I don't own Rizzoli and Isles, but I wish I did.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews, favs, follows, etc! Believe it or not, the scenario I laid out about the parents is legit. Crap like that happens all the time. Just ask my wife. She's a high school counselor!
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Slowly, the second hand completed its circuit around the clock for the thirtieth time since Jane had entered the room. Korsak was busy scribbling notes on a legal pad while Frankie sat next to him typing furiously on his laptop. Adam's parents made good on their threat and brought a lawyer to his disciplinary hearing. According to county policy, the meeting could not legally begin until the school system's lawyer arrived. In the meantime, they met with Josue's parents.
"Mr. and Mrs. Rosales, I'm sure you understand gravity of Josue's actions. School policy requires that students, who commit this form of transgression, must be suspended for the duration of the school year. He has the option of attending night school or pursuing homeschooling until the next calendar year."
Frankie took over for Korsak. He turned his laptop so Josue's parents could read his transcript. "Josue is on track for graduation, so if he completes the rest of the coursework for this semester, we shouldn't have any concerns about him moving into senior year."
"How will this affect his chances of attending college?" Mrs. Rosales's voice trembled slightly.
"We will not inform prospective schools about his disciplinary record unless asked by their admissions board. Some schools don't ask, but he would have to self-report if they do." Frankie's gentle voice reassured Mr. and Mrs. Rosales.
Jane felt the urge to speak, "Listen, Mr. and Mrs. Rosales, I know Josue's a good kid, who made a mistake. I agree with administration that he should accept the consequences for his actions, but I'd like to help him however I can. I know that running cross country and track are passions of his, so I am willing to allow him to try out next year."
Josue spoke for the first time since he entered the meeting, "Thank you, Coach. I'm really sorry for what I did." Josue addressed each member of the administation in turn, "Mr. Talbert, Mr. Korsak, and Mr. Rizzoli, I apologize for the damage I did to Boston East's reputation, and I understand that I deserve the repercussions of my actions."
Jane's anger had long since dissipated. Instead, she was filled with respect for the young man's sincerity and maturity.
That's how the meeting should have gone for both of the kids, but unfortunately that was not the case with Adam's parents.
Once the county lawyer arrived, all hell broke loose.
"What do you mean he can't walk at graduation! We've already ordered his cap and gown, sent out invitations! Mr. Baylor tell them they cannot do that!" Chelsea Hodges screeched.
The Higgins' lawyer straightened his tie before he replied, "I agree with Mrs. Hodges. The punishment for this harmless school prank is extremely disproportionate. At most, Adam should endure a few days of out of school suspension."
"Need I remind you, Mrs. Hodges, that your son committed an act of vandalism on another school's property. He's fortunate that he hasn't turned eighteen yet, otherwise he would have been charged with one count of felony vandalism." Jane, drawing on her prior experience as a police officer, spoke this time.
Adam's father sneered at Jane, "How would you know? You're not a lawyer."
"I concur, Mr. Hodges." Mr. Baylor replied with disdain dripping from his lips.
"No, I'm not a lawyer, but I was a police officer for nearly five years," Jane hitched her thumb over at the county's attorney, "and ask Tom. He'll agree with me."
"She's right." The portly man folded his hands on the table. "Honestly, Mr. and Mrs. Hodges, you don't have a legal leg to stand on." This silenced the obnoxious man and his lawyer, but not Adam's mother.
The woman's acerbic tongue lashed out at the brunette, "This is your fault."
"My fault?!" Jane's voice shot up a couple of octaves. What was wrong with this woman?
Mrs. Hodges seized on Jane's momentary shock. "Yes, yours! All Adam wanted to do was build school pride. You were constantly shoving that down his and his teammates' throats. You bullied him into it!"
Before Jane had a chance to rise to the Chelsea Hodges's bait, Frankie redirected the conversation.
"Let's all get back on the same page. The most important thing is that Adam will still get his high school diploma. We all only want what's in his best interest. Jane doesn't have anything to do with discipline. She's a teacher and a coach. Discipline is not in her wheelhouse."
Frankie's redirection gave Mr. Talbert the opening he needed to bring the meeting to an end.
"As I see it, Mr. and Mrs. Higgins, Adam has two options. First option is that he takes the suspension and completes his studies in night school or through homeschooling. Second option is that he will be expelled from Boston East."
"I'd be expelled?" The cocky smile Adam sported throughout most of the meeting immediately slid off his face.
Jane kept her perfect poker face. She was just relieved that they had finally cut through the kid's entitled bullshit of an attitude.
"Yes," Korsak reiterated. "It's up to you, Adam."
In a small meek voice, the once arrogant teenager replied, "Okay, I'll finish up at home."
The crowd quickly dispersed once all the appropriate paperwork was signed.
Jane pulled Frankie aside after everyone had filed out of the conference room. "Hey, I don't tell you this enough, but you're great at your job. Thanks for intervening."
Compliments from his big sister always made Frankie feel ten feet tall. It didn't matter that they were adults, Frankie would always look up to his sister.
"Hey, no problem." Frankie bumped Jane's shoulder with his own. "I just hate that we had to do the hearings in the first place."
A tired sigh escaped the brunette, "Me, too. Kids do such stupid stuff without any thought of the consequences. Were we dumbasses like that when we were in school?"
Frankie chuckled, "Yeah, but we weren't dumb enough to get caught."
Jane laughed out loud, "You're right. Korsak still doesn't know that we were the ones who saran wrapped his car."
"Or stole all the pens from the front office," Frankie smiled fondly at that memory. He had never laughed harder than when he heard his Ma announce over the intercom, "Whoever took all the pens from the front office, please return them immediately."
From the look on Jane's face, Frankie knew she was remembering the same thing.
"Well, I gotta run. I've got Caleb Taylor covering my class. Thanks again!"
"Bye, Janie!" Frankie stuck his laptop under his arm and headed towards his office. He cringed at the mountain of paperwork he knew was awaiting him.
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"One moment, class." A small knocking on her classroom door drew the doctor's attention.
On the other side of her door, a small sophomore girl stood holding a note. "Hi, Dr. Isles, Ms. Rizzoli told me to bring this to you."
Maura quizzically examined the intricately folded note, whose shape resembled an actual envelope. In a messy scrawl that resembled a certain brunette's, Maura's name was penned. The note unfolded into a full sheet of notebook paper, which surprised the blonde.
A small snort escaped from the doctor as she read the contents.
Do you like me?
Circle Yes or No.
"Umm, I'm not supposed to leave until you answer it." The girl's eyes betrayed her amusement.
Still chuckling, Maura retrieved a pen from her desk and circled the NO. Then across the bottom or the page, she wrote in her elegant script,
I don't like you...I love you!
Maura added a smiley face for good measure.
The doctor quickly folded the note back into its original shape before returning it to the girl. "Thank you, Abbie."
"No problem! See ya, Dr. Isles!" With that the little girl scurried back to bathroom, which was the purpose for her leaving Jane's class in the first place.
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"Real cute, Maura." Jane held up the note as she leaned against Maura's classroom door.
The blonde's dulcet laughter filled the room. "You like that, Coach?" Maura sauntered over to the brunette and pulled her inside before shutting the door.
"Well played," the brunette chuckled, "but to be honest, I was a little shocked to see the big red circle around the no. Good thing I saw your note on the bottom, otherwise my little heart would have been broken." Jane dramatically placed her hand over her heart and pretended to cry.
Maura grabbed Jane by her belt buckle and pulled her close. "Jane, if I had ever received a note like that from you, I would have circled yes so quickly that it would have ripped a hole through the page." In all reality, Maura probably would have.
"Are you satisfied with your love note?" Jane's arms circled around the doctor's waist as she playfully rocked them side to side.
"Definitely. I have to say that it was rather clever of you to use your student as the messenger."
Jane chuckled as she recalled her scheme. "She needed to use the bathroom, so I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone. Besides, isn't it better than me hiding it in your mailbox?"
The thought of Angela Rizzoli discovering the note while she delivered the daily mail into the teachers' boxes was a little cringeworthy.
"True, true. How was the rest of your day, Jane?"
Maura was alluding to the disciplinary hearings from earlier in the day. Jane had yet to mention anything. The doctor wanted to respect the boys' privacy. "Ugh, fine. I'll tell you what I can about it later."
"That's fine, Jane." Maura's smile assured Jane that there was no for further discussion.
Jane rolled her neck from side to side. "I'm in the mood for a run. Do you still have any workout clothes? I figured we could exercise with the kids. They always get a kick out of it because they think they're faster than we are."
"Truth be told, Jane, most of them are." Maura pulled away to grab her keys from her purse. Unlike Jane, she could easily find things in her purse. The brunette usually rummaged around long enough to get pissed off; eventually, she'd give up and resort to dumping all the contents on the nearest flat surface. For this reason, Jane held off carrying purses for anything other than dates or occasions when she wore a dress.
"Hey! I can still give them a run for their money," Jane indignantly defended.
Maura teased the moody brunette and pushed past her, "Nice pun by the way."
Temporarily mollified, Jane called out to the departing doctor, " Thank you. Where you going?"
"To get my workout clothes. They're in the car." Maura had already donned her coat.
"Here, toss me your keys. I don't want you going out in the cold. It's not supposed to warm up until this afternoon." Jane stuck her hand out and waited for the blonde to hand over her keys.
"But Jane…" Maura tried to argue but secretly loved how thoughtful and protective Jane was.
Shaking her head, Jane refused to listen, "Nope, hand them over."
Delicately, Maura dropped the keys into Jane's outstretched hand. "Thank you, Jane." As an extra show of gratitude, Maura kissed the brunette lightly on the cheek.
"Anything for you, Maur'. I'll bring them back by before the bell rings." Jane returned the kiss before leaving the room to brave the cold March morning.
How did I get so lucky? The doctor sighed and returned to the papers she was grading earlier.
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Jane was right about the weather improving. The temperature was in the mid-sixties and perfect for running by the end of the day.
After their warm up lap, Jane and Maura led the students in their stretching. Frost was more than happy to let Jane and Maura take over. It gave him extra time to prep for the field events, which meant everyone could go home early that day.
For obvious reasons, the kids were curious about all the drama from Saturday, so a team meeting was definitely in order.
Jane kept it as concise and vague as possible to avoid any further drama.
"Alright guys, we need to talk. Two of your teammates will no longer be running with you this year on account of disciplinary actions that resulted from this past weekend's track meet. I understand that it's going to take a little time to adjust, but we'll get back to where we need to be. We're bulldogs, right?"
"Right!" The students barked in unison.
After the kids had all settled down, and Jane addressed the team again.
"In case you've noticed, Dr. Isles and I will be joining you guys on your run today." Jane flashed her dazzling smile at the good doctor. "Have fun keeping up!"
Jane surprised everyone, including Maura, by dashing away from the group.
"C'mon, slow pokes! That includes you, Dr. Isles!"
Students and Maura alike indignantly took off after the cocky brunette. Laughter and taunts filled the track as the group completed their first lap around.
"Who's a slow poke now, Rizzoli!" A senior girl dashed past.
"I see your Granny Shot applies to your running, too!"
"Dr. Isles, you're awfully nice to run with old-timer like Coach!"
Keeping their steady pace, Jane and Maura continued to keep up with the kids. "I told you they'd love running with us, Maura." Jane mumbled only so Maura could hear, "Little do they know that I'm going to kick all their asses in a minute."
Maura chuckled, "They've expended most of their energy trying to outrun you, but do you think you can really beat them?" The doctor knew the brunette was in good shape, but some of kids were nearly half Jane's age.
Jane unconsciously lengthened her stride forcing Maura to pick up her pace, "Seriously, Maur'? Watch this!"
The brunette increased her stride and gained on the most obnoxious of her hecklers. She did this wordlessly in an effort to surprise her competition. It only took a few seconds before she caught up with the teenage boy, and even less time for him to catch on to Jane's challenge.
"Think you can beat me, Coach?" The boy teased the brunette woman running alongside him.
Keeping pace with the teenager, Jane replied, "Sure do. Want to make a bet?"
Deliberating for a moment, the teenager suspiciously eyed his coach. "What kind of bet?"
"If you beat me around the track, I'll let everyone leave thirty minutes early. If you lose, you owe me two extra laps around the track each practice for a week."
"Seems fair enough." The boy and Jane came to stop at the starting line.
"Salva, do you want to announce the terms of our race to your team or shall I?" Jane playfully rocked back and forth on her heels.
"I will, Coach." His smile stretched a mile wide.
Jane signaled to Frost to blow his whistle to get everyone's attention.
Once everyone was assembled, Salva addressed his teammates. "Okay, guys. Coach Rizzoli and I made a bet. If I beat her around the track, we all get to leave thirty minutes early!"
A rousing chorus of cheers erupted from the team.
Jane sidled up to the teenager elbowing him to continue, "And if you lose, Salva?"
A little less enthusiastically Salva continued, "If I lose, I have to run an extra two laps at practice for a week."
"You can do it, Salva! This will be easy for you, man!" His teammates voiced their support.
Maura piped up from the back of the crowd, "I'll judge!"
"No way, Dr. Isles!" Salva exclaimed and shook his head vehemently.
Another junior girl shouted, "You're her girlfriend! That's totally not fair!"
"Yeah! She's sleeping with the enemy!"
It grew deathly and awkwardly silent as everyone's eyes fell on the sophomore boy responsible for the remark. The poor guy stuttered, "It's an expression! I didn't mean anything by it!"
Unsure how to react, the team all looked to Jane. To their surprise, Jane was laughing. "It's cool, Ignacio. I know that's what you meant."
This gave everyone permission to laugh and Ignacio permission to breathe again.
It didn't keep the two women from blushing furiously; they sometimes forgot that the kids had figured out that they were dating months ago.
Frost mercifully stepped in and volunteered to judge the race. "It's a win-win for me guys. I either see Coach Rizzoli get her tail whipped and we go home early OR this guy have to run extra laps." The affable man grinned at the boy, so Salva knew he was teasing.
The arrangement pacified the team, and everyone assembled around the starting line to watch the race. Just for fun, Frost ran back to school to grab the starting gun and blocks. It had to be official after all.
While they were waiting, Maura mosied on over to her girlfriend, "Don't over do it, Jane."
"I won't," the brunette fibbed. There was no way in hell she'd let Salva beat her. Jane's competitive streak had just reared its ugly head.
"Just be careful and have a good race!" Maura didn't care students were around, and she gave the brunette a quick good luck kiss.
"OOOooooo!"
The two women rolled their eyes. Teenagers.
Frost was definitely enjoying himself. In addition to the starting blocks and gun, he had grabbed an old referee jersey and spikes for each of them.
The competitors quickly laced up their shoes hopping up and down a couple of times to make sure they fit comfortably. Once satisfied, they gave Frost the signal that they were ready to go.
"Alright! Runners to the starting line!"
Salva playfully slapped Jane on the back. "Have fun, Coach. You're going to have a great view of my back!"
Jane returned the taunt with a raised eyebrow and snort as she settled to get into position to start the race.
"Runners take your mark!"
Jane placed her toe on the line.
"Get set!"
The brunette crouched into position raising up on the balls of her feet to lift her rear in the air.
Memories from races she ran years ago flooded her mind, but the strain of her tightly coiled muscles and slow steady breaths centered her.
POP!
She took off running at near maximum speed, but she slacked off once Salva darted past her. Jane lured the boy into a false sense of security by tricking him into running full speed to put as much distance between him and Jane as possible. To the spectators, Jane looked hopelessly far behind, but the brunette had patience and knew how to pace herself.
The pair had fifty meters left to run when Jane made her move. Salva had burned up all his energy too soon in the race, so she easily caught up with him. The teenager was breathing heavily; Jane could hear his rattling breaths, but she wasn't immune either. An intense burning clawed her throat and lungs as her body desperately fought for oxygen.
Five meters to go, and the sensation of a sharp knife slicing through her calf nearly knocked her off her feet. Her near stumble drew a loud gasp from the crowd. Salva seized on the interruption in Jane's stride and inched past her. No one expected the scream the burst from Jane's throat as she ignored the agonizing pain in her leg to push past the teenager and cross the finish line with inches to spare.
"Rizzoli wins!" Frost's voice boomed.
Jane managed to let out a jubilant whoop of victory before the pain brought her to her knees.
The doctor was by her side immediately, "Jane! Where does it hurt?" The doctor's eyes searched the brunette's body for signs of injury.
"Shit! Ow! Ow! Cramp! Cramp! My calf!" Jane's grasped blindly behind her for the spasming muscle.
The team all hissed in sympathy. Muscles cramps were a bitch, and no one was immune to them.
Maura managed to flip Jane over in order to have better access to Jane's calf. The doctor wasn't going to let this teaching moment go to waste.
"Alright, students, as you can see Coach Rizzoli is suffering from intense cramping in her gastrocnemius muscle, more commonly known as her calf muscle."
"Really, Maura!? Now!?" Jane irritably complained and gritted her teeth against the pain.
The tenderness in Maura's eyes softened Jane's irritation. "Fine, go ahead," Jane grumbled.
Maura tenderly massaged the muscle as she continued her explanation. "Experts disagree about the exact cause of muscle cramps which occur while exercising. Some think that it's related to hydration and mineral deficiencies, but others argued the evidence has proven otherwise. Most doctors do agree that strengthening the muscles and keeping your body fit is the best preventative measure in warding off cramps."
Many of the students were following along with Maura mini-lesson while others were watching Jane's expression. It was a mixture of amusement, pride, and pain.
"If a cramp does strike," Maura continued, "the best means of relieving a cramp is through a massage like I am performing right now and stretching."
Amid hisses, whimpers, and a few mumbled curses, Jane's calf finally relaxed.
"Thanks, Maura." Jane slowly stood with the doctor and Frost's assistance.
Out of courtesy for her explanation, a modest golf clap rippled through the crowd.
"Guys, let's give Salva a hand. He ran a hard race." Jane flashed her trademark Rizzoli smile at her young competitor.
"Don't give him too hard a time. He was just beaten by woman twice his age." Jane teased the exhausted teenager.
Salva laughed and shook his head. He should have known better than race Jane Rizzoli.
"Oh, and Salva?" Jane caught the teen's attention again. "Remember the part of the bet where you have to run an extra two laps?"
The young man grimaced, "Yes."
"Well, forget about it."
The boy perked up immediately, "Really?" He definitely wasn't looking forward to the added workout each practice.
Smiling devilishly, Jane answered the boy, "Yeah, you only have to run one lap!"
Salva groaned as the team chuckled at his misfortune.
Jane continued to lean on Maura for support before she made her next announcement. "I am feeling rather magnanimous today, so in honor of Salva's effort, you can thank him for practice ending early. Go home!"
The team cheered for Jane, Salva, AND their early dismissal.
Being a good sport, Salva offered to help Jane, Maura, and Frost clean up after practice.
"Don't worry about it, go home and enjoy the rest of your afternoon."
"Thanks, Coach!" The young man waved goodbye and slowly jogged over to a group of his teammates who hadn't left yet.
The three grownups quickly cleared away the remnants of the day's practice and tiredly locked the gate to the stadium behind them.
"Barry, would you mind keeping Jane company while I go and fetch my car. It's just across the parking lot."
"Geez, Maura, I can walk over there. I didn't break my leg or anything."
Frost muttered, "No, that was just your ankle."
"Hey! What'd you say?"
Maura hid her giggles behind her hand and jogged off in the direction of her car.
The doctor was nearly to her car when an idea came to Frost. "Jane, hop on my back. I'll carry you to Maura's car."
"No way, man. We're not twelve. You'll drop me!" The brunette tried putting distance between her and her best friend.
"Drop you!? You think I can't carry your skinny white ass?" Frost's manliness was called into question. He had to defend his Y-chromosome.
"Come here!" Frost grabbed the brunette in a fireman's hold and took off sprinting.
Jane held onto Frost's shirt for dear life. "AAAAAHHH! What the hell, Frost! Put me down!"
The man's footsteps came to a thundering stop next to Maura's car.
"There," Frost slowly extricated Jane from his shoulders and placed her feet on the asphalt. "Here you go, Maura, one grumpy Italian, just for you." The man's smile could have lit up the football stadium.
Jane shoved the gleeful man away from her. "You jackass! You scared the shit out of me!"
Maura wasn't much help to Jane since she was doubled over laughing. She had never heard Jane scream like a little girl before.
"You both suck!" Jane groused as she hobbled over to the passenger side of Maura's car. She blushed a little when she saw that Maura's moonroof was ajar.
"Nope, just you, Rizzoli!" Frost smirked.
Jane rolled her eyes before opening and shutting the door in his face.
Puzzled, Maura asked Frost, "What do you mean, just Jane? What does she suck, Barry?"
Frost didn't reply. He just shook his head and walked off laughing.
The doctor settled into the driver's seat. "What did Frost mean by that, Jane?"
"Nothing," Jane groaned, "let's go home."
Maura smiled cryptically. She'd find out eventually.
After turning the ignition, Maura took Jane's hand in her own and drove the familiar route back to her Beacon Hill home.
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Jane couldn't remember the last time she felt this sore. It took colossal effort to blink, let alone drink her beer.
"Hey, Maur?" Jane whined pitifully from her spot on the couch. She had yet to shower even though she was in definite need of one.
"Yes, Jane?" Maura called from the kitchen where she was pouring herself a glass of her favorite Chianti.
Jane groaned. Her body was really pissed off at her. "I over did it. You can say I told you so now."
"You just did for me," the doctor smirked and padded softly over to the prone brunette.
Maura perched on the arm of the couch and slowly sipped her wine. "That was a good thing you did today, Jane."
"What are you talking about Maura?" Jane cracked an eyelid as she spoke.
"It was a welcome distraction from all the drama Adam and Josue caused the team. I didn't hear a single student talking about it after you and Salva ran that race."
Jane painfully shifted her body into a sitting position. "I didn't realize that was what I was doing, but you're right. It was a welcome, albeit painful, distraction."
"You were pretty amazing out there, Jane." Maura slid off the couch's arm to sit in the space Jane made for her. "I loved watching the movement of your musculature as you raced around the track. If you weren't so tired, I'd ask you to flex that musculature for me again." Maura winked playfully and snuggled into Jane's side.
The brunette released a contented sigh. "Although that sounds incredibly appealing, you're right. I'm too tired. Shit, Maura, even my hair hurts."
"Jane you know that's scientifically impossible, I mean…"
Jane cut the blonde off, "I know that, Maur'. I'm only kidding."
"Oh, right, of course!" Maura smiled and took Jane's hand in her own.
"Would you be willing to help me up the stairs and into a hot bath? I could use a good soak." Jane's eyes stared longingly at the staircase.
Maura set her wine glass down on the coaster with light clink. "Of course, do you want to take your beer with you?"
Jane regarded the bottle in her hand. It was still three-quarters of the way full. "Yeah, I'll finish it off up there."
"Alright, Flash Gordon," Maura stood and pulled Jane to her feet, "you're coming with me."
"Nice pop culture reference, Doctor, I'm impressed." Jane smirked as she slowly padded over to the stairs.
"Thank you, Jane." Maura slipped her arm around the struggling brunette's waist and helped her make it up the stairs in one piece.
Once they made it to Maura's room, the doctor gingerly placed the brunette on her bed. "Here, you get undressed while I draw your bath."
All alone, Jane considered the path of least resistance in regards to removing her clothes. Socks were easy enough as well as shorts, but she got stuck with the shirt and sports bra. In her haste to get out of her grimy clothes, Jane grabbed the elastic band of her sports bra and pulled. She thought she'd be able to remove both the shirt and bra simultaneously, but she immediately realized her error when the bra got tangled up with the shirt. After a few pitiful attempts to extricate herself, Jane gave up.
Moments later, Maura re-entered the room. "Jane, are you ready for your...Jane! Are you ok?"
A muffled cry of help came from the bundle of fabric wrapped around Jane's head.
"How did you?" Maura tugged Jane free from her cloth prison.
"I got stuck," Jane admitted.
"I can see that," Maura chuckled at how pathetic big bad Jane Rizzoli was acting. "C'mon, you, get into the tub."
"Did you remember to put bubbles in it?" Jane's voice was so pitiful.
Maura led the grown woman into the bathroom. "Yes, and I remembered to light your favorite candle."
"My beer?" Jane furtively looked around the room.
"It's right here." Maura waved the bottle in the brunette's line of vision.
"If you need anything else, Jane. Just shout." Maura tucked a stray strand of hair behind Jane's ear before she stood and left the room.
Jane watched the door click shut behind the doctor.
Damn, Maura Isles. You are my perfect woman.