September
Emma growled. "I should've guessed Augie is still a lazy asshole."
Some of her former students erupted in laughter; she'd hired them to move his mound of stuff into her house. August's belongings arrived on the first weekend of September without the man himself.
"From the stories you've shared, I'm curious as to why you sound surprised at his behavior." Regina's barbed comment came with an irritated scowl that worried Emma. The woman's demeanor had grown stormier the longer the day went.
"Are you okay?" Wrapping an arm around her girlfriend, trying to get closer. However, Regina sidestepped her, putting more distance between them. The move hurt her, reminding Emma of the elusive and evasive woman she'd met last year.
"Why wouldn't I be? It's the first Saturday of September, and we are moving a semi-strange man into your house," Regina snapped the words, each one leaving another bite mark in the blonde's heart.
"I thought you said you were okay with this."
Regina bit her lower lip and twisted her mouth, fighting to control her temper. "I am."
Emma's questioning look called her bluff. "Clearly, you're not."
"I am."
Emma plastered her kicked puppy look on her face, a move that has proved useful in the past. She watched the brunette struggling not to smile, which she did softly after a few seconds had gone by them.
"Fine." She huffed, failing to look angry even when she put both hands on her hips. She stared Emma straight in the eyes so she could see the fear growing. "It suddenly feels real." Her eyes drifted over the blonde's shoulder, not to see anything interesting or important, but because the next words were difficult to admit. "I didn't think he'd follow through, and you'd be disappointed, but I'd be here to help hold you together. Now you will have this roommate who can claim a space in your life, a large space. He's family. He will be the one you run to for help, not me. I will have to compete for your attention with someone that you've missed for a decade. Who am I to complain? I'm just your girlfriend."
Emma stared at her, flabbergasted at the words coming out of her mouth. How had she missed seeing her insecurity?
"Baby." Bringing their foreheads together and clasping their hands, Emma couldn't prevent the smile that sprouted from the contact. "He will be here maybe four days a month and probably not consecutive. He will need to schedule time with me. If you and I make plans, then he is going to have to wait. That's all there is to it. You come first."
"I hope you're right, but I don't believe you."
Emma rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm promising I will try. I will do my best to live up to it. And, if I don't call me on it. I don't want you ever to wonder if you're my first priority because you are."
Regina witnessed the sincerity in emerald eyes and hoped she could live up to her words. She doubted it. But, was that Emma's fault or Dani's?
*****
Tuesday morning, Emma slipped her running shoes on her feet, checked the time, and smiled. Yesterday, she exercised alone, something that she no longer did. It reminded her how very much she treasured the brunette's company.
ES: I'm omw. Have you changed your mind?
RM: Up. Going to stretch. See you in a few.
Humming along with her music, she set a brisk pace and ran the three miles to Regina's. A few cars drove past, but otherwise, the world still slept. Climbing the last hill before she'd reach the brunette, she spied someone running in the distance, which she hadn't often experience this early. For the first block, the other runner slipped from her mind even though they steadily grew closer. As Emma considered raising a hand to wave, she noticed the person's gait; it gave her pause. She knew that runner. She hadn't run with her in a decade, but they had run together regularly for two years. As much as Emma wanted to be wrong, her inner voice cried out in certainty. Wishing to avoid a confrontation that she didn't want, Emma turned the corner and looped around to another street to cut across to Regina's condo. She pushed her legs harder; the possibility of running into Fiona before she reached her girlfriend drove her forward.
As soon as she rounded the corner and laid eyes on the brunette stretching her calf muscles, the suffocating weight on her chest lifted.
"Good morning, my beautiful Swan," Regina pulled Emma closer, connecting their lips and washing away the younger woman's worries.
"Morning. Let's get moving." Without offering much explanation, the blonde set off for their morning exercise, trying to keep a pace that Regina could match. At first, they ran in silence, enjoying one another's presence and the quiet of the morning. They exchanged smiles and casual touches, but neither felt the need to interrupt their ritual with conversation. Then, as the sun peeked over the horizon, Emma's fear came to life. As the two jogged in place, waiting for the traffic light to change, they missed seeing the woman coming up behind them.
"Hello, sexiness. I haven't seen that tight ass in spandex in way too long. I mean, damn. How did I ever let you get away from me?"
Emma froze. Seeing the panic in the blonde's posture, Regina grabbed her by the elbow, and they turned together to face Fiona.
"Good morning, Mrs. Bartlett. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't objectify my girlfriend. I think the #metoo movement taught us how disgusting that is, don't you?"
When the other woman didn't respond, Regina continued. "It isn't appropriate for you to behave this way toward your daughter's teacher either, but it's even less so given your former history together. Did you not realize that she didn't leave you contact information because Emma needed you out of her life. I would think a woman of your maturity level would realize that the discrepancy of your ages at the time of your affair makes you more of a predator than a cougar."
Embarrassed and shocked, Fiona looked at Emma, then back at Regina. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."
"Which part? Where Regina said she didn't like you speaking to me this way or the part where she implied that when I left Vandy that I couldn't get out of there fast enough because honestly, I didn't want to speak to you ever again. You treated me like I was your slave or maybe a doll, not a human being. You were in your mid-thirties, married, and had children, yet you regularly stole from me. You dared to make fun of me for it. And, you knew that I was an orphan. I had no one, and you knew it, so you took advantage. The difference is that now I'm a lot older and a lot wiser. Leave me the hell alone, lady, because you won't like how quickly I get a restraining order. I can prove what you did to me before; I kept evidence. I have your notes and your emails--oh, and don't forget about when you sent me sexy messages with photos attached. I wonder, does your husband know?"
The crosswalk light changed, allowing Regina and Emma to sprint across traffic, leaving the other woman speechless and unable to move. The brunette sensed her girlfriend needed space, so she kept quiet for the remainder of their run. When they returned to Regina's, both noticed the woman chasing after them, not too far back.
"Do you want to come in and shower here? You have spare clothes. I can either drop you at yours, or you can pick up whatever you need for work later," Regina offered.
Seeing the sympathy in the other woman's eyes, Emma considered her choices before responding. "I left my laptop at work. I'll shower here, and you can drop me at home after school. I don't want to risk her finding out where I live."
"Emma, the whole world knows your car. You need to come up with a better plan or find another place to park.
Pale pink lips twisted in a tired smile. "There is covered parking at the back. I don't like the small alleyway that connects it to the road. It'd be an easy way to scratch or wreck my favorite crayon," she groused but knowing she needed to move it because it wouldn't be long until Fiona knew what she drove. Emma believed with certainty that Fiona planned this morning's spontaneous meeting; she misjudged Regina. The woman wouldn't make that mistake twice.
"Do you think she will listen, or do you think she will continue stalking?" The concern in Regina's voice loosened the knot that had appeared in the blonde's stomach.
Emerald eyes sparkled as she pulled the smaller woman against her body. "She's not done yet. She won't believe me until I have the same conversation with her without you there. You have to think as she does. She introduced her husband to me once, saying she gave me a ride home once my car broke down. At the time, I didn't own a car; I walked or rode a motorcycle." Emma sighed and kissed her. "She will confront me again and soon. All I have to do is repeat everything I said today. She thinks today was a show for you, not the truth. She couldn't be more wrong."
"I will be inside in a second. I want to make sure she doesn't try to stop here."
Much to Emma's relief, Fiona didn't break stride when she went by her. Feeling safer, she closed Regina's door behind her filling her body with comfort.
*****
James Shepherd perched precariously on a step stool drilling new holes into the cinder block wall.
"Don't we have building crews to do things like this?" Archie Hopper asked the man while he mindlessly stirred his first coffee of the day.
"She said it had to be put up now, and the county office said no one would be available to do it for weeks. So, I'm following orders." The assistant principal didn't sound pleased as he moved the ladder over a few feet and repeated the process. After he finished, he hung four separate framed documents.
"What's she up to now?" Hopper wondered aloud.
"Don't look at me. I asked her about the first thing this morning. She ripped my head off and fed it to me. So, here they are, and I'm leaving before some else decides to tear me apart." James put the ladder back in the closet. Then, he grabbed his favorite power tool and marched out of the room.
Administrative Directive #2
All staff members should represent the school only in a positive light. No one should make a negative comment or discuss anything that would besmirch our good name. It has come to our attention that some of you like to discuss our students' conduct in restaurants and bars. This should immediately stop. It gives the public a poor outlook on our institution.
Administrative Directive #3
What happens on campus stays on campus. This should not have to be stated. You are adults. The administration should not have to tell you that gossiping about campus events with anyone outside of our school is grounds for dismissal.
Administrative Directive #4
All staff members must put away all cellular devices during the school day. They are for personal use during personal time.
Administrative Directive #5
No two staff members should be alone behind closed and locked doors unless admin is present.
When the ladies entered the teachers' lounge, they found Thomas and Archie studying the latest directive posted on the wall.
"I swear this woman must be a Potterhead. Seriously, could she be more Umbridge if she tried?" Thomas said before taking another sip of his coffee. "Can you imagine the look on Shepherd's face when he realizes she cast him as Filch?" Most of the room laughed, knowing the man's vanity.
The history department chair chuckled lightly. "Maybe. I used to think Regina was the scariest person on campus; I stand corrected. I've since realized that Dr. Mills is a levelheaded and intelligent woman with little tolerance for someone's lack of preparation or forethought. At least, I know she's unwilling to cause actual harm. Our new principal, on the other hand, is clueless and may cause a riot with her stupidity."
A small group began to gather to read the latest. Emma snickered at how much they acted like a bunch of siblings trying to read their mother's chore list.
Thom's face scrunched, trying to determine why she thought the latest impediments to their lives were funny. "Explain yourself, Swan. I don't trust that giggle. Your dark sense of humor baffles me."
"Okay. Picture this." Emma took her cup of coffee from Regina, pressed a kiss to the woman's cheek while everyone waited.
Mal cleared her throat." Well, I'm waiting."
"Patient as always," Regina retorted.
"Imagine our next faculty meeting, which is during school employment hours. We aren't allowed to bring laptops to the meeting unless we are directed to do so because they know we will use our time to get work done rather than listen to them drone on about something that could've been an email. "
Once again, everyone laughed. Emma waited for them to get quiet to explain her idea. "Blancard-Nolan obsesses over our image, so she wants us using social media. She's going to end the meeting or, better yet, during the middle when she tells us something she thinks is important but is old news to the rest of us. She's going to clap her hands and say 'let's all tweet about it' and expect us to do that. What if no one had their phone with them?"
Archie spat the coffee out of his mouth in a coughing fit. Mal's wicked grin spread across her face, and Thomas whipped out his cellphone and began typing frantically.
"What are you doing?"
Thomas licked his lips and wiggled his eyebrows. "I'm rallying the troops. Don't worry; I will share your plan verbally with the department chairs. This is gonna be sweet!"
"What I want to know is what spurred this on?" Mal put her hands on her hips, looking at her friends. "She didn't come up with these to inconvenience us. This has a pattern if I only understood what the issue is."
Regina pursed her lips and cleared her throat. "Oh, I can clear that up." She turned and looked around the room. Gaston, can you make sure no one comes in here for this?"
"Yep. Just keep informed." He gave them a thumbs up, then took up a position with his broad shoulders holding the door closed.
"This is partially my fault. My first day had an unexpected ending that I'm not willing to discuss," the blonde offered.
"I went into Emma's room to console her. I closed and locked the door. I let her vent, and then, of course, I kissed my girlfriend. I didn't notice that someone had used her master key to enter the room. It is safe to say that our principal is not an ally of our LGBTQ+ community. I can't remember every single thing she said. But, we were referred to as 'you people,' and she told Emma she should keep her personal drama away from school because our kind drags everyone into it."
Archie covered his mouth with his fist. His tiny eyes flashed in anger. "How dare she? You would think someone in her position would have had the common courtesy to knock before entering."
The blonde man next to him looked flustered. "I'm not sure what to say about this. We have rights. The law protects us just like it protects every minority group, but I can't help but wonder if she doesn't realize how very many of us there are." Thomas straightened his bow tie, then asked. "Did anyone tell the superintendent?"
Emma scratched at the back of the neck and smiled. "Would you believe me if I said I forgot to tell her?"
The whole group stared open-mouthed.
"You can't be serious," Gaston said from the far side of the room.
"She's serious." Regina started shaking her head. "But, I called her Saturday after I had calmed down. I suspect she must have let our boss know that her attitudes were not welcome. Notice the wording of number 3. We aren't to share things with anyone off-campus. She didn't say we couldn't tell civilians; she said no one that doesn't work on this campus."
*****
Sighing, Emma parked her car in front of the nondescript house. She felt like an alien parking in this spot again. She kept her volunteer work hidden from everyone. She told Regina about yesterday when she finally decided she could return to helping out once a week. She stepped out of the car, worried the kids would resent her for disappearing.
She opened the front door and waved to the secretary. "Welcome back, Dr. Swan."
"It's still Emma." She said, walking straight on through to where the kids did their homework.
"Anybody need any help today?" She asked, looking at a bunch of unfamiliar faces.
"Where the hell have you been?" She knew Josue's angry voice even before he came into the room.
"I am sorry I disappeared for a while, but my depression hit me hard. I wasn't going to be any help to all of you in the shape I was in, so I took the time to get myself back on my feet." She sat her backpack next to an empty seat at the table. "Back to what I asked, does anyone need any help on English or History?"
Josue dropped into the seat next to her. She could see him struggling with her presence. "I hate you."
"You can hate me if it makes you feel better. But what I want to know is why? You never let me work with you. Why did my disappearing bother you?"
The boy's lower jaw worked back and forth, trying to articulate the feeling of abandonment without admitting having feelings.
"It's because he doesn't know you're awesome."
She felt the presence looming behind her before she saw her. She swirled her seat and took in the young woman she had cried over for a few months. "Beyonce?"
Brushing a handful of auburn hair out of her eyes, the girl smiled. "You were right. There is already one Beyonce. I need to find a name that suited me." The girl held out her hand. "Hi, my name is Raven, and I'm so glad to see you."
Emma stood and hugged her, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I've been so scared. When did you get back in town?"
"DFACS placed me here this morning. I will be enrolled in LBHS tomorrow."
Emma's eyes widened. "Yeah, about that. Be prepared for your new principal. Jesus, this could get ugly."
*****
"I managed to get back to tutoring at Covenant House finally. I hate that I let it slip between my fingers, but I didn't have the strength after everything at school unraveled. I'd only been there for two months. I feel like I let the kids down, you know." Emma dropped her head into Regina's lap and kicked her feet over the armrest.
"After Raven appeared and shared what happened, the other kids loosened up and started asking for help. Only a few had actual English assignments to work on, and of course, no one needed help in history yet. They have no idea what they don't know. I knew I was forgiven when Josue, wiping away angry tears, hugged me on the way to the door."
Regina smiled down at her girlfriend. "I'm proud of you. I know that it couldn't be easy." She brushed a few blonde curls out of her girlfriend's eyes. "So, why did you hid your volunteer work from me?"
Sad eyes looked up at her. "You had judged me enough. You already knew too much, and then when I considered telling you, you told me we were over before we began. At the end of January, I started when I found myself with too many free hours to sit at home alone. The thing about finishing my dissertation is that I found myself lonely. I needed company, and it was better than trolling bars or using Tinder."
Regina booped her nose. "Can I point out that it will increase your chances of winning Teacher of the Year at the county level?"
Emma scoffed at her words.
"No, I mean it. If Eugenia is being sneaky and pushing them a certain way, and not that you don't deserve it, but I think she wants an out and proud woman to be the symbol of the county."
The blonde stared up at her in shock. "Do you think she'd go that far?"
"Yes."
"I would want to win on my own merits, but can you imagine Blanchard's response?" The two cackled with laughter.
Linking their fingers together, Emma tugged on the brunette's hand. "I guess I should go ahead and tell you to save the date. The big celebration where they announce the county winner is on my birthday, October 22nd."
The blonde rolled off her lap and stood. "Come on, baby. It's been a long day. Take me to bed."