On Monday, Misty skipped study hall again and made her way out to the greenhouse. She breathed in deeply as she entered and could hear Miss Goode moving something around in the back room. She took her usual seat and pulled a potted plant toward her. The woman emerged from the back and nodded.
"I figured that was you. Just making sure," Misty nodded to her and the woman turned back around and make her way back into the other room. Misty was caught up in her task a few minutes later when she heard the woman call her name out, "Misty? Would you mind helping me for a moment?"
The girl stood and made her way into the back room. She saw Miss Goode bent over a large bag of soil. There were three already stacked next to it. She looked up when the girl entered, "Sorry. I just can't lift it that high by myself."
"Sure thin', Miss Goode," Misty walked over and picked it up before putting it on top of the stack. She looked back up to the woman who looked shocked.
"I meant help me lift it but okay, Miss Muscles," Misty laughed and followed the woman back out into the main room. Miss Goode sat down across from the girl when she took her seat. The woman was dressed little more casually today. She had on grey slacks and a white shirt with a black blazer thrown over it. Misty thought she always looked great. 'Ugh. Stop that.' She internally rolled her eyes at herself and looked over to the woman who had bit her lip in concentration as she worked on a plant. Misty looked back down to keep from smiling too widely at the sight.
"Sorry for interruptin' ya earlier."
"It's not a problem, Misty. Are you staying after school today?"
"If that's okay," Miss Goode looked up and nodded to the girl. Misty grinned, "Then, yeah."
oooOOooOOooo
"So, Misty. What all are you taking this year?" Misty looked up at the woman. They'd exchanged small talk during the period and it was now the beginning of the after school hour.
"Oh, umm. AP Bio, AP Literature, AP Calculus, and AP Economics," Miss Goode nodded.
"Loaded down in AP courses then."
"Yes, ma'am," Cordelia scrunched her nose up and opened her mouth to speak. She was cut off by the sound of a meow and raised her eyebrows.
"I can make quite a few noises. That is not one of them," Misty laughed and got up when she heard the noise again. She shifted a few large pots and grinned widely when she saw what was making the noise.
Miss Goode grinned when Misty turned back to her with a small kitten in her hands. She sat back down and placed it on the table between them. The cat looked up at her and nuzzled into the wild blonde's hand when she petted it. It had white fur and bright blue eyes, "She's so pretty."
"She?" Misty just looked up at her and nodded, "She must have slipped in here to get out of the rain earlier today," Misty met her eyes and Miss Goode reached out to pet the cat behind the ears, "She is pretty."
"What're ya gonna do with her?" The woman met her eyes and looked down at the kitten.
"Do you want her?"
"I can't. My dad's allergic ta cat fur," She nodded and looked back to the animal in front of her.
"I can't really take her. I guess I'll have to take her to the shelter," Misty scrunched her nose up, "What?" She looked up when she realized that the woman had seen her grimace.
"Oh, nothin'."
"Misty, tell me."
"It's just, the shelter is pretty full and they'll most likely put her down. I mean it's your decision either way and I'm not tryin' ta tell ya what ta do," The woman nodded and reached out to pet the cat again, "It's too bad I can't keep her. She looks like a Rhiannon," The woman met her eyes.
"You like Fleetwood Mac?" Misty looked up and nodded grinning.
"I love them. Stevie's amazin'," The woman grinned at the girl's excitement, "Oops. Sorry," She shook her head.
"It's fine Misty. I'm sure Aunt Stevie would love to hear that," Misty's eyes widened comically and the woman across from her laughed.
"Aunt Stevie?"
"Well, technically she's more like a god mother I suppose," The girl just stared at her in shock.
"Ya mean ya've met her?"
"Yes. She was around a lot when I was growing up. She and my mother were childhood friends," Misty felt her jaw drop and looked down at the table top, "Anyway. I will take her after school and make the decision then," Misty nodded and reached to pet the cat again.
oooOOooOOooo
Misty was in the animal clinic after school on Thursday when she heard a familiar voice and emerged from the back, "No, I don't know any family history… No, I don't know where she came from… Can you get someone competent to help me please?" Misty giggled and finally stepped up to the counter. She motioned the intern back and the girl looked at her in thanks, "Oh thank God."
"So, ya kept her?" Cordelia just nodded.
"I couldn't let them kill her. And that shelter had awful conditions on top of that," Misty nodded.
"Okay. We'll get her a file started then. One second," The girl disappeared and reappeared a moment later. She came around into the waiting room area and guided the woman to a seat. She took the one next to her, "First and last name?"
"Mine?"
"Yes, yours," She giggled.
"Cordelia Goode," Misty grinned at that new information and wrote it in.
"And her name?"
"Rhiannon."
"Ya kept it?"
"It fit her," Misty just smiled and finished filling out the paperwork.
"We'll get her back as soon as we can," Cordelia nodded her thanks and Misty stood to leave her. She entered the back room and Karen spun to look at her.
"What do you have a thing for her or something?"
"Karen!" She looked around to make sure no one else had heard her.
"What? No one else heard me. I don't see why you hide your sexuality anyway. It's nothing to be ashamed of," Misty just looked at her, "So anyway, do you like her?"
"She's my teacher," The woman giggled.
"You have a thing for your teacher."
"I do not," The woman raised her eyebrows.
"You know, we usually hand people their own paperwork and let them fill it out and bring it back. You filled that out for her," Misty bit her lip, "You do like her."
"I do not," The woman stared at her, "She's pretty okay? That's it."
"If you say so, Misty. Did she say you named her cat?" Misty stared at her for a moment with furrowed eyebrows.
"I can't tell if that was supposed ta be a euphemism or not, but I ain't fallin' for it."
oooOOooOOooo
Misty entered the greenhouse as usual for study hall and didn't see the woman. She sat down at her usual station and put her ear buds in and cranked her music up on her phone.
Cordelia entered the room and paused to look at the girl. 'She's so naturally beautiful. And so innocent. Gosh, her hair is gorgeous.' Cordelia shook her head and frowned inwardly at herself before walking towards the girl, "Misty?" She didn't look up and Cordelia finally noticed that the girl had music playing in her ears. She pulled an ear bud from one of the girl's ears and Misty jumped before looking up.
"I'm startin' ta think that ya are doin' that on purpose," Cordelia laughed.
"I'm sorry, sweet heart. I didn't mean to scare you," Misty grinned at the term of endearment and glared playfully, "Honestly. It was an accident."
"Okay. When do you have to pick Rhiannon up?"
"Tuesday. I had her shots done and I had to have her declawed," She noticed Misty's eyes lose their shine and grimaced, "I didn't want to do it either but I have really old furniture and it's not technically mine," Misty nodded.
"She'll be okay," Miss Goode nodded at her, "I hope your furniture is white," Cordelia furrowed her eyebrows, "Umm. She's kind of a shedder."
"Great," The woman laughed though, "It will be fine," Misty nodded.
"She's so sweet. We have a younger volunteer that comes in once a week. It's kind of more of a therapy thin' for her," The woman nodded, "She loves Rhi," Cordelia grinned at her, "Somethin' about her lookin' like a cotton ball or a snow ball or somethin'," The woman laughed at her and Misty grinned too.
"She does kind of look like both of those," The girl nodded.
oooOOooOOooo
On Tuesday, Misty was in the back room with the animals when the door opened, "Can you get that fluff ball ready to go?"
"Umm. What?"
"The one that Sierra likes… Ree something?"
"Rhiannon?"
"Yes! That one. Her owner is here," Misty nodded and opened that crate to coax the kitten out.
"I've got her," The nurse nodded and Misty walked the cat out to the waiting room. Cordelia turned when the door opened and grinned before taking the cat from her.
"Thanks," Misty just nodded, "See you tomorrow, Misty."
"Bye, Miss Goode."
oooOOooOOooo
Misty came in the house later than usual that night and paused to see if she could hear her parents. She didn't and walked more fully into the house and headed to her room before her arm was gripped hard and she was pulled backwards roughly. She cried out in pain and was met with her father's face.
"Where have ya been, girl?"
"Work," She was trying to keep still but his grip on her arm kept tightening.
"Ya shoulda been home half an hour ago."
"I had ta close up," He shoved her roughly.
"Go ta bed. You're gettin' up early in the mornin' ta do what ya shoulda done tonight," She just nodded and walked quickly from the room before heading to her own bedroom. She looked down at her red forearm and sighed. Long sleeves it was.