"Ruby Fartmeister?" Mr. Irving asked the class during attendance. As to be expected, there was snickering among the classmates at the mention of Ruby's last name. Ruby simply rolled her eyes and sighed as she raised her head and said "Here, sir..."
"Ah, nice to have you here, Ruby," Mr. Irving said among the murmuring throughout the class. Irving's face became stern as he said, "Alright, alright, class - you've all had your fun, but if you'll allow me, I'd like to get to the rest of the attendance please." One of the students spoke up and said, "Aw come on, Teach, ya gotta admit that's pretty funny - what kinda girl has a last name like that?" As he continued to giggle and snicker, Irving looked to Ruby and saw a look of defeat on her face. He then looked back at his attendance sheet and smiled slightly. "Well, what kind of young man has a last name like Mr. Flower?" He said loudly enough to cut through the laughter. At the mention of that name, the boy's smile faded, and Irving added, "Yeah, that's what I thought." The laughing continued, though much quieter. A moment or two passed before Mr. Irving said, "Enough, class - yes, some of these names are humorous, sure, but you cannot help what name you are born with. And as for some of you that do have unusual surnames, try not to cast stones in glass houses - if you do not like being made fun of for it, what makes you think others do?"
The class grew silent, and Ruby's expression changed from defeat to pleasant surprise, and as she looked at Mr. Irving, he looked back at her and silently nodded. Ruby couldn't help but give him a small smile for what he did.
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As Ruby's 1st Period came to an end, she got up and picked up her things. As she was about to head out the door, Mr. Irving called from behind her and said, "Ms. F - mind if I have a word with you?" Ruby turned to face him and said, "Uh, sorry, but I'm gonna be late for class." Mr. Irving laughed softly as he assured her, "No worries - I'll write up a note and your next teacher will excuse you - I'll just say it was really important." Ruby gave Iriving a confused look. "So, is it important?" she asked him.
"Well, I think so," he replied. "Listen - I hope I didn't make too much of a scene for you on your first day. I just saw that look on your face that said 'here we go again,' y'know? Do you often get made fun of for that, Ruby?" Ruby paused for a moment, and she said, "Well.... n-not as often as you'd think, Mr. Irving. Really, it's not a big deal - I've gotten use to it." Irving sat on his desk and said, "Well, if you say so... just know, you can talk to me about it if you want - I wanna make sure this year is good for you. Well, as good as it can be for school, anyway." Ruby laughed and replied, "Thank you, Mr. I." Irving smiled as Ruby walked out the door, her teacher's note in hand. She stopped in the hallway and thought if she should take Mr. Irving up on his offer now, or later - she knew exactly why her last name bothered her so much, and it wasn't for the name alone. It's because of my gas, she thought. She stood there and thought for a moment what she should do:
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