As Jeff escorted Artie into the crowded hallway, his youngest adopted brother quickly grabbed his hand firmly. Artie was clearly intimidated by the sea of giants which surrounded them who were talking, joking, and expressing long--hallway clogging displays of public affection. Putting himself in Artie's shoes for a moment, Jeff could see how the hallway of teenage hormones that Jeff had grown used to navigating, could be scary if not intimidating for a little boy like him.
Luckily they found themselves behind an orderly goth couple. Jeff had learned early on to always get behind the goth couples--the most amount of public affection they displayed in the hallways was hand holding as they stared straight ahead and barely acknowledged each other's assistance otherwise. Had it not been for the hand hold, one might mistake a typical goth couple for not being a couple at all. And before Jeff could count the number of kissing couples they passed, the goth couple had gotten them through the worst of it and into the middle school grade hallway--where boys and girls were six feet apart from one another and gathered in largely single-gender herds, with a few exceptions here and there smattered about.
"Aww, baby need to hold someone's hand?" taunted a boy on the cusp of adolescence. He nearly laughed until Jeff stared daggers straight at the boy. All laughter died, and suddenly a part of Jeff's mind wondered where he'd learned how to do that? Not that he hadn't stood up to bullies before, but never with such utter confidence or authority.
"Get to class," was all Jeff said in a dark tone. The boy didn't need to be told twice and obliged.
Jeff felt Artie's appreciative eyes look up at him with a mixture of pride and thanks. Thankfully the confusing set of emotions that sticking up for Artie had left him weren't afforded the ability to be dwelt on long because it was then Jeff and Artie ran right into Mrs. Cheyenne Evans.
"There you are Jeff. Escorting little Artie to class, I see?"
"Jeff's the bestesth big brother in the whole world!" lisped Artie through his missing front teeth.
"Whole world? I'd settle for this school."
"Well, when you're done playing chauffer, come to my office--there's a matter I wish to speak to you about."
Jeff nodded his head and Mrs. Evans departed.
"Mrs. Evans ith really pretty," said Artie as she walked away.
That gave Jeff an idea... perhaps Artie might get a little girlfriend in a few minutes or so.
Jeff dropped Artie off at the Kindergarten classroom--the other kids having already gathered there, and eagerly excited to see Artie, who melded right into the rest of his class happily and eagerly. Jeff watched as Artie threw his bookbag down by his cubby, then rushed to the floor where two other boys were playing using large cardboard building bricks. Jeff watched for a few moments as Artie took up a cardboard brick and then felt a small ping of satisfaction that he'd managed to improve upon his former teacher's life.
But, Mrs. Evans awaited him, and the class bell would soon ring after that.