This article presents the findings from a yearlong narrative inquiry of teacher enactment of state mandated curricular reform in middle level social studies. Four brief narratives and cross-narrative themes are presented to provide examples of the complexities of teacher decision making and positionality when implementing new reforms. Analysis found teachers engaged in dynamic processes of interpreting, negotiating, and responding when enacting the SS reforms. Further, this enactment manifested in three themes. These found teachers engaging in ethical determinations, grappling with competing expectations, and feeling fatigued resistance. This article provides a nuanced, narrative perspective on teacher enactment of SS curricular reforms, finding teacher perceptions an important, but not all-encompassing element of teacher decision making.