October 25th 2022

Chapter 298
Our Spookies in Class

Somehow it wasn't until she got into her class that morning that Maya really came to see the feeling that was permeating at home had been happening for her here, too, like they always loved Halloween, but this year, after everything that had happened five months ago… She didn't know that she'd gone this hard at decorations since her first years as a teacher, back… well, back before she'd been a mother on top of everything. It hadn't even been conscious, but then she'd started off painting those seven small pumpkins, right there, and as she'd worked, she'd looked at the room and started getting ideas. From there, the transformation had been gradual but happening little by little every day, so much so that her afternoon visitors were coming to join her in class rather than at the bench.

She was very happy with the final results, the final components of which had only been added the previous afternoon, after the juniors had gone, so that her students would only discover it all when they arrived on Friday. She'd keep her door closed as much as possible, the better to prevent those who'd come later in the day from seeing it ahead of time. First up to discover Mrs. Friar's haunted studio were the seniors, and it was just as she'd hoped it would be. Up to now they hadn't quite known what it was going to turn into, but finally it all made sense, and it was amazing.

"I had this idea that we could have a sort of costumed face off, players from the school teams versus the LGBTeam, for Halloween," Jenny told her teacher with a grin that made Maya laugh. "But then I think a lot of us don't have a costume that's exactly practical for running around and sweating a lot," she went on reflecting.

"Maybe an idea to get back on, plan ahead for the future," Maya suggested. "What's going to happen after this year though?" she had to wonder, and this had nothing to do with costumes and more with the team itself. Jenny would be graduating in the spring, and there was no telling yet where she would end up after that for certain. Already she knew that Nika would be going away if she got her wish, but with Jenny it seemed to go back and forth, like she wanted to go somewhere else for college, but also… she wasn't sure about leaving home.

"I'll still play, if I'm here," Jenny told her. "We're not just going to be a high school team. We're also not sure we're going to stay just one team like we are forever, I mean, there are always more of us out there, and just because we graduate doesn't mean we'll stop wanting to have this place to play."

"The League of… Growing Basketball Teams," Maya offered with a smirk, and Jenny laughed. That had potential.

When Nika came along, Maya was hit with a wave of those senior feels, as she'd been with the others who'd already appeared, though for sure with her it was impossible not to recall her first Halloween with her granddaughter's aunt. That beautiful costume she'd put together… and then the revelation of her pregnancy. That was just three years ago now, but she hadn't forgotten the look on her face when she'd told her secret. That was all in the past now. Today, she was a senior, and her costume was as beautiful as the first one, if not more so. She gave the haunted studio décor a look of such wonder, showing she would only be one of the first who'd have this look to them, like they would have given anything to spend their entire school day here instead of the other classes that would follow.

But, sooner or later, she had to go, same as her classmates. In the free period that followed, Maya would be visited by more than one of her colleagues who were curious about what she'd concocted in here. She'd helped with some decorations around the school, too, sure, but nothing as big as all this.

"Oh, stars…" Meadow Bailey was in absolute awe when she arrived. She was so surprised when she walked in that she stopped all at once, causing her stepbrother to inadvertently run into her, which startled her and stopped him as she looked at him.

"Sorry," Luke Ryan frowned, in genuine apology. Meadow silently tipped her head at him before looking around again at the art class.

Things were still not exactly… rosy, perfect family-like, not that they would have expected it to be, but the whole debacle over the musical had gone away by now, possibly taking the first bricks of that wall between them along with it. Who could say how long it would take for the two of them to be fully okay with one another? It could all work out at some time soon, or it could take a while, or it could never happen. Maybe they would never feel as a brother and sister to one another. Maybe they would manage to become something like friends, and that would be as far as they'd be able to go, but it'd be something. Maya hoped perhaps that the thing that would do it for them would be the baby, this little human who would bind their two families together, one half-sibling to another.

When Maia Bennett arrived, it was hard to figure out how to react; she didn't seem so sure of it herself. It was like she was caught in the middle, caught between two emotions. On the one hand, she was a fellow lover of spooky day, because she loved to dress up for it so much that she and Ash started work on their costumes right at the start of the month, and the room was wonderful… But right there was the part where things started to take a downturn. Here she realized she'd played herself, forgetting for a moment that her enbyfriend was out among the freshmen again this year, and so they wouldn't experience it until after lunch. It made her sad, took some of the shine out of everything.

"Why don't you come along when they show up for class later?" Maya casually suggested. "You can show it to them."

"Yeah… I could do that," Maia gave a small smile, comforted, if only a little. It was more than what she'd had without the idea.

And that was what she did, later on. There was a knock at the door, about fifteen minutes before afternoon classes were set to begin, and Maya smiled, knowing who it would be. When the two of them walked in, it felt like 'ah, yes, this makes much more sense.' Their two costumes had been conceived together, fabricated together, and so they fit together. The sophomore had felt like one half of a friendship necklace without its other half, and now that the second-time freshman was there with her, they were a whole. It might have been the most expressive she'd seen Ash be in a long time. The aesthetic fit them so well that they could barely stand still, and Maya knew that their girlfriend was more grateful now than ever that's she'd been there to witness the excitement boiling over.

"You know, you could just leave it like this all year round," Ash declared, still looking.

"Believe me, part of me is considering it right now," Maya chuckled.

After the sneak preview, the rest of the freshmen arrived, and the wonder trip continued. Lydia, officially the newest member of the Born Curious team and so happy to be there, looked like she might have gotten an accidental spoiler out of her teammates. She'd been having lunch with them lately, from what Maya had heard, and with two of them having seen it already… That didn't stop Hypnoteyes from being the one to look a bit… hypnotized herself.

When MJ arrived alongside Lamar, even though he'd known Maya and known what she did at Halloween for all of his life, it looked like he had never seen her pull off anything quite like this before, and she was amused to think that there was still space left for her to stun him. As for his pretend boyfriend, him and his… complications… he was quietly awed as well. It made Maya think about when she and Lucas had decorated the house this year. It had been like an inevitable tradition, from year to year, for their games and party to come with a splash of 'teenage drama,' and Lucas had sort of flippantly wondered what it would be this time instead of wondering if it would happen at all; they knew better by now. For her part, though she hadn't said it aloud, Maya had a very strong feeling that it would involve her brother.

The afternoon break might have gone back to the bench, but she couldn't help but have them meet her in the art class instead. She wanted them to see, especially her youngest two. She wished she could have brought them all, and she had half a mind to bring them in over the weekend, but for now this – and several pictures and videos she'd captured – would do. Possibly the most amusing part was how unfazed Mackenzie was over the dark atmosphere. That had been the case with all the other Halloween things she'd seen so far, unlike Aubrey, who cried so much at the most random things she saw in stores, that Melinda suggested it might have had to do with the fact that she was sharing her room with her older sister, Queen Hallowannie. Maya could see no better explanation.

It was one of those days where she was really glad to have her gold star juniors at the end of the day. Everyone in their costumes, the last period of the last day and of the week, and it was Halloween? It was almost a party, right from the moment when they stepped into the class. Some of them – like Rolly – she was sure, had already heard about the décor at one time or another during the day, but there was a vast majority who truly had no idea, and she was really glad to see it. With her sisters, it was a lot like MJ, seeing the levels she'd gone to in transforming the class. It had not looked half like this when they'd been here the day before.

"You could have told us earlier," Nellie mock complained.

"Yeah, we're your sisters," Gracie chimed in.

"Your little sisters," Nellie added, in a pitiful tone, which Gracie matched.

"Doesn't that get us something?"

"Yeah, hugs, mostly," Maya teased before pulling them into her arms. They protested at once, much more over their costumes and hair and makeup than anything else. They'd be the first to jump in for big, squeezing hugs otherwise. "I want to try and bring the girls back here over the weekend when I have to take it all down. You could join us… maybe help me…"

"That doesn't feel like a treat," Nellie squinted.

"That feels like a job," Gracie added. Oh, they were playing with her. They would help, and Maya knew it.

This wonderful little day in the haunted studio felt a lot shorter than she might have liked, and the feeling was clearly mutual. But, when it did come to an end, no one stuck around too long. Everyone had things to do now that they were free. There were parties here, games there, and everything in between. Several of those she'd seen today would be at her house that evening, for one reason or another, and she couldn't wait to see them all. But first she had three little monsters to pick up, and then everything had to be ready in time for the birthday girl's return from Sullivan Stables with her father…

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners