a/n: Ooph, made it. If you're jumping into this week's chapter, a quick heads up: this is a double chapter weekend. In case you've just navigated to the latest chapter from the main page, be sure to click back one and give Chapter S a read first. It'll be important to help set the stage for this chapter.
It took way longer to get to the end of this chapter than originally planned, but hopefully all of the build-up is worth it.
Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't wish all you Kate Kane fans a happy fourth night of Hanukkah!
Cheers,
EQT.95
Kate trudged up the final steps to the fourth floor, her legs heavy from exertion. One side effect of the early morning course runs was that Kate didn't need to do much else to stay in shape. Now that her participation had been temporarily suspended for the next three weeks, barring any delay to her cast's removal, she returned to her usual habits of going for morning runs through the woods on the weekends. Having fallen into the habit of waking up early on Saturdays, she was able to sneak out before the rest of campus woke up.
She had returned and took only vague notice of the bodies milling about, and after five minutes waiting in the lobby for an elevator, she gave up and took the stairs. It was only when she stepped onto the landing and a hum of conversation could be heard through the stairwell door that she remembered what day it was.
She pressed open the door to see adults twice her age milling about, laughing, and being granted tours of the dormitory by their offspring. She let out a small sigh of annoyance as she remembered the annual parents weekend tradition. For the second year in a row, Jacob had sent a brief apology for not being able to attend, citing important Crow reasons; this didn't bother Kate one bit if only because it guaranteed she wouldn't have to play the role of tour guide for the weekend.
Kate's eyes navigated around the sea of bodies as she determined the clearest path to her room and prepared for a day dodging introductions to parents from accidental run-ins. She was halfway across the lobby when she heard her name called through the delves of over-eager parents.
"Kate!"
Kate let out a resigned sigh, turning toward the sound when she practically jumped in surprise. Standing at the entrance to the fourth floor lounge were Sophie Moore's parents. She broke into a confused smile as she walked toward them.
"Mrs. Moore, I-"
"Diane, please," Mrs. Moore corrected. "Oh, Kate! So good to see you again. Is that a cast?"
"Oh, uh, just a small bump."
"Well the least they could do was give you something livelier," Mrs. Moore replied, gesturing toward the black color, and Kate had to suppress the sarcasm fighting for freedom on the tip of her tongue. Instead she fell back onto the surprise of seeing them in the dorm.
"Uh-I didn't realize you'd be here this weekend," Kate replied, before Mrs. Moore scooped her into a hug. Kate barely had time to register any discomfort and concern for her sweaty-state before she was released from the tight grips.
"Really? I thought Sophie would have mentioned it," Mr. Moore observed.
"Oh, it probably slipped her mind - she's been super, uh, busy, and well… we aren't rooming together this term, so-"
"So we heard," Mrs. Moore said with the skeptical look of a protective mother. "She's rooming with that other girl - Randy?"
"Riley," Kate offered. "And yea, it was… a surprise."
Mr. Moore offered a small wink and she felt her cheeks erupt nervously.
"Uh, so, where's Soph-phie?" Kate asked, stumbling over herself to correct her name-calling. She glanced away from another of Mr. Moore's small winks, cursing herself for feeling the blush of embarrassment threaten her casualness.
"Oh, she had to run off and fix some problem. Left us here saying it'd only be a minute-"
"-it's been twenty-" Mr. Moore interjected with a slight huff.
"Erik," Mrs. Moore chastised.
"What? I didn't drive eight hours not to see my baby girl, Diane," Mr. Moore clarified, scowling moodily at the situation.
"Uh, well… I… I really need to shower, but if she's not back in another twenty, I could try to cover for her until she's freed up? I know it won't be the same," Kate said quickly. "She, uh - she's probably balancing a few Parents' Weekend chores for the scholar program," Kate said, not quite believing the words coming out of her mouth; she was volunteering for the very thing she swore against doing, and it was to Sophie's parents of all people.
"Nonsense, I'm sure you've got plenty going on with your dad," Mrs. Moore rushed.
"Oh, he's not coming. Work stuff," Kate clarified quickly. "And it's fine. If Sophie gets here before I'm back, just have her message me so I know you haven't been kidnapped," she joked lightly.
"Better yet, let's remove the middle woman; what's your number?"
After another minute of negotiating contact information, Kate managed to peel herself away from the Moore's and completed the final steps to her room. Thankfully Chelsea was out tending to her own parents, and Kate had the chance to shake her head clear of the encounter, feeling dazed by the entire interaction. She was grappling with a number of things. The first was the fact Sophie hadn't told her that her parents were coming into town. It was a minor detail; one that she could excuse away. They'd both been neck deep in their own obligations the last few weeks, and it wasn't uncommon for them both to be blindsided by missed information these days.
What had her most concerned though, was the second item on her mind: things hadn't exactly smoothed over since their argument from a week earlier. In fact, Sophie was unwilling to be in the same room as Kate if she wasn't, as Sophie put it, 'willing to tell the truth'. This frustrated Kate to no end, and it was resulting in a stand-off for the ages that practically eliminated their already dwindling time together. She hesitated for an extra moment, worrying that her interfering with Sophie's parents would leave her girlfriend more peeved than before. Things felt weird between each other, and it had flavors of their summer which left a bad taste in Kate's mouth.
Instead of bailing though, she quickly made her way to the shower to clean up and, in surprisingly swift fashion, found herself back in the lounge to pick up Erik and Diane Moore for an impromptu campus tour.
She quickly sent Sophie a message of apology that went unanswered as the trio made their way out onto the quad. The morning was unusually warm for the time of year, and the sun made the campus feel especially lively as families walked around the grounds. There were a number of organized events, but those wouldn't take place until later in the afternoon.
Kate took Mr. and Mrs. Moore along the historic edge of campus, showing off all the old architecture that had made up the original masterplan. Mr. Moore was clearly more interested than his wife who was eagerly peppering Kate with questions about the semester. On more than one occasion she heard Mr. Moore chuckle at a particularly invasive question about Kate's dating life.
"Diane, leave the girl alone," he chastised at his over-eager better half.
"What? Kate doesn't mind, right?"
Kate managed to circle the conversation back to Sophie on most occasions, letting Mrs. Moore ask questions about her daughter that Sophie was too modest to answer truthfully.
"In chemistry, too?" Mrs. Moore gaped.
"Yea, honestly, it's pretty frustrating for the rest of us mere mortals when she sets the bar so high," Kate chuckled.
They'd heard mum from Sophie for the first hour, and Kate was just diverting them the long way past the drill courses toward the mess hall when a familiar voice rang through the air and plummeted Kate's good spirits.
"Cadet Kane."
"Do you know him?" Mrs. Moore asked as the male dressed in uniform approached them from the training grounds.
"Unfortunately," Kate muttered before forcing a smile onto her face.
"Lieutenant Reyes, good morning."
"I wasn't aware you were giving tours," he said matter-of-factly.
"Uh, well, Sophie was called away and-"
"Cadet Moore?" Reyes asked, beginning to piece together the strangers' identities. "You must be Mr. and Mrs. Moore."
"Diane, please. This is Erik," Mrs. Moore said, extending her hand to greet his in a swift shake. Reyes' look of skepticism quickly faded into an unfamiliar look of genuine excitement.
"And where is Cadet Moore?" Reyes asked with a hint of confusion.
"Of anyone here my guess is you'd know best," Kate replied with a slight edge to her voice. She took the tiniest bit of solace in the fact Reyes was doing his best to behave in front of the Moores.
"Sophie didn't mention you were coming in for the weekend. Had I known I'd have cleared her schedule," Reyes said apologetically. "Give me a moment to make a quick call, and we'll get this sorted."
Before any of them could respond, Reyes stepped away, his focus on the cell phone in his hands.
"He seems nice," Mrs. Moore said as they stood around idly waiting for Reyes to finish his conversation a few paces away.
"'Seems' is the operative word," Kate replied a little too casually, earning a snicker from Mr. Moore. A hesitant glance from Mrs. Moore compelled her to elaborate. "He's in charge of the Scholar Program that Sophie's involved in."
"But he's not nice?" Mrs. Moore asked curiously.
"I didn't mean… him and Soph get along great," Kate clarified, easing the look of growing concern on Mrs. Moore's face. "But he can be a bit of a… a…"
"A prick?" Mr. Moore offered, and Kate couldn't help but chuckle at the throwback to their conversation from the summer.
"Some would say that," Kate concluded as Mr. Moore shrugged away Mrs. Moore's look of disapproval.
"All settled, she'll be at the mess hall shortly," Reyes called as he rejoined the group.
"Oh, that is too kind of you Lieutenant," Mrs. Moore remarked.
"Nonsense. It was the least I could do for our most promising cadet," he replied, waving off her look of appreciation. Mrs. Moore practically beamed with pride at Reyes' words as Kate and Mr. Moore exchanged skeptical glances behind them.
"Cadet Kane, you are dismissed."
"What?" Kate asked in surprise.
"I will escort the Moores to the mess hall to meet up with Sophie. Your services are no longer required."
"But I wasn't-"
"That isn't necessary Lieutenant," Mr. Moore interrupted. "Kate has been doing a fine job so far; it'd be a shame not to finish our little tour with her."
"Cadet Kane doesn't do a fine job at anything," Reyes replied smoothly through his smile. "And as I said, Cadet Moore is one of our most promising students. The least I can do is ensure you're provided a quality tour of our beautiful campus."
An awkwardness settled across the group. For Kate, she was struggling to hold her tongue while for Mr. and Mrs. Moore there was a strange confusion that settled between them.
"Lieutenant Reyes is right," Kate finally said with as much casualness as she could muster. "He's practically as old as the campus and would be best suited to fill you in with all the fascinating details."
She had to restrain her mouth from slipping into a grin as Reyes' eyes narrowed while Mr. Moore's widened in thorough enjoyment at the swipe. Kate turned to leave but not before Reyes had managed to recover and pass down her sentencing: "Cadet Kane, a word."
Kate let out a small sigh before stepping toward Reyes who had moved a few paces out of earshot of the Moores.
"Tomorrow, 0800h."
"But you said-"
"The gymnasium. Do not be late."
"Yes sir."
"Fancy seeing you again."
"Well, I do live here," Kate replied with a smirk, seeing Mr. Moore lingering in the hall. She was on her way to Melvin's when the familiar face showed up once again on the fourth floor. "You find Soph?"
Mr. Moore nodded. "She's with Diane in her room."
"Not interested in a tour of it?"
"I am all toured out," Mr. Moore said, walking to meet Kate in the lobby. "That Reyes guy is a real character. Took us on an hour-long detour before we finally made it to the mess hall. Kept talking about boats."
"He does love that metaphor," Kate chuckled.
"So what's the deal between you two?" he asked. His tone was casual but fatherly, and it caught Kate by surprise.
"Uh… we-we had a small disagreement at the beginning of term. It hasn't really settled since then."
"Well, continuing to make waves isn't helping," Mr. Moore replied casually.
"Sounds like those boat metaphors rubbed off on you," Kate joked back but noted Mr. Moore's face remained set.
"You know, Kate, believe it or not, sometimes getting the last word in isn't always the best strategy."
Kate fell silent at this, feeling like she'd just been reprimanded. She'd spent the better part of the last five years bouncing from empty apartment to empty apartment around Gotham that she'd forgotten what it felt like to be parented and the sting of disappointment that could come from it. Jacob had his own form of parenting, but that was typically more in ensuring Kate had a baseline preparedness in military training.
"And from the few times we've talked, I can tell you're not an idiot."
"Uh… thanks?" Kate replied hesitantly.
"So stop doing dumb stuff."
There was a pointed simplicity in Mr. Moore's words that wouldn't have landed the same way had it come from anyone else. She felt a small smile break across her face as she realized how much sense they made. For the entire semester, she had actively been making her life harder by letting herself slip in jabs at Reyes. If she tallied it up, those small victories paled in comparison to the impacts it was having on her life. This was only the second Saturday all semester she hadn't been off the course, and even with a medical excuse she'd managed to earn discipline for Sunday.
"I'll try," she offered, earning a small nod of approval from Mr. Moore as the door of 419 opened and Sophie and Mrs. Moore stepped out.
"Still interested in dinner?" Mr. Moore continued, waving the girls over. It had been a passing offer from earlier in the day, and Kate felt compelled to say yes at the time, but she felt a sudden discomfort as she made eye contact with Sophie whose own face fell slightly at the sight of Kate standing next to her father.
"Uh, well actually-"
"Kate! I was just about to message you. We're going to take a small walk along the edge of campus before dinner," Mrs. Moore greeted her.
"Uh, right, well I-"
"Melvin!" Sophie practically shouted. The interruption focused all attention on the approaching form who was clearly confused by the scene occupying the floor's lobby space. When he was within reach Sophie left Mrs. Moore's side and quickly pressed her lips to Melvin's, catching everyone by surprise - none more so than Melvin who only barely managed to recover before Sophie pulled away.
"Mom, dad this is Melvin," Sophie said, her cheeks red and her gaze avoiding Kate and Melvin's questioning looks. "Melvin, these are my parents: Diane and Erik."
"Melvin, we've heard so much about you," Diane gushed. She pulled him into a hug that rivaled the bone-crushing grip Kate had experienced earlier, and he did his best to mask the air being squeezed from him. "I was worried we'd never get to meet you. Sophie kept insisting you weren't imaginary, but you never really know what that girl."
"Mom-"
"Mrs. Moore, I-"
"Diane, please," Mrs. Moore corrected, releasing him.
"Uh, Diane, I've heard so much about you as well. It's so good to finally meet you. I… I didn't realize you'd be here this weekend?"
"Seems to be a trend," Mr. Moore muttered, shooting Kate a knowing smirk. "Care to join us for dinner? We were just leaving to head that way," Mr. Moore chimed in, standing precariously on the edge of the conversation and observing with a slight twinkle in his eye at the exchange unfolding in front of him.
"Yes, he'd love to," Sophie answered, shooting him a quick, pleading look. Melvin faltered only slightly before recovering with a confused nod of agreement. Sophie offered a quick peck on his cheek in thanks as her hand conspicuously slipped inside his. Kate noted the physical touch nearly sent Melvin spiraling into another round of confusion again as she was trying to grapple with her own surprise at the exchange.
"Oh, but Erik, we only have a reservation for four."
"I'll call. I'm sure they can fit in a spare-"
"Actually, I was going to have to bail anyway," Kate interrupted with forced casualness.
"Oh?" Mrs. Moore reacted, her surprise evident.
"Yea, uh… sorry, I should have said something sooner. I-I have this other thing I need to be up early for. I-I should really get some studying in before I call it an early night," Kate lied. "You guys go ahead though; put Melvin in the hot seat," she smirked toward him followed by a small look of apology when all eyes had left her.
"Well, only if you're sure. It won't be a problem to adjust the reservation," Mrs. Moore insisted.
"No, no, really. It's fine. It was great seeing you two. Will you be around tomorrow or-?"
"We've got to head out early," Mr. Moore said in apology, his face failing to mask his dissatisfaction with the conversation's trajectory.
"Really? Why?" Sophie asked in surprise.
"Your dad picked up the night shift this week."
"Next time, then," Kate offered in consolation with a small forced smile. She accepted a parting hug from Mrs. Moore and and Mr. Moore before leaving the group to head back to the dorm. In all of it, she noted with frustration that Sophie's gaze wouldn't meet her own. Instead, Melvin's eyes clung to her for an explanation, but all she could offer with the tiniest shrug in matched confusion.
"That was weird, right?" Melvin asked, setting down his empty cup.
"Was what weird?"
"Sophie."
"What about her?" Kate asked before turning Melvin's empty cup into a pair with her own set beside it.
"Why are you playing dumb? With her parents. And you bailed,"
Kate and Melvin were sitting alone in the dim lighting of 409 sharing something shitty and high in alcohol from James' side of the room. The dim lighting made the liquid more mysterious, and Kate was ok if she didn't learn anything else about it. James was still out entertaining his parents. They were a compelling juxtaposition to James: where he wouldn't know what or where his classes were if not for Melvin, his parents had arrived with an itinerary of things to do and see. That it was nearly eleven and they were still out spoke to the intensity of the schedule. The same was not the case for Chelsea. Her parents had arrived early in the day and retired early that evening, allowing her a chance to catch up with Tony over at some house party and leaving the dorm room free of distraction.
"You'll need to be more explicit. I don't understand what you're referring to."
This was a lie. Kate knew exactly what he was talking about. In fact, it was the only thing racing through her mind for every second of the evening since she watched it happen. Melvin had known enough to make a beeline for Kate's room when he'd returned to the dorms with the 80-proof peace-offering in tow.
"Stop it. You know what I'm talking about. She was all over me. And then at dinner… it was. It was a lot of kissing."
"You're her boyfriend," Kate replied coolly.
"I mean, sure, to the school… to our classmates, yea. But to her parents?"
"She hasn't told them yet," Kate said simply, although her voice carried a slight edge of frustration that she'd been working to contain.
"I didn't know that."
"Well, you seem up to speed now…"
"But she's going to, right?"
"Hm?"
"Tell them. She's going to tell them, right?"
"Sure," Kate replied, reaching for the bottle to replenish their empty glasses.
"Are you serious or are you just saying that?" Melvin asked, gratefully taking the second pour in a single shot.
"I mean… we haven't really talked about it," Kate said, recapping the bottle in thought. "Well, we sort of did once… twice, actually, but we shelved it for another time."
"You both agreed to shelve it? Together?" Melvin asked skeptically.
"I wouldn't not, not say that."
Melvin gaped back in surprise as he reached for the bottle Kate had just set down and splashed another pour into his own. This one lingered inside the paper vessel. He swirled it uneasily before setting it back down.
"What?" Kate asked, searching for clarity from the confused look written on his face.
"I just… I guess I'm surprised."
"Why?"
"Be-because you two have been together for like… practically forever-"
"Closer to seven months," Kate corrected. "Not even a year," she reasoned further.
"Officially, sure, but you had eyes for each other way before that."
"What's your point?"
"I just… I'm… don't you think she'd have told them? What about over the summer?"
Kate held her breath for a moment, not wanting this conversation to continue. She knew the moment Melvin appeared in her doorway that this was going to be the topic of conversation, and she was still struggling to wrap her head around it herself.
If she were honest, yes, the whole exchange bothered her, and she couldn't hone in on a single reason. Would she like to know her girlfriend wasn't hiding herself from her parents? Yes. Would she prefer that their time together wasn't clouded in Kate having to lie to the people closest to Sophie? Yes. Did she wish Sophie's parents knew her as more than just Sophie's ex-roommate - slash- friend? More than anything. But it wasn't her place to pressure Sophie into doing something she wasn't ready for. It had been the mantra of their relationship, and this instance was no different to any other limit Sophie had in place.
It also wasn't like her and Sophie were on the best of terms, so she didn't feel confident in her ability to go knocking on Sophie's door for an explanation. That left her alone with her own thoughts, and now Melvin was echoing the very doubts she'd been replaying over again and again.
"Kate, I'm not trying to cast doubt or anything… I just see the way she looks at you and am just… Christ, she's literally not talking to you because she can't stand the fact someone might be hurting you. This isn't something light for her, so why hasn't she told them? If… if she's serious about this - about you," Melvin continued, emboldened by Kate's hesitation. "You can't tell me you're ok with this."
"It's fine, Melvin. We're… it's not something that needs to happen this instant," Kate said, half-trying to convince Melvin and half-trying to convince herself with the same words she'd recited over and over on her own. "If she's not ready, I'm not going to pressure her."
Melvin hesitated, clearly wanting to say more but afraid to.
"What?"
"Nothing," Melvin said quickly.
"You're worse at lying than me."
"I just… what more needs to happen to be ready? She's obviously… you two are obviously good together. Anyone who knows the truth about you can see that-"
"So you and James…"
"I'm just saying, what more convincing does she need? And honestly, that's half the point: is it even a real relationship if only two other people know?"
"What? How can you-"
"That came out wrong," Melvin quickly clarified, seeing the narrowed stare Kate was giving him. "I just mean… this relationship exists in a bubble. A very small bubble. What happens after all of this? After school? Is… is she just going to surprise them with the news on graduation day? 'Hey, mom and dad, meet my girlfriend of four years I've been lying about…'"
"I don't know," Kate sighed. "M-maybe?"
"Like, I get it. I'd wig out too if I were about to tell my old man something like this, but Sophie's parents aren't my dad. They're like… they're great people. Like, they're almost impossibly great. I'm a tiny bit jealous at how cool her dad is. And I'm pretty sure based on a half-dozen side comments at dinner he knows you're gay."
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Blind people who live three countries away and have never met me know I'm gay," Kate countered, but Melvin's words struck an unintended nerve, and Kate felt another bucket of fuel added to the growing worry that Sophie had previously been so closed off about the subject. She started thinking back to the night they'd watched the Gotham Symphony Orchestra and the hesitations she had over discussing the future of their relationship and began recounting every conversation since then that carried a similar tone of indifference, indecision, or deflection.
"Have you two talked? I mean, since the other night?" Melvin asked. A look from Kate was all the answer she needed to know they hadn't. "Are you going to?"
"I… I don't know. I was sort of hoping it'd just blow over."
Melvin groaned dramatically as he tossed back his drink.
"Your stubbornness is getting out of hand," he said frankly, reaching for the bottle again. "Why don't you just tell her? She's just worried about you-"
"Your concern is noted Melvin," Kate said, swiping the bottle from Melvin's grasp with a scowl of disapproval.
"Ok, ok," Melvin said, lifting a hand in surrender. "But maybe-"
"No, enough," Kate interrupted, not wanting to hear from Melvin the same worries she carried. "Just drop it, ok?"
"Fine, but let me ask you this: do you think your relationship will survive if you don't tell her? Because we're both sitting in the dark drinking… I think this is rum?"
"There are definitely hints of tequila in this," Kate added.
"It doesn't matter," Melvin continued. "The point is, we're both sitting in the dark - literally and figuratively - because you've pushed her to the sidelines, and she knows it. I don't know why she did what she did tonight, but it can't be a coincidence."
"What do you mean?" Kate asked, struggling to track Melvin's logic.
"I'm just saying, if it were me in Sophie's shoes this entire semester, I'd be questioning a lot about this relationship."
Kate gaped in surprise. "But you just said not even five minutes ago she was practically smitten."
"Kate, no. That was sober, supportive Melvin saying that. This is tipsy Melvin now, and tipsy Melvin doesn't lie. Tipsy Melvin thinks you should be worried."
"I hate tipsy Melvin."
"Sophie, wait up."
"Hey," Sophie greeted Melvin as he jogged to catch up. "Thanks for last night. I meant to say something earlier: I know I put you on the spot and… and it wasn't my finest moment. I'm sorry."
"No worries," he smirked. "Had I known I was going to get to kiss Sophie Moore all night long I'd have worn my bowtie."
"You said you borrowed that."
Melvin shrugged.
"For what it's worth, Diane is smitten with you."
"Yea, but what about your dad? If I'm going to ask for your hand, I'll need the big guy's approval too," Melvin joked.
Sophie laughed, unable to muster a half-decent response.
"Still on for tonight?" Melvin asked, giving Sophie an out.
"You know I live for these raucous fake dates of ours, but given last night's adventure, I wouldn't hold it against you if we postponed."
"That feels a tiny bit condescending..."
"Sorry, it wasn't-"
"It's cool," Melvin smiled back.
"You're in a chipper mood," Sophie remarked, noting that her fake boyfriend was offering a boyish grin that had been missing for the better part of two weeks.
Melvin nodded in agreement.
"Any reason?"
"Just, uh… just some good news."
"Care to share with your fake girlfriend?" Sophie asked. She watched his smile fade slightly at Sophie's words, and she felt herself regret asking. "Sorry, I-"
"No, no, I… it's fine," Melvin sighed softly, as though bracing himself for the truth.
"Really, Melvin, you don't have to-"
"No, really. I… I've already told Kate and-"
"Not surprised," Sophie remarked lightly.
He smirked briefly at the retort before continuing. "Well, she keeps pestering me to talk about it. Probably because she needs sick of hearing about it-"
"I genuinely doubt that," Sophie replied, causing Melvin to visibly relax a bit more.
"Maybe…"
He took a shaky breath, suddenly hesitant before he felt Sophie's hand grip his arm tenderly. She offered a soft smile back and he suddenly felt those hesitations fade.
"My sister, uh… Monica - she got a sore throat this summer that just… it wouldn't go away. She tested negative for strep and mono and… it took them a few days to figure it out, but after that-"
"Thyroid?" Sophie asked.
Melvin nodded in affirmation, feeling comforted by Sophie's declaration that took place of his own.
"She was diagnosed and started treatment - I don't know the specifics, but it wasn't working. Then a couple weeks ago the doctors offered a trial drug, but insurance wouldn't cover it, so we just didn't consider it."
"I'm sorry-"
"No, no, it's… it's ok," he said, his grin returning. "The hospital has some pot of private funding and they dipped into that. They greenlit the treatment and are covering the fees internally. My parents - they just called this morning; she has her first session tomorrow."
"That… that's great," Sophie said, slowly processing all Melvin had just said and unsure how else to respond.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
"You have nothing to apologize for, Melvin. This is… this isn't a light topic."
"I'm also not coming back next semester."
Sophie's encouraging look faltered. She gaped in surprise, suddenly feeling like a rug had been pulled out from under her. "What?"
"I… my parents are… I'm maxed out on student loans as it is, and I can't take out enough to cover tuition plus housing. My parents had been helping, but now… anyway, yea. I just… I should've told you sooner, but…" Melvin said apologetically. Sophie's words failed her as she grappled with the information.
"Does Kate…?"
Melvin nodded silently.
"I talked to Melvin last night."
"Uh… is there more to that or…?" Kate replied with a smirk. "Your context skills could still use some work-"
"He told me about Monica."
"Oh, right. He uh... he said the hospital was going to fund the treatment," Kate said, sharing the same news Melvin had offered the day before.
"Yea."
"Which is… it's great news."
"Yea."
An estranged silence fell between them, and Kate awkwardly turned her attention back to the textbook in front of her.
"He also said he isn't coming back next semester."
"Is that official?" Kate asked, looking up in surprise.
"What?"
"I didn't think he had filed the paperwork yet."
"Oh… I don't know? I'm just going off what he said."
Kate nodded as another wave of white noise hummed in the air. It turned into a handful of awkward minutes before Sophie broke in again.
"He also told me about Riley."
Kate felt her face go white as Sophie landed on the real reason they were here. She knew tonight was too good to be true: after nearly two weeks of the cold shoulder, Sophie had reached out to set up a study date in their usual study room. It was book-ended by a class and a study session with Riley, but Kate wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Now she wished she had.
"Um, wh-what about Riley?"
"Please don't play dumb."
"I wasn't try-"
"I will say it does explain this entire semester."
"Soph-"
"Why you've been inviting her around-"
"That was Reyes-"
"-the cover-ups-"
"I didn't-"
"-the lies, the cheating-"
"Soph, please-"
"All because she has some… what, some blurry little picture of you?"
"It's not that simple," Kate clarified, her tone sharp with frustration.
"Then tell me," Sophie replied, her voice fighting her own annoyance with wanting to be understanding but already feeling her patience wane.
"I thought you said Melvin told you."
"He told me enough to know you haven't been remotely truthful with me all semester," Sophie shot back. "Just… tell me. What's going on?"
"It's not…"
"Kate, if you don't start telling me the truth, I am walking out that door."
Kate felt her heart catch at Sophie's words. There was an intensity about Sophie's gaze that left her terrified. She knew without question that Sophie wasn't bluffing.
"It was... The summer after high school there was… the Gotham Gazette ran a story."
"About you?"
Kate nodded. "I didn't know about it; I didn't…" she fell quiet, the fingers of her good arm gripping at the pencil in her hand. "I didn't know it existed. It wasn't… I never paid attention to those things, but… Riley Thomas of all people saw it and - and remembered it."
"What was in it?"
"Enough to get me expelled," Kate said simply.
"Are you sure-?"
"I've seen it. I've read it. It's…" Kate gave a small chuckle of exasperation. "You know, the Gotham Gazette doesn't even have digital archives of these articles? It's such a temporary thing in the moment but… physical copies still exist."
"Where? How would she even-"
"Gotham public library, if you can believe it. It has a copy of every issue from the last… I don't know, forever," Kate said, falling back into her chair as she confronted the same facts she'd spent the semester trying to suppress. "Apparently the Kane family is responsible for her father's unemployment status."
"Kate-"
"So she has some… vendetta?"
"This sounds more like blackmail-"
"He killed himself."
"What?"
"Her dad. So I guess it's a vendetta that's playing out as blackmail?" Kate mused.
"I don't understand; this was recent or-?"
"It happened a number of years ago - the job loss, I mean. Apparently he worked at the Gotham Press as an editor-"
"You owned the Gotham Press?"
"I didn't," Kate clarified. "My Uncle Nathan did. He ran it an extra ten years after it was in the red before he finally shut it down. My dad always gave him shit for it, too; called it 'bad business strategy.' Anyway, that was probably around… I think I was just starting high school. The closure meant Riley's dad was out of work and then the recession happened, and he hit the bottle. Like half of Gotham, he never really recovered and then… it's why she missed last year."
Sophie sat in silence for a moment, absorbing Kate's words, suddenly seeing Riley's actions in a whole new perspective. "But she can't possibly blame you for - for this…?"
"I don't think we get to say who she does or doesn't blame for this."
"So what are you going to do?"
"I've already been doing it, Soph," Kate replied with a shadow of impatience. "There isn't anything else but this to do," she continued, referencing the semester of hurdle-jumping she'd been performing.
"The missing notes?"
Kate gave a small nod.
"The papers?"
Kate nodded again, unable or unwilling to make eye contact with her girlfriend.
"The rope?"
"...yea," Kate said, her voice cracking, unable to elaborate anymore.
Silence followed as Sophie absorbed the full truth for the first time. She'd experienced moments of doubt over the entire semester and had her suspicions, but suddenly facing confirmation of it all felt like an immeasurable weight.
"Maybe we can… I don't know."
"Soph, believe me, I've considered the options. It's fine… it's…"
"Why wouldn't you tell me?"
"What?"
"Why did I find this out from Melvin?"
"Probably because Melvin doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut," Kate shot back, the drunken conversation from two nights ago waving mockingly at the edge of her mind.
"This isn't funny."
"I'm not laughing, Soph," Kate retorted quickly.
Sophie fell silent in surprise.
"Were you ever going to tell me?"
"I… I don't know. Probably not," Kate answered honestly.
"Why?"
"Because of this; because I knew this is how you'd react. It isn't a big deal, Soph."
"Are you serious? Wh - no. No, being… being late for class isn't a big deal."
"Look, I'm just sayin-"
"I can think of a million things that aren't a big deal."
"Soph, plea-"
"No. But this? This is a big fucking deal, Kate. You're literally cheating for her. You're… you're giving her a free pass. You're letting her hurt you. That isn't… That's not ok. I'm not ok with that."
Kate fell silent, noting with surprise Sophie's tone. She could count on one hand the number of times Sophie Moore had spoken so explicitly, and the glare she was giving Kate only emphasized how genuinely angry she was.
"How long?"
"Soph-"
"Kate. How long?"
Kate opened her mouth to deflect.
"And please do not lie to me."
Kate sighed in defeat. "Since the third week of the semester."
Sophie's face fell at this. "Kate, you should have told me… I just… I don't understand; why didn't you tell me?" The question was becoming an echo of itself as Sophie grappled with all the information.
"So you could do what, exactly?" Kate asked. "So you could add this to the list of things out of your control? Or maybe so you could worry constantly about it as though that category isn't already overflowing? Or, better yet, so you could-"
"I'm not saying any of that isn't true but... I thought… I thought we were supposed to be a team. It doesn't work if you don't tell me things."
"We are a team, Soph," Kate clarified quickly.
"Then why would you leave me in the dark about this? Why would you-" Sophie sighed in exasperation. "And why would you let her hold this over you?"
"What?"
"I'm not… I'm not suggesting you call her bluff, but this isn't like you. A year ago you were swearing up and down that you didn't care if the school expelled you for something like this."
"This is different."
"How? Are… do you feel guilty or… are you scared or… what?"
"I'm not scared; I'm not any of that, Soph," Kate said defensively.
"Then why are you letting this rule your life? You've literally broken bones to keep this hidden."
"Because," Kate replied defiantly.
"If you aren't going to be honest with me-"
"Because I don't want to leave, and because if I'm going to get kicked out, I'd rather it be over getting caught with the person I'm in love with and not because of some bullshit fling the Gotham Gazette captured the summer after high school," Kate said, scowling in frustration, her voice raised to reflect the same.
Sophie froze.
"Wh-what?" she finally mustered.
"She wasn't - it wasn't anything, I swear."
"No, wh- be-before that; what… what did you just say?"
Kate felt her face drain as she retraced her words and realized what she'd let slip. She gaped, noticing the look of shock on Sophie's face mirrored her own.
"I-I love you, Soph," Kate confessed quietly before she could stop herself. She instantly felt her heart lodge in her throat as her pulse quickened, pounding uninhibited in her ears. She felt her mouth go dry with every second of silence that followed. It was a long pause; one that seemed eternal as she watched Sophie grapple with the admission Kate had just blurted out.
"I… I-"
A bang made them both jump, and Sophie turned around to see Riley burst through the door, announcing her arrival in the loudest way imaginable.
"What's up bitches?" she shouted charging through the door. "All right. Let's start the clock: sixty minutes, then I'm out of here," Riley said, plopping down into a chair next to Sophie. She glanced between the two with growing confusion. "Is there a problem?"
"What? No-no. Let's, yea - let's get started. And… and it's two hours," Sophie stuttered as she reoriented herself to the open chapter of her textbook while Riley sighed dramatically at the extended punishment. "I… uh, Kate?"
"Yea, I… I was just leaving," she replied. She felt disoriented; there was a haze closing around the edges of her vision, and she silently cursed the shaking of her fingers as she collected her things. She hastily shoved everything away before quickly rising to leave, ignoring the questioning gaze from Riley and slight glances from Sophie.