Work Text:
Okay, you have spent years perfecting the art of making sure your mic pack is off before going to the bathroom, so you can figure this out too, Jenn told herself as she once again closed out the zoom application on her laptop, hoping that if she just reopened the app, everything would be fixed. Sadly, that was not the case. “Argh!” She cried out, just shy of shaking her fist at the screen and allowed herself to collapse onto the desk. She heard a subtle “Ahem” cough behind her and saw Benjamin pop his head in the doorway of her office.
“What are you doing?” He said, entering the room and crossing over to take a look at her screen. She perked up when she saw him, not wanting to ask for help but knowing she needed it.
“Well, I’m trying to set up a zoom meeting with the kids but I’m having some problems.” Benjamin crossed his arms over his chest and with a knowing “Aha,” nodded his head for Jenn to continue. “I tried to set up a zoom meeting but when I sent out the link Carlos asked what the password to the room was. Then somehow I got into the room and let Nini in, but when I tried to talk, no sound was coming out and when I asked her what was up she couldn’t hear me. Then I somehow kicked her from the chat.” Miss Jenn’s phone was beside her, texts from the drama students were rolling in wondering why the meeting wasn’t up and running yet.
Benjamin looked at his watch and with a sigh, pulled the chair around to the side of Jennifer, placing himself in front of the laptop. “Alright, let me give you a quick overview of zoom.”
“Really? Thank you!” She sighed in relief. He then proceeded to explain the basics of setting up a meeting, checking to make sure the settings allowed the students to chat, share screens, and sign in with their microphones so she would be able to hear them. He then showed her the green screen and let her play around with all the options while the students started logging on with the new link. When Benjamin was sure she could handle the rest of the application, he stood up quietly and waved goodbye to Jennifer who gave him a smile before turning to the students logging into the zoom.
“Hey,” Jennifer said, peeking her head into Benjamin’s classroom when she was done with the call.
“Hey.” He looked up from his computer, happy to see her once again.
“Just wanted to say thanks for all your help.”
“It was no-” He coughed. “Anytime.” He stumbled over his words. Realizing they were one of the few teachers still at the school over spring break felt a bit strange. They both stared at each other, the silence expanding around them.
“Well, I’m-”
“So what are-” The two began and stopped short. Benjamin continued. “What are your plans for spring break?”
“Well, the show’s only a few weeks away. I’ve still got to finalize blocking for a few of the scenes and track down a few of the smaller props. Tech rehearsals are coming up and we have got to be prepared.” She chuckled again, almost to say It’s no big deal but it was clear it was. Her face contorted into what might have passed as a smile, had he not known her well enough to understand this was in fact a huge deal and the stress was clearly eating at her. “Anyways, what are your plans?” She added, trying to focus on something other than the amount of work still left that would leave her spiraling.
“Oh, not much.” Then after a beat, “Nothing, actually. If you, uh, need some help with the technical parts of the show, I’m free.” He added on, as if to fill the silence but he had really meant it and he saw relief flood her crystal blue eyes. Not that he had been staring at them or anything.
“Ah, that’d be great, if you’re sure you have time…”
“Of course, you know I’d do anything for you- and the kids of course.”
“Of course.” Jenn repeated softly, although she had caught the ‘you’ and couldn’t help the warm feeling that started in her chest. Once again, a silence permeated the air, each wanted the conversation to continue but weren’t sure what to say. Once the air was sufficiently filled with an awkward tension, Jenn broke eye contact and busied herself with packing up her laptop. “Well, I was going to get some pizza, if you cared to join me? We could talk about plans for the show?” She offered quickly.
“That sounds great, I’ll uh, get my stuff together and meet you there?”
“Yeah… or I could just drive. You know, help save gas and all that.” Benjamin chuckled at the way Jenn stumbled over her words, nodded in agreement, and left to retrieve his own belongings.
Minutes later, the two were headed for Salt Lake Slices. “So… how’s the show coming along?” Benjamin asked, mostly in order to fill the weird silence. He expected an enthusiastic response, while he knew there was still work to be done, he also knew Jenn and her relentless optimism and so when her response was delayed, he looked over at her. She was clearly frazzled. They were already in a parking space at the restaurant and Benjamin assumed the two would just forget about the question. A few minutes of awkward silence was enough to do the job he thought but as he reached for the handle, he heard her sigh.
“Not great.”
“Oh. I thought it was looking good from the bits and pieces I’ve seen.”
“But looking good won’t win us the Menkies and I’ve worked so hard with the kids, I really don’t want them to be disappointed.”
“And that’s all?” Benjamin’s question was followed by Jenn holding her scoff. Of course that’s what it was. She couldn’t bear disappointing them. But, really, that wasn’t just it. Benjamin knew it and Jenn was fast approaching the realization herself. It was she who couldn’t bear losing. Because this was a test. This was a way to measure her success as a teacher and director. It would be tangible proof that she was doing a good job. And now, facing the harsh realities of the competition, there wouldn’t be any prize for her or her students because no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t compete with the big budget production North High, and more importantly, Zachey Roy, was putting together.
“Have you asked them about it?”
“No, but I don’t want to put more pressure on them.”
“Listen, I think you all are doing the best you can.”
“But-”
“But nothing. You told me performing isn’t about the audience. It’s about yourself. It’s about your team. It’s about doing something you love, being someone else, exploring a new world through the eyes of another.” Jenn laughed, pleasantly surprised to find he had been listening to her lecture all so many months ago.
“You know what? You’re right. Thanks.” A long silence followed. Jenn met his eyes, at one point in time, Jenn might have looked away, ignoring the fluttering in her stomach, but she couldn’t. She smiled softly, noticing his soft brown eyes had flecks of gold. Without realizing, she found herself only centimeters from him, her breath hitched. The only perceptible noise was the beating of her heart, picking up speed as she debated whether this is what she wanted.
“I-” Benjamin started quietly. Trying to clear the tension but failing. “Do you…happen to know the rules about dating your coworker.” That was all Jenn needed to hear. Benjamin clearly wanted whatever they had between them as much as she did, and therefore, instead of answering, she closed the gap. A second later, she pulled away, a smile on her face, her own eyes searching for some sign that what happened was not in fact an accident. His face widened into a smile too, his usual stoic expression softened into a mix of giddy and surprise.
“So… Now what?” Instead of replying, he figured it was his turn and he put his hand in her hair, pulling her back to him again. The two met over the annoying center console, their kiss lingering longer than before. Her hands reached up and played with his bowtie, the taste of a smile sent bursts of sugar-sweet happiness through her veins.
The two broke away, allowing themselves to slowly let their minds wander back to reality. They parted, their foreheads still touching. “I’ve been wondering what this would be like for a while now.”
“Surprisingly, me too.”
“So…”
“So…”
“So, should we go in?”