After calling Arabella, the housekeeper caring for the Abasolo estate in Calista's frequent absence, and asking for her help, Emma and Regina finally secured a private plane to take them from Bangor to Boston. Arabella graciously sorted out their travel needs, given the situation's urgency.
In an hour and a half, the couple parked in front of Calista's school. Regina, for her part, was vibrating with equal parts rage and fear. Rage because someone had been harassing their daughter to the point of violence, and fear because their daughter could face serious consequences. Emma opened the door to the SUV she and Regina had traveled in. Her feet touched the pavement first before Regina exited the vehicle as well. "Is everything okay?" Emma questioned once she stood beside her lover.
"I'm so scared for her," Regina whispered. Emma nodded understandingly, wrapping an arm around her lover in comfort.
"Babe, I can't say she won't be in a lot of trouble for what happened today, but I do know that whatever happens, we'll get through it together," Emma said, offering Regina a comforting squeeze before guiding her lover towards the school's main entrance.
Were it not for all the signs pointing them in the right direction, the two women would have gotten lost as they made their way to the main office.
The secretary behind the desk looked up as the two women entered. Her eyes widened as she took in their appearance. Regina's intimidating aura and Emma's no-nonsense expression were not something she was unused to seeing in the parents of this school's students. "Can I help you?" she asked, trying to hide her unease.
"Yes, we're here to see Principal Williams," Regina said firmly.
The secretary hesitated briefly before picking up the phone on her desk. "Principal Williams, there are two women here to see you," she said into the receiver before looking up at Regina and Emma. "Please have a seat; she'll be with you shortly."
Regina and Emma took the seats before the desk while the secretary returned to work. The silence in the room was palpable, and Emma could feel Regina's tension rising beside her. She reached over and took Regina's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
Finally, the principal's office door opened. The principal was attractive in a plain, professional way. She wore a black blazer over a simple, navy blue business dress, her brown hair neatly clasped into a low ponytail behind her head. She held herself with poise, her blue eyes observant. "Good afternoon. I'm Vice Principal Williams," she greeted them, a hand outstretched.
Emma stood up and shook her hand, "I'm Emma Swan, and this is my partner Regina Mills. We're here to discuss our daughter Calista's recent incident at school."
Principal Williams nodded and gestured for them to follow her into her office. Once seated, she retrieved Calista's file from her desk and flipped it open. "As you're already aware," she said, placing the file on the desk. "Calista was involved in a physical altercation with another student."
Regina's face twisted with concern as Emma said, "We're aware of what happened. We're here to understand why it happened and who's been harassing our daughter."
Principal Williams frowned slightly, "We take incidents like this very seriously at our school. I'm afraid I can't divulge too many details about the other students involved for privacy reasons. However, I can tell you that there has been ongoing tension between Calista and this other student for some time now."
Emma frowned, "What kind of tension?"
"It seems there has been some bullying going on," the principal explained. "Unfortunately, it seems to have escalated today."
Regina's jaw clenched; her child was being bullied, and nothing had been done about it.
"Why hasn't anything been done about this before now?" Regina ground out in frustration.
"Calista hasn't brought anything to our attention before today," Principal Williams began hesitantly. "I've spoken with the other student involved and several witnesses, and I understand what occurred." She paused momentarily before continuing, " Sometimes, the students don't feel comfortable coming directly to authority figures here on campus. They often opt to handle things of this nature on their own. That, however, doesn't mean that faculty doesn't notice or talk amongst themselves." The principal's shoulders sagged, and for the first time, Emma and Regina could see how tired the other woman looked.
"I'm going to level with you," Principal Williams continued. "Off the record? Calista is a favorite among faculty, and her record is nothing short of pristine. I would hate for an incident like this to go on her permanent record."
Regina leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. "What are our options then?" she asked, her voice dripping with irritation.
Principal Williams hesitated for a moment before speaking. "It can be argued that Calista has undergone some abrupt changes following her mother's death," the woman swallowed audibly but pressed on. "An event such as that is no doubt extremely traumatic. It can be argued that the years of bullying, compounded with her grief, caused her current reaction. I have already issued Calista a verbal warning and two weeks of in-school detention, but I would like to mandate that she start seeing our school therapist at least once weekly."
Emma nodded in agreement. "We understand, but what about the other student involved? What kind of disciplinary actions will they face?"
"As I said, I cannot divulge specific details about the other student due to privacy rules. But I can assure you we will speak with their parents and take appropriate measures," Principal Williams assured them.
Regina sighed, feeling some of the tension leave her body. "Okay, thank you. And what about Calista's record?"
"I will ensure this incident does not go on her permanent record. However, I suggest you sit down with her and discuss the severity of what happened today and ensure she understands that this behavior is never acceptable," Principal Williams advised
Emma and Regina sighed in relief, but something still bothered Emma about this conversation. Though they'd specifically asked, the principal had not yet divulged what occurred today.
"We appreciate what you are willing to do for our kid, but we'd like to know what exactly happened today," Emma stated firmly. Regina, clasping Emma's hand, nodded in agreement.
Principal Williams let out a quiet sigh. "According to various witnesses, Calista and one of her friends were practicing some dances in the gymnasium during their free period when the student she had the altercation with approached them and began verbally harassing them. Calista attempted to walk away and leave the situation, but the other student pursued her. From what I understand, the other student struck Calista first before spitting on her, which is when Calista reacted."
Emma's face turned red with anger as she heard what happened. "That's not bullying; that's assault," she said through gritted teeth.
Principal Williams nodded solemnly. "I understand how you feel, Miss Swan. And I assure you, we will take appropriate measures to ensure this doesn't happen again."
Regina spoke up, her voice cold and controlled. "We appreciate that but also want to ensure our daughter is safe. What measures are you taking to protect Calista from further harassment or assaults?"
The principal hesitated for a moment before answering. "We will be increasing security measures on campus and monitoring the situation closely. We will also be reaching out to the parents of the other students involved to discuss their actions and ensure they understand the severity of what occurred."
Emma nodded in agreement, feeling relieved knowing that the school was taking this seriously and doing something about it. "Thank you for your time and for keeping us informed," she said, standing up from her chair.
Regina followed suit, her eyes focused on the principal. "Please take us to our daughter."
A disheveled Calista and Danica awkwardly sat on separate beds in the nurse's office. Purple tendrils of hair spilled down Calista's neck, having escaped from the now haphazard bun atop her head. While Calista fiddled with fingers, picking at a scrunchy barely able to tame her unruly hair, Danica watched silently, almost hungrily. The dark-haired girl's hands finally freed her locks from their prison, and tresses like molten chocolate and amethyst cascaded down her back. Calista was too lost in herself to notice the yearning in Danica's cerulean eyes.
Surveying herself in her compact mirror, Danica silently swore to herself at the purpling bruises on her face and the ugly white bandage that sat affixed to her broken nose. Even with her swollen features, the blonde was still beautiful. All she needed was a little makeup. Okay, a lot of makeup. Thankfully, Calista and Danica were each given their personal belongings following the fight. Digging around in her bag, Danica retrieved her makeup pouch and got to work on covering up her damaged face. Though it wasn't flawless, Danica soon returned to her pre-injury state, looking like she had nothing more than a broken nose in just fifteen minutes. After placing her things back inside her bag, the blonde stood and went to where Calista sat, gingerly sitting on the bed beside her.
"Hey," Danica began, a little unsure of herself as she spoke. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."
Calista glanced warily at the blonde. "I don't understand," she said with a sigh. "I beat the crap out of you, and you're apologizing?" Calista asked, eyebrow quirked in disbelief.
Danica merely shrugged. "I won't sit here and pretend I didn't deserve it," said the blonde. "The truth is, you probably should've kicked my ass years ago. I can't believe it took you this long."
Calista barked out a surprised laugh. "I don't typically do the whole violence thing," Calista said with a shrug. The two girls sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Calista spoke again.
"Out of curiosity, why do you hate me so much?" The brunette asked.
Danica huffed, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. "Okay, look, I know I have been a huge asshole to you from day one-"
"Understatement of the century," Calista cut in.
Danica bit her lip, trying to keep the smile from spreading. "You know what? That's fair," she said. "The truth is, I don't hate you," she said softly, her gaze piercing Calista's. "Maybe I thought I did at first, but when I stopped to think about it, the feelings I have for you..." She trailed off, letting the sentence hang between them, and everything seemed to stop. Calista held her breath as Danica's words slowly sank in, and reality hit her like a ton of bricks.
Calista's eyes widened a little at the other girl's admission. "The feelings you have for me...?" Calista softly prompted.
Danica glanced down, nervously tugging at her fingers before saying, "Fuck it."
Before Calista could react, Danica leaned in and crashed her lips against hers. At first, Calista was frozen in shock, but her body quickly responded to the kiss. It was rough and uncoordinated, fueled by years of pent-up emotions. As their lips moved against each other's, Calista couldn't help but feel a mixture of desire, confusion, and guilt.
Calista was so sure that her relationship with Erica was forever. But all of a sudden, the other brunette arrived at the nurse's office. She looked angry and in pain, refusing even to look Calista in the eye. The tall brunette said she couldn't be with someone who could act so aggressively, and her voice had an icy finality. Calista couldn't believe it; she had never lost her composure before, and now that she had, she was being punished. As Erica stormed off without looking back, Calista felt her heart shatter. Erica had abandoned her right in the nurse's office an hour and a half ago. Now, Calista was sitting on a clinic bed, lip-locked with Danica Vaughn.
Calista and Danica were so wrapped up in their heated makeout session that they failed to hear the door of the nurse's office open. As Emma and Regina walked in with Vice Principal Williams, they gaped at the two girls in shock. The girls' heads snapped up in horror at the loud throat clearing. Calista stood up from the bed, feeling a wave of nausea wash over her as she processed everything that had happened. Her relationship with Erica was over; she had just kissed Danica, a girl who had relentlessly bullied her for years. Her new mothers just caught her kissing Danica. It was all too much to handle.
"I need to go," Calista said, grabbing her bag and heading towards the door.
"Calista, wait," Danica called after her, but the brunette didn't turn back.
As she walked out of the nurse's office and into the empty hallway, Calista felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. She didn't know what to do next.
Emma and Regina shared a worried look as they watched Calista hurry away. The two women hurried out of the nurse's office, following after the teenager. Once they caught up to Calista, the girl flung herself at Emma and burst into tears.