Chapter Text
“Alright, Mary, D and I are headed out!” Ava yelled over her shoulder as she untied her A.M. Coffee apron. Diego bounced on his toes, anxious to leave,
“Bye, Aunt Mary! See you tomorrow!”
Mary turned and gave the two a mock salute,
“Bye guys! Don’t forget to mail out the rent check, Ava.”
Ava groaned as she pushed open the back door and stepped into the parking lot. Owning a business with your best friend was fun in theory, but in reality, it was tiring. It was fun, but picking up extra shifts, managing expenses, and caring for a ten year-old made Ava exhausted. She stifled a yawn as she got into her beat-up sedan, turning to make sure Diego was buckled in before starting the drive home,
“Make sure you behave for Mrs. Frances tonight, ‘kay D?”
“But she’s always mean to me. And to you!” Diego whined, “And she always brings those creepy Jesus statues to our apartment.” Ava gave him her “mom” look in the rearview mirror as she drove,
“I know you don’t like Mrs. Frances, but she was the only person available to watch you while I go to your open house.”
At the mention of the event, Diego bounced in his seat, all thoughts of Mrs. Frances gone, “I can’t wait for you to see what I made you!” Ava chuckled as Diego continued, “Ms. Beatrice told me I did a really good job,”
“I’m sure I’ll love it, buddy.”
Diego continued rambling on about school, and in particular, his teacher. Ava had never met this “Ms. Beatrice”, but she seemed to have done wonders for her son in a short amount of time. Not only had Diego never been excited to learn before (a change Ava was very happy to see), but he adored his teacher. He was always telling her something cool about the woman ( “did you know she does Aikido, mom?” ), or something fun they had done in class (“ -and then she taught us how to use a compass to navigate. A real one, not like an app!” ). Ava was looking forward to finally getting to meet her tonight.
She pulled into her parking space at their apartment complex a short time later, still listening to Diego -- “she’s totally a ninja, mom! She can use shurikens,” -- as she got out of the car and opened his door.
“You can tell Mrs. Frances all about school tonight, Diego,” Ava ushered him out of the car and up the stairs, “but I have to get ready to go, okay?” she pushed open the door to their apartment.
Ava flipped on the lights and set down her bag on the kitchen table. Diego sat and took out his homework and Ava ruffled his hair as she walked to her bedroom to change. She sighed as she opened her closet to look for something to wear. Fancy, but not too fancy. And still comfy. After much deliberation, Ava decided to wear a cardigan and the jeans she had worn to work. The top had been a gift from J.C., and she had almost thrown it out, but Mary, Ava thanked whatever was out there for her, had convinced her to keep it.
“What’s for dinner tonight?” Diego didn’t look up from his work as Ava stepped back into the kitchen. Their table was a mess of papers, pencils, and crayons as he furiously scribbled.
“Croissant sandwiches from the shop,” she held up two paper bags.
“Again? That’s like the third time this week!” Diego complained,
“Sorry, D,” Ava ran a hand through her hair, “but it’s been super busy. I’ll make it up to you on Saturday, promise.”
“Fine,” Diego stuck his tongue out at Ava. She scrunched up her face and stuck her tongue out back at him as she put his sandwich into the toaster oven to reheat. When the toaster beeped, Ava got out a plate and carefully put the sandwich on it, hissing in slight annoyance as she burned her fingers. She went to place it in front of Diego just as the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it!” Diego jumped up and ran to the door and Ava took out her phone to check the time.
5:45. Shit . She put her phone back in her pocket and went to greet Mrs. Frances.
“You poor thing, you look so harried. No wonder you don’t have a husband,” Mrs. Frances said by way of greeting.
“Nice to see you too, Mrs. Frances,” Ava muttered under her breath. Putting on a smile as fake as Mrs. Frances’ two front teeth, Ava spoke in a saccharine voice, “thanks so much for agreeing to watch Diego tonight. I really appreciate it,”
“Of course!” Ava internally cringed at her neighbor’s voice, “it’s my pleasure to watch this little thing.”
“Alright, I should be home no later than nine,” Ava picked up her purse as Mrs. Frances walked inside. “Be good,” she said to Diego, who made a face at her behind Mrs. Frances’ back, “I mean it, D.”
Ava went to her car as quickly as she could. Barely watching for pedestrians, she pulled onto the road. Shit, shit, shit, she was maybe going to make it to Diego’s open house on time, probably not if she was being honest. What a great way to make a first impression on his teacher , she thought to herself, she’s gonna think I’m sooo responsible.
~~~~
To say Beatrice was nervous about open house was an understatement. She anxiously paced in front of her desk as Camila poked her head in.
“Everything okay, Bea?”
Beatrice gave the librarian a tight smile,
“Yes, just a bit nervous. Meeting the new parents is always a challenge.”
Camila nodded sympathetically as she stepped into Beatrice’s classroom. She gently placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder,
“I’m sure they’ll love you, Bea,” Camila smiled, feeling the tiniest bit of tension leave Beatrice, “I have some nettle tea in my office if you want. I find it always helps calm me down”
Beatrice gave Camila a wry smile, “I think I need something a bit stronger than nettle tea, but thanks for the offer.”
Camila smiled back as she began walking towards the door,
“Good luck, Bea!”
“I’m gonna need it,” Beatrice said quietly to herself. She walked around her classroom, adjusting things here and there, making sure everything was as perfect as possible. She went back to the front of her room and unceremoniously plopped down in her chair. It was going to be a long night.
~~~~
Ava thanked whatever god might be out there as she pulled into Areala Elementary’s parking lot and found an empty parking space close to the entrance. She looked at the time and silently swore. 6:02. She was officially late. Thankfully, she remembered where Diego’s classroom was from walking him there on the first day of school. Running at a speed she didn’t think possible, Ava rushed to the classroom. Taking a moment to compose herself, she opened the door as quietly as she could.
Heads turned towards her as she stepped into the classroom. Silence fell over the room and Ava made eye contact with the woman at the front of the room.
Shit, she thought to herself, she probably hates me . The woman gave Ava a slight smirk before clearing her throat and continuing her speech. Ava looked a little closer at Beatrice and felt her mouth go dry.
Fuck. She’s hot, too.