FREE OF CLUTTER (OPEN) {FINISHED}.

[OLIVIA JANE WINSTEAD]

Ms. O. Winstead
Pack Politics

Olivia loved that fact that she had her name on a door. She got this huge sense of accomplishment from having her name on the door of classroom number 314. And, besides that, she had a feeling of reassurance. After all, only the teachers the administration, or, as Olivia mentally referred to them as, "the higher power", want to "keep around" receive assigned rooms. Well, that was what she had heard anyway. Years ago, five to be exact. Olivia remembered that one of the English teachers, a man with far more experience than Olivia had had at time time, tried to spook the Pack Politics professor. The twenty-two year old, fresh out of college, newbie had tried to ignore it, but, after numerous classroom changes, on one occasion to a room she was sure was a safety hazard, Olivia had started to believe the older man. Finally, after a three-year nervous wait, Olivia had earned her tenure, along with a nice shiny plaque and classroom to boot!


Now, in the very classroom Olivia had been assigned, the twenty-seven year old professor was doing the exact thing she loved most. Teaching. Unlike a lot of unhappy Americans, Olivia loved to go to work. She wouldn't be putting up with kids who "forgot" their homework, or assignments that were half-assed if she didn't love her job. And, quite frankly, she didn't understand why someone would do something they didn't love. Do what you love, love what you do. It was motto Olivia had been living by, and yeah, it was the truth. Yeah, the whole waking up early thing she could do without, but the rest of the day treated her just fine.

"Alright guys," Olivia paused until she had the class' full attention. One of the kids, the class clown, had just made one of his daily remarks, and the entire room erupted in giggles.

When Olivia had all twenty sets of eyes focused on her, she continued, "Now, I know it's Friday, and you guys probably have better things to do than homework, but I really want to conclude the topic of male and female dominance," Olivia looked around the classroom, the sound of groans hitting her eardrums. She grabbed a stack of papers off her cluttered desk, "It's not a long assignment, don't worry. The sheet explains it all."

Olivia took a moment to hand out her "Alpha Male and Female" assignment sheets. Several students rolled their eyes, and she knew that the sheet would end up at the bottom of the abyss some student's called their backpacks.

When she finished handing out the sheets, Olivia spoke again, "I just need a short paragraph - you're not writing a novel here. Just explain to me the importance of Alpha male and female dominance in five sentences, alright?"

As the students began shoving their assignment in their backpacks - as predicted - the bell ring, "Have a good day!" Olivia called to her students as they trickled out the door.

The twenty-seven year old had an entire period all to herself. Usually, during frees, the professor spent her time out on the track. Unfortunately, there had been constant showers on and off the entire day, and the track didn't seem like all that great of an option. Olivia turned back to her mess of a desk.

Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!

Olivia took a seat at her chair, and began sorting through handed in assignments, tests, attendance sheets, parent notes, and whatever else she could find. Maybe she'd need longer than a period?

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Outfit: This.
Status: Completed.
Words: 596.
Notes: Anyone feel free to jump in.
I feel good things coming with this character (:
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[ALAN DUKE OUTLAW]

A dark hair, scruffy faced, six foot male was strolling through the hallways of Sabal Palms. The hard soles of his cowboy boots clicked against the tile in a timely manner, his hands stuffed into his black jeans, and ivory button up shirt was layered over a stone grey undershirt, the button up was unbuttoned and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows (which was a very typical style of outfit for the gentleman). The male very rarely had 'missions', but today he was on one. He was headed to find Ms Winstead, knowing she was track coach, and hoping he may have some sort of insight on Ada and why she was having such difficulty choosing what she wanted to do, and if it was possible for the track coach to somewhat 'guide' the student in the right direction.

The two coaches had worked together nearly both their whole careers, but hadn't spent a ton of time talking besides at meetings, in the teachers lounge, or at times when sorting out difficulties with the football team needing their space or vice-versa. Nothing too major, so Alan knew very little what to expect when finding Olivia. He knew the female had planning period this hour, so he figured (moreso hoped) she'd be in her office and he wouldn't have to track her down. Which probably wouldn't be hard, Dingos had a very particular scent, and him being a borderline hunting dog he'd find her with little difficulty.

Alan rounded a corner, he knew her room was three-hundred something, though the following digits slipped his memory. He wandered slightly, taking a deep breath, wondering if he'd smell Dingo, or if he was blocked by too many walls. The male closed his eyes, taking another deep breath, and finally shooting a glance to the right, three hundred and fourteen. Olivia J. Winstead 'Pack Politics'. 'Bingo.' He thought, a small smile forming on his lips as he came to the door, giving a couple short knocks before placing his hand on the knob and turning it. A small click was heard before the door creaked open slowly, "Oh, Ms Winstead, got a minute? I'd sure like to talk to ya about somethin'." Alan peeked his head around the door, catching glimpse of the female organizing her desk. 'Dang is she sure pretty,' He couldn't help but stare a moment, making sure to avert his eyes when she looked up at him. As mentioned before, they'd worked together a while, but mostly only seeing or talking in passing. But Alan definitely thought Olivia was a gorgeous woman, any man would be lucky to have her on his arm, and he could only wonder if she was seeing someone.

[OLIVIA JANE WINSTEAD]

Olivia never knew exactly how unorganized she could be until she really sifted through her things. She was reminded of this as she grabbed a stack of random papers from the corner of her desk. On top of the stack was a test paper she was sure she'd handed back. She shook her head, and set the test, with a good score of 89%, to the side, made a mental note to hand the graded paper back to the student, and continued to sort through the pile. The next paper in the stack, probably the best thing she saw all day, caused a slight guffaw to pass Olivia's lips. She looked around, a bit embarrassed by her boisterous outburst. Thankfully, her students were long gone, and not a single shifter was in the hallway. The woman looked down at the paper again. It was a homework excusal note, and probably the worst one at that. And, in addition to the note being the worst she'd ever read, it wasn't even legit.

Dear Ms. Winstead,
I regret to inform you that Tommy doesn't have his homework. He ate it.
Regards, Mrs. Edlestein

The kid wasn't serious when he wrote that? He didn't seriously think Olivia was stupid enough to buy that crap? Oh, she certainly hoped not. The professor shook her head again, and tossed the sorry excuse in the trash. Although, she was sure her lazy student would come up with some other excuse as to why he didn't do her latest assignment.

When Olivia had finished with the stack that had seemed to be never-ending, she scanned the top of her desk for anything else that was out of place. It seemed as though she had taken care of everything on top of her desk. Her satisfaction only lasted for a few short seconds though, as her eye caught the three drawers next to her left leg. She recalled the countless times she had absentmindedly tossed pieces of chalk, markers, extra copies, odd pens, broken pencils, boxes of staples, and a number of other random "teacher items". Eh, maybe she'd wait until she went through those drawers. No, no. It had to be done. Olivia sighed before unlocking and opening the top desk drawer. It wasn't as bad as she thought, just a few things that needed to be rearranged. She got to work on gathering paper clips in their little container and shoving pieces of chalk back into a tattered box.

It didn't take long for Olivia to finish the first drawer. There wasn't much to it, as it was the thinnest and least cluttered of the three. Olivia moved down to the second drawer, and as she opened it she heard a knock at the door. The Dingo shifter, who had opened the drawer at the guest's third knock, was now distracted by the huge mess in the second and bigger drawer. She didn't even hear when the football coach and counselor entered her classroom. It was when Olivia heard and recognized the smooth, Southern voice of Mr. Outlaw that she looked up and smiled.

Alan was no stranger to Olivia. Both the track coach and football coach had interacted often at sports meetings, and they were on a friendly basis with one another. Olivia very much liked the football coach, and his presence, whether it was to talk about students or sports, was always welcomed in her classroom.

"Sure, of course! Have a seat," Olivia gestured toward one of the desks in the front row, "What can I help you with?"

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Outfit: This.
Status: Completed.
Words: 595.
Notes: -
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[ALAN DUKE OUTLAW]

The female's voice was so sweet, generous, and warm as she welcomed the male into her classroom. The dark haired coach couldn't help but give the woman a wide, crooked smile in response. "Why thank ya, ma'am." His blue eyes skimmed across the front row of desks, trying to pick the one that least looked like it would fall apart once sat in. Alan strode across the room, picking the fourth desk in the row, scooting it as quietly as he could to Olivia's desk, and placing his rear in the seat, with yet again, a crooked smile. "Dang, been a long time since I've been on this side of the desk," Mr Outlaw jested with a short laugh, he clasped his hands together on the desk, twisting a couple fingers so they would 'pop' as he tried to find the words for what he wanted to ask.

"Y'know, Ada Hollys, one of the girls on your track team, well it's her last year here, and y'know I'm her counselor, I'm havin' a real hard time tryin' to get the fire under her feet to get herself into a good college, or to even take a shot of pickin' colleges she likes..." Mr Outlaw's words were smooth, his tone like melted butter on a biscuit, though his brow was furrowed with slightl frustration as he described the dilemma he'd hit with Ada. He knew that girl had potential, and she was just unable to actually give herself into it, or something. There was a disconnect somewhere, and he had yet to find it. Alan's eyes found Olivia's with the utmost in sincerity, "And, I was sure hopin' there might be a way we can get together and sorta push her in the right direction."

The counselor/coach let his eyes wander the classroom a moment, everything was rather neat and organized, just the way he liked it. Even some of the windows were cracked open, letting in the gorgeous sunlight outside, as well as the delicious smell of wildflowers in the breeze. As silly as it was, the man loved the smell of fresh flowers, and the outdoors, and water, and even mud. It was the lab in him, everything about the outdoors could make his heart pound (or tail wag in the proper conditions). The male inhaled deeply, bringing his eyes back to Olivia, "Whatcha think?"

[OLIVIA JANE WINSTEAD]

Olivia watched as the man walked into her classroom giving her a wide smile. The professor would never admit it to anyone, seeing as though she was still a little weary of the subject of men, but she quite liked Alan’s smile. It was sincere. It was infectious. It was one of those smiles that could make a person feel good inside. It was a smile that made Olivia feel good inside. Of, course, as said, she’d never admit that out loud. Not anytime soon, anyways. Once the counselor scooted his way over to Olivia’s desk with one of the smaller, student desks and settled himself into the seat with a smile, Olivia couldn’t help but smile back. The twenty – seven year old made herself comfortable, and chuckled when the counselor mentioned that it had been a while since he’d been on the other side.

As Mr. Outlaw explained his reason for visiting, Olivia sat and listened to his words and nodded her head in agreement. The counselor was obviously having a little trouble getting Ada moving, and it seemed as though he needed her help. She wasn’t sure exactly what she could do for him, but she understood the situation. At least, Ada’s perspective she understood. Olivia remembered, back in the day, as some of her “funny” students would refer to Olivia’s high school years as, being a senior. She remembered the numerous free periods that had been fit into her light schedule. She remembered having power over the juniors and the underclassmen. She remembered all of the “good stuff” that came along with being at the top. She also remembered the fact that senior year, is in fact crunch time. Teachers, family members, and friends, all throughout Olivia’s high school career always told her, “Oh! You still have time to decide what you want to do or where you want to go to college!” Olivia was grateful for that time. Until the time was up, and Olivia found her eighteen year old self was sitting in the office of her guidance counselor. Now Ada was in Olivia’s position, and the Pack Politics professor was thinking of ways to, as Alan had said, “start a fire” under the senior. Olivia saw the frustration on Alan’s face, and tried to reassure him, “Alan, if there’s one thing I’m sure about Ada Hollys, it’s that she’s a great kid. And believe me; I understand how she’s feeling. I really do. When I was a senior, and it came time to choose a college, I couldn’t decide for the life of me,” Olivia paused, resting her head on her left hand, thinking of the reason why it had been so hard for herself to choose a college, and why she had finally come up with the college she had, “I think that for anyone, college isn't so much about academics. It’s about passion. Have you talked to her about the things she’s truly passionate about?” the woman asked.

The reason she had asked about Ada’s passions was because her own passions had helped her choose a college. She didn’t want to be stuck in a college that she randomly selected to get her counselor off her back; she wanted to be in a college that catered to her passion. Olivia’s passion for kids helped her decide her college and career. Maybe, just maybe, together Alan and Olivia would be able to help Ada choose a college based upon her passion. Olivia nodded her head, “I think that would be helpful.”

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Outfit: This.
Status: Completed.
Words: 587.
Notes: -

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[ALAN DUKE OUTLAW]

The male counselor considered Olivia's suggestions, he tugged his bottom lip into his teeth and chewed at it thoughtfully. Alan placed his whole face into his hands with a huff, "I tried that, and she went talkin' on about this and that, not really pin pointing much except for wantin' to spend some time in her 'blue socks'." The male tried to think back to when he was a high school student, what colleges had he looked into, what kind of dreams had he had?

Something in him always knew he wanted to work with kids, and he was always really good at the 'counseling' thing. But, he had to say that the military sure did straighten him out and get him in the right direction as well. If it weren't for that he'd probably still be plundering around, depressed about his ex-wife. 'Damn, bitch..' He thought bitterly, lifting his head to now look at Olivia.

The female across from him immediately pushed that thought of 'she-who-shall-not-be-named-or-mentioned' right out of his head. Why couldn't he keep these thoughts of Ms. Winstead out of his head?! He was border line ready to burst, her hair just fell so perfectly, her eyes so deep and knowing. Alan was ready to beat himself upside his own damn head for thinking such things. 'Focus, focus, focus, damn you.' He thought, giving the female a half-hearted smile.

"Does she talk about her passions with you? I know she likes runnin' and all, maybe she talks about other stuff, too?" The male suggested, sitting back in the seat and throwing his hands behind his head in a casual manner. Alan's eyes found Olivia's, almost like her was searching for something, an answer, a cure, a solution to this whole thing, and maybe even a glimmer of interest in him the way he had interest for her? He blinked a few times, 'Again? C'mon now, get it together,' He had to remind himself. Mr Outlaw put a solid expression on while awaiting Olivia's response.


[notes: sorry i took so long to reply, and that it's not super long.]

[OLIVIA JANE WINSTEAD]

The professor wasn’t an expert when it came to discussing colleges nor was she an expert when it came to pinpointing a college that a student had his or her eye on. She was a teacher; there for moral support, recommendation letters, and she lended an ear or a shoulder every once in a while. Because of this, she knew her suggestion probably wasn’t the best one, or the newest one for that matter. Odds were that Mr. Outlaw had probably tried that and the many other suggestions Olivia had in her mental suggestion box. The female saw the frustration in the male’s body language, and sighed. Olivia tapped her fingers on her desk, thinking, and, finally, she spoke, “Well, she might be onto something. Sometimes you have to get to know yourself a little more, before you know what you want to do,” the woman paused, hoping her logic made sense, “Do you have a list of colleges that you think would suit Ada?” she asked.

Olivia knew from personal experience, that the whole list thing didn’t always work out. The college she’d chosen was, in fact, was way off of her counselor’s radar, and actually, a surprising choice. Years earlier, Olivia had gone through the files of several colleges her counselor had put together dozens of times, only to reach the same conclusion each time. All seven colleges, with their profiles in manila folders, had been visited by the eighteen year old Olivia. They all seemed to be winners, with a friendly atmosphere with great classes, professors, and numerous sports teams, but, for Olivia, they just didn’t click. It was when a friend had shown her a specific file, and she had taken a full length tour of the college that Olivia knew it was “the one”. The brunette remembered her first time on the spacious campus, her first time in her favorite professor’s class, her first time meeting her dorm mate, she remembered all of her firsts at that college, and each and every memory from the place made her smile.

“Well, I know she really wants a track scholarship. And, I think, at the rate she’s going, she’s got a really good chance of getting it,” the track coach beamed about the athlete, “Other than that, I know she’s in jazz band, and really enjoys it. Maybe a college with a good music program – especially one with a jazz band – would do her good.”

Olivia smiled, looking into the blue eyes the man in front of her. The same blue eyes that were so easy to get lost in. Or, the same blue eyes that were so easy for her to get lost in. And, as Olivia looked into Alan's eyes, she couldn’t help but be curious and wonder if he had ever gotten lost in her eyes.

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Outfit: This.
Status: Completed.
Words: 472.
Notes: yeah. So in some pictures
Jake Gyllenhaal's eyes looked blue, some, green. idunno.
I just said blue.



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[ALAN DUKE OUTLAW]

The dark haired football coach remained in the relaxed position, hands tucked snugly behind his head as if he had added a headrest to the back of the small, somewhat uncomfortable desk. The male rather enjoyed the mix of expressions that the female sitting across from him displayed. She seemed so calm, collected, which he really liked about her. If only Mr Outlaw could pinpoint what it was about this woman that really drew him to her, but he just couldn't, and was trying pretty hard to not let himself dwell on it. They were professionals, and their life was about their students. He should remember that, always. Alan smiled at Olivia's remark about 'getting to know herself,' because that was one option Alan and Ada had discussed being something to consider, and the two seemed rather pleased with it.

"I got that girl a stack of colleges fit for a dang queen, but I just don't think it'll help her much, she went on talkin' about an aptitude test, which I told her ain't much of a good idea. She already doesn't agree with me tryin' to tell her what colleges to go to, I know she ain't gonna like a test that tells her what to do with her life." Alan shrugged slightly, his hands finally falling onto the top of the desk, he leaned forward a bit to show a little more interest in what the track coach across from him was saying as her expression brightened and she talked about Ada's skill on the track team. "Y'know, we talked about that, too. I'm just worried that, well, if she doesn't take up on the scholarship in time then she won't get the chance again. And it probably won't happen if she takes too much time getting to know herself the way she wants.' He frowned a bit, "Why's everythin' gotta be about times.." The male thought aloud, his voice trailing off as his eyes followed to an empty space on the wall, lost in thought.

It took a few quiet moments for Mr Outlaw to come back to reality, his eyes found the clock and realized that the free period the two shared was coming to an end, and he had his football sessions to get to, and he was sure Ms Winstead had classes to continue as well. "Well, damn darlin', looks like time flies when you're havin' a good time." Alan shot Olivia a crooked smile and a quick wink before raising from the desk. The male picked it up with ease and put it back in it's designated spot before returning to Olivia's desk, this time standing behind it and closer to the female. "I wish I didn't have to leave in such a rush, but I've got some coachin' to get to, and I'm sure you've got yourself some teachin' to do," Alan reached over and took Olivia's hand in a small shake, he'd even considered kissing the top of it, but was concerned that would cross the line. So instead he motioned his hands as if tipping his hat to her before he turned on his heel and headed for the door.

Just as one boot-clad foot hit the doorway he turned back, smiling widely, "We oughta meet again, maybe in a couple weeks, and see if Ada's made any decisions, maybe we should all meet together? How's that sound?" Mr Outlaw definitely thought they should meet again over Ada, but he was moreover interested in securing another meeting with Olivia. He didn't get to see her much, but was always going to be wanting to see her again. Especially since he knew the chances of seeing her outside of school were rather slim.

[OLIVIA JANE WINSTEAD]

Professionalism was the one thing a teacher always had to think about. There was no hugging students, although Olivia would have liked to sometimes, in teaching. There was no “Oh hey! Add me on Facebook!”’s in teaching. There was no “Here’s my cell phone number, give me a ring!”’s in teaching. And there was certainly no romantic relationships between teachers. No matter how interested in Alan Olivia was the students always came first. And that rule, was number one. And, for however long the headmaster would have her at Sabal Palm, that rule would remain number one.

As Alan spoke about the stack of colleges he had for Ada, Olivia nodded her head, listening once more to the man’s dilemma. She knew as well as Alan did that an aptitude test was far from the right path for Ada to take. Those things always led students in the direction they didn’t expect or really want to go, and Olivia was sure that it would be best for Ada to decide her career path on her own, and not rely on some, what Olivia thought to be, stupid test. The brunette shook her head, her long hair falling toward her face, ”Yeah, I think that idea can be thrown out the window,” she gave her honest opinion.

Honesty was a big thing with Olivia. Not to say that she never lied, a white lie here and there as a kid did the trick when it came to her mother and father, but, as an adult, Olivia was blunt, and kept to the truth, no matter how much it hurt. So, when talking about Ada’s progress on the track team, Olivia kept things completely honest. She truly felt, that if Ada really set her mind to it, the track scholarship the senior so desperately wanted, would come to her. All things came to people in good time. In good time. Time. Alan was right, time was of the essence, and if Ada couldn’t afford to spend her senior year wasting it. ”Well, senior year is crunch time, she paused, frowning a bit, ”Ada’s a good girl, Alan, I’m sure she’ll get that scholarship.” Olivia wanted so much to reach her hand across the desk and put it on Alan’s, but there was a boundary. It couldn’t be crossed, and her words would have to supply the comfort.

”Well, damn darlin’, looks like time flies when you’re havin’ a good time,” the males Southern accent rang in Olivia’s ear. She hadn’t even noticed that the minutes had ticked by she had been so focused on Alan, er, focused on talking about Ada. And of course, the wink the Southern gentleman shot at the teacher hadn’t helped. For God sakes, really? Once again, Olivia had to reel herself in. She took the counselor’s larger hand, and shook. It was nice to see you. The female wanted to badly to say. Would that be crossing anything? She honestly didn’t know anymore.

The teacher watched as Alan turned and made his way to the doorway. She wished they could have spoken longer, maybe about other things. She didn’t see him that often, and she didn’t really know a whole lot about him personally. Olivia went back to organizing the middle draw of her desk, when suddenly, she heard Alan’s voice again. She smiled at his suggestion, ”Sounds great. You know where I’ll be!”

Well, maybe there was a chance she’d get to know Alan better Maybe.

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Outfit: This.
Status: Completed.
Words: 586.
Notes: ~end thread.

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