“No, Macie.” Lily’s voice wavered—kids could be so cruel. “No one deserves to be outed before they’re ready, and it’s not your fault it happened to you. I’m sorry it did.” The words did little to comfort Macie, and Lily made a quick decision. “You know, I was outed when I was in high school.”
Macie’s head snapped up.
“It was no picnic. I want you to know that I know how serious this is, and I’m going to make sure it’s dealt with.” Lily was sure Eva would, too. A part of Lily was sad she hadn’t been able to stick around to hear the show, but Macie’s wellbeing was more important.
“Thanks, Miss Cross. Can I go and use the bathroom before my next class?”
“Of course you can.” Macie looked brighter when she climbed to her feet.
Lily hoped she’d helped. “Let me know if something like this happens again.”
“I will. And don’t worry—I won’t tell anyone about you.”
“Thank you, Macie.” Lily wasn’t worried about her sexuality getting out—she wasn’t ashamed of it—but she knew there might be a parent or two out there who would object if word got back to them a lesbian was teaching their child. “I hope you feel better.”
After shooting off a quick e-mail summarizing the events in the cafeteria—and what Macie had disclosed to Lily in the safety of her classroom—to the relevant people, Lily wondered whether she should return to her lunch duty. The bell rang, making the decision for her. Lily was glad she had a break before her next class, needing some time to recover from the excitement. She hoped it wasn’t the start of a trend—she’d enjoyed her uneventful duty last week.
Mei stood beside the microwave in the teacher’s lounge, her eyebrows twitching when she saw Lily’s face. “Rough day? Don’t tell me this place has gotten to you already.”
“Not yet.” Lily had brought a sandwich for lunch, and she sat in the chair she’d claimed as her own at the table. “There was an incident in the cafeteria.”
Mei joined her, a mug of steaming soup in her hands. “Tell me more. Did you and Eva get into a fist fight?”
Lily snorted. “You think I wouldn’t be left with scars if that happened?”
“You’re right. Eva is too feisty—you wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“Hey!”
Mei patted the back of her hand. “No offence. You’re too nice, Lily. She’d eat you alive.”
“I can be feisty.” Sure, she’d never been in a fight in her life, but she worked out.
Sometimes.
“So, if you and Eva didn’t start trading punches, what did happen?”
“Just some sophomores being assholes.” Lily didn’t want to go into too much detail, especially not at Macie’s expense.
“They tend to do that. Did you sort them out?”
“I left that to Eva.”
“A smart choice.”
* * *
Eva’s fury carried through the rest of the day.
She may have only taught her classes a handful of times, but one look at Eva’s face as they entered her room, and her students were silent for the remainder of the period. None of them dared to push her, and Eva’s singular complaint was their reluctance to answer any of her questions, as though they were scared simply opening their mouths to reply might earn them an immediate detention.
No one mentioned the scene from the cafeteria, though Eva had little doubt it would have spread around the whole school by now. She hadn’t held back as she’d ripped the two troublesome sophomores a new one before marching them to the principal’s office, and she’d expected whispers to sound whenever her back was turned.
They seemed to have collectively thought better of it, and the rest of her day passed without incident. After her last class of the day had filed out the door, Eva was preparing to gather her things together when she heard a light knock. Frowning, Eva raised her head, wondering who dared to disturb her.
Seeing Lily’s uncertain face through the glass, Eva supposed she shouldn’t be surprised. No one else would be so stupid.
She toyed with the idea of ignoring her, wondering if Lily would be brave enough to enter without Eva’s permission, but that would be childish, and Eva had had enough of that kind of behavior for the day. She beckoned Lily inside. Lily’s hands were empty, buried in the pockets of her slacks as she leaned against the door to close it.
