Surreal.

That's really the only way I can describe this feeling right now.

I'm standing in the middle of what can only appear to be a forsaken battleground to an outsider. There are boxes everywhere, papers and bulletin boards waiting to be arranged; not to mention the various other miscellaneous objects scattered on the floor around me.

But… it's my floor.

My four walls. My six windows. My door. My classroom.

It's all mine, at least for now. It will continue to be mine as long as I successfully make it through the next ten months.

Ten months.

There are going to be 20 second graders in here at least six hours a day, five days a week for the next ten months. That amounts to almost 200 days and right now I am terrified of that inevitable first one.

Thankfully, right now, that day is three weeks away.

Three very short weeks. So right now I've got to get back to the aforementioned recreation of Custer's Last Stand that is my present.

I truly believe that I am the only one crazy enough to be in the building right now. Everyone else is out enjoying the end of their summer. They aren't faced with this excited, nervous feeling of being a first year teacher. I just want to get my room set up, and get my first few days… weeks… the whole year, planned out right now, maybe then I can relax.

I've acquired all of these posters, and boards and just stuff that I want to set up, and it's all spread out, I just don't have any idea where to start.

"Hello?" A knock at the door and a voice sounded suddenly and the box in my hands is dropped to the floor, or rather, dropped to my foot.

"Oh my God." That hurt.

I spin around and simultaneously drop to the floor trying to tend to the new affliction and see who caused it all at once.

I see a man now rushing into my classroom, heading in my direction, clearly concerned over what his unexpected presence had done.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

He's holding a box too. Is he another teacher? He sets his box down next to the one I've just dropped and kneels next to me.

"Are you okay?" He asks, his hand resting gingerly on my shoulder. I jump when I feel his warm hand rest on the skin thats left uncovered by the thin straps of my tank top.

I nod, and he pulls his hand back. "Yes." I start to stand up and he stands up as well.

"I'm surprised to see anyone else in the building." He speaks again, "Are you new?"

"Yes." I nod again.

"Where are you coming from?"

"UNC." I replied. "I just graduated." I smile awkwardly. Thats the most words I've said to him yet. I can't really form anything more then one word replies as I try to ignore the pain in my foot, and answer his questions all the while still not knowing who the hell he is. He's sure easy on the eyes though.

He's tall, probably just over six feet. Trim, clearly he works out; he looks like he may have played basketball in high school. He's wearing a pair of dark wash jeans, and a green t-shirt with a John Deere logo on the front. The jeans are faded though, tattered at the bottom, and the shirt is taunt around his broad shoulders and I can make out the outline of his well sculpted chest.

His lips seem to automatically curve into a smile when he's not talking, and I've already noticed a trademark smirk he seems to have. His teeth are perfectly straight, gotta love that, and at the moment he's got a bit of a 5-O' Clock shadow going on. Last but not least his eyes have got to be the most amazing shade of blue I've ever seen. It's a dark curulean. Absolutely gorgeous.

"Oooh." He chuckles and I know I'm blushing. "That's why you're in here setting up now." He smiled. "You're really new."

I nod stupidly again and offer an even more uneasy smile in return. This man is talking to me like he's known me for years and he doesn't even know my name. I find it a little strange, but at the same time I just accept that this must be his nature. You can tell just by looking at him that he's very outgoing, probably the life of any good party and makes friends with anyone easily. If nothing else, getting to know him now will make being the new girl a little bit easier. Although it's really driving me crazy that I don't know his name.

Then as if he read my mind…

"By the way, I'm Justin… Justin Timberlake." He holds out his hand.

I reach out to shake it. "Callie Harrington." I finally am able to form a bonafied smile.

"I did the same thing my first year." he grins and takes a look around at my mess and now I'm embarrassed. "I came in really early, a few weeks before the first day and started setting up. I remember how nerve-wracking it is. I was so scared. But trust me it'll get easier."

"How long have you been teaching?" He really didn't look that much older than me, so it couldn't have been that long. But his words help calm my nerves for the moment.

"Six years." He said. "They hired me right out of school too, and I worked on getting my masters while I was teaching. I got lucky."

"Oh." I say, "I just finished up with my masters. I got it all over and done with." I laugh lightly and he smiles.

"That was probably a good thing, I practically killed myself trying to do it all at the same time. But I survived. So what are you 23? 24?" He asks.

"24." I reply and I think for a moment and then just decide to go ahead and ask; after all, he did. "You?"

"27." He bobs his head.

I nod unnecessarily and then remember how he joked around about me being in so early. "So... why are you in so early?" I look down at his box still sitting there next to mine.

"Oh, I'm going on vacation in a week and I don't get back until three days before we start." He replies, bending down to pick up that box.

"Oh."

"Yea, well I'm going to let you get back to your..." he trails off and looks around with a lopsided grin. "while I go start setting up my classroom. I'll come back and check on you later." He chuckles again. It was a light, but hearty sound. "I'm right down the hall though if you want to come down and return the painful favor." and with that he winks at me and leaves.

I smile to myself after watching him leave. I've made a friend.

A couple of hours later, my stomach rumbles. It's now nearing 12:30. I've been here since before 10 and it still pretty much looks like I'm stuck in a war zone. And now, I'm hungry. I sigh and let my eyes wander around, taking in all that I still have to do. But, at least I have three weeks to do it.

I look down at the box closest to my feet, and I make a pact with myself to clean out and put everything in this box somewhere, before I will finally let myself eat something.

And then, it's right back to this mess. I hate feeling so unorganized.

I bend down and open up the top of the box, and realize that none of this stuff is mine. 'Dammit, Justin must have taken the wrong box.'

I sigh and figure that I might as well bring it to him now, and get my box back.

I walk down the hall slowly, not entirely sure where I'm going, until I hear the faint sound of a radio, and a man's voice singing along with it. I want to laugh out loud, I hadn't pegged him for the singing type. But, then again I really don't know him that well.

I adjust the box and raise one hand to knock on his door, although I have to admit I thought about just speaking up and actually take him up on the offer o return the favor he'd provided before. I did startle him though, at the noise he whipped around and gave me an embarrassed grin.

"Hey." He had been stacking a few boxes of tissues up on a shelf but he set a couple of the boxes down and started walking towards me.

I looked around, his room was already in pretty good shape. It definitely looked better then mine.

"What's up?" He asks.

"This is yours." I hold out the box and he takes it.

"Oh yea. I realized that a little while ago, but I figured you'd find out eventually, and you seemed to have quite a bit to take care of as it was." He smiles.

He reaches out for the box and sets it on a nearby desk.

"This looked great." I said, taking another look around. "I seriously have no idea what I'm doing." I laugh a little.

"Yea, well thanks. I pretty much keep it the same every year. The kids desks move around a lot but, for the most part it's just routine."

I nod, not really having anything else to say. "Well, I'm going to go get something to eat I think, and then get back to my... disaster." And I seriously don't know what comes over me but I can't prevent the next words from coming out of my mouth. "Would you like to come with me?"

His eyebrows raise slightly and I know he's probably wondering why the hell a complete stranger just asked him out to lunch. I'm dumbfounded at my own actions and pretty much expect him to look at me like I'm crazy while he tries his best to turn me down gently.

"Sure." He finally answers. "I could use a break."

"Okay." 'Wow... alright.'

"Yea, and when we get back, if you need any help moving furniture around or something, let me know. I'll probably be finished up here pretty quickly."

"Thanks." I say and then realize that I'm still pretty new in town and don't have a clue where I plan on going for lunch. Great, I invite him to lunch and I don't know how to get anywhere except from my apartment to here and back again. He's going to think I'm an idiot.

But I swear he's the friggen Dalai Lama or something because it's like he automatically senses that I'd jumped the gun and was half-way to shoving my foot in my mouth.

"I know the perfect place." He says, "They make the best subs, are you game for that?"

'What the hell.' "Sure, sounds great."

"Cool." He glances around quickly and picks up what I assume are his car keys off the bookshelf next to the door. "I'll drive." He offers. "But next time it's all you." theres that wink again, and while it's probably the cutest thing I've ever seen, I hope that he doesn't have the wrong idea about all of this. The last thing I need is to open up that can of worms.

But I don't really have the chance to worry about it right now because he's already left the room and is calling back to me.

"Callie! You coming?" His head pokes back around the door and he gives me a confused look.

I snap myself out of my stupid worries. He's probably married with two kids and I'm just being stupid. That and I havn't had a boyfriend, or even a real date in like 4 and a half years. He's just being nice. I shake my head and smile slightly.

"Yea." I nod.

He cocks his head to the side and tosses his keys from hand to hand, "Um... Are you alright?" He clears his throat and doesn't look right at me.

"Yea." I start walking towards him. "Just let me grab my purse." And with that we're on our way.