March 7th 2023

Chapter 66
We Grow As A School

"What… Where is everyone?" Maya asked when she walked into her classroom, expecting to find the two quiz teams doing their usual morning session before classes started. All their things were there, spread out over a couple of the stations, but all bags and books had been abandoned there, not a student in sight, not even the new team's advisor. Maya texted her as she walked back out of her class and started toward the French class. Maybe they'd gone there for some reason?

It was by chance that, just after sending her text to Stella, she happened to pass the girls' bathroom and caught in the quiet of early morning… the notification bell, coming from inside. So, she redirected herself and walked through the door.

"Stella?"

"Yeah, be right out," her voice emerged from behind one of the stall doors and, a moment later, she walked out. "I just got your message," she held up her phone. "They should be… in the gym," she paused and started again, pointing in the direction of the gym. "You'll see," Stella smiled, leading her out. Maya followed.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, they just had to…"

"No, not with the kids," Maya specified. "With you."

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know, you just seemed a little…"

"Wedding things, you know?" Stella explained, breathing out.

"Yeah…" Maya had to chuckle. "I still can't believe how long it's been sometimes. Never thought so much could go into one day."

"Tell me about it," Stella hummed. "And we've got people in two continents to deal with. We're starting to think about having two ceremonies, one here and one there, but then there's the question of… which one first…" she frowned, pressing at her temple.

"Oh, no," Maya smiled sympathetically. "You go ahead and bother me about this anytime you'd like, yeah? I'll be happy to help."

"I know," Stella smiled; she had already known, naturally.

When they reached the gym, they very quickly found their missing teams, there along with a few others, specifically the whole of the cheerleading squad and a good chunk of the school's basketball teams and their part of the LGBTeam.

It had not been so long that the basketball teams had gone and banded with the cheerleaders, the better to help them gain what skills and team unity they had not been able to get through their current coach. The whole thing had been kept as quiet as it could, but those who knew about it could see how all those kids had been working through it together, whenever they could find the time. Now, when Maya and Stella came to find them in the gym that morning, they got to see some of the results that had started to take shape. It wasn't a complete one eighty from what they'd been seeing up to now, but to look at them today, it was a lot easier to see what should have been evident all along, which was that these kids had talent. Better yet, they all seemed to be noticing that shift in themselves, too, which went a long way toward keeping them working in that direction. Maya would guess that the reason the quiz teams had left the art room was so that those of them either in the squad or otherwise connected to this project could be there, in the gym.

When they all came to a stop and looked at her, Maya grinned, opening out her hands to bring them together in a clap… Someone started to clap before she could, from behind her, which she supposed would explain why they all looked spooked all of a sudden instead of proud, as they should have been. Maya didn't have to turn around to know who the applause was coming from, and she kind of wished that she didn't end up doing it. She didn't know what to make of the smile on Sandra Davenport's face. Should she be worried? And about what part?

"Much better. Much, much better, well done," the principal addressed them all, and if she could sense how tense they all were – how could she not – she didn't show it. They all looked at her and some of them might have been considering making a run for it. "Well, Mrs. Friar, you sure do know how to keep busy, don't you? The quiz team, the musical, now our very own cheerleaders… It's a wonder that you have time to teach your classes." Maya could almost feel the students' eyes on her now, her siblings' in particular boring into her back, like they now worried about her… and her job. There shouldn't have been anything about this to suggest there was anything for them to worry about, but then with this principal of theirs…

"She wasn't…" Austin Abbott tried to speak up, but Maya cut him off, feeling like she might have been planting herself between him and Sandra Davenport, like a shield.

"The squad asked for my opinion, so I gave it," she explained with a casual shrug.

"It looks like you did a whole lot more than that," Sandra suggested, looking at the cheerleaders again. Her squad, her project…

"Anything for the school," Maya responded, cordially tipping her head now. The principal responded as she'd predicted she would, by echoing the gesture.

"Well, we might need to see about making sure that you keep this up. School spirit is so important, isn't it?" Sandra replied, still in that same tone of hers that dripped with nothing but fake candor.

"It truly is," Maya agreed, matching her inch for inch, showing that she could speak without speaking, too.

"Then it's settled. The position is yours."

She was gone before Maya could say another word and, once she was gone, Maya allowed her jaw to drop as she blinked and turned back to look at the students behind her.

"What just happened?" Nellie asked, looking to Gracie, to their teammates, over to MJ and his teammates…

"I think she's the cheer coach now," he gestured to their big sister, who suddenly had all the makings of a new headache forming, pressing at her skull with pain. Several of the students started to speak over one another, the tones coming off a lot clearer than words ever could in that noise. Some of them were shocked, others thrilled, more confused…

"Okay, hey, hey!" Maya finally had to raise her voice over all of them, so they'd stop and listen. They did. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, yeah?"

They just kept staring at her, unsure what to say. Either way, their thoughts were clear, there in their eyes. Whatever she said or thought, the principal had made up her mind, and they all knew her enough by now to guess that, if she hadn't done it already, she was going to fire their currently ineffective coach and make the transfer of power official. Why wouldn't she, right? It wouldn't matter that, if they were all perfectly honest, Maya hadn't technically done anything to help get the squad sorted out. That had all been the basketball teams and the LGBTeam. Could she help get them all the way if she tried? Stranger things had happened, she guessed. And somehow, she preferred for Sandra to think that this had been her rather than to know who was really responsible. She could deal with her just fine without bringing the kids into it. Damn it, I'm the cheer coach now…

"Fine, okay…" she sighed, and it was all the squad needed to hear to break into relieved and excited shouts. "Hey!" Maya cut over them again, and they stopped. "Not right now," she gestured, making them laugh. "I'll… I'll see you this afternoon."

That was all they needed to hear for now, and so they started to disperse. The quiz teams retreated together, bound for the art room again, so Maya and Stella went and followed them.

"This is going to be really good, you know?" Stella told her, smiling, and Maya wanted to argue, but she looked at her, saw that smile, and she could only chuckle.

"I guess it can't completely suck, right? I just… I don't know how Sandra's going to use this right now, and that's not good. Last thing I need is for her to have another thing she can use to…"

She stopped as, without warning, Stella broke away from her and sped off ahead, diving once more into the bathroom where she'd first found her that morning. Maya hurried to join her and, upon entering, was greeted with the sound of retching, echoing out from inside one of the stalls. She could fill in from what she saw under the door that Stella was crouched before the bowl as her stomach went and unburdened itself. Maya briefly thought to herself how this was the very stall from which a then fifteen-year-old Stella Buckley had emerged, the day they'd met. There was nothing for her to do just then except wait for the sick to stop coming or for Stella to come back out again. Finally, silence resumed.

There were questions in her head, but they all mostly found a way to answer themselves. She had sort of caught a pale quality to her colleague earlier, which suggested that the same problem had brought her here then, too, nausea hitting her twice now and bringing her here to relieve it. And to look at her before, when she'd come out to meet her, that might not have been the first time something like this happened as of late… and she wasn't thrown by it. She knew to expect it, she… oh.

"Do you need anything?" Maya asked through the door.

"No, it's alright," Stella assured her, voice shaky post sickness. She slowly stood back to her full height, stayed where she was, hesitant…

"When are you due?" Maya tempted to ask, though she would have been deeply shocked to find herself wrong. She didn't think she was, and after a few seconds…

"December," Stella replied, quiet, and Maya felt a jolt at her heart as she smiled. A moment later, the door opened, and her shy bird slowly emerged. Maya motioned to her, asking if she could hug her, to which Stella nodded. So, she lightly embraced her and received the same in return, shaky arms looped around her.

"How long have you…"

"Almost a week now," Stella revealed. "I wasn't going to say just yet," she admitted. "Not that I'm scared, but…"

"No, please, you don't need a reason. I won't tell anyone," Maya promised, pulling back to look at her. If her eyes hadn't been welling up already, they were now. She cupped her former student's face in her hands, and to see her smile just now… "You know, sometimes I look at you and I can still see the girl that stepped out of that stall, over a decade ago, but I'm looking at you now and… You've grown so much. I'm so happy for you, you're… How are you doing?" she asked, feeling her concerned Mama side kicking in.

"I'm okay, I… The nausea's not that great, but other than that, so far, I'm just…" she shrugged. "I haven't even told my parents yet… or Phoebe. You're the second one to know that's not a doctor, after François. You should have seen his face," her smile rose up again, and Maya hugged her once more. "I'm really glad you found out."

"So am I. I'll gladly help you cover up in here," she told her, and Stella laughed. "Do you need anything now? Are you good to go or are you feeling more…"

"You wouldn't happen to have a mint on you, I think I'm out."

"Mint, absolutely, I've got you." Oh, this day hadn't even really started yet, and it was already fifteen shades of surprising. She had a new job… and her shy bird was going to be a mother… Whatever else happened that day, she felt ready for it.

TO BE CONTINUED


See you tomorrow! - mooners