Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

It was Friday afternoon after a long week of clinic appointments and patient paperwork, and Sarah was exhausted. The endless days and constant interactions had drained her and she couldn’t wait to settle in with a nice cuppa and watch Bake off with the dogs, enjoying her peace and quiet. 

The unexpected presence of Nick’s car in her driveway immediately dispelled the idea of a restful evening. She sighed and opened the door, mentally readjusting her mindset to discussing classes, school drama, relationship frustrations - only to trip over a pair of haphazardly tucked away dirty converse. 

Right. 

Nick was not here to see her. Ever since that fateful garden club incident the prior summer - Sarah shuddered as her body involuntarily recalled the hangover that had ensued the day after - Nick and Charlie had been inseparable. Well, as inseparable as two teenagers who went to university hours apart from each other could be. Which meant two things: 

1. Nick was coming home much more often, and she rarely had advance notice of it.
2. Despite Nick being home more often, she saw him a LOT less, as he was often “otherwise occupied” while home.

Sure, there would be evidence that he was visiting. The car in the driveway. The hum of the washing machine washing his sheets the next day (best not to think too much about that). The spike in the water bill despite the insistence that sharing showers was saving water. 

She got it. She had been 20 and hormonal once too. Still… maybe her evening would be best somewhere else tonight. 

Sarah rolled her eyes as she heard doors hurriedly slam upstairs, and muffled giggles. No way was she staying here. She quickly gathered her stuff, hurrying out the door, making sure to shut it loudly so they knew she had left. Glancing up at Nick’s window as she got in the car, she saw two faces quickly hide behind the curtains. 

Very subtle, boys. 

🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷

Luckily it was a slower night at the pub than typical for a Friday, and the ladies were able to dish out their gossip (the new neighbors on Shelly St dug up the 20 year old Lavender tree! Tragic!), catch up on what was going on with their kids (Tao is still moping about Elle, but I have a feeling about them eventually. They just need some space.), and even ran into a few friendly faces. 

In fact, Yan ran smack into one of those faces when she wasn’t paying attention – she was walking backwards towards the bar while facing Jane and Sarah still sitting at the table, deep in her impersonation of the Donnie Darko rabbit - silly faces and all. 

She turned and broke out into a huge smile. 

“Mr. Ajayi! My most favoritest terriblest artist teacher! Wait not - no - YOU aren't terrible!” A panicked look crossed her face. “Im meaning to that TAO was a terrible artist and you were his favoritist teacher!” She threw her arms around his shoulders, not noticing the shocked look on his face, although as he glanced over at the table and noticed the large stack of empty glasses, and the happy and slightly hazy faces of two other mums of former students he relaxed. 

“Come sit with us!” Yan exclaimed, grabbing his hand and pulling a bit. 

Nathan turned to survey the table of tipsy mums. 

“Hello Mrs. Spring,” Nathan replied. “And how is Charlie?” 

At this Sarah burst out laughing, causing Jane to glance over, confused, before she looked back at him. “He's doing so wonderfully,” she started before hiccuping loudly, surprising herself. “Studying the classics at Uni.”

Sarah giggled into her wine glass, mumbling the word “studying” while miming air quotes, before clapping her hands over her mouth. 

Nathan looked over at her. “And you are Nick Nelson's mum, right? Is he up to anything fun?”

“Oh I'm quite certain he is. But as his mother I don't think I want to know what!” By this point she was laughing so hard that the tears were streaming down her face. 

“I don't know what has gotten into you tonight Sarah!” Jane said. “This calls for more wine, but maybe you just need some water!” At this she got up and made her way over to the bar, missing Sarah yelling out “It's what's getting into Nick tonight that requires more wine for me I think…”

Jane whipped around, slightly scandalized at what she thought may have been implied but also a little too drunk to know if she was following correctly, then abruptly tripped over a man in a tweed coat facing the other direction, landing straight on her ass, with a half pint of pale ale dripping down her hair, as she looked up into the eyes of the very apologetic biology teacher her daughter had had 3 years ago. 

“Mr. Farouk! Hi!”

“Mrs. Spring?” he questioned. “Can I help you up?”

Sarah watched as Jane walked back, drenched in pale ale, clinging on to the arm of a man she didn't recognize, who looked a tad young for her. Wait, what was she thinking - Jane was married. Sarah was the single one.

Having finally recovered from her earlier laughing fit she bit her tongue to prevent saying anything that would start it up again. 

Yan, however, didn't hold back. 

“Jane! What would Julio think!” she giggled, putting her hand on her chest in an exaggerated faux-scandalized gesture before saying something a tad incoherent about “getting wet at the bar,” causing Jane to drop Yosef's arm and turn bright red, and Sarah to fall off her chair, sitting on the sticky floor as she tried to catch her breath. 

Youseff, clearly the more sober one at the table, stood shocked at what he was hearing. Luckily Nathan came to his defense, lightly scolding the women for their inappropriate comments, before turning and introducing himself. Properly contrite (although still extremely tipsy) the women bid goodbye to the two teachers who were suddenly looking too deeply into each other's eyes to notice anything else, and began to make their way home. 

“They’d make a cute couple,” Yan sighed. 

“I told you I'm very good at matcher making,” Jane retorted, as they finally reached Sarah's house. “Sarah, would you be a dear and let me use your facilitreees?”

“Huh?” Sarah said, and Yan yelled out “She has to pee Sarah! Let her in!”

“Of courshes,” Sarah said, finally turning the knob after trying five times to unlock it. Holding it open for her fellow garden club members, completely forgetting the reason why she had to leave the house in the first place, she bowed with a silly flourish. “After you, my ladies,” and she ushered them inside. 

Now, the universe could never underestimate what goes on in the mind of an 18 year old and 20 year old left unchaperoned in an empty house. But no estimation was needed as Sarah flipped on the lights, because there across her nice couch, right on top of the good throw blanket, and next to one of the good hand towels crumpled on the floor, was a tangle of bare limbs (and bare ass cheeks), and a cacophony of snoring. 

Of course by the time Jane yelled out “CHARLES FRANCIS SPRING” the limbs (and ass cheeks) were jumping around, scrambling for cover (Sarah was definitely going to need a new throw blanket). 

The air was filled with exclamations of “Fuck” and “Oh my God” and “Mum why are you here?” and “Oh hello Mrs Xu” as the two boys scrambled to separate and cover themselves. While doing so they coincidentally ran right into the large potted plant that Sarah had lied about earlier in the evening, tipping it over and thus making the tale of the plant really more of a prophecy than a lie.