Chapter Text
Barbara Howard was just trying to have her morning coffee before the day started. She thought she’d arrive early, make coffee, sip it in silence, and center herself as she mentally prepared for the day. But once again, the cheap machine wasn’t working, she couldn’t get her morning drink to brew. She unplugged it and plugged it back in, she replaced the filter, she added more water (and inadvertently overfilled it causing a small flood on the floor), and none of her methods worked.
It had been a rough beginning of the school year, but the teaching staff was in the thick of it now. They’d just returned from holiday break the week before and Barbara had been doing what she could to make it through each day. It’d been really hard, especially after returning from the break.
Her one saving grace was seeing Melissa Schemmenti on a consistent basis again. They’d hung out twice over the break– the first night they’d gotten tipsy at Melissa’s place over wine on her plastic covered sofa and the second time was on New Year’s Eve when they shared a lunch and wished each other a wonderful year ahead. Now it wasn’t midnight and they hadn’t kissed, but they did part ways with a long hug and Barbara was sure that Melissa’s lips had been pressed against her cheek which was sweet. They were best friends outside of those four walls, too, and Melissa had always been touchy with her, something Barbara had learned to love and even crave from time to time. She brought a comfort to her that Barbara couldn’t quite name, couldn’t quite put her finger on. But it was theirs, something they always shared, something they only had with the other.
“Hey,” Melissa smiled gently at the woman who was still adjacent to the counter as she walked into the lounge, Barbara now beyond frustrated with the stupid machine, before Melissa tilted her head slightly. “Can’t get it to work?”
Barbara let out a sad laugh and shook her head. Melissa always just knew, like she could read her mind even after days apart. “Never.”
The redhead set her bag down at her spot at their table and moved over to where she was, bumping into Barb’s arm as she got close. “Sorry,” she said quickly as the older woman shook her head, stepping back just a bit to give the woman some room to work.
“You’re fine,” she mumbled, not minding the contact, but hoping that Melissa could get the coffee machine to work again. She watched on for a moment as Melissa worked her magic and finally heard the contraption begin to brew her coffee. “Oh! I could kiss you!”
Barbara hadn’t even checked to see if there were cameras around, it just came out of her mouth, but she was glad that they had a moment alone, no cameras to be found. A rare occurrence these days; they were always filming for their documentary.
Melissa chuckled to herself, rolling her eyes playfully. “Better not, Mr. Johnson’ll walk in and start a rumor,” she joked, turning back to sit down at the table, wringing her hands together.
Barbara giggled to herself and once her coffee was ready, she added her sugar, no cream, before sitting down beside Melissa, immediately noticing something was off with the other woman. “You okay?”
“I– I have some news I need to tell you,” Melissa began, her voice weaker and quieter than it normally was. Her nerves were getting the better of her, but it was now or never. If she didn’t say something, Barbara would find out from someone else and that was the last thing Melissa wanted. She’d been friends, best friends, with Barbara for decades. She deserved to hear this from her.
Barbara all but forgot about the hot liquid she’d spent nearly twenty minutes trying to make and reached across the table for her hand. “You know you can tell me anything.”
The younger teacher nodded before the door burst open and Ava Coleman strutted in. “Hey,” she gave them a soft smile before looking at the moment occurring between Melissa and Barbara. “Oh, I can come back,” she shook her head immediately, backing out of the lounge before Melissa stopped her.
“No, no, you should hear this, too,” Melissa pursed her lips, trying to find the courage to give Barbara (and Ava) the news that she’d very recently received. “Ava, there’s a letter in your mailbox. Kinda figured ya wouldn’t be in early because ya never are, so I just dropped it and came to find Barb.”
Ava shook her head questioningly and asked, “A letter disclosing your relationship with Barbara or…?”
Barbara and Melissa both shot her an annoyed look. “Ava,” Melissa scolded, frustrated as she had something of a grave nature she needed to say. She didn’t need Ava’s antics on top of everything else, and Barbara didn’t deserve that, she was a married woman.
“Okay, okay, but y’all do see the way you interact, right?”
Barbara looked at Melissa as if there were a camera in the room with them and Melissa’s eyes closed as she shook her head. “I need you to be serious for a minute,” she said quietly, trying to keep her breathing even. “It’s a letter of resignation, in your mailbox. I didn’t exactly plan for this, but my last day is next Friday.”
Ava’s mouth fell open and Barbara’s eyes widened, now glassy with uninvited tears. “Mel?”
She swallowed harshly, feeling the lump in her throat as she looked into Barbara’s eyes. “See, I have this friend over in Boston and she’s in admissions at Lasell University and they needed two adjunct professors for their education program, but they combined the two openings into one and she got me a trial run. If it works out, I can take on a full course load next semester.”
“What about– your apartment?” Barb asked quickly, grasping for anything she could think of as quickly as possible. She knew it was stupid, it was just a place she lived in, but Barbara would’ve clung to anything to fret over in the moment.
“I’m gonna sublet it and stay with Kerry for a while so I can settle in and learn the place,” Melissa explained with a small shrug, feeling tears in her own eyes as she watched Barbara try not to give into her emotions. She hated that she was hurting Barb, but she thought that this was an out for both of them.
The thing was, Ava wasn’t completely off base. She was in love with Barbara and she had been for as long as she could remember. Ever since they met, there had been a spark between them, something Melissa fixated on until she broke down Barb’s barriers and became her friend. And then it was even more obvious to her that there was something there, something that was more than friendship. But Barbara had been married then and she was still married now. Nothing could come of the feelings she had for her best friend and ultimately, it was the deciding factor in taking the teaching position at the college her friend worked at.
Barbara swallowed down a sob and nodded at the redhead, doing her best to ignore her feelings. Her voice wavered slightly as she said, “I’m so happy for you, Melissa. But you will be so missed.”
Melissa almost choked on the feeling that was trying to crawl up her throat and she squeezed Barbara’s hand before she stood up, unable to speak, knowing she would break down into a crying mess if she tried to thank her. Instead, she silently nodded and headed out of the lounge with her bag in tow.
Barbara lifted her coffee cup to her lips, trembling as she did and Ava watched her for a moment.
“Sorry to hear about Melissa leaving,” she said softly, Ava’s charismatic tone now deflated.
The older woman shook her head. “I could see her fitting there,” she replied quietly, a shaky breath following before she placed the cup back to her lips, stopping herself from crying rather than drinking the liquid she’d so desperately needed just minutes before.
Maybe she had been out of line with her commentary about how they were down bad for each other, but if Ava knew anything, it was when two people had feelings for one another. And as she watched Barbara and replayed how Melissa spoke, how they both carried themselves, how they kept their emotions bottled up (though just barely), she concluded that they were both heartbroken about Melissa’s imminent departure from the school.
Hell, even Ava was upset. But that was because she knew she’d never find another teacher like Melissa. She wasn’t even sure if she’d find someone to fill her position in time. And with the substitute shortage, how long would she have to take over teaching the combined second and third grade class? Would Ashley actually be of any help to her?
What a nightmare.