The week flew by quickly and soon enough, it was the day of the picnic. James didn't even try to make anything for the potluck, but he had a good reason. He wasn't the best cook, and that was putting it gently. Once, he had even managed to burn a pot of water that he was boiling. He didn't know how it happened, but it did. Whenever he cooked, everyone around him was instantly put into mortal danger, including himself. So, for the good of the general public, he decided the best course of action would be to not attempt cooking ever again. He did, however, bring along a tub of freshly made cookies from the bakery in town and some drinks. It wasn't much, but he had something else up his sleeve. James managed to sneak in bottles of beer over the course of three days. Nothing too alcoholic, of course, everyone getting completely wasted would only tip the teachers off. But the picnic was sort of a party, and a party just wasn't complete without some booze.
Thus, James began his work of transferring the beer into the multiple coolers scattered across the area, burying the bottles under piles of ice and soft drinks. He was suddenly reminded of the Metal Gear games he played as a kid, hiding behind corners and stuff like that. Except in this case, he was Solid Snake and the teachers were the roaming guards out to foil his plans. He didn't actually do any ninja-like maneuvers, but this was the closest he was gonna get. Once his task was complete, he dusted his hands off for a job well done. As long as no one found out and/or tattled on him, this was going to go great.
Heading over to where the picnic table was, James managed to make off with one or two of the cupcakes when no one was looking. He gave himself a brief once over to make sure there weren't any crumbs that would incriminate him of stealing any baked goods before the picnic even officially started. So far so good, his loose-fitting Black Flag tank top and board shorts seemed to be void of any evidence that he could see. But for good measure, since his eyesight probably shouldn't be trusted, he gave them another few swipes with his hand. Noticing someone, he had to squint a bit to actually see who it was. When it turned out to be Acacia, he was just about to call out a greeting, at least until he noticed her brother who was coincidentally also the Vice-Principal watching over her like a hawk. Max was there with Acacia, too. To be honest, James was actually pretty impressed that anyone even dared to strike up a conversation with Acacia when Hayden was around. He knew how over-protective the man could get.
Deciding that he was probably better off avoiding Acacia for the moment if he didn't fancy becoming the target of Mr. Hawthorne's wrath, he strolled over to one of the coolers, pulling out a beer and taking a long swig, though he quickly put it back before anything caught him doing so. Right after, James caught a glimpse of some brightly coloured objects in the distance, and decided to head over to investigate. When he got closer, he realised that the objects were actually many different sorts of water guns. He also noticed that August kid was there as well, probably planning one of his infamous pranks again.
"Hey, Marco! What're you up to this time, eh?"
Seth wasn't really an outdoorsy kind of person. The searing hot sun, the grass and dirt -- not a big fan. Which is probably something quite surprising, seeing as he was in the Scouts as a kid and he spent a good part of his time in high school at football practice. None of which was even his choice to make. Most of the time, his father had just signed him up for everything without so much as a warning beforehand. Seth didn't really like any of the stuff he had to join but when his father told him how proud he was of him, it was all worth it. But after years of doing what his father, not what he wanted, he had decided it was time for a change. So here he was, a Literature teacher at Caelbury Academy for the rich, gifted, or both. And more recently, none of the above.
A shout broke Seth out of his thoughts as a stray water balloon narrowly missed him. Another shout, this time an apology, and the culprit was nowhere to be seen. Deciding that actually moving around would render him a less susceptible target, he got up and headed for the picnic table where most people seemed to be gathered. Also, the other Literature teacher from Monday... Celia, he recalled was there as well. Since they were teaching the same subject, he assumed that they were going to be working pretty closely together. So there was no harm in getting to know her better. At least he didn't think there was. As long as he didn't horribly embarrass himself in front of everyone (which would traumatise him for life), it should be just fine. He had seen her around school a few times in the past week, but he didn't really get to have an actual conversation with her just yet.
As he approached, Seth looked around and noticed that most of the students and teachers were wearing clothes that were actually fitting for a hot summer day. He suddenly felt rather dowdy in his own outfit; a grey button-up, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, classic blue jeans, and a pair of "mandals". His sister had told him what they were called, but he didn't really see the difference from normal sandals. He supposed it was a fashion thing, which was definitely not something he was too well-versed in.
"Uh, hi." Seth started when he was in earshot. Eloquent as always, Seth, he thought to himself, inwardly facepalming, but pushed on, anyway.
"Hey, uh, Seth. From the teachers' lounge?" He reintroduced himself. From the teachers' lounge? Did you really just say that? Way to stick your foot in your mouth. Really, I mean it. It's amazing how you always manage to do that. Seth's internal monologues had to be one of his greatest flaws apart from the uncanny ability to immediately drift off into his thoughts if left alone for 10 seconds. Nevertheless, he continued.
"I just thought that maybe we should, you know, get to know each other a little better? Since we teach the same thing and all. And uh, do you need help with those?" Seth pointed to the plate of sandwiches in her hand.
