief.” I hold up a copy of The Great Gatsby.
“We’ll be reading this story all month. Have any of you ever read this book? ”
“Isn’t it a movie?” a boy asks.
“Isn’t that where the meme of Leonardo DiCaprio holding up his champagne glass comes from?” a girl I thought was half asleep says.
“Several movie adaptations have been made from the book. Have any of you seen the movie The Great Gatsby?”
“I’ve seen an edit on TikTok to Lana Del Rey’s song ‘Young and Beautiful,’” the popular girl, Ashtyn, whose name I learned from taking roll, says.
“I’ve seen that too!” her friend, Clara, chimes in.
I smile, feeling like I’m gaining some momentum. “Did you like the edit of the movie?”
Ashtyn lifts her shoulder, faking indifference. “I guess it looked like they were at a cool party.”
“Yes, there are a lot of cool parties in this book. But you’re going to see it’s all just an elaborate facade based on deception.”
“For what?” Ryker asks. I remember his name because he seems like the type of student I’ll get along with—the kind every other teacher hates.
“You tell me.”
“We haven’t read the book yet,” Ryker bites back.
I smile, knowing that I’m slowly reeling them in. “Why do people lie and deceive in today’s world?”
“To manipulate people to get what they want,” a different boy says.
Another kid with hair dyed like a cheetah adds, “Or they lie to make themselves look better.”
“Like a false persona?” I nod.
“Or people lie if they’re in trouble and don’t want to get caught.” Clara sits up taller as if she’s pleased with her answer.
“It’s the same in The Great Gatsby. Even though the book takes place in 1922, the characters deceive for the same reasons that people do today in order to navigate social dynamics, to protect themselves from emotional discomfort, to avoid punishment, and to enhance their self-image.
” I glance over the class, and even Wade is leaning forward.
“Deception is a powerful tool that can shape what people think about us. Take me, for example. What do you guys think about me? What are your first impressions?” Nobody dares to answer.
I use the silence as a build-up to my big reveal.
“What do you think about me now?” I reach under my shirt and pull out the pillow.
There’s an uproar.
“Gross!” one boy shouts, while another says his mind is blown.
“Wait, you’re not fat?” Ashtyn says.
“She wasn’t fat; she was pregnant,” Clara says.
Ashtyn frowns. “Same thing.”
On second thought, I was nothing like this girl in high school. She’s the Maggie Devens of their graduating class—my nemesis and the absolute worst.
“You’re low-key hot now,” Ryker shrugs.
A girl in the front row furrows her brows. “So if you’re not pregnant, are you married?”
“No, I’m not married, but I can see how my deception made you believe that I might be.”
“Wait, you’re the one who got dumped by her fiancé.” Ashtyn laughs. “That’s so sad that your little sister is getting married before you now.”
I don’t mean to, but my eyes catch Wade’s. I can’t read the expression on his face. It would be nice if I could.
I ignore her comment and move on. “The point is, I created a facade, a persona. You all made assumptions about me based on that persona, and I deceived you all. That’s what we’re going to talk about this month. The power of deception.”
Wade sits back in his chair. He gives a slight nod like he’s visibly impressed with how I tied it all together.
The bell rings. Class is over.
Wade moves like he intends to come talk to me, but Ashtyn and Clara flank him.
“Riveting class, Miss Langford.” He looks back over his shoulder with a winning smile before walking out of the classroom.
I place the pillow back under my shirt.
One period down.
Five more to go.