Chapter Text
The sun has long gone down past the tree line as the soft sounds of Tapestry crackle from the record player. Ray’s home is only a stone’s-throw away from Schitt’s Creek Outdoor Education Centre, and it has become a cozy and welcoming place for more drawn-out staff meetings. Now that Roland’s gone, mumbling something about Devil Wears Prada that neither of them need or want to know about, Ronnie and Ray can finally start a second, more serious round of drinks.
“I’m so glad we got that done,” Ray smiles tiredly. He passes Ronnie her beer as he takes a seat opposite her at the dining room table. “I can’t wait to reflect on our new decision making process when I record the next episode of Teaching isn’t all Sunshine and Ray-nbows. ”
It’s certainly been a time, Ronnie can agree. Assigning tents and canoe groups is never easy, and she and Roland always end up in some sort of argument. The parents are often on their cases about having mixed gendered tents, which Ronnie couldn’t care less about. She takes her sweet time to nurse her beer before commiserating with Ray.
“Y’know, you’re lucky the kids haven’t found that podcast yet. And it’s a good thing you remembered to change everyone’s names this time around.”
“Of course they’d have a much easier time finding it if the school board would let me advertise on their website,” Ray raises his palms up in defence. “But I digress. How are we feeling about this year’s canoe trip?” Ray smiles excitedly, hands gripping the edge of the table.
Ronnie leans back in her chair, going through her mental rolodex of students. Since landing this gig seven years ago, she’s gotten pretty good at clocking kids within the first couple weeks, figuring out what makes them tick. Outdoor school is a unique circumstance she never takes for granted. Seeing as she spends whole days with the same group of tenth graders for an entire semester, she often ends up knowing the kids better than their parents by the time the semester comes to a close. She rubs a hand over her chin, in deep thought.
“The new kid, David. This is a real adjustment for him.”
Ray takes a deep inhale, eyes widening with anticipation.
This is perhaps her favourite part of the first week of school.
Ray leans forward, conspiratorially. “Oh, he’s definitely one of ours,” he winks, which gets a small chuckle out of Ronnie. “But I’m not worried—you should see the pieces he pulled off in art class this week. Has an excellent hand on the felt tipped pen,” Ray gushes.
Ronnie takes another sip of her beer. “Even with the barriers he’s presenting with, I think he’s going to pull through. That’s why I fought for putting him in a tent with Stevie. He doesn’t want to be babied.”
Ray nods in agreement. Anxiety is pretty run-of-the-mill for Outdoor School, nothing they haven’t experienced before. But the Rose kid’s whole “city boy” vibe is a challenge he’ll have to face on trip. She thinks he’s up for it—she knows he’s up for it. She slides her forearms on the table, turning her attention back to Ray’s game. It’s a silly back-and-forth, a fun conversation between the two of them at the beginning of the semester. Any eavesdropper might consider it gossip, but it’s a responsibility they both take very seriously. They’ve had their fair share of one-on-one chats with students enough to know what outdoor school can hold for those who are starting to learn they’re different.
Ray’s eyes are glinting. This could almost be a face-off. “Miguel,” he starts.
She presses her lips together and squints. “Definitely something happening with him and Ted.”
“Interesting,” Ray nods. “David.”
“We already went over this.” Ronnie rolls her eyes and decides to switch gears. “Rachel.”
Now it’s Ray’s turn to lean back in his chair. “You know, I hadn’t considered that.”
She smirks. They’ll see how the semester goes. It’s not like they keep a wager or anything of the sort. That’s not what it’s about. After all, some kids wait much longer to come out. Outdoor School just happens to produce a tight-knit community, a supportive microcosm that sends them back to the public school as braver versions of themselves. Of course, sometimes they’re dead wrong, and that is also perfectly okay. Sometimes, there are kids that surprise them.
Ray is still absorbing Ronnie’s suggestion, when Charles steps into the adjoining kitchen. “Still at it, you two?” He chuckles, taking a small mountain covered in a red-checkered tea towel off the stove. She watches Ray break out of his consternation to smile back at his husband, who has conveniently decided to uncover his fresh apple pie. This has also transformed into tradition: recreations from The Great Canadian Baking Show to accompany their every staff meeting.
Ray looks back to Ronnie while Charles cuts into the pie and takes the ice cream out of the freezer. “But are you sure? I have it on good authority from Elmdale High’s English department that Rachel is dating Patrick Brewer.”
“The kid who thought he’d tell me how to use an excel sheet on the first day of school?” She rolls her eyes. “I don’t think they’re an item. Even so, they could still be dating.” She shrugs and tries to finish off her beer before Charles brings the apple pie over.
Ray concedes, eyeing the steaming plate in front of him. “Oh, this looks marvellous.” He grins and picks up his fork. Charles and Ronnie chuckle, tucking in to their own slices of pie. Ronnie revels in the notes of cinnamon and maple syrup amidst the perfectly flaky crust- Charles is a true wizard when it comes to baking. Hopefully he’ll be making sandwiches again for this semester’s canoe trip—there's never been a better sourdough than his.
The silent enjoyment and clattering of forks is of course lifted by Ray, who hasn’t forgotten about the topic at hand. “So both David and Miguel are some of my stronger art students. I can keep an eye out for them. Also, David stayed behind the other day to talk to me about The Picture of Dorian Grey into the lunch period, so I’m pretty certain he already trusts me.”
Ronnie’s dangles her fork in the air, a perfect slice of baked apple speared onto it. “Pretty sure he was just avoiding being roped into capture the flag again, but whatever you say.” Charles puts a hand over his heart. He is constantly endeared by their anecdotes, especially when the kids display relatable qualities. Ronnie smirks, “and in that case, I’ll have my eyes on Rachel.”
Ray smiles, putting down his fork. They shake on it.
“This feels like an episode of Degrassi,” Charles mutters to himself, smiling.
Ray reaches across the table and pats his hand. “It’s what you signed up for, honey.”
The three of them share smiles across the dining room table. This semester is going to be a good one—Ronnie can feel it.