Brewing Tensions
The sunlight rested gently on Agatha’s face as the clock on her bedside table showed 7:13 a.m.—a bit later than usual, but still manageable. Despite the time, Agatha didn’t wake up immediately. Meanwhile, Mr. Scratchy, who had slept all night by her side, began moving around the bed, hopping and licking his owner.
Agatha woke up to the movements and licks of Mr. Scratchy, her eyes snapping open as she instinctively grabbed her phone. It was 7:21, and she still wasn’t ready to head to the institute. She quickly took care of Mr. Scratchy, giving him food and settling him in his spacious cage to play. Then she changed as fast as she could, grabbed her car keys, and started driving toward the institute.
On her way, her mind was mostly blank. She felt stressed and disappointed in herself for breaking her usual routine. Stuck at a traffic light near the school, she realized she hadn’t had her morning coffee—a realization that soured her mood even more.
She arrived at school on time but didn’t have a chance to organize her classroom as she always did. Taking advantage of not having a class during the first period, she headed to the teachers’ lounge, longing for her much-needed morning coffee.
When she entered, the lounge was empty except for one person—Rio. To Agatha’s surprise, Rio was trying to figure out how to use the old coffee maker in the teachers’ lounge.
Agatha froze in place, unsure how to react as memories from the previous night’s turmoil flooded her mind. Her ambiguous, confused feelings lingered, though she tried her best to hide them.
Sensing a presence, Rio turned to see who it was. When their eyes met, a small, warm smile began to spread across Rio’s face. Meanwhile, Agatha’s expression darkened into a frown, but Rio’s smile only grew wider. A tense silence hung in the air for about a minute, with neither of them saying a word.
The silence was broken by Rio, who spoke in a soft, delicate tone. “Good morning, Professor Harkness.”
Agatha was startled that Rio hadn’t used her first name. Her frown gradually faded as she replied with a slightly trembling and hesitant voice, “Good morning, Professor Vidal.”
Another brief silence followed before Rio interrupted it, saying, “Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to come in and help me?”
Rio, still struggling with the coffee maker, stepped aside to reveal the mess she had made trying to load coffee into the machine. Agatha, hesitating slightly, rolled her eyes and walked toward the coffee maker. She quickly cleaned up the mess and got the machine working in less than a minute.
Surprised at how easy it was, Rio laughed and added, “I guess I should’ve read the instruction manual,it’s not as difficult as I thought, huh?”
With little patience, Agatha responded curtly, “That’s what everyone is supposed to do.” She moved away from the coffee maker and Rio, sitting at a table to wait for the coffee to brew, bracing herself for the awkward silence she was certain would follow. But out of nowhere, Lilia walked in.
“Just the two ladies I was looking for!” Lilia said cheerfully.
“Good morning, Mrs. Calderu,” Rio replied warmly.
“Just call me Lilia, doll” Lilia said with a smile.
“What do you want, Lilia?” Agatha asked dryly, sounding both tired and irritated.
“Well, good morning to you too, Agatha,” Lilia retorted, giving her a slightly annoyed look. “I came to talk to both of you about the project fair. As you know, we have less than a month, and I need all the details about the project and the student chosen to represent the English department at Westview Institute’s open house.”
Rio looked surprised, clearly unaware of the fair’s specifics. Agatha, on the other hand, replied confidently, “We’ve chosen Billy Maximoff to present an essay on Shakespeare and his tragedies.”
“That sounds fantastic. I expect a full report from both of you about the project details by this afternoon at the latest,” Lilia said.
“It’ll be ready,” Agatha assured her as Lilia left the lounge, saying her goodbyes.
Agatha focused on her notes again, continuing her work, while Rio grabbed two cups of freshly brewed coffee. She placed one next to Agatha’s folder and sat in the chair to her right, eager to learn more about the project.
“I thought a little caffeine might help,” Rio said, placing the coffee beside her.
Without looking up, Agatha replied, “Thanks, but you didn’t have to. I’m fine.”
Rio leaned forward, curious. “Are you working on something for the project fair? What’s your idea?”
Agatha finally looked up, responding in a calm and assured tone, “Yes, I’m finalizing the details. We need to make sure everything’s ready by Friday.”
“‘We? I don’t recall you consulting me or including me in any of this,” Rio said, her tone less calm and more confrontational trying to get Agatha out of her mind.
Raising an eyebrow, Agatha replied with a drier tone, “I didn’t consult you because I already had a clear idea and thought it would be best to move forward. I knew you were busy with other things.”
Rio crossed her arms, staying silent for a moment before responding with a tone similar to Agatha’s but slightly more relaxed, “Busy? Sure, but I’m still your partner in this project. If you don’t consult me, how can I contribute? Lilia made it clear she wants us to work together and expects the report this afternoon, so we’d better get to it.”
She lightly touched Agatha’s shoulder, giving her a playful look.
Agatha sighed, calming down a little, though she immediately noticed Rio’s touch and subtly moved away. “It wasn’t my intention to leave you out. I just… wanted everything organized before discussing it with you.”
Rio smiled slightly, as if she understood. “Well, I’m here now. Why don’t you fill me in? I want to know what you’ve planned… and see if there’s anything we can adjust together.”
Agatha took a sip of her coffee, nodded, and handed her notes to Rio. “Fine. Look, I was thinking of an interactive approach for our presentation and giving Maximoff’s essay a final review before submitting the report to Lilia. Something that grabs the evaluators’ attention right from the start… but I’m not sure how.”
Rio interrupted enthusiastically, “Like a simulation of that era? Or maybe a live demonstration?”
Agatha smiled for the first time, adding excitedly, “Exactly. I have some ideas noted here. We’ll need to review the entire essay together and figure out how to create a live demonstration of Shakespeare’s tragedies. Perhaps we could stage a representation of his works and involve other students to play the roles.”
They worked through the day, covering their classes with substitutes, and managed to finish the report by mid-morning. They approved Billy’s essay, though some logistical details—like the stand for the English department at the open house and selecting students for the roleplay—still needed attention.
As they gathered their things in silence, Agatha, feeling slightly uneasy, glanced up and saw Rio staring at her with her playful big brown eyes. Caught off guard by the gaze, she fumbled with her notes and folders, leaning against the table for support.
“Is there something you’d like to share with the class, Professor Vidal?” she asked sarcastically, though her tone bordered on irritation.
“Actually, Professor Harkness, I was just thinking about how efficient we were today, despite your clear preference for doing everything on your own,” Rio responded with a playful tone, crossing her arms and tilting her head.
Agatha raised an eyebrow, her discomfort evident. “And?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm, though it was slightly less hostile.
Rio laughed softly, shrugging. “I was just saying maybe we should… I don’t know, get to know each other better. That way, we could avoid these little tensions in the future since we obviously have to work together for quite a while. What do you say? Coffee or drinks after work?”
Agatha felt a small knot in her stomach but didn’t let it show on her face. She kept her expression neutral as she finished packing up her notes. “Sorry, but I don’t mix work and personal life. It’s best to keep things professional. Why not invite Alice instead? Weren’t you two looking cozy last night?”
The comment momentarily caught Rio off guard, but a mischievous smile quickly spread across her face. “Alice? We were just talking about her project. She’s nice, but I didn’t think you cared about what I do with my colleagues.”
Agatha pressed her lips together, clearly uncomfortable, but maintained her firm tone. “I don’t care. It was just a comment. But if you’re so interested in talking to Alice, maybe you should invite her instead of suggesting unnecessary things with me.”
Rio studied her with narrowed eyes, her expression shifting from amused to analytical. “It’s funny… it seems like you do care. Or am I wrong, Professor Harkness?”
Agatha felt a twinge of irritation mixed with something she couldn’t quite name. She quickly stood, gathering her belongings without meeting Rio’s gaze. “Stop imagining things, Professor Vidal. There’s nothing to discuss here.”
With that, she left the room, leaving Rio with an intrigued smile and a new question lingering in her mind: What was the cold professor Harkness hiding? Jealous? Irritation? Loss of control?