Day 3: Workplace AU – Barden High
Summary: Ms. Posen is one of the strictest teachers at Barden High. Ms. Conrad is known as one of the nicest.
"That's all for today. Don't forget your paper is due Friday." The bell signaled the end of the school day. Aubrey Posen had just finished teaching her Honors English grade 12 class for the day. The blonde woman was known as a very strict teacher. She didn't accept anything less than her students' very best, and she didn't put up with nonsensical behavior. She insisted each student place their cell phone in a bin on her desk upon entering the classroom. Anyone caught using their cell phone in class would automatically receive detention, no exceptions. Late work was not accepted, except in extreme circumstances. She loved teaching and working with young minds, but she felt that teenagers needed strict discipline. She was known as being difficult, but fair. She was happy to answer questions and work with any student who asked for help. Any student who earned an "A" from her received it because they'd put in the hard work.
After she'd straightened up her classroom, answered e-mails, and worked on lesson plans for the day, she locked up her classroom and headed home for the day.
Just down the hall, in a chemistry class for tenth-graders, Stacie Conrad wrapped up her last class for the day. "Okay, everyone, we have a lab tomorrow. Remember your safety goggles!"
The students left her classroom, and several students called out, "See ya tomorrow, Ms. Conrad!" and "Have a good day, Ms. Conrad!" Stacie smiled to herself. She really loved working with high school students. She'd loved chemistry in high school, and she considered herself lucky to be able to teach it for a living. The kids generally enjoyed her class. The tall brunette tried to make learning fun for all of them. She still demanded the students try their hardest, but she wasn't known for being strict. She was also the varsity cheerleading coach, and Barden High's team had been the state champions ever since she'd begun coaching.
She headed to the gym and changed quickly in the teacher's locker room for practice. She met her squad, led their stretches, and had them run their routines, making sure everything was clean for the competition coming up soon.
"Great job, everyone," said Stacie. "Everything looks good, but the routine still needs polishing. I want to see straighter legs and tighter formations. We'll work on that more tomorrow. See you guys then!"
Stacie got her things together and checked her phone. She read the text and smiled as she headed to her car.
Beca Mitchell drove up to the school. She was picking up her girlfriend Chloe from cheerleading practice. She spotted Ms. Conrad smiling to herself as she walked to her car to leave. Somebody has a hot date, she thought.
She waited outside the gym doors for Chloe. She was greeted by her girlfriend with a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Hey, baby, thanks for picking me up."
"Sure. How was practice?"
"It was good. We're totes going to win the competition!"
"I'm sure. So, I think Ms. Conrad has a hot date. I saw her smiling at a text on her phone. I bet she's sexting someone and is off to a booty call."
Chloe laughed. "Sure, Becs."
Beca shrugged. "Come on, Chlo, she's gorgeous and is one of the nicest teachers in the school. There's no way she isn't getting laid."
"Get your mind out of the gutter."
"I thought you liked when my mind was in the gutter." She pulled Chloe in for another kiss that was starting to deepen when she heard giggling behind her.
"Get a room, you two," said Ashley, a fellow member of the cheerleading squad.
Beca flipped them off. "You're just jealous you're not banging someone as hot as Chloe."
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Gross, you two." She got into her car with Ashley and another girl named Flo.
Stacie parked her car and walked up to the door and knocked. She was greeted by a gorgeous green-eyed blonde woman with a chaste kiss. "Hey, baby," said Stacie.
"Hey. How was cheer practice?"
"It was good. They definitely need to clean some things up, but the routine looks good. I'm so glad we have a couple of guys on the squad this year. Jesse, Benji, and Zeke make the lifts so much better. I can finally use Flo's tumbling talents and let some other girls be flyers."
"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes," she said, handing her girlfriend a glass of wine.
Stacie took a sip. "Just what I needed. I love my students and my cheer squad, but it makes the day so much longer."
The woman walked up behind Stacie, snaked her arms around her waist, and kissed her neck. "I can help you relax even more after dinner," she said in a low voice.
"Why, Ms. Posen, are you propositioning me?" she asked.
"Why, yes, Ms. Conrad, I am," said Aubrey in a sultry voice.
Stacie could only moan in response as Aubrey continued to kiss at her neck. The two women were interrupted as the microwave beeped.
"I'd better get that," said Aubrey. She pulled the broccoli out of the microwave and turned the burner off from her special chicken dish that had been sitting on low to keep warm.
"You made the barbecue potato chip chicken again?!"
"Yes, and some steamed broccoli, to balance it out."
"Great," said Stacie. Aubrey made plates for the two of them and they sat down to eat.
"How is it?" asked Aubrey.
"Amazing, as usual," said Stacie. "It's definitely my favorite dish that you make."
Aubrey smiled. "I'm glad."
They continued to eat, sharing bits about their day. After dinner, they relaxed on Aubrey's couch, watching television. Stacie laid with her head in Aubrey's lap while Aubrey gently stroked her hair. Stacie sighed happily. It was always a longer and more stressful day when the cheerleading team practiced after school. She was happy to spend a relaxing evening with her girlfriend. She nearly fell asleep after only a half hour.
"Let's get you to bed," Aubrey murmured into her ear.
Stacie yawned. "I should get home."
"Stay with me," said Aubrey. Stacie nodded and let her girlfriend lead her into the bedroom. They hadn't yet stayed overnight at each other's places on a school night, but Stacie was especially tired that night.
Stacie woke up in Aubrey's arms that morning. She smiled to herself. She really did sleep so much better when she shared a bed with her girlfriend. She made a mental note to talk to her about moving in together because she didn't want to have that discussion when they were trying to get ready for work. She'd been thinking about it for a while, but waking up with Aubrey on a school day sealed the deal for her.
"Why don't you shower first while I make us some coffee?" Stacie asked when she heard Aubrey stir.
"You don't want to join me?"
"I do, but we both know we won't be saving any time if we're in the shower together," said Stacie, winking.
Aubrey looked over at the clock in her bedroom. She sighed. "Yeah, you have a point there. Okay, I'll try to be quick so you have some time." She gave Stacie a quick peck before disappearing into the bathroom.
Stacie headed into the kitchen and started the coffeemaker. She went through the clothing she kept at Aubrey's. She rarely wore jeans to work, but that was all she had there. She went through Aubrey's things, hoping her girlfriend wouldn't mind loaning her a blouse. She was laying the clothes out on the bed when Aubrey came in from the bathroom.
"All yours," said Aubrey.
"Thanks," said Stacie. "Do you mind if I borrow your white blouse?"
"Not at all," said Aubrey. "I'll start breakfast in a few minutes."
"Thanks, babe," said Stacie.
She walked into the kitchen to see Aubrey had made them some oatmeal and had cut up some fresh fruit.
"You look good in my blouse," said Aubrey.
"Thanks," said Stacie. "Do you think the students will realize it's yours?"
"Doubt it," said Aubrey. "It's just a white blouse."
"We'll see," said Stacie. The two women preferred to keep their personal lives out of the workplace. They'd been together for a few months, and they weren't comfortable with either students, faculty, or staff being aware of their relationship. They were always professional at work, never even risking getting caught holding hands, much less hugging or kissing.
The two women headed to work in their respective cars, Aubrey making sure to give Stacie a few minutes head start.
If we do move in together, I wonder how long we'll be able to hide our relationship, Stacie thought as she drove to work.
Beca and Chloe pulled up to school in Beca's car. They headed to Ms. Conrad's room for homeroom.
"Hey, Chloe," Beca said quietly as they were getting their things together for the morning. "Ms. Conrad's wearing jeans, and I've never seen her wear that shirt. I bet she did have a hot date last night. Maybe the booty call ended up being an overnight booty call."
"Yeah, okay, Beca," said Chloe. "You are way too invested in this."
Beca scoffed. "I am not. I'm just...observant. She never wears jeans."
"Whatever," said Chloe. "I honestly don't know why you care."
It was Friday night. Stacie and Aubrey had a quiet night in planned. All three of Aubrey's twelfth-grade English classes had papers due that day, and she wanted to get a head start on her grading. She brought some of the papers with her to Stacie's apartment, having promised her girlfriend she'd stop grading by 9:00 in order for them to spend some time together.
She knocked on Stacie's door and was greeted with a long kiss.
"Now that's a greeting," said Aubrey, smiling as she broke the kiss.
"I'm just happy to see you. I just took dinner out of the oven." Stacie made plates of lasagna for each of them and poured them both a glass of red wine.
Shortly after they'd started to eat, Stacie said, "I wanted to talk to you about something."
"Oh no. This isn't the 'can we talk' thing, is it?"
Stacie reached across the table and squeezed Aubrey's hand. "Not at all. I just wanted to talk about something important."
Aubrey waited silently for her girlfriend to continue.
"Do you want to move in together? I want to spend all of my time with you. I want to wake up with you every day. I want to-"
Aubrey cut off Stacie's rambling. "Yes. I want all of those things."
Stacie visibly relaxed. "Okay. Great."
"There's one thing, though," said Aubrey. "How are we going to keep our relationship private?"
"I'm not sure. I guess we won't be able to do that for long. If people find out, they find out. We're not doing anything wrong."
"I know we aren't, but I just don't like people knowing about my private life."
"I know that," said Stacie. "But we knew people would eventually find out."
"Okay. But let's try and just keep things quiet for as long as possible. I like having our relationship as just ours."
Stacie got up and walked around the table behind Aubrey. She wrapped her arms around Aubrey and gave her a kiss on her neck. "Me too."
Aubrey turned her head to give Stacie a kiss on the lips. Stacie broke the kiss and sat back down to finish her dinner.
After eating, Aubrey grabbed her bag, sat on Stacie's couch, and started to go through her papers. Stacie walked over with a piece of cheesecake. "Thanks," said Aubrey. Stacie sat next to her and gently rubbed Aubrey's shoulders. "Mmmm...that feels good. Trying to distract me?"
"Is it working?"
"A little. It's 8:00. I promised I'd cut things at 9."
"Want me to stop?"
"No," said Aubrey.
By the time 9:00 had rolled around, Aubrey had gotten a good number of papers graded. Stacie had just gotten up off of the couch, so Aubrey packed up her papers and went to look for Stacie. She wasn't in the kitchen, so she headed down the hallway toward the bedroom. She froze in place and her mouth went dry when she spotted her girlfriend standing in the bedroom doorway wearing nothing but a bra and matching thong underwear.
The next morning, the two women discussed their new living situation. They decided they'd get a new place together, rather than having one move into the other's place. They would get a two-bedroom, which would allow for them to have guests. Neither one of them had family locally, so they knew they'd get plenty of use out of a guest room. They decided to go apartment shopping after lunch.
They looked at a couple of different places before agreeing to fill out a lease application for the third apartment they saw. It wasn't far from the school, the neighborhood was nice, and the apartments had a washer and dryer in the unit. Stacie persuaded Aubrey to go with her to Target to look at a few things they'd need for their new place, like window treatments.
That Saturday, Beca was at Target shopping with her dad and stepmother. They were walking by the home décor department when she was sure she spotted Ms. Posen looking at curtains. She saw Ms. Conrad in the next aisle looking at lamps. They're both at Target, one aisle apart, Beca thought. Could Ms. Posen and Ms. Conrad be dating? Beca avoided eye contact with both of them, not wanting to be seen talking to a teacher at Target. Instead, she texted her girlfriend.
B: I just saw Ms. Conrad and Ms. Posen at Target.
C: So?
B: They were one aisle apart. Maybe they're together.
C: Everybody shops at Target. I don't think that means they're dating.
B: IDK maybe not. Posen's still strict as ever. No way she's getting laid.
C: lol
C: We still on for tonight?
B: Assuming the stepmonster ever finishes shopping here, yes.
C: lol ok
C: Text me when you're back
As Stacie and Aubrey rode back from Target in Aubrey's car, Aubrey said, "I think I spotted Beca Mitchell in the store. I didn't make eye contact, though."
Stacie said, "It could have been her. I think her dad lives in this area, so maybe it's a 'dad weekend.'"
"At least she didn't see us together."
"You worry too much," said Stacie. She changed the subject. "We should go out tonight. We've stayed in a lot lately. Maybe we could go see the new Avengers movie. I've been hearing a lot about it lately."
"Okay, why don't you go ahead and order the tickets? You pick the theater and show time."
Stacie tapped a few things on her phone. "Okay, 6:00 at the theater near your apartment. That's the one where you can get there early and order dinner."
"Let's head to my place, then," said Aubrey. "Oh, do you need anything from your place before we head over?"
"No, I'm good."
They headed to Aubrey's place. Aubrey insisted on grading a few papers in the time they had before leaving for the movies, so Stacie used the time to relax. She soon found herself sitting next to Aubrey on the couch. She noticed the blonde looked stressed, so she gently began to rub her shoulders
"Hey, babe, don't work so hard," said Stacie.
"I just don't want to keep my students waiting too long," said Aubrey. "This paper's just...different. It's so out of character for this student. I'm trying to figure out whether or not it's plagiarized."
Stacie asked, "May I have a look?" As her girlfriend handed her the paper, she glanced at the name on it: Bumper Allen. She'd had him for chemistry a couple of years ago, and he'd been difficult. She wouldn't have put it past him to plagiarize his paper because he'd always put in the minimum effort when in her class.
"I'm having a hard time putting my finger on exactly what makes me think this isn't his writing."
"I know students can download papers, sometimes even for free. Why don't you let me take this, and I'll look around and see what I can find. Mind if I use your laptop?"
"Go ahead. That's a great idea. I'll go to the next one."
Stacie grabbed the paper and googled different sites where students can obtain papers written by others. After about ten minutes or so, she exclaimed, "Aha!"
"What did you find?"
"Bumper must think he's really clever. Look at this site," she said, turning the laptop toward Aubrey. "He downloaded several papers and cut and pasted paragraphs from each into a new paper. I guess he hoped you wouldn't notice."
"I bet he doesn't realize he probably did just as much work, if not more, than he would have done to just write the paper himself. That had to have taken hours."
Stacie just shook her head. "I'm sure he just thought he'd try and see if he got away with it."
"Well, thanks to you, he didn't. I would have had a hard time figuring this out without your help."
"I'm sure you would have gotten it," said Stacie. She checked the time. "Hey, we'd better get ready for the movies."
"Let me just finish grading this paper."
Stacie and Aubrey sat down to dinner at the movie theater. It had a cool arrangement where a server could bring you dinner to your seat as long as you arrived a half hour before showtime.
They enjoyed a nice dinner before the movie, and they both really enjoyed the movie as well. They were walking out of the theater hand in hand, chatting excitedly about the movie when they were spotted by some members of Stacie's cheerleading squad.
"Hi, Ms. Conrad and Ms. Posen!" greeted Jessica. Stacie and Aubrey immediately dropped their hands.
"Hi, Jessica," said Stacie. "Did you enjoy the movie?"
"We all did. Thor is hot," she said.
"I think I'm more into Star Lord," said Ashley.
"I like Loki," said Flo.
"So, were you guys seeing the movie together?" asked Jessica.
"Why do you ask?" asked Aubrey.
"Oh, no reason. We just aren't used to seeing you guys outside of school."
"Teachers see movies too," said Stacie.
Jessica shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Right. Of course you do. We'll see you at school on Monday!"
As they drove back to Aubrey's place after the movie, Stacie said, "Great deflection with those students. Where did you pick up that trick?"
"My parents said it to my brothers and me all the time when we were kids. It's a great way to redirect someone asking nosy questions."
"Nice," said Stacie.
The next morning, Aubrey was grading papers and Stacie was watching cheerleading videos online. Stacie was always looking for new ideas for the squad to improve their chances at continuing their winning streak.
Aubrey walked up behind her girlfriend, wrapped her arms around her and kissed her neck. "Did you find anything useful?"
"Yeah," said Stacie. "I wonder if I can get Flo to do this tumbling pass." She backed the video up a few seconds. "I'm going to have to show her this and see if she's up for it."
"I bet she is," said Aubrey. "Hey, check out those hair bows! I can make some for the squad if you want."
"You would do that?"
"Of course."
"Let's hit the craft store after lunch. Wait, what do we do for the girls with shorter hair?"
"That's easy. I'll put the bows on a clip, and I'll make a few as headbands for the girls whose hair is too short for a clip." She pointed to a girl with really short hair in the video. "Like her. See? It's on a headband."
"If you're sure. Denise's mom made the bows for a while, but nobody has stepped up since they moved out of state. I'd make the bows myself, but I am craft-challenged."
"I can do it. We'll hit the craft store and get supplies. Do you want the bows to look like the ones they're wearing in this video, but in green and gold?"
"I think so, but I'm open to other ideas. We'll see what's at the craft store."
"Okay. I think I have a coupon, so I'll make sure we bring it," said Aubrey. "I'm going to go back to grading. I promise I'll put the papers away by lunchtime. The afternoon is ours." She gave Stacie a kiss on the cheek and went back to grading.
Beca and Chloe were at the craft store. Chloe had insisted they needed to make posters to get kids to join the school's LGBTQ+ club. Beca wasn't sure, but she had a really hard time refusing Chloe's puppy dog eyes. They were looking at poster board and poster paint, and then Chloe had the bright idea of making ribbon pins for people to wear. They'd been there for an hour, and Beca was bored out of her mind.
They walked into the ribbon aisle when Beca grabbed Chloe's hand and backed them both out of the aisle. Chloe asked, "What did you do that for?"
Beca whispered, "I just saw Ms. Conrad and Ms. Posen."
"So?"
"So, I saw them together."
"They're shopping in a craft store. Scandalous," said Chloe.
"I just saw them at Target yesterday. Oh my god, I bet they're dating."
"Seriously, Beca. I don't get why you care."
"I don't know. It's just so weird. Ms. Conrad's so fun and Ms. Posen's so...not."
Chloe shrugged. "It's no big deal. Let's go get ribbons, and then I promise we can leave."
"Okay. The sooner we get the ribbons, the sooner we're out of here. I can't believe you dragged me here."
"You love me," said Chloe, kissing Beca on the cheek. Beca blushed furiously.
They walked into the ribbon aisle and didn't see their teachers. Chloe grabbed a bunch of different ribbons, some were already rainbows, others in various pride colors.
Stacie and Aubrey had gone to a different aisle to grab some hair clips, headbands, and glue to go with the ribbons for the cheerleader bows. They'd left just before Beca and Chloe walked back into the ribbon aisle.
"Hey, Aubrey," whispered Stacie. "Don't turn back and look, but I saw Beca and Chloe walk into the ribbon aisle and then run backward. I wonder if they're onto us."
"I hope not. I know she's good in your class, but Beca is pretty difficult in mine."
"We're just at a craft store. I haven't even been holding your hand. If we see them, we'll handle it. I'm sure we can't hide this forever, though."
The two women escaped being caught by their students, but they definitely needed to figure things out soon.
That Monday at lunchtime, Stacie checked her personal e-mail on her phone. She was pleased to learn that she and Aubrey had been approved for the lease on the new place. They'd be moving in just under three weeks. She texted Aubrey to ask about getting together that evening to go over specifics for the move, knowing Aubrey wouldn't feel comfortable discussing this at school.
Sexy Chemistry Teacher: Looks like we're approved for the new place. Want to get together after cheer practice to figure out details?
Hot English Teacher: Yeah, come over to mine when you're done. I'll make Buffalo chicken wraps.
Sexy Chemistry Teacher: It's a date. [heart eyes emoji]
Hot Blonde English Teacher: Thanks for your help with Bumper, by the way. I called him to the principal's office with me first thing this morning and he folded like a cheap suitcase.
Sexy Chemistry Teacher: Not surprised. Hope the punishment isn't too harsh.
Hot English Teacher: We cut him some slack. He has a week to turn in a paper that is his own work, and I'm going over it with a fine-tooth comb.
Stacie and Aubrey were sitting down to dinner, and Aubrey had her laptop with her at the table. "I'm starting a list for the new apartment. We need to figure out what we're keeping from our places, what we still need, and we need to make moving arrangements," said Aubrey. "I'm turning it into a Google document that I'll share with you."
"You're hot when you're organized and taking charge," Stacie said with a smirk.
Aubrey's cheeks tinged pink. "Thanks," she said. "I just want to make sure we do this right."
"I know. It's just...hot."
"Stacie, this is not helping," Aubrey said with a laugh.
The two women ate their dinner and discussed what they'd be bringing to the new place. Since it was a two-bedroom, they'd both bring their bedroom sets. By the time the evening was over, they'd arranged to donate any furniture they wouldn't be keeping, and Aubrey had requested moving quotes from three different moving companies.
Aubrey decided to the two of them needed to go to the store and get moving boxes and packing supplies as soon as possible. She convinced Stacie they needed to get them that very night.
They were at the home improvement store with a bunch of moving boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap, etc. They headed to the checkout. They were busy putting their items on the counter when they heard a familiar voice say, "Hi Ms. Posen. Hi Ms. Conrad."
"Hi, Flo," said Stacie. "I didn't know you worked here."
"I'm saving up for a car," said Flo. She looked down at the two women's purchases. "Are you two moving?"
"Yes," said Stacie. She knew she couldn't even try and pretend there was any other reason they'd be buying moving supplies.
"Cool," said Flo. "So, you'll be roommates?"
"Yes," said Aubrey, quickly. "Roommates."
"Great. Your total is $53.74."
Stacie handed Flo her credit card, and the two women left the store once everything was paid.
"Do you think she's onto us?" asked Aubrey once they were in the car.
"She might be," said Stacie. "You were awfully quick to agree with her when she asked if we'd be roommates."
"I panicked," said Aubrey.
"It's okay," said Stacie. "But I think we'd both better prepare ourselves. News spreads fast in high school, especially among my cheerleaders."
"I know that," said Aubrey.
They pulled up to Aubrey's parking lot. "I need to grab my half of the supplies and head home," said Stacie. "Please think about how we want to handle things. It's a matter of time before the students figure us out."
"I know," said Aubrey. "I will." She gave Stacie a kiss before they parted ways.
The next day, Flo was gossiping with Chloe, Jessica, and Ashley in the locker room after cheerleading practice.
"I saw Ms. Conrad and Ms. Posen at my store last night. They were buying a bunch of moving stuff. I asked if they were going to be roommates," said Flo.
"So?" asked Chloe.
"Ms. Posen said they were, but she said it so fast," said Flo.
"Do you think Beca might be right?" asked Jessica. "They were at the Cinebistro movies over the weekend."
"Beca saw them at Target, and we both saw them at the craft store," said Chloe.
"Oh my god, they're totally dating!" exclaimed Ashley. She was quickly shushed by her friends.
"Careful, Ms. Conrad might hear you," whispered Jessica.
The four of them walked out of the school building, still whispering and giggling about their teachers.
"What's so funny?" asked Beca.
"It turns out you might be right," said Chloe. "Flo saw Ms. Conrad and Ms. Posen buying a bunch of moving stuff last night. Ms. Posen said they were going to be roommates, but we've all noticed we see them together in public all the time."
"What happened to it being no big deal and you wondering why I care?" asked Beca.
"That was before it became blatantly obvious," said Chloe.
"Maybe Ms. Conrad is a pillow princess. Ms. Posen obviously isn't getting laid."
"Maybe she is getting laid, and she'd be ten times worse if she wasn't," said Chloe.
That night, Aubrey and Stacie were not getting together. Aubrey insisted they should take the time and pack their things. Moving day would come soon enough, and she'd rather they were packed early than not.
Stacie texted her girlfriend as soon as she got home from cheerleading practice.
Sexy Chemistry Teacher: They're onto us.
Hot English Teacher: Are you sure?
Sexy Chemistry Teacher: I heard Ashley say "Oh my god, they're totally dating!" and the other girls shushed her.
Hot English Teacher: Ugh. Ok. Just redirect if they ask.
Sexy Chemistry Teacher: Ok. Don't know how long that will work.
The next morning, Beca walked into homeroom, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"Good morning, Ms. Conrad," she said. "I hear you and Ms. Posen are moving in together. Is she your girlfriend?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I'm just...naturally curious."
"Well, what do you think?"
"I think you are dating."
"Too bad for you, my personal life is none of your business."
Beca tried to press on, but Ms. Conrad refused to comment any further.
Three weeks later
Stacie and Aubrey had moved into their new place, and, thanks to Aubrey's insistence on spending most of their time outside of work hours unpacking, had unpacked every single box. They decided a celebratory romantic dinner was in order. Aubrey kept checking the time. Stacie should have already been home by now. She rarely ran practice late.
Aubrey had begun to pace the living room. She tried calling Stacie, but her phone went straight to voicemail. This wasn't like her at all. Aubrey attempted to take some deep breaths and calm her nerves. She'd had a few episodes of stress-vomiting in college, and she was doing her best to avoid another one.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when the phone rang. A number she didn't recognize showed up on the caller ID.
"Hello."
"This is Northside Hospital in Atlanta calling for Aubrey Posen."
"Speaking."
"You are listed as the emergency contact for Stacie Conrad. We have her here in our emergency department."
"Is she okay? What happened?" Aubrey's heart began to race and she started to hyperventilate.
"I can't release that information over the phone. You'll have to come to the ER."
"I'll be right there," said Aubrey as she hung up. She ran to the bathroom and immediately emptied the contents of her stomach. She sat on the floor for a few moments to get herself together. She tried to tell herself she wasn't doing anyone any good if she didn't calm down. She brushed her teeth and headed to the hospital, hoping her girlfriend was alive and not seriously ill or injured.
She broke a few speed records on her way to the hospital. She headed straight to the front desk and attempted to calmly ask about her girlfriend.
"I'm Aubrey Posen. I'm here to see Stacie Conrad."
The receptionist tapped a few keys on her computer. "Ms. Conrad is in bed four," she said. She turned to the nurse who had just walked to the front desk. "Can you please show her to bed four?"
The nurse nodded and Aubrey followed, one hand on her stomach. She was really hoping to avoid vomiting again. Since they said she was in a bed, she reasoned Stacie must at least be alive. The nurse pulled back the curtain, and Aubrey immediately began to cry in relief. Stacie was sitting up in bed, her arm wrapped in a sling, but very much alive.
"Aubrey, honey, it's okay, don't cry."
Aubrey grabbed a tissue from the bedside table. "I'm sorry, Stacie. You're the one hurt and I'm the one crying. I should be comforting you." Aubrey sniffled. "I was so worried. They wouldn't tell me anything over the phone."
"I'm sorry. I told them to tell you it's just a broken arm and some bruised ribs. I guess they can't say much over the phone, though."
"What happened?"
"I got t-boned on the way home. The other driver ran a red light. I'm pretty sure my car is totaled."
"Don't worry about your car," said Aubrey. "It's replaceable. How are you feeling?"
"A little loopy," said Stacie. She gestured toward her IV. "They gave me the good stuff. Nothing hurts right now." She patted the side of the bed with her good arm. "Climb in."
Aubrey walked over to the side of the bed. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah," said Stacie. "There's room. I could really use some cuddles right now, and I think you could too."
Aubrey climbed into bed with gently wrapped her arms around Stacie, taking care to avoid her injured ribs and arm. She'd finally gotten comfortable when the doctor walked in with a hospital volunteer to cast Stacie's arm.
"You are dating!" exclaimed the volunteer.
Aubrey hastily climbed out of the hospital bed. "Beca, I can explain."
"Come on, guys. I'm not stupid."
Before Aubrey could say anything else, Stacie said, "Fine, you got us. We're dating."
"Stacie!" exclaimed Aubrey. She turned to Beca. "Ms. Conrad is on painkillers, so-"
Stacie cut her off. "The painkillers aren't that good. Aubrey, come on. The jig is up. Beca has been suspecting us for a while."
Aubrey sighed. "Okay, yes, we're together."
"I knew it!" exclaimed Beca, pumping her fist in the air. She thought for a minute. "You know, a part of me is surprised, though. You're so...different."
"How so?" asked Aubrey.
"Well, you're...tough on us," said Beca. "I mean you have a lot more rules in your class than Ms. Conrad has in hers."
"We have different ways of getting our students to do their best," said Aubrey.
"Yeah, I see that," said Beca.
"Can you two discuss this later? I'd like a cast for my arm so my girlfriend can take me home," said Stacie.
"Right," said Beca. "Sorry."
Beca helped the doctor put the cast on Stacie's arm.
Stacie was discharged shortly afterward, and their romantic dinner ended up being fast food Aubrey picked up in the drive through on their way home.
After her volunteer shift ended at the hospital, Beca immediately texted her girlfriend.
B: You are never going to guess what happened at the hospital!
C: What weird thing happened in the ER this time?
B: Posen and Conrad are together for sure.
C: ?
B: Conrad was there with a broken arm. I came in with Dr. Torres to help her put a cast on it, and Posen was cuddling with her in the hospital bed.
C: You're shitting me.
B: I swear. They even admitted it.
C: Wow.
C: I'm so telling the cheerleading squad.
A/N: The movie theater with dinner is a real one. Look up Cinebistro. Also, the barbecue potato chip chicken is a real dish that Anna Camp likes to cook. She also likes buffalo chicken wraps.