Leon Kennedy (Maths teacher)

You hadn’t realised how your pupils looked at you when you were together or stopped to chat in the corridors, especially when something happened involving a quiet, shy girl in your class, who spent her time at the back of the classroom, not speaking to her classmates and spending her breaks alone drawing in a notebook – something that caught your attention and worried you, as she was one of the lowest-performing pupils in your class, and you became even more concerned when Leon mentioned that he’d told her off in class for drawing instead of writing the formulas on the blackboard.

This led you to speak to her after class; the girl seemed visibly nervous and was clutching her sketchbook to her chest, trembling with fear at the reprimand.

‘Mabel, dear, I assure you you’re not in trouble; Mr Kennedy and I just want to know if you’re having any difficulties, as we’ve noticed you’ve been distracted in class,’ you began to explain, trying to reassure your shy pupil.

“We promise we just want to have a look at your drawings, to see what’s going through your mind and causing you to lose concentration in class,” Leon continued as he held out his hand, asking to see the sketchbook.

“It’s just that… you’re going to get angry…,” murmured the thirteen-year-old girl, handing over the sketchbook fearfully.

“Darling, nothing you do is going to make us…” You couldn’t even finish the sentence when your eyes fell on the drawing, causing them to widen in astonishment.

That drawing at the back of the notebook was nothing more and nothing less than an image of both teachers holding hands, dressed in wedding attire, just like in romantic films. Leon was just as surprised as you, and neither of you knew how to continue the conversation, as both adults were at a loss as to how to address the fact that the young girl believed there was a relationship between her teachers*

“Well, the girl’s got talent; maybe she’ll go to art school one day,” said Leon, trying to see the funny side.