Cometh the hour, returnith the man.

 Psychologists have managed to compartmentalize much of child behaviour.  The word they would have been left with to describe Nate and Brenty would be Extreme (with a capital E).

Mr. Baxter was new to relief teaching. Schools were desperate for people to take on 'standing in front of adolescents' so Mr. Baxter had been issued with a Limited Authority to Teach at Settentrionale College. 

On this day in October 2022 at 8.45am, after having been transported from a past that required a rather different set of skills, Mr. Jeremiah Baxter stood in front of a class made up of year 9 & 10 students. It was a science lesson, but Mr. B wasn't required to teach, just to hand out books from the back of the room and to unlock the laptops. He read the roll and the students were generally responsive - one girl even helped him with who was absent. 

"This is not so bad." Mr. B thought. He'd been warned about two students but fortunately they were both absent. He distributed the books - another chance to learn a few names. He told the students that the assignment for today was set up for them online. The students toddled up to collect their laptop. "What a nice class!" he thought.

The classroom door was kicked open and two boys in hoodies entered and brushed aside two desks until they found a spot that suited them near the back of the class. 

"Hoodies off please." Mr. B said in a quiet voice.

"Fuck off." one of the boys, who was the fatter of the two with ginger hair, replied. The other boy just grunted as they both claimed a laptop and sat down. Brenty, the fatty with red hair perched himself up on a desk. Nate sat on a chair next to him and put his feet up on another desk. His feet were placed roughly on top of his laptop. They were both curious to see what this reliever would do, as were the rest of the class.

Brenty in later life.

Hey teacher, what do we call you?" said Brenty rudely.

A moment later he was pulled off the desk and landed with a thump on the floor.

Nate got such a shock that he kicked his laptop flying. It was caught by the teacher who simply said, "Baxter."

It's fair to say that Brenty was really pissed off. He took his phone from his pocket.

"I'm calling my dad! He's going to beat you up, you fucking shit! We live next door to the school, so he'll be right over!"

Baxter walked to the front of the class. When he had entered, no one had noticed that his briefcase was unusually long. He opened it and took out a long shiny object with a handle at one end. The class went very quiet. Through the windows they could see a chubby man with a baseball bat walking quickly towards them. Baxter just smiled and thought to himself, "This is like old times."

Mr. Jeremiah Baxter

He truly didn't expect this sole chubby guy with a little bat to be up there with the Saradites.

The Saradites

Baxter was right.