"Can anyone tell me the answer to number 32? Geena?"
Silence.
"Geena, don't ignore me when I talk to you."
"Oh you were talking to me Miss?" Elata asked. "I'm sorry... my name's Elata, not Geena."
There was general snickering around the room, and their subsitute maths teacher sighed. Not this again!
"I'm not interested in using your nickname, codename, or whatever it is you'd like to call it. Your legal name is Geena, and Geena is what I'll call you. Now, the answer to number 32?"
"Thirty-seven."
"Good."
Elata poked her tongue out at her teacher behind her back. More snickering. She had been subbing for the last two weeks, has their regular teacher had come down with some disease or something. Elata wrote something down on a piece of paper and passed it to Roberto as their teacher continued to talk.
Grow a wart on her or something! PLEASE???
Was her original message. Roberto had passed it back presiously, saying only:
No
The little spoil sport. What good were substitute teachers for if you didn't play pranks?
C'mon, PLEASE? Pretty pretty PLEASE???????? Just this once?
Roberto read the note, and shook his head no. Elata pressed her lips together. Really, what was the point of being a mutant if you didn't use your powers and you didn't have a codename? Which gave her an idea.
I'll tell everyone your codename is "Green Penis"
Roberto read the note, his eyes widened.
You wouldn't!
Elata grinned. She knew it!
I would!
A few more notes were sent, and finally, reluctantly, Roberto agreed. He stared at the teacher's nose for a few minutes and then - to Elata's utter delight - a wart appeared. She clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from giggling aloud.
Some others didn't. The teacher gave them all confused looks, but didn't think much of it.
Afterwards, she caught Roberto as he walked out of class.
"I know what you did," she said sternly.
Roberto chewed his lip.
"Umm, yeah I'm sorry, it's just that -"
"Sorry? You have nothing to be sorry for. It was very thoughtful of you to leave those flowers for me."
"Oh..." and Roberto felt releved. "Well it was going to be your last day, and you have been with us for two weeks... and uhh, no offence to another teacher but I think I've learned more with you. I might even pass maths this year."
She smiled.
"Well, I'm glad. And you may be in luck."
"Oh?"
"Mr Jeffery is planning on taking an early retirement - he may not even come back to finish the term off on account of his being ill at the moment."
"Oh. Oh well, I hope we get to keep you."
"I do too."
And Roberto left, hoping that she wouldn't find out that he gave her the wart and hold it against him.