She follows me into the living room, looking around Dime's place with quiet curiosity. I set the carrier down on the couch and open it. Whiskers, my gray and white tabby, comes shooting out like she's been held captive for years instead of just a few days.
"Oh, baby girl," I murmur as she rubs against my legs, purring so loudly I can hear it across the room. I scoop her up, burying my face in her soft fur. She smells like home, like normal, like before.
"She missed you," Principal Harrison says, settling into the armchair. "Mason tried to make friends with her, but she spent most of her time sitting by the front door waiting."
I feel tears prick at my eyes. "Thank you so much for taking care of her. I didn't even think about her with everything that happened."
"Of course you didn't. You had more important things to worry about." She pauses. "Allison, I'm so sorry about what happened. About all of it."
I sit down on the couch, Whiskers still in my arms. "It's not your fault."
"I'm the principal. Everything that happens in that school is my responsibility."
"No." I shake my head firmly. "This is Logan's fault. He brought drugs to school, he made the choice to use them. You didn't do that. I didn't do that. The only person responsible for what happened is Logan."
Principal Harrison's expression softens. "I appreciate you saying that. But I still feel like I should have seen something, should have known."
"How could you? I was in that classroom with him every day, and I didn't see it all the time, either." Whiskers kneads her paws against my thigh, and I stroke her head absently. "The truth is, kids are good at hiding things when they want to. And Logan wanted to hide this."
We sit in silence for a moment, the only sound Whiskers' purring. Then Principal Harrison leans forward, her hands clasped between her knees.
"I want you to know that you take all the time you need before coming back. We've got a substitute covering your classes, and your students understand that you need space to heal." She pauses. "But we also want you to know that when you're ready, we're excited to have you back. The school isn't the same without you."
My throat tightens, and it's hard to speak around the ball of emotion in my throat. "Thank you. That means a lot."
"I mean it. You're one of the best teachers we have, Allison. The kids love you, the other teachers respect you, and you make a difference every single day." Her voice is gentle but firm. "What happened doesn't change that."
"It feels like it changes everything," I admit quietly.
"I know it does right now. But it won't always feel that way." She stands up, smoothing her jeans. "Take your time. Heal. And when you're ready, your classroom will be waiting for you."
I stand too, carefully shifting Whiskers to one arm so I can give Principal Harrison a hug. She hugs me back, tight and warm, and for a moment I let myself lean into it.
"Thank you," I whisper. "For everything. For Whiskers, for understanding, for just being here."
"Anytime." She pulls back, giving me one more smile. "You call me if you need anything, okay? Day or night. I mean that."
"I will."
I walk her to the door, and we say our goodbyes. As I watch her drive away, I feel a shift inside me. Maybe it's hope. Maybe it's just the beginning of acceptance. But whatever it is, it feels like a step forward.
Whiskers meows loudly, demanding attention, and I laugh. "Okay, okay. Let's get you settled in."
I spend the next twenty minutes setting up Whiskers' things around Dime's house. Her food and water bowls go in the kitchen, her litter box in the bathroom, and her favorite blanket gets draped over the back of the couch. She follows me around the whole time, weaving between my legs and making it abundantly clear that she's not letting me out of her sight.
"I missed you too, you demanding little thing," I tell her as she jumps up on the couch beside me.
I'm sitting there, scratching behind her ears and watching her purr, when I hear the rumble of a motorcycle outside. Whiskers' ears perk up, but she doesn't move from her spot. A moment later, the door opens and Dime walks in.
He stops short when he sees me on the couch with a cat in my lap.
"Well, hello there," he says, a grin spreading across his face.
"Principal Harrison brought her by." I stroke her back. "I hope you don't mind that she's here."
"Mind? Are you kidding?" He drops his keys on the counter and walks over, kneeling down in front of the couch. "Hey, Whiskers. I've missed you."
Whiskers regards him with those inscrutable green eyes that cats have, then does something I've never seen her do with a stranger. She stands up, stretches, and walks right into his lap.
