Chapter Two: A truth, hurts
Lori had gotten up early the next morning, having the task assigned to her of helping out in the kitchen. She had done this prerequisite task a few times before, but she never liked the duty when it came up, but one that was mandatory to do if you went to Haven.
Five o’clock was awfully early in the morning, as the sun was barely a hint of a glowing line over the horizon. Lori was already showered and dressed and had left ten minutes before five, still feeling groggy from not getting enough sleep. She rather would have stayed in bed until the usual time, but this was necessary to do.
The young Brentwall girl crossed the courtyard with a brisk step, trying to keep away the chill that hung in the air. Even though it was just the second week into May, the morning chill was shockingly sharp for anyone that would be out there.
Lori shivered noticeably, as her school issued skirt did little to help defend against the cold. Haven may be in a place that never got snow even in winter time, but it still got cold when the night fell. She just hurried more, trying to stay warm until she got to the building with the kitchen and dining hall.
She entered the kitchen, thankful that it was warm inside already. She hung up her coat on hooks in the hallway to the back, and grabbed one of the aprons to use. She tied it up as she hurried into the cooking area, still fighting back the sleepiness her head felt like it was in.
A large chested girl with very bright red hair was already at work, putting in fresh buns to bake in the massive ovens that lined one wall of the huge kitchen. The girl saw her enter, and smiled with a relived look.
" Thank god, you’re here..." She said, closing the door to the oven. " I’m swamped!!"
Lori hurried over to the girl.
" You look already tired this morning, Gwen." She said to the senior class head chef.
" I am... " She said with a snuff, looking at the girl through drooping eyelids. " I’ve been on the job here for about a half hour... You’re the first one here, Lori."
Lori looked at the girl, blinking with surprise.
" First one?" She asked with a giggle. " I am the first to show up?"
" Don’t worry... your on time..." Assured the girl, then adding. " It looks like the others just may be late." She handed Lori a large tin tray full of uncooked dough. " Slap that into the ovens, you know what to set it to, and then get the other trays in also to bake."
Lori looked and there was a five foot high and very long rolling cart full of trays with readied bread dough. She did not have to count, there was one hundred dozen breakfast buns that needed to be made for the breakfast rush. No wonder that Gwen looked stressed always, feeding all of these girls was hard work.
With a sigh deep in her chest she started, her hope of grabbing a coffee before working was not going to happen. She just set in on the task assigned to her with a small smile, knowing that she could grab a cup of coffee in about an hour, yet that thought did little to quell her coffee craving.
As she worked, most of the girl’s assigned finally showed up, although two seemed to be a no show. The others now assembled, they set in to work and things went smoothly, yet Gwen seemed to be still way too stresses. Lori had often thought this Senior Grad twelve student head of the kitchen should take a break now and then, to relieve the overworked lass’s mind some.
Lori worked diligently, getting the buns ready for the morning meal. She felt now awake, although still wanting a coffee to set the tone of the day. She passes where two girl’s were stopped and were talking behind one of the rolling carts. She overheard Megan’s name being spoken and she stopped to eavesdrop.
The darker haired girl of the two was talking, in a rather loud whispered voice.
" Did you hear?" she said excitedly."
" Heard what Christen?" Excitedly asked the lighter brown haired girl.
" There is going to be an new President for the school next year... Megan is going to study abroad, in France." The girl said. " Her parents got her a scholarship to the Dames Superior school in Paris."
" How did you hear that?" The other girl asked.
" I over heard it when we were delivering a noontime lunch while Council was in session last week, Becky." She explained. " The campaign starts in the fall... "
Lor felt her legs become weak, and she could not breath. She nearly dropped the full tray of warm buns she was carrying, but managed to set them down on a small table near her. Her mind spun wildly as she felt herself numbing all over.
" She never told me that..." She said to herself, not believing what she had heard. " It must be a rumor... Just a rumor!" She shook her head, what she had overheard screaming in her head. " It has to be... she would have told me herself... it has to be!!"
The blonde girl hurried off to finish her duties, but her mind was spinning, and her heart felt heavy. She planned to ask Megan about this rumor, an hoped that they could quell this before it got out of hand. Her mind was satisfied that it was a rumor, but her heart felt different.. She thought it just might be true.
She sped herself up, as the time for breakfast was fast arriving and she found herself a little behind with her tasks. What ever she heard, she would have to wait to get to the bottom of everything
Soon breakfast was finally over. The next kitchen crew had arrived to clean up, releasing the early bird serving girls to head off to class. The early risers hurried off, each seemingly carrying a Styrofoam cup of coffee in one had as they scurried.
Most were hurrying off to their assigned classes in th any one of the many school buildings that dotted the campus, but one was suspiciously going off in another direction to towards the grade twelve dorms, running like there was no tomorrow.
Megan was stepping out of her dorm building, looking through the large satchel she always carried. She turned and suddenly stopped, as a figure was standing in her path. She looked up and saw Lori standing there.
Megan smiled.
" Good morning, Lori." She said, glad to see the pretty girl that was her lover had shown up.
The president’s face lost it’s smile, as the young girl in front of her had this look of total blankness on it, a tear was falling from one of her eyes. Megan had a feeling that something was wrong, and she was cautious with her question.
" Lori?" She said softly, seeing the blue eyes of the girl having no dancing twinkle in them. " What is going on?"
Lori did not speak right off, just stood there looking deep into the short haired girl’s dark orbs. She let a half sob go, as it seemed she was going to say something.
" Megan... are you going to go to school in France?" She said, very bluntly. " Please tell me if what I have heard is simply a rumor or a terrible truth."
The President of Haven gasped, and looked into the girl’s face. Her mind raced, wondering how she had found this out. She felt her heart was beating wildly, as she looked into the awaiting face of her girlfriend.
" Lori..." She said, her voice wavering then her words sticking in the back of her throat.
" Is it? Is it true!" Pleaded Lori, her eyes welling up with tears. " Please tell me that this is all a collection of horrible rumors or if it is a misunderstanding or something... Are you going to France to study?"
Megan bowed her head, unable to continue to look into the girl’s face. She took a deep breath in, trying to calm her pounding heart. She knew that she needed to tell her now, as the time was right then.
" It is true..." Said Lori, reading her lover’s face. " I see it in your face, and you are not even looking at me... is it? Please tell me no..."
The tall girl raised her head, and reached out to grab the girl’s hands.
" My sweet Lori... I was going to tell you about it, but I could not bring myself to..." She began, her words choking with emotions.
Lori batted the girl’s hands away, tears were now flowing like a waterfall across her delicate features.
" You knew this all last week... I heard that you did... you did know, didn’t you." She yelled, her eyes filling with more tears. " Yesterday, You and I made love and you would not even tell me then too and..." She paused, the flashed a angered look at the taller gal. " You went quiet... you were thinking about it then.. Weren’t you?"
" I did... but it was hard to tell someone that you love your leaving..." Megan said, her own eyes filling with tears. " I know I should have told you, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell the one I love that I have to go and..."
Megan’s words were suddenly cut off, as Lori began to shout through her sobbing.
" How could you do this... I had a right to know, and you made love to me knowing this... And you damned well knew!!" Tears flowed down the small girl’s face, her hands were clenched against her legs. " How could you do that."
" I was trying to find the right time..." Stuttered Megan, her heart seeing the hurt in Lori’s eyes and knowing that she was causing it. " I did not want to go off, but I have to..."
" The right time was when you found this out..." Blasted Lori, her sobs turning into a wave of heaving crying mixed with angered shouts. " You said that you loved me..."
The wheat colored haired girl spun on her heels and then and bolted off in the opposite direction of the girl that stood there, her sobbing could be heard echoing around the courtyard. Lori ran blindly off, her hand over her mouth as she cried very hard. She raced away, her legs barely keeping up with her minds decision to flee.
The President girl stepped to follow the girl, her own heart breaking as the words of the girl echoed in her ears. She stopped herself, as she knew that her following the fleeing girl would hurt more, than if she just stepped away.
" Lori... Come back..." She whispered to the air, as she watched the running girl fade off into the distance. " I love you... and I am sorry!"
With the girl now out of sight, the tall girl turned and headed off to class with great reluctance. She tried to compose herself, as she still had a month of work and finals to do, but her heart was now broken in two. She had hurt the one she loved, and she had no way to make it better.
Somberly, she made her way to her scheduled first period class.