The Board

Monday night

It was well into the evening now, hours had passed since the staff meeting. You have been pondering over visiting Larissa. You didn't want to annoy her if she wanted to be alone, but you wanted to make sure that she was alright. You were wearing shorts and an oversized sweater, pretty much ready for bed. Still, you found yourself making your way to her office. Knocking on her door, no reply came. It was only 8:30pm, it wasn't that late. You knocked again and waited, finally the door opened a crack. "Hey Larissa, can I come in?" you spoke softly, as if you'd scare her. She opened the door enough to let you enter. There Larissa was, in all her glory. She gestured for you to follow her as she sat at the fireplace and poured herself some more red wine. You sat beside her, not saying a word. You could tell she had something on her mind, but you didn't know if she wanted to talk about it. She finally broke the silence, but what she said made you feel like she could see inside of your mind. You felt like she knew of all your plans. Your plans to betray her, your plans to out her to the board for lying. Your plans to gut her in front of them and let them feast on her because she believed in something good, which they didn't agree with. You, of course, had no plans like that, you weren't going to do such a thing. But that's how the words sounded when they came out of her mouth. She stared into your eyes, hers narrowed as she spoke. "Why do you care for me? Why do you stick up for me and lie for me? Why would you defend me against your co-workers and my staff? I find it hard to believe all this is honest and good, Anura." You kind of figured she would think this way. After all, you didn't know her that well, you just felt like you did. You didn't know what to say, you didn’t know how to start. "I just want a friend Anura, and I feel like nobody really likes me. I'm always just Principal Weems, I'm never Larissa" she trailed off as she looked into the fire. You could take a bit of hurt, a lot of hurt even, but this, this was too much hurt for you. She sounded like she wanted to become invisible, like she wanted to collapse in on herself and cease to exist. Why had nobody at Nevermore befriended her? You came here and instantly took to her. She was beautiful, intelligent, charming, delightful, intimidating yes, but she was full of passion, and you felt safe around her. "Larissa, can I tell you something? It might be a lot, and it's personal." You looked at her and reached for her hand. She glanced at you, held your eyes for a minute, then looked down at her lap, nodding her head. You knew what she said wasn't personal. You knew that she was just stressed and even worse, she was hurt by her own staff today. You didn’t know if this would help, but it was worth a shot. You took a deep breath. "My own husband chooses Mr. Martell over me. We both work for the board, and I only see him every few weeks. When I was told to come here to see what was going on, Mr. Martell was pissed. I had to act like I was against you and the school to get here. I probably wasn't too convincing, but I'm here, aren’t I? I don't blame you for not trusting me. I came here out of nowhere and acted like your friend, and for that I am sorry. I should've been more professional like you. The thing is, I have worked for the board since I was eighteen. I didn't really know what I could do with my life. I took a well paid opportunity and ran with it. Along with that, I found a man and ran with him. Recently I -I realized that maybe I should've waited and you know, weighed my options. My point is, I don't have many people in my life, despite living in a city with a shit ton of people." She was looking at you now, turned toward you with her knees touching yours, listening to every word you said. You looked away, slightly embarrassed about what you were going to admit. "But when I came here and met you, I was instantly relieved. I felt happy, care free, I joked, I had fun, I felt like you were my friend, even though we had just met. I thought that you were charismatic, intelligent, charming, stunning, and I don't know if you feel the same about me, if not, that's okay. I just want you to know that somebody cares about you. Even if that somebody works for the school board and is an idiot because they're willing to lie to their boss. Somebody thinks you're a beautiful human for the things that you do and the way that you look out for others. I think you're beautiful, inside and out."

Larissa sniffled, her eyes glistening. You hadn't noticed until you stopped talking, because when you were rambling you were looking down at your hand in hers. Good job Anura, she was sad before and now she's sad for a different reason. "Ah shit, I'm sorry. That was rather depressing" you quickly said when you saw her tears. She wiped them away. Without looking at you, she stood up and grabbed her wine, pulled you to stand, and started walking you towards a door. You followed her as you walked through the door and was met with her kitchen, which was attached to her living space. Her personal quarters were right in her office, how convenient. Her quarters were way nicer than other rooms. They had the same dark wood and big windows, but her furniture and appliances were all expensive and high end. Her décor matched her style perfectly, with white cream colors, neutral tones, and red accents. She placed the wine down on the coffee table and pointed for you to sit on the couch, then she disappeared. She had photos in her living space, some of her younger self, some of recent events with her and the students. There was one of her standing next to a pale girl, the girl dressed in all black not as tall as Larissa. They were wearing costumes and holding a trophy, they looked like total opposites. You had wondered if Larissa had a partner, but judging by the lack of presence in her quarters along with knowing how lonely she felt, you thought not. Then again, maybe she did and they just worked away. Maybe she didn't see them often, like you. All you knew is if she did have one, they were a lucky son of a bitch. You walked over to her fireplace and started a fire. You took note on how she liked the warmth, she always had a fire going in her office. As you were getting the fire going, Larissa came back out and stood beside you. You didn't notice her at first, but when you finally looked up at her you were in awe. She was wearing brown satin shorts and a matching pajama shirt. Her hair was down, light, wavy, running past her shoulders, free. She was free of her usual makeup, she looked so pale. You stared at her, you couldn't help it. Larissa held her hand out for you to take and she led you back to the couch. She poured you some wine and passed it to you, making eye contact with you. "Thank you for your kind words Anura, and for trusting me with your personal things. I-I really appreciate knowing how you feel about me, and knowing that someone thinks of me as a friend." She was talking really low, not like the Principal Weems you knew. You couldn't take your eyes away from hers. Her sapphires stared back at you, they looked like they were wandering, wondering about so many things. "I want you to know that I think of you as a friend too, and that I really do trust you, even though you work for the board" she ended her sentence with a small smirk. Finally, you got to see that smile again. You smiled wide as you stared into her eyes, you couldn't help it, it just felt so right. Her smile turned to a frown again and you wondered what had happened. Truthfully you were caught up in her, caught up in her natural aura. Her not dressed up, not guarded, not faking her confidence, not being Principal Weems, but just being Larissa. You felt lucky to have the opportunity to see the real her. "Do you not like me without makeup on?" she joked, although it only half sounded like a joke. Panicking, you figured you'd tell her the truth. "No Larissa, I just, I feel like you're not Principal Weems anymore, you know? Like this is Larissa, it's you. The you I want to know, the you I feel so privileged to see, hair down and no makeup on." She blushed and turned her face away from you. She wasn't used to having any attention besides the looks she'd sometimes get because of how she dressed, but you gave her all of your undivided attention. You said whatever you thought and did what you were inclined to do, if it was sincere and true. You grabbed her hands again and held them in yours, gaining her attention back. You shuffled closer to her on the couch. "Larissa, can I ask you something?" She nodded her head, "Anything Anura, please." You didn't know if this was something she would want to talk about, but you wanted to know why her staff were so caught up on it. "Who is Morticia?" Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth, then closed it. She hadn't forgotten about her staff's comments earlier, but she was trying to. "Morticia is Wednesdays mother" oh, well that explains it. "Some of the staff think that I let Wednesday enrol late in the term because we used to be roommates. Actually, we used to be good friends. Some people like to make jokes about her and I." This seemed like something she didn't want to get into, but you had to ask. "Did you and her date?" you asked reluctantly. You didn't know if Larissa even liked women, it just seemed like Morticia was someone who hit deep for her. "Well, no, we didn't date. We just had a complicated relationship." You nodded and looked away from her, giddy by the thought of her possibly being interested in, well, not men.

You pulled yourself together and looked back at her, she was staring, having never taken her eyes off of you. You stroked her hand, you were starting to get tired but you didn’t want to leave her. "Larissa, do you need anything from me tonight? Do you want to talk about anything? Or do anything that will cheer you up? I don't want you to feel alone." She felt the sincerity and care in your words and saw it in your expression. You hoped that if you could help her with anything, she would ask. You saw the reluctancy in her eyes, like they were searching for the confidence to say something, do something, ask for something. You let go of her hand and cupped her face. "Rissa, if you need anything, I'm here for you. I really hope you believe that." She believed you, well, she wanted to. She laid her head on your shoulder and wrapped her arms around you. You placed a hand in her hair and another around her as you pulled her closer to you. She smelled of roses, and her hair was the softest thing you've ever felt. You felt her mumble something into your neck, but you missed what she said. "What did you say pretty?" you asked, you didn't want to brush her off. She didn't respond for a minute until you heard "I just- I want to be held." Your heart ached, a lot. Out of all the things she could want or need, you didn't think she would just want touch, to be held. You would hug her, hold her, do whatever she pleased. You would appreciate her, you would cherish her, you would worship her. No, too much, but you would hold her, for as long as she wanted. "Riss I'll hold you, for as long as you need." With this, she pulled away and stood up, grabbing your hand again. Not the action you were expecting, but okay. She lead you to her room this time, and she pulled back the covers to her bed, gesturing for you to get in. "Are you sure?" you asked, willing but not wanting to push any boundaries. "Please" she whispered, and you needed nothing more. You settled in her bed, it was so fluffy and big. You opened your arms out to her, and she wrapped her long limbs around you, pulling herself into you. Her leg wrapped around yours, you tangled yourself in her as you basked in her touch. You felt so warm and safe, more so than you had in the longest time. You nuzzled your face into her hair, and you couldn't help the smile on your face. Apparently it was so big that Larissa felt your smile against her, and she moved her head to look down at you. Your face was inches away from hers, and you noticed her small wrinkles, her freckles, and the scar on her lip. You wanted to kiss her. You had wanted to before, but it was just a stupid urge, just a thought. You really wanted to now, she was here, she was comforting, she was gorgeous, she was… she kissed you on the corner of the mouth. You blushed more than you ever had before and kissed her cheek. You both laughed. You wondered even more now if she had a partner, worried about it even. "Hey, do you want to watch a show?" she pulled you away from your thoughts. "Sure, that sounds great." As the tv sounded, you felt Larissa's breathing slow, and you felt her become more limp. You listened for a minute and you heard her little snores. You sucked in a laugh, it was too cute. You kissed her forehead as you stroked her hair, hoping she would feel comforted in her slumber. "Goodnight, Cara Mia."

Tuesday

You opened your eyes and winced as they adjusted to the light coming in from the window. Right, you fell asleep in Larissa's bed. You looked down at her still asleep. She was gripping your shirt tight in one hand, the other wrapped around your arm. She was smiling in her sleep, she must have been dreaming. You didn't know if she wanted you to stay the night, you meant to leave after she fell asleep. Since you were here though, you had a great idea. Make her breakfast. Slowly, you got up and released her hand from your shirt. You covered her with the blankets, cleaned yourself up, and made your way into the kitchen.

You made chocolate chip pancakes and decorated the top one with a chocolate chip heart. You wanted to leave them for her to find when she woke up, you figured her alarm would be going off soon as it was a school day. You were listening to 'I Wanna Be Yours' by Arctic Monkeys and scooping some whipped topping onto her pancakes as you felt arms wrap around your waist from behind. Larissa startled you, you didn’t hear her coming because of the music. She laid her chin on your shoulder and eyed the pancakes in front of you. "Anura, those smell so damn good." You chuckled, "Well I'm glad you like them, because I made them for you" you smiled at her. "I figured you'd like chocolate pancakes because you like hot chocolate" you stated, pointing to the heart shaped chocolate chips on the pancake. She kissed your cheek and squeezed you tight, before letting you go and sitting on the counter in front of you. Eating, she mumbled out a "You know, we never got that hot chocolate you promised me." You had forgotten about that. This whole trip you hadn't been out of the school. Frankly, you didn't want to try it, but you wanted to see Larissa enjoy it. "Well, would you be free to go tonight?" She swallowed a big bite of pancakes, trying to hurry up and give you an answer. She smiled and nodded frantically before she answered, "6 o'clock?"

At lunch time, you had decided to surprise Larissa with a chocolate chip cookie. You didn't know what was with you today, you just loved seeing the woman lite up. You knocked on her door and heard a faint "Who is it?" "Anura." You heard her footsteps before Larissa opened the door, blocking your view into her office with her body. She gave you wide eyes and pursed her lips, a look that said 'help, we have a problem'. You tilted your head in confusion, and she stepped away from the door to let you in. As you stepped into her office, you froze. None other than Mr. Martell and your husband were sitting in the chairs in front of Larissa's desk. Your jaw dropped and you already knew this was going to be tiring. Taking a deep breath, you walked over to Mr. Martell and shook his hand, "Mr. Martell." You looked to your husband, who you only ever saw when he was with Mr. Martell, "Kyle" you said with a nod. Larissa sensed your unease and pulled a chair to her side of the desk for you. She thought the way that you greeted Kyle was weird, and she knew you didn't like Mr. Martell, so she thought it better if you sat by her. As you both sat down, Mr. Martell started. "Well Mx. Ricci, I'm sure you're wondering why we're here" he nudged Kyle with a snicker. You did wonder that, but you also really didn't care. You just wanted them to not be here. He continued, "We overheard that you were having a staff meeting yesterday. We finished our work, so we thought, why not go see what's going on with the murders, right?" He looked to Kyle who seemed unamused, but Mr. Martell was very amused with himself. "Well, that's kind of you, but I reported back to the boss and everything is under control" you stated, matter of fact. He didn't answer you, he just looked at Larissa. "Well, I don't know if I believe that. It would be better for us to look around, see for ourselves. I want to see if this shapeshifter is up to no good." Before you could say anything, he put his hands on the desk and stood up, Kyle following him to the door and out of Larissa's office. She looked at you, you were fuming at his disrespect towards her. Hands in fists, you were staring at the desk, lost in thought. Then you looked at her, and sadness came across your face. "What is your deal with Kyle?" she asked in a low voice, she didn't know if she really wanted to ask. You looked back at the desk and let out an unamused snort, "He's my husband."

Outside, you found Mr. Martell and Kyle snooping around the quad. You and Larissa had followed them in case they had any questions. Larissa grabbed your arm as she diverted your attention to Mr. Martell, who was getting awfully close to the Edgar Allan Poe statue. You knew she wanted to get him out of there. You called Kyle over and he gave you and Larissa a smile. "Hey Anura, nice to see you." "You too Kyle, how's Mr. Martell treating you?" You said this in a tone that implied they were together, you thought you were hilarious. "Listen, can you get him away from that alleyway? There's uh, there's a chemical used that's poisonous to vampires, you know, the vampires here know not to go around it." Kyle nodded at you as he got Mr. Martell away from the statue. You turned to Larissa and sighed in relief. She rubbed your back as if to say thank you, but stopped when she saw them walking towards you. "Well, it seems as though we are keeping secrets." Mr. Martell walked until he was standing in front of Larissa, her towering over him. "Aren't we, Larissa?" "Mr. Martell, I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about." Larissa put up her guard and put on her best lying face, using her strict tone. She seemed convincing to you. "This rich, pin up pixie thinks she can cover things up and I won't find them" he chuckled menacingly. He looked at you, "Anura, this is the first time you aren't doing your job correctly. Is there something you need to tell me? Is someone getting in your way? Perhaps a certain unattractively tall principal?" He was right, of course, someone was getting in your way. Still, that didn't mean he could go around bullying you for liking women and degrading Larissa for her appearance. You had enough of his shit, and you finally snapped. "Kevin, I swear to god if you don't start treating Principal Weems with respect I'll-" you stopped, realizing that there were students in the quad. You opted to speak in Italian, hoping nobody else around would understand. "Kevin, smettila di accusare Larissa. Ti stai inventando un sacco di cose nella tua testa, va tutto bene, posso gestirlo" (Kevin, stop accusing Larissa of things. You're making shit up in your head, everything is fine, I can handle it). He laughed and looked at Kyle, amused with your transition of languages. He spat at you. "Why are you speaking Italian now? You really care if these kids can understand us? Dovrebbero sapere che la loro preziosa preside sta nascondendo qualcosa, non è vero?" (They should know if their precious principal is hiding something, shouldn't they?) Larissa's eyes were flicking back and forth between the two of you, she didn't know what or who you were talking about, she just knew she heard her name. "Lasciaci in pace Kevin, smettila di essere uno stronzo misogino!" (Leave us alone Kevin, stop being a misogynistic asshole!). Larissa was now super confused and was starting to get frightened from your tone. She had never heard you talk like this before. She looked at Kyle for help, he knew what you were saying. You also looked at Kyle who had his mouth shut, he was not backing you up at all. "Kyle, are you going to have any input at all?" you asked him, hoping he would take your side for once. He said nothing. Mr. Martell smiled rather sly and elbowed Kyle while looking at Larissa. "Ehi Kyle, se non sapessi meglio, direi che la tua moglie fosse gay" (Wow Kyle, if I didn't know any better, I'd say your wife was gay) he laughed, knowing Larissa wasn't getting any of this, but that you were. "E questa donna qui, quella alta, è decisamente gay" (and this woman here, the tall one, definitely gay). This made Kyle laugh too, and he came back with "Donne, buone a nulla" (Women, good for nothing). You were speechless. Not only did your husband let Mr. Martell berate you and Larissa for being queer, (weather Larissa actually was, was lost on you), but he also backed him up. On top of that, he called you a woman, he knew you didn't like that. "Sparisci Kyle, non sei mai stato cattivo. E signor Martell, vada a farsi fottere" (Get lost Kyle, you were never mean. And Mr. Martell, go fuck yourself). When you said this, you said it in the meanest, most serious, hateful tone ever. You hoped the students couldn't understand you, and you knew Larissa didn't based on her face. You didn't want Larissa to know what they were saying about her. You didn't want them to hurt her further. When you looked at Larissa, she had confusion written all over her face. She didn't know how to deal with this. She didn't know if you were agreeing with each other somehow or if you were all fighting. Why were you speaking another language? Did you not want her to hear because you were talking about her? She knew you weren't fond of them being here, but they were your co-workers, one of them was your husband for fucks sake. Feeling left out, hurt, overwhelmed, and betrayed by you, she turned and strutted back into the building. As you saw her start to walk away you started to run after her, but your husband stopped you as he grabbed you by your arm. "You're coming with us Anura, we're leaving."