June 4th 2020

Chapter 156
Their Progress Toward Projects

Since the Fall Festival, Maya had found herself working on a number of projects with Lindsay Alcott up at the high school. Now, following a few setbacks with their committee, she had been called on to lend a hand for the graduating class of 2027's senior prom. She was more than happy to do what she could, with one small favor thrown in the mix.

"Hey, Sammy, come up here!" she'd shouted down the open trap without leaving her desk. A few seconds later, he'd popped into view.

"How did you even know…"

"You never got to go to your senior prom, did you?" she'd turned in her seat.

"Well, I was fifteen, so the school wouldn't let me and neither would Mom."

"How would you like to get a do-over? You get to ask Cecilia, big promposal… or small one, whatever you're feeling… She definitely won't see it coming."

He'd stood there for a moment, his thoughts elsewhere, before turning and heading back down the stairs. A few seconds later, he'd returned.

"That'd be great, yes, I would."

Over the next couple of days, Maya and Lucas had been treated to a variety of scenarios, as Sam tried to come up with the best way to ask Cecilia to the prom.

"He knows she'll say yes no matter what he does, right?" Lucas asked Maya, after Sam had hurried up the stairs to find something to show them.

"It's sweet," Maya protested with a smile. "I remember when you asked me to ours, stopped right in the middle of making a shot, stopped the game right in its track. Pretty sure the other team didn't get the ball from you because they were just too shocked by what was happening," she laughed.

"Coach was so mad," Lucas did as well.

"Hey, you won the game… and the prom date," she beamed proudly.

"Well it was you or bust," he nodded, which earned him a greater smile and then a kiss.

Finally, Sam had figured it out. His plan had involved calling on one of Cecilia's classmates and friends, and a textbook. He had no classes on that afternoon, so he'd gone to the girls' school and waited. His partner in promposal had swiped the textbook from Cecilia's bag before hurrying out to bring it to him. On the pages of the chapter they would have been covering that day, Sam had set a series of colorful post-it notes, each with a word: Will. You. Go. To. Prom. With. Me? I'm standing outside, Sam. Cecilia's friend had taken the book back, returned it where it belonged, and they were off.

After a few minutes' long wait, likely assuming he was about to be chased off for roaming around a girls' school, Cecilia had come through the door, motioning for him to join her. When he'd jogged up, she'd held up her index finger, with a new post-it stuck to it. Yes!

Stepping in as always, Lucas had taken Sam out to get his tux, while Maya had gone with Cecilia to find her dress. Later, when they'd finally get the chance to talk in private, they would swap stories on how this adventure had gone for each of them. Both sides showed how excited Maya's brother and his girlfriend were both so looking forward to this night. It wasn't as though this would be their only prom, with Cecilia having a couple of those ahead of her, but this one had the added bonus of being unexpected, a regained opportunity for Sam, and they were very much looking forward to it.

It wasn't as though she would have done a poor job of things if Sam and Cecilia weren't part of those who'd get to benefit from this prom, but Maya had really putting in all her creativity toward making sure this would be a wonderful night, for everyone. Her position with the theater definitely made it so that she had contacts she could call upon, and she used these wisely as she could.

"I think you've got a few fans out there," Lindsay Alcott informed her, as the two of them worked on one end of a long banner. Maya looked at her, and her former teacher nodded across the gym. When she looked, she found a trio of senior boys doing a poor job of hiding the fact that they had been staring in her direction. Maya had to stifle a laugh.

"I don't know, I guess anyone can be into TXNY…"

"Oh, trust me, I don't think it has to do with the music," Lindsay shook her head. Maya looked at her, eyes blinking like 'oh… oh!'

"Well that's… I mean… They're my brother's age," she laughed, frowned. "Why did that make me feel old all of a sudden?"

"Happens to the best of us," Lindsay promised her as they carried on with the banner painting.

"You know, we're almost right in the spot where Lucas asked me to our senior prom," Maya reflected. The memory had been refreshed in her mind, ever since they'd reminisced over it.

"Yeah?" Lindsay asked, smiling.

"Right over there," Maya pointed with her brush. "The stands were packed, and everyone was cheering the two boys' teams. Lucas got the ball, he was moving along down that way, and then he just sort of stood there for a moment and he shouted. 'Maya Hart, will you go to prom with me?'" she imitated, in a muted shout that made Lindsay laugh. "Gotta hand it to him, his voice carries. Everyone just sort of stopped, and I did, too. Wasn't expecting that at all. But it was two seconds, and I answered the best way I knew how." She did not mute herself this time, as she gave hers and Lucas' call. It echoed across the gym, startling the various students going their part of the prom decorations. She laughed now, joined by Miss Alcott.

Just then, a man had appeared at one of the gym doors and signalled for her to join him. She had mixed memories of Principal Wilcox, what with those two years where their school had no basketball teams, but on the whole she did think of him fondly enough.

"He can't call me to his office anymore, can he? I haven't been a student here in six years," she set down her brush and stood.

"Don't worry, he won't put you in detention… I think."

Maya breathed out, straightening herself up a bit as she walked across the gym floor, stealing a look to her trio of admirers and having to hold back from laughing – again – as they worked to appear busy.

"Hey… Principal Wilcox," Maya greeted him. In that moment, she almost felt seventeen again. "Sorry about that, I know it was kind of loud," she pointed back toward the gym.

"Well, it certainly brought back a few memories," the principal tipped his head, and Maya smiled and nodded, going on the side of optimism… and reminding herself she wasn't a student anymore. "Don't think the school has forgotten you and the others of your year for what you did, the way you fought for your teams."

She sort of figured, from what she'd been hearing out of her former teammates, those who had younger siblings at the school especially. But to hear it from the principal, that was sort of… humbling, and she could only smile and thank him.

"And now here you are again," Wilcox nodded toward the gym.

"It's not much, really," she insisted. "Miss Alcott needed help, so…"

"Miss Hart, I have been principal at this school for eighteen years, with fourteen years before this as a teacher. I have seen countless students walk through these halls, enough to be forgiven if I should forget some of them, or recall others mostly by a name, or a face. But there are those precious few who leave a mark, and you are one of them."

"Was this a… a good mark?" she had to ask, just a bit startled by this statement. The principal chuckled.

"Yes, a good one. I'd be so bold as to say a great one. And I remember you, enough to know you're not just here because Lindsay needed a hand after Margaret quit. You're here because this school meant a lot to you, didn't it?" Now she felt young again, maybe as much as thirteen, though she wouldn't have been here in this school yet. In Austin, both in middle and high school, Maya had found her love for learning. After struggling as she'd done back in New York, she had gone and started turning things around in such a significant way. She'd ended up in advanced placement, which had never in a million years been something she foresaw herself having any kind of a chance to reach. She had graduated, with a vision in her mind, for her future.

"It did… it does," Maya told the principal. "They were some of the best years of my life." The principal nodded at this, as she'd confirmed his assumption. In the beat of silence that followed, something he said made her pause. Margaret quit. Was that… Margaret Yang, the art teacher?

"Then in that case, I think you might just be what we need right now, or what we will, at the start of the next school year in the fall," the principal informed her, and Maya hoped more than anything that she wasn't standing here with too shocked of a look on her face. "That is, if you would be interested in applying for the position. I was hoping to get a moment to speak with you, as we're about to begin interviewing our applicants. There is still time if you'd like to be one of them."

It was probably for the best that he'd continued to speak for a few seconds after he'd asked if she would be interested, or else she might have said something dumb she would have regretted forever. But now she'd had the chance at least some of her thoughts, enough of them that she was able to give the man a sound response.

"I am interested, yes, I… I am very interested, sir."

"Wonderful. Please come with me, we can get you an interview date. There will be some documents we'll need from you, will you be able to bring them over or send them in as soon as possible?"

"I can bring them in tomorrow morning on my way to work," Maya nodded.

"Good, good," the principal smiled as he led her to the administrative offices.

By the time she was returning to the gym, it felt as though the last several minutes had been a blur, overloading her. This was real, she knew it wasn't a dream, but it felt like one… She landed back in her spot, next to Lindsay Alcott, with a baffled look on her face.

"You alright there?" Lindsay asked.

"I…" Maya blinked, looking at her. "You knew about this, didn't you?" she asked her former teacher and potential future colleague.

"Well, Margaret quit, the position was open, and I thought to myself 'hey, I know a young teacher looking for just this very chance.' So, I mentioned it to Wilcox, and he said he would handle it." She gestured to the door as though to say 'and now he has.'

Maya was still too stunned to pick up her brush. She was more than stunned, she was… hopeful, she was… overwhelmed. It was happening, if all went well, it was really happening. She'd been out of school nearly two years now, and it wasn't as though she'd left this dream behind, but then there had been so much happening, with the theater, with Stage Ready, and then her contract, and… Oh, something was going to have to change, if she got this job… But what?

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners