"Ugh…" Mariely lay sprawled on her bed, her mind replaying the harsh words her senior colleague, Mr. Natividad, had thrown at her.
Maybe I really am just a newbie in this field, she admitted silently. But my students aren't as dishonest as he makes them out to be. She let out another deep sigh.
Her eyes shifted to her phone, but she put it down and turned toward her desk. She no longer brought home much work, but today, she needed to finish computing grades so she wouldn't be late once the adviser started collecting them from subject teachers.
Focus, Mariely. Just talk to the kids again, she told herself.
She stood up and walked to her desk, sat down, and rested her elbows on the table as she opened her laptop. Then she opened the folder containing her class records and began working.
Dinner was already over, so she had nothing else to worry about. She focused entirely on her task. Time flew by quickly, and before she realized it, drowsiness crept in. She checked the time.
Oh no, it's almost ten, she thought. I really should go to bed.
She quickly shut down her laptop, brushed her teeth, and then crawled into bed and fell into a deep sleep.
Her alarm jolted her awake the next morning. She turned it off and stretched her arms, trying to shake off the grogginess. She headed to the bathroom to shower. Breakfast was already prepared—her mother always woke up early to cook.
Noticing her brother was gone, she asked, "Did Brother leave early today?"
"Yes," her mother replied. "He said he had some errands to take care of."
She just nodded. You need to get used to doing things alone now, Ely, she reminded herself quietly.
She commuted to work that morning, and thankfully, she wasn't late. She also remembered to wear her school ID.
"Good morning," Veron greeted her.
"Good morning," she replied, placing her bag on her desk.
"Your hair's a mess, bestie. Was it windy outside?" Veron teased.
"Yeah, I commuted today," Mariely said while brushing her shoulder-length hair, still tousled from the wind.
Veron nodded, then continued eating. Mariely glanced at her plate and shook her head slightly.
"Good morning, Ma'am," a voice suddenly greeted her. It was Shaina.
"Oh, good morning too, Shaina. Did you need something?" Mariely asked.
"The classroom's still locked, Ma'am," Shaina replied.
"Oh, I forgot." Mariely rummaged through her bag.
"Here, take this key. I've got a spare," she said.
"Okay, Ma'am. Thank you!" Shaina responded and hurried off toward the classroom.
****
Meanwhile, Mr. Natividad was already in the office. Becca knew he was there to complain again—about one of the students under Miss Celestial's supervision. He claimed the student had cheated during an oral recitation, and when he confronted them, the class answered back.
"Good morning, Ma'am," he greeted.
"Yes, good morning, Mr. Natividad," she responded, facing him calmly.
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I need to report something again," he said, shaking his head as he spoke.
"Please, take a seat," she said, already preparing herself for whatever issue he was about to bring up.
"Thank you, Ma'am." He sat down and straightened his posture.
"I already informed Miss Celestial about this issue, but she still hasn't taken any action," he complained.
"Maybe she's still in the process of talking to the students," Becca replied.
"I hope she actually does something soon," he said with a tone of frustration.
"Alright, calm down. I'll speak with her, okay?" she assured him.
He nodded. "Those students need to learn their lesson," he muttered.
"Thank you, Ma'am. I hope you understand my concern," he added before standing up and leaving the office.
Becca sighed and shook her head. She knew Mr. Oliver Natividad well—he'd been teaching for a long time and was known for his strict discipline. She also knew about his past relationship with a teacher who had resigned, allegedly because of the very same group of students now under Celestial's care.
She needed to talk to Miss Celestial and figure out whether she was really doing her part as an adviser. It was important to hear both sides.
She stepped out of her office to look for Mariely. Since classes were already ongoing, the faculty room was empty. She made her rounds through the classrooms and found Mariely actively teaching. The room was neat, the students looked well-behaved, and most were even in full uniform—a big change from before.
"Miss Celestial," she called out.
Mariely turned, slightly surprised.
"Y—Yes, Ma'am Becca," she said, stepping toward her.
"Please see me in my office after your class," Becca said.
"Yes, Ma'am," Mariely nodded.
Becca gave her a slight smile and waved a hand so she could resume her lesson. Then she headed back to her office to finish her paperwork.
To her surprise, her son was already there, waiting for her.
"What do you need this time?" she asked, sighing deeply.
"Are your teachers slacking off so much that you need to visit their rooms yourself? Aren't they supposed to be teaching?" he teased.
"Why? Are you my supervisor now?" She snapped, raising an eyebrow. "Listen, Mr. Frank, this is none of your business."
"I'm just worried about you. You might get stressed," he said, shaking his head.
Her brows furrowed. "Go back to your office so your father can assign you more work."
"Here I am, worrying about you, and you're kicking me out," he complained.
"Frank, mind your own business and stop meddling in mine," she said firmly.
He laughed. "You're impossible to joke with, Mom. Bye now."
He stood and walked out of the room.
She sighed again. Thank God he's gone, she thought, finally turning back to her duties as the school head.