A/N: Thank you Fufuluff, mdiggory, and Phases Of Obsession for your reviews! Sometimes it isn't the quantity of the reviews that matter, but the quality. You all said such nice things. So, without further ado (Did you know you can use the word "ado" in a sentence without that phrase? I just looked it up. It means commotion, bustle. "There was a lot of ado on the McKinley's stage during their funk number." Oh, and did you know they said "funk" or some variation 31 times in the last episode, excluding when it was written down or sung? That means it was said at a rate of 1.3658 times per minute. WTH. …This totally defeated the point of the "Without further ado…" didn't it?) I present your update. I hope you'll enjoy and please review!
Shelby loved teaching. During a four-year period, she could watch one of her students go from an ignorant child to a knowledgeable adult, or from painfully shy to assertive and dynamic. There was so much she could do for them all to help them become better human beings.
Unfortunately, being surrounded by senseless and uncontrollable teenagers on a constant basis had its negative effects on many of the teachers, particularly those who were not as mentally strong as she considered herself to be. They were subject to the same behaviors as their students, such as gossip, and it was a constant source of annoyance for Shelby. She was glad that she spent most of her day in the Drama & Music Building, which included the auditorium, but occasional visits to the main building were a regrettable part of her job.
When she arrived to her classroom the morning after her surprise meeting with Rachel, she wasn't startled at the odd, shifty behaviors of the students. Teenagers had this habit of being anything but subtle; they all knew. When she had a block of time free between her second and third classes, she often took that time to head over to the faculty lounge to get a cup of what was constantly fresh coffee (it was often the only way to retain motivation for most school teachers). The moment she walked in, the half-dozen or so faculty members there all turned their heads and hushed their discussions, their behavior ridiculously similar to the students. Clearly, the gossip had passed from her Vocal Adrenaline kids to their friends to the teachers in no time at all. Three hours into school the next day and she was already being whispered about by kids and adults alike. Had they no shame?
But she didn't care. She was used to their rumormongering. For example, every three to four years the students would start up a scandal that she was a lesbian, and since she dated so little over the last decade and was so hard-edged and independent, it typically had enough fuel to make it around the school before dying out. Even though the story about Shelby's long-lost daughter seeking her out in the middle of a rehearsal was true, she didn't think spreading it around campus in whispers was any better than discussing her sexuality.
She poured some of the steaming brew into her mug and sipped it black, all the while ignoring the eyes watching her. Finally, she turned and smiled at them. No better way to confuse people.
"Good morning," she said amiably, making eye contact with her colleagues before leaving them to discuss her ordinary behavior and all of its possible connotations amongst themselves.
It was at her lunch hour that she received a page to drop by the principal's office immediately, which to Shelby meant sitting through an unnecessary and unpleasant meeting with her boss rather than enjoying her sandwich and yogurt parfait. It wasn't the first time; every time the rumors began milling about her, Geoffrey Lancaster wasted no time pulling her in to his office to discuss them. In the last six years that he had been working, she had been in there twice because of the lesbian gossip (and countless times about Vocal Adrenaline), and it wouldn't be so annoying if he actually held some concern for her. He was always more worried for his anti-gay mindset and the conservative reputation of his school.
She passed the secretary in the main office with a simple smile and knocked on the principal's open office door. "Hey Geoff, you wanted to see me?"
"Yes, you're late," he said, barely glancing up at her. She resisted the urge to make a face; she came over as soon as she received his message. "Sit down."
She wanted nothing more than to get this over as quickly as possible, so she remained standing and asked him, "What's this about, Geoff?"
The middle-aged man peeked over his reading glasses and sighed at her unsurprising impertinence. "I've heard word that you had a visit from your daughter yesterday on the Carmel campus."
"What of it?" Shelby challenged. There was no rule that said she couldn't have guests on school property or anything of the sort, and school had been out for about an hour when Rachel had arrived. There was no reason for her to be here.
"As you know, I've been required to read your file a few times over the years." His tone suggested that she had done some wrong-doing to warrant the search of her file, which irritated her. "There is no mention of any children, and before I began here as principal you had taken a great deal of time off for medical leave related to reproductive issues. I'm sure you understand my concern over the obvious disparities present in this situation."
Did he think she had lied about her medical issues or something? She tightened her lips and furrowed her brow in anger. She didn't reply immediately, knowing she could say something very uncouth if she did. When she had herself under control, she said calmly, "If you look closely you'll see that my surgery was only seven years ago. I'd be quite impressed and amazed if I had some child younger than that show up here alone and unannounced." Okay, maybe the sarcasm was over-doing it, but this was ridiculous. "And legally, I don't have any children."
"And why is that?"
"I don't see why this is a matter to be discussed."
"Anything that could affect the wellbeing of this school is worth me knowing, Shelby."
"Oh, I'm sorry; has my daughter's visit caused distress among the parents? Have any of the students suffered psychological consequences as a result of their practice being cut a half an hour short yesterday afternoon? Has my ability to teach been compromised?" It was the actress in her that incorporated the superfluous tone of false alarm to her mockery. "If you can give me a good explanation as to how my personal life affects your school, we can talk about this. If not, I have work to do."
She didn't wait to be dismissed. She was tenured and had the most vital position in the money-making machine that was Vocal Adrenaline, so she had little to fear of her administrator. Moreover, she had no desire to stay and explain to her boss that she once grew a baby for a homosexual couple. She was better off annoying him for a few hours with her poor attitude than present him with an explicable reason to hold contempt for her. After she left, she paused for a few seconds at the secretary's desk to apologize if pissing off Mr. Lancaster had any adverse effect on her, and when she made it back to her office she had only a couple minutes left of her break to enjoy her lunch. Needless to say, she was not as nice for the rest of the afternoon as she normally tried to be.