A table filled with all your school food favorites, but not just a serving, pans of each. Enough food to feed an entire classroom, just sitting there. You step forward to examine it and the door closes behind you. You jump, startled, and turn to see your principal, "Mr. Roule", you stutter in a sudden panic.
"No need to be alarmed. I was the one who orchestrated your invitation.", Mr. Roule said calmly. as he walked over to a bag that was sitting on a chair. "I have contacted your parents and received their approval to offer you this opportunity, and should you accept, you will be able to spend this week in an apartment by yourself, as an adult would. very few rules and an unprecedented amount of freedom."
All the warning bells went off in your head at once, but you didn't have enough information. Weird situation, trusted authority, and uncommon opportunity equals.... confusion. "Okay? What's going on?", you manage to ask, your mouth going dry as the adrenaline hits your salivary glands.
"I find myself in a strange quandry, I have a teacher taking a short leave and am unable to find a replacement. The agency we utilize for substitute teachers has nobody available, and I have an out of state engagement to attend." Mr. Roule explained without really explaining anything.
"I don't see how I am involved." You said, wishing he would get to the point and make things less uncomfortable.
"That's just it. You aren't involved." Roule said with a glimmer of contempt in his eye. "Report after report...", he pulls paperwork from the bag, "shows that you have so much potential but refuse to apply yourself. By all accounts you are an intelligent individual, and you don't have any outlandish social quirks and get along with your peers. But at the first opportunity of first period, we find you here, ditching."
None of this was news to you, you were intelligent... well moreso, you listened in class. 99% of quiz material is stated, verbatim, by the instructor if you simply pay attention. So homework, taught you nothing and wasted your time... and you found it very difficult to do 40 8 step problems when you understood the material from the 5 examples the teacher did in class. So yes, you generally did awful on homework, great on quizzes, and due to a wider array of material being covered on tests you tended to do okay, though not fantastic.
"You already stated that you orchestrated my being here, I was listening. You are clearly being covert, otherwise you would have called me into your office and not tried to shame me by my grades, What's going on?" You questioned remaining matter of fact.
An approving smirk crossed Mr. Roule's face and his demeanor changed all together. "Very well, You are capable of catching up quickly. You seem bored in class and are capable of learning and applying new knowledge quickly. We need a substitute to cover Mrs. Greene's class for the rest of this week. If you accept, you will need to look and act the part of substitute teacher not only to the students but other staff members as well. at the end of the day you will be able to do whatever you want so long as you are here, and capable the next day. If you accept, your parents will think you are on a last minute scholastic boot camp field trip, and forgot to give them proper notice. They dropped off a pack of supplies and signed release paperwork earlier today. If you agree, you are free from classes and homework for the rest of the week."
"How would I be able to cover Mrs. Greene's class, yes I took the class last year, and I did well, but I would be teaching my peers and probably even a senior or two, I don't look like I have a bachelors in teaching by any stretch of the imagination. I wouldn't be able to gain respect even if I knew the material inside and out." You rebutted, not to turn down the opportunity, but pointing out the obvious roadblocks.
"I have a solution to that, though its unconventional, I can make you look like you are roughly 27 for the rest of the week. I have a place for you to stay until Sunday and there will be no cost for a breakfast and lunch at the school. You will be on the books as a substitute teacher and will receive $10 an hour for 7.5 hours a day. I will make you a fake ID so you can cash the checks and will front you money for dinner today. You will get paid daily as substitute teachers do. And in my experience, you will learn more in this week than a month of schooling can provide."
"Okay" was all you could muster as you were having trouble processing this as real. Mr. Roule took that as a yes and began pulling things from his bag and continued talking. "Good, There is a change of clothes over there," he pointed at a pair of clothes laying on a desk, "You should be ready by 12, you will have an hour for lunch today, but a half hour for the rest of the week. Report to the office no later than 12:45 and we will get your id taken care of. Report to Mrs. Greene's room by 1. She has prepared material for you to cover for all of her classes. At 330 you are free to do as you please, your room is at the Motel 6. Eat this." Mr. Roule handed you a handful of pills which you swallowed hesitantly. "And you report to work by 6:45." He grabbed your arm and gave you a shot of something, "I will leave to give you privacy, there is a bathroom through that door, try to be quiet and you cannot tell anyone about this." With that he lifted your shirt and placed a large patch on your side, cautioning you to not remove it until 12 at the earliest, it was only 9.
With that he left and told you that you can eat from the buffet until you are full.