Stef couldn't help but laugh as she heard the story. She'd have given anything to see the woman's face. Lena had told her countless stories about just how difficult she was to work with and more than once Stef had found herself desperate to defend Lena when she came home, practically in tears, because of something the vice principal had done.
But Lena was upset and she was even more angry about the fact that Stef wasn't taking her seriously.
"This is serious Stef." Lena said angrily.
"Honey, it's not that big of a deal." Stef said, trying hard to hide her smirk.
"Not that big of a deal?" Lena questioned. "Every staff member has to answer to her now Stef." Lena pointed out. "She is our boss."
"Well, what do you want me to say?" Stef asked.
"I want you to agree with me on this." Lena answered.
"Well, I'm sorry but I don't." Stef answered honestly. "He is a kid and he shouldn't be punished for saying something that's true and having him write a letter of apology is unfair. The staff are the ones calling her that."
"But he told her Stef, to her face." Lena said, gritting her teeth to keep from yelling.
"Well, honestly, you guys are the ones who should have been more careful about what you say in front of a six year old." Stef shrugged. "Aren't you the one always telling me to stop cursing because B will pick it up? How come that doesn't apply here?" She asked.
"Because he needs to learn when to say what." Lena said in frustration. "He can't go around saying whatever he feels like."
"He doesn't." Stef defended.
"Yes he does." Lena argued. "Just like you."
"Wow." Stef said, taken aback, wondering how this fight even started. "When did this become about us?" She asked.
"You say I'm like his parent too but then when I give him a consequence you just come in and say it's inappropriate."
"It is inappropriate." Stef yelled. "That's why I'm disagreeing with you."
"Well fine." Lena yelled back as she grabbed her coat from the back of a chair where she'd left it. "Your son, your house, your rules. I guess there's no place for me in it." She said as she disappeared out the door, slamming it on her way out.
"Is she coming back?" Brandon asked later that night as Stef was trying to read him a bedtime story.
"I don't know bud." Stef sighed. She was tired and she was scared and hurt but she was trying not to make a big deal about it for Brandon's sake. She had to keep things as routine as she could and if Lena was going to just disappear from their life then she needed to keep Brandon as unfazed by it as possible.
"Is it my fault?" Brandon asked in a soft voice. He'd heard them fighting and Lena had lectured him the whole way home and now she was gone and Brandon just knew it was because of him.
"No." Stef said firmly. "This was between Lena and me. You didn't do anything to make her leave."
"But she was mad at me." Brandon said sadly.
"She was mad at me too." Stef pointed out. "That's when she left."
Brandon didn't look convinced and Stef wished like hell she could change his mind. This was what she was afraid of - for Lena there were no attachments or strings; she could do what she liked but Stef was the one who had to pick up the peaces and put them back together and she was not happy about it. In fact, she was mad that Lena would do this to Brandon. If this was how it was going to be then they really didn't need her in their lives - or so she kept telling herself.
"Stef." Lena said as she walked up to the blond as she was dropping Brandon off to school on Tuesday morning.
"Lena." Stef said curtly, thankful that Brandon had already wandered off to his class.
"Can we talk please." Lena requested.
"I have work Lena." Stef tried to brush her off without showing any emotion.
"Just a few minutes." Lena requested again, hoping to set things straight as soon as possible.
Stef looked at her watch and sighed before finally agreeing. "Okay, but hurry." She said, following Lena into her office.
Lena closed the door behind them and then turned to face Stef. "I'm sorry about yesterday." She said, studying Stef carefully.
"It's fine." Stef tried to brush her off. "I'm not upset."
"Come on Stef." Lena sighed, hating that Stef was closing off.
"No really, I'm fine Lena." Stef said. "It's no big deal."
"It's no big deal that we had a fight and I left?" Lena questioned, knowing that Stef was hurting but pretending to be indifferent about it.
"Well, I'm sorry we disagreed and you felt like I wasn't on your side but other than that I'm oaky." Stef assured, tight lipped.
"Stef." Lena coaxed again, taking a step closer to the blond. She hated it when Stef felt like she had to hide something from her and right now the pain was clear in her eyes but Stef was treating her like a stranger.
"I should go." Stef said, taking a step back, determined not to break down.
"Wait." Lena said, closing the distance between them and grabbing Stef around the waist with one arm, forcing her to turn around.
"Forget it Lena." Stef brushed her off. "It's over and I'm fine. I have my son to keep my busy." She said bitterly, finally showing her pain. The contact had broken her down.
Lena sighed in regret. "I shouldn't have said that, I'm sorry." She said sincerely. "And I shouldn't have just walked out. I was mad and I didn't like the fact that you were right." She admitted, realizing that they were at fault for not being careful about that they said in front of the boy.
"Well, it's done now so we may as well forget it." Stef said, trying to hold on to what little dignity she had left.
"Stop pretending Stef." Lena begged. "You're hurt, I can see it. It's me, you don't have to hide."
Stef didn't say anything because in one night everything had changed. She realized that she didn't quite have Lena the way she'd thought and for Lena to find it so easy to just let them go broke her heart but she'd be damned if she'd let it show.
"I know you Stef." Lena went on, once again reaching out for Stef. "I know you better than you might like me to and I know that you're upset."
Stef began to shake her head but Lena stopped her.
"Yes you are." Lena insisted. "And it's okay, I'm upset too. I'm sorry about the way I acted. I just needed some time to cool off and if you need some more time too then okay but after that can we please just work this out." She requested.
"There's nothing to work out." Stef said sadly. "We're not your problem anymore."
With that she walked out the door leaving Lena behind to regret her actions more now than ever.