Second period began smoothly. Naturally, there were similar reactions directed towards Derek in this class as the last. He didn't mind it so much this time, knowing that this will likely be a part of the job. Once all students were settled, Mrs. Johnson began with her overview of the first chapter of the material. Before delving in too deep, though, she directed the class's attention to Derek for a moment.
"Everyone, this is Mr. Bates. He is an assistant for the school and will be traveling between grades and classes over the course of the year. It is probable that he will attend this class, so please give him your utmost respect and feel free to ask him any questions regarding the material. Do you have anything else to add, Mr. Bates?" the teacher smiled. Derek returned the warm welcome with a smile of his own. "Thank you, Mrs. Johnson, for that kind introduction. I would like to say that I'm very much looking forward to being able to help you guys out this semester. Perhaps I'll see some of you over the course of the entire year. Clearly, I would like to get out of the way the elephant in the room: my size. It's no big deal, but please do take caution when you're around me. I am quite durable, but for my comfort, it would be best just to treat me as you would Mrs. Johnson. Thank you!" Many of the students nodded, while others lost attention and were doing other things. Mrs. Johnson then resumed class by continuing onwards with her overview.
Unlike the previous class, second period had done very well attentively. With around twenty minutes before the end of the class, Mrs. Johnson had finished her overview of the chapter, putting in some review of the syllabus as well. With time remaining, she chose to begin the first lecture. The woman signaled to Derek that it was okay if he went around to help anyone. Without hesitation, Derek lifted himself off of his chair and got off the teacher's desk to go walk around. While making his way around the classroom as the teacher lectured, Derek did notice a few students eyeing him and whispering. A few giggled and a few others just stared. For the most part, though, they paid attention to the lecture. For the remaining time in class, Derek continued his pacing around. No one ended up needing his help though, so it ended up being a simple exercise. When the bell rang, however, things got dicey. Derek was making his way back to his desk to gather his things when a shadow cast over him. He looked up and jumped as a white sneaker was descending towards him. "No! Look down!" Derek cried as he tried jumping to his left. Unfortunately, there was not enough space for him to get out of the way.
*SQUISH*
*STOMP*
*STEP*
The student walked out of the classroom, completely oblivious to what she had just done.
*BOOM*
*SQEULCH*
"Ugh..." Derek moaned. "Wh-wha?" *STOMP* "GAH!" The tiny assistant was plastered against the bottom of this girl's sneaker, his body having adhered to a stretched out piece of gum on the shoe. As the girl continued to walk, she could hear a slight squelching noise. Though curious about it, the student was worried about getting to her next class in the crowded hallways and simply kept pace. Meanwhile, Derek was getting battered as the front of his body pounded against the ground and his back being pressured down by the girl's foot. "When will it end?" he asked himself.
About fifteen minutes went by and by this time, the student had settled in her next class. She had yet to look at the bottom of her shoe and discover the little passenger attached. Her foot resting on the ground comfortably, Derek was hidden from sight underneath the white sneaker. He grumbled to himself and groaned in soreness. "I thought I was at least tall enough not to completely vanish under someone's shoe," Derek pondered. "I guess not." Suddenly, a rush of relief washed over him as a voice called out, asking if any of the students had seen a Mr. Bates. "The tracking device!" he giddily spoke to himself. "They found me!" Students around the class shrugged and looked at each other. The person asking spoke again. "It appears that we tracked him to this classroom, meaning a student has ran into an incident with him. If you each would, please double check your belongings or your surroundings for Mr. Bates."
As directed, the students checked all their things. The particular girl Derek had been stuck with first searched her bag, to no avail, before lifting her leg up to cross it over her other leg. She meant to do it just to make herself comfortable in her seat, but coincidentally she found a small man stuck to her shoe. "Oh my gosh!" the girl exclaimed. "This must be him." Derek was able to finally see his surroundings and comprehend them. He briefly saw the girl's face, light-skinned with freckles and orange hair, before two of her fingers pinched his head and started yanking him off of her shoe.
*SNAP*
After a short moment, the student successfully pulled Derek, and the gum, off of her sole. "I'm sorry," she dryly said, "I didn't realize." As she handed Derek over to the supervisor responsible for tracking Derek, the girl smiled. "I'm Kiley, though. Nice to meet you," the orange-haired girl giggled. Derek gave a meek wave before sitting up in the supervisor's hand. "Is it too early to go on break?" he joked. The supervisor laughed. "I'm afraid so, I'll get you over to your next class." She then stuck Derek in her shirt pocket and waved to the class as she left. A few minutes later and Derek found himself sitting at a new desk appropriate for his size with a new class. "This time," he thought, "I'll just sit here and look pretty."
After this ordeal, what happens with Derek?