"Ditch" Three days, twelve hours, nine minutes and seven—eight—nine—several seconds after having sex with Abianne Cerio for the first time, Leena Marjanna Katajisto broke up with her. ............ Do you wanna be a poet and write Do you wanna be an actor up in lights Do you wanna be a soldier and fight for love Do you wanna travel the world Do you wanna be a diver for pearls Or climb a mountain and touch the clouds above Be anyone you want to be Bring to life your fantasies But I want something in return I want you to burn burn for me baby Like a candle in my night Oh burn Burn for me Burn for me Are you gonna be a gambler and deal Are you gonna be a doctor and heal Or go to heaven and touch God's face Are you gonna be a dreamer who sleeps Are you gonna be a sinner who weeps Or an angel Under grace I'll lay down on your bed of coals Offer up my heart and soul But in return I want you to burn Burn for me baby Like a candle in my night Oh burn burn for me burn for me Yeah Ooh I want you to burn baby ooh Laugh for me Cry for me Pray for me Lie for me Live for me Die for me I want you to burn Burn for me baby Like a candle in my night Oh burn burn for me burn for me Yeah Ah yeah I want you to burn I want you to burn for me baby Ohh yeah ............ It just wasn't what she wanted in a relationship. Abi was good-looking, flirty, nice and sociable, but she was about as firm as wet sand, and putting any kind of relationship or trust on her shoulders would have been a bad idea, at least for Leena, who was looking for stability. She had gone out with Abi out of politeness and some boredom, and ended up having sex with her that one time only because she was too foggy in the head and too itchy in the crotch to say otherwise. She didn't really regret it—Abi was attentive and gentle, and it hadn't been the first time for Leena—but it left her hollow and wanting, and sex, she knew, should have fulfilled her if given properly. Poor Abi sulked, but got over it in two days and went after Dr. Andrews, who preferred short-term relationships and feminine women anyway. Leena had no preference whether they were girlish or mannish, as long as they could hold her up, be there when she needed them, endure her follies and love her traits. Cerio was nice in bed and good to the eye, but those things quickly lost their luster. Leena needed someone with deep inner strength, with a powerful yearning for more than sex and skin, somebody who could just be, and not fuss over such silly things or worry so much or, or... gossip. Her heart didn't tell her where she could or should go, so she spent many nights alone and many days coaching and training her beloved Badgers. The tournament wasn't until spring, but seasons tended to come faster than human reckoning, and time waited for no leisure. Her parents would just have to wait for news concerning her next beloved, because now she had a job to do. Some of the soccer team took their shower at home, but most of the girls chose the stalls built into the school gym. Since it was a one-gender school, bathrooms and locker rooms were a little more open and personal, not to mention populous, and only the shiest girl had to hide her figure from everyone else. Walking around without clothes, at least in the locker room, was more casual and acceptable; the thought of men's eyes, perverse or honorable, was as far away as the nearest co-ed facility, some miles down the road. Zane Klein talked loosely about how her date went. Most of the girls agreed that Olivia was indeed very hot, but she was also clumsy, bored, slightly bitter, and too serious for her own good, so naturally the date went south. The two had not even kissed; they shook elbows instead and let that be that. So Klein was open again; their beloved Captain was single and looking. Somebody teased her that she and Petra, her longtime rival, would be perfect lovers, but only when, as Aintzane put it, "pigs fly and Stormtroopers shoot straight". Ouch. Blake Baum was not teased but cheered for somehow managing to score two gorgeous girlfriends. Having Usha alone was a credit to her name; few people realized Krishnan was attracted to girls, even though she led the GSA. And Mira van Dijk! What unbelievable fortune had rested on Blake, to enable her to charm both van Dijk and Krishnan, two powerful rivals, two beautiful and beloved women, and be in the thick as they loved each other! She was a huge celebrity; Blake did not like showering with the others because of the attention she got, and avoided it whenever necessary. Her soccer and track records were barely even recognized. Jocelyn McKeough was on the team as well, not on a very strong position but still an integral part, sort of what Zane had been during her first year. Joss liked watching sports more than playing them, but she did have some exceptional skill, and could fill in for anybody in a pinch, particularly Kathlyn, who had trouble being the goalie due to her lungs. The girls gave Joss as much love and support as they could, due to her losing her boyfriend and ending up a single mother; she thanked them for it. Jocelyn's closest friend in Stanton was Erica Fox, who was on the team with her older sister, Alisha. The Fox sisters seemed unlikely players, due to Erica's solidarity and Alisha's punkishness, but having taken karate most of their lives, their appearance belied their skill. They, along with Jocelyn, made up the "bones" of the team; Alexis Walker, Blake Baum, Ivory Tran, and Zane Klein made up the "meat"; Kathlyn the "brain", and Leena the "heart". Alisha had Nomi Nakatori as a girlfriend; Erica was officially unattached, but was interested in Amina Washim. Alexis Walker and Kathlyn Parkin had prematurely crossed over into lovers not long ago, and as for Ivory... Well... what need be said? But as it had been with Leena, Katt and X did not last long. As a matter of fact, not long after having sex once—sex "with virginity on", as Parkin put it—they broke off, saying that it had been more of a fling than a fire, and poor Katt could probably not keep up with Walker anyway. She was happier that way, though. More than before, her heart turned to Leena. If an outsider were to examine Kathlyn and hypothesize on what type of person she'd want to be with, they would probably guess somebody young, shy, somebody she could protect. But in truth, Katt wanted to be the one to be protected; she was the shy one, though not young, being almost nineteen (she had been held back a year). Ever since reaching puberty, maybe longer than that, Kathlyn had yearned for somebody to take her in their strong arms, to say just the right words to make her feel better, somebody she could lean on and count on. She wanted a rock, she wanted a solid anchor; she was the ship set adrift in merciless water. Hence her crush, now perhaps love, for Leena, and age and profession be damned, she declared. How old could she be anyway? Leena looked in her mid-twenties, early thirties at the most, and it wasn't as if Katt was a minor, and she wouldn't be a student long anyway. But Leena would never go for her, being a student and all, and such a weakling at that! She had ran out of breath before the midway point of the soccer field during practice, and sometimes had to carry her inhaler during games. She rarely ate, or ate well, and until her senior year, barely went outdoors or got exercise at all (of course, because of all the little improvements, she was getting stronger). More so than that, Kathlyn's personality was, frankly, out of whack. Walker had ignored it for the time they were together, since her own personality was a few rocks short of a mountain, but a "normal" person like Leena would've been offended. Katt's mood swung rapidly, uncontrollably; she was worse than Blake Baum, whose ADD was embarrassing at worst, cute at best. She got depressed a lot, or else offended, and constantly had a complaint, usually one well-justified, but sometimes it was just anger lashing out at very general things. She did not like very many people, although her kind and polite nature stopped her from snapping very often. Parkin had a dark mind; for somebody to love her, they would have to be patient and strong and firm as a mountain. Even looking at things from the worst angles, Kathlyn had to admit to herself that if anybody had any kind of a prayer, it would be dear Leena, who had so far been more of a mentor than a teacher, more of a cheerleader than a coach, more of a friend and even big sister than an impersonal adult. As these feelings kept going round and round inside her already-jumbled head, her petrified heart softened, the burden lifted (she could physically feel herself becoming light), and she became... not happy, but happier, and certainly not as hopeless about, well, hope. Then again, Leena was her teacher. And when she and Alex broke off (with no hard feelings), nobody teased her about her crush, because so few people were aware. ............ Poor Abi sulked when Leena broke up with her, but got over it in two days and went after Dr. Andrews, who preferred short-term relationships and feminine women anyway. She was unsuccessful though, due to the Doc going through some negative phase, but there were plenty of women in and out of Stanton, and there was one in particular that Abi knew liked her. Cerio had not met Janna Raulson before her early career as a teacher, nor had she heard of the older woman until sometime during the year, when somebody had mentioned to her that a lady of particulars had an eye out for her. During the moment, Cerio was engaged with another, but it broke off for some reason and she had harbored the thought since. She came back to it as Leena left her for a solo act, and reasoned that the woman who liked her, Ms. Raulson herself, would not be a bad choice in love. She was tall and thin, dark-skinned from her Indian heritage (like Usha, though the two didn't know each other well), and was a very sweet, helpful, charming lady, albeit strict. Raulson had not advanced at all towards Abi, whether out of shy nature or if she knew the young woman was already taken, or if she really hesitated when considering Cerio's "romantic background". T'was not age that separated them, at least, nor race or profession, and Abi certainly seemed to be Janna's type. She had to wonder, upon those days where she walked the halls of Stanton alone, what did keep Janna from making advancements. Was she unsure of herself, her sexuality? Did she fear rejection? Did she want to take things slow, what? Abi was afire with curiosity. One early morning, well before school began, Janna happened upon Abianne sipping at a fountain. Abi noticed Janna by her dress shirt and khaki pants with belt, and the way her very long hair swayed as she walked. She stood and smiled, a dribble of water still on her mouth. She wanted to wait until the right time to remove it. "Good morning, Jan," she greeted, merry. Janna returned the smile and bowed her head. "It is, and to you, Abi. Oh, uh, your chin..." Abi knew about the trailing drop, but smiled in surprise and let out the mutest of squeaks. She shyly grinned and lifted the water up by her finger, sucking on it politely before thanking her. "I'm usually neater," she admitted. Raulson bowed her head again and smiled. "It's all right. If you don't mind my saying, I've wondered something. You come here early every morning, Abi, and I have to wonder if you like it or if it's just a stop off from some other place." "Mm, I work out," she admitted, standing up straight and whittling out her feminine charm. "I wake at five, exercise, shower, eat, and jog most of the way here. I'm starting to jog now that the weather's cooler; before, I was melting with sweat at the end of a few miles. Do you work out?" "No," replied Janna bashfully, as she touched her stomach with regret, "but I should. I'm getting fat." "Oh nonsense, you're as skinny as I am, and I did some modeling in college." "There's another thing I must question," she sang in her faint eastern accent. "I've always wondered: why work as a math teacher when you could model? Isn't that life more glamorous?" "As glamorous as an old shoe that's worn too many times," she grumbled. She lightened a tad and waved her hand, "I got over it, and besides, math is my true skill. Beauty fades quickly, but brains are guaranteed until senility. And maybe even after that. Besides, what was I doing back then but telling normal girls they'd never be loved if they weren't pencils? At least now I'm getting a good message across: smart chicks can be hot, too." Raulson chuckled politely, holding most of her laugh behind her hand. For added effect, Abi winked right in the older woman's direction. "And I don't just mean you." That got her attention. Raulson turned red, or at least reddish-brown, and grinned as she looked away. Abi gave a quaint smile and crossed her arms. Shyness it was, then. She cleared her throat and gave her elbow a lucky tap before going out on the limb: "So... what? You, me, a date, this Wednesday, if you're not busy?" Janna blushed even more, but at least she was looking at Abi and nodding. "Yes, I will not have anything on Wednesdays. And come over to my house Mondays and Thursdays; a few friends of mine come together and rob me of my money. Have I told you I'm not good at gambling?" "Oh," whispered Cerio enticingly, "then I guess strip poker's out of the question." ......... "Elly?" Elspeth Post revived from slumping over her papers and gave Janet Keys a warm, if not relieved smile. It was apparent she had been working hard, most notably over the few play and musical entries she had received. She had most of her job narrowed down to a few, but her mind reeled and strained under the pressure. Having her coworker, friend, and former teacher present was refreshing, to say the least. "Janet, come in!" she called. The beloved art teacher came into the classroom and sat down next to the younger woman, taking a brief glance over the papers. "Found any yet?" "Mm, a few. Sarah's at my heels about musical arrangement. I'm glad she volunteered to provide an original score, but if I knew she would be so uppity about it, I'd have refused. Would you kindly extend your patience for the design and makeup department?" "I'll wait as long as I need to," she assured her. Elspeth's shoulders lightened even more. "Good, good. At least one of you is cooperating. And I have Bernie and a few others on my side—most teachers seem indifferent, which is rather annoying." "Mm, but it's going to be a great play. Quite an adventurous move, having the students write it instead of having to pay royalties for something somebody's seen before. How'd you come up with that idea?" "Oh, I just thought it'd be a good idea, that's all. We have lots of creative students this year, and I've received too many requests pertaining to this endeavor to ignore it. Besides," she muttered bashfully, "we're rather low on budget this year. Bernie's been a saint, but she's stretching herself out too thin. I'm just grateful she supports this." Keys made a satisfied humming sound and placed her hand on Post's shoulder, squeezing it once in support. "So am I. And don't be afraid to come to me if you need more help. Oh, by the way, did I tell you? My daughter's having a baby." "What?!" Naturally, Elspeth was shocked by the news and reeled from it, nearly pushing the art teacher backwards with her exclamation. Janet was happy, though, and affirmed the news. Elspeth shook her head violently as she tried to comprehend it. "Little Jocelyn, having a baby at her age... it's simply implausible, the situation of the world today!" "El, they were in love. I've seen them together; they were perfect for each other." "Were?" Elspeth held her breath and looked at Keys; her kind, matronly face was sketched by sadness. She took a breath and shook her head up and down. "Yes. Past tense. He's... with my husband now." "Oh, Janet..." Post drew her former teacher into her arms, and Keys returned it as naturally as anything. Now that Elspeth had settled into her position as drama teacher, after having taken the baton from her predecessor, she and Janet became closer than before, so it was not uncommon to see them share affection. Janet took a cleansing breath and loosened the embrace to smile. "It's okay, Jocelyn is very strong. She has a good friend, and a mother who'll look out for her." "Is there anything I can do to help?" asked Post, blue eyes glowing. Janet grinned. "You could buy me dinner, and keep me company while Joss goes out with her friend." Elspeth smiled humbly and shied away just a bit. "I was actually planning on doing that anyway," she confessed softly. Janet blinked, and looked at her to see if she really meant... a date. The sting of her husband's death had healed, her grudge against God for taking him was gone, and her loneliness had been eased by her foster daughter's arrival. She was still beautiful and still in her prime, literally at the top of the age-hill, and although she had never considered herself remotely close to being possibly near to a fraction of what even the most conservative people would faintly guess to be a lesbian, Elspeth was a longtime friend and she needed to get out of the house. One date would do her no harm. "Well," she said, though nobody had said the difficult D-word out loud, "that's good. I'm looking forward to it. Say, Wednesday night?" "Wednesday is perfect for me." ......... By now, Hitomi had gotten used to seeing Lilian as a student and not as a love interest. The awkwardness between them was gone; they were polite and warm to each other; they did love each other, though as one person would love another and not as romantic interests. Hitomi was already perched on her teacher's chair, reading Cervantes, when Lilian came into the room. Gabrielle was following her, trying to convince her to come to the pool with her friends so they could swim, tan, and show off to everyone else for one last time. Despite being weak against the rays of the sun, Lilian was sorely tempted to accept. Hitomi ignored them. Alexis Walker soon came into the room, looking as if she had just gotten out of bed only to fight three people. She crashed on her chair and slumped down, making a bang as her head hit the desk. This caught Hitomi's attention; she looked up and stood, then walked over to the poor woman and touched her shoulder. Gabrielle and Lilian both expressed distant concern. "You okay, X?" asked the redhead. X groaned and managed to raise her head. "What happened, Miss Walker? Did you hurt yourself? Are you sick?" "Miss Madsen," moaned the poor woman, "it's even worse than that." "What?" A pause. Walker rolled her eyes. "I got ditched."
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