I had walked back into the school under a cloud. Wren had taken my day, and my excited anticipation to see her... and rained on it. I knew it would have surprised her to see Ruth, it did me too, but I never came at her in that same way with Ava at the party. I had been a little bothered by it, yes, but I hadn't used that tone with her that she had just used for me. We had to talk this through before it became a thing, because there should be no doubt for her that it's her I want. If there was doubt, I had to erase it. We needed to trust each other or this wouldn't work. Ruth had asked if I wanted to go out for dinner and catch up tonight, and I had politely declined and told her that I had a girlfriend. Wren and I didn't currently have a label, but she was absolutely my girlfriend in my head and my heart. She hadn't stopped being, not to me. It was a little blip. I shook it off and told myself that tonight it would all be cleared up, and we could finally start dating again.

When I made it to my office, there was a teachers slip on my desk waiting for me, a student skipped class. I sat down and lifted it to inspect, Olympia, of course. It was my job to let parents know when this occurred, so that we could work together with the child to make sure we could support them, and so that it didn't happen again.

I lifted the phone and dialled the Nomikos residence by heart. I didn't need her file out for this one.

"This is Harper" came her Mamas voice.

"Harper. Good afternoon, it's Millie" I replied.

"Millie, hey, how's it going?"

I leant back in my chair, and braced myself. I really didn't want to drop this on Harper right now, but rules were rules and this was my job.

"Good, but I'm ringing on a professional level, as Olympias school counsellor I'm afraid"

I can hear Harper sigh "what did she get up to on day one" she asked.

"She skipped final period" I inform her.

"Do I need to come in" Harper asked, sounding resound to the fact she would be back up here on the regular.

"No" I assure her " I'm gonna call Olympia into my office on Monday if that's okay, and see how we can combat this pattern of behaviour for the new school year"

"God speed with that one" Harper replied. "She's even got me praying again, before I go to sleep at night. I just want her to be okay. I worry about her taking this into her final years of high school, and her behaviour getting worse or slipping into the wrong group of people"

I nodded, I understood that worry, but Olympia's file, despite being meaty, wasn't serious. Olympia hadn't ever physically hurt anyone, she hadn't taken or sold drugs, and she wasn't a bully or a mean girl. Olympia's problem was that she was impulsive, and she did things without thinking them through, just because she wanted to. Her file was littered with talking back to teachers, taking classes off when she had felt like it, and being in the frame for a few spray painting incidents, that were never proven.

"She's not a bad kid, she just needs to think before she acts. I've looked at her file Harper, she's one of the highest graded students in her year. She's got a four point zero GPA despite missing a couple classes. I think Olympia may actually be...bored"

"Bored" Harper asks with surprise.

"Yes, I get the impression she is. She's finding it so easy to complete these classes that she's then finding trouble to entertain herself. The classes she skips correlate to the ones shes acing most easily. Olympia is gifted academically. I would suggest we discuss having Olympia skip a grade. If she is challenged, her motivation will no doubt increase and her focus be less class clown and more wanting to learn. Olympia in my opinion, should have skipped grades a couples years ago, and I'm sorry if it's been missed by my predecessor, but it's not too late to get her situated in twelfth grade from next week. Speak with Teddy, and Olympia about it over the weekend, and I can set up a meeting for myself and Olympia on Monday at nine, and then if you guys could come in perhaps for ten, we could get the ball rolling. No pressure, but most definitely my suggestion"

Harper sounded emotional "Millie ... you've no idea how much that makes sense. To know she is perhaps acting out because she isn't being stimulated or challenged. I'm not sure how this wasn't picked up, or why I didn't even come to that conclusion myself"

"She's a teenager Harper. It's hard to tell what's hormones, behavioural issues, or just plain boredom. The school should have picked it up, but I can't deny I don't have first hand knowledge of Olympia outside of school, so I know she has a good home, a stable family unit, and is loved and cared for. That rules out a few things. I also know she's missed Wren and Cameron the last year, and acting out and boredom go hand in hand"

"I will talk with Teddy and Olympia this weekend, but I am a hundred per cent sure we will be moving her up to twelfth grade. It makes me feel sad, to skip some of her high school years, but if it helps... we have to make that happen for her"

"Agreed" I reply, sitting forward and placing down the slip "so I'll see you Monday"

"Yes absolutely. And next weekend? she asked "will you be at Mary's funeral"

"Of course" I returned.

"Good, she would have wanted you there. Well, have a good few days rest and we shall see you Monday" she replied.

"I'm seeing Wren tonight actually. So, the weekend couldn't start better for me" I let her know.

I can hear the smile in her voice "Have fun you two, and tell her to stop by and see her Mama before she goes back"

"Of course. Have a great weekend" I say, clicking off the call.

***
I drove us home. Willa and I were up front and Veda and Josephine were in the back. Apparently the girls had organised a sleep over tonight, and they thought to tell me rather than ask me. I didn't mind to be honest, it meant Veda had company whilst I went on my date with Wren.

Other than the giggles and laughter from the girls in the back as they shared ear pods, and listened to some new album they liked, the car was silent. Willa I noted was lost in thought, her eyes on the passing cars and the changing scenery. She looked sad.

"Are you okay" I asked her.

She looked sideways at me checking to see if I meant her. She offered a little smile, it wasn't confident. "I will be" she replied, and she sat up and focused back to the moment.

"Thinking about Mary" I ask, knowing it already.

Mary's funeral had finally been planned for next Saturday, it had taken a little longer than usual to get a date. Apparently there was a higher than usual demand for funerals at the moment, a chilling thought, but as the funeral home had said "The summer always sees more people out. It's the heat you see"

Honestly I didn't need to hear an explanation, death despite coming to us all, was not a comfortable subject. I certainly didn't want the inside scoop.

Willa nodded "Her lawyer shared with me her Will and last requests last week"

"Oh" I return "and did she let you know how she wanted the funeral" I ask.

"Yes, small, and nothing fancy. She wanted us to skip to the good part, her words not mine, and have a wake instead, which should absolutely be more of a celebration and not a goodbye. She was insistent on that"

"She loved a good party" i muse.

Willa smiled "she did. She also loved to meddle in everyone's life, in the best way possible, and her requests in the letter she left me were purposefully written to meddle one last time in mine. I finally opened it up and read it in my free period an hour ago"

I turned onto the road to the Lake, and glanced sideways to Willa "what did she ask"

"She wants me to take her ashes, and spread them, little at a time, in all of the places that meant something to her, starting in the winter break, and ending next fall"

I thought about that for a second, trying to understand how that meddled. Willa saw my confusion "She's set my retirement date" she explains with a little head shake and an amused lift of her lips "She told me before she passed away, that I should work one last term, and then take my retirement. She said I've worked enough, and that Allie and I should go and enjoy our lives, no more work, no more distraction, but enjoy each other, and travel"

"So, she's set you up an itinerary" I ask.

"Two pages of locations and destinations to visit in the next year. All over the country, and some abroad" Willa explains.

"Wow" I return.

"She even booked and gifted us the first ticket" she says still in disbelief.

"Where to" I ask.

"A Warm winter get away to St Barths. Mary and Erica went a lot in those last ten years. They always stayed at the same hotel and had the same room overlooking the ocean"

"Let me guess" I return "she booked the room too"

"She did. She took a risk that she wouldn't be around for December and she booked Allie and I to leave after Christmas, and before the New year" Willa revealed.

"She took the wheel for you" I suggest "and she gave you a direction. She wanted us all to take more time to be present, in the chaos of life. I guess this was her gift to you. I haven't known you long Willa but I know how dedicated you are to your career, and despite wanting to retire I could see you taking another semester and then another if asked, and just putting retirement off to support the kids"

Willa nods in agreement "Yeah, she knew that too. That I needed a little push. I'm going to give Joe notice, that my time at Laurelwood will be ending in December. It's been my shortest stint with a group of kids, but I'll make sure I leave them in a good place to hand over to the next coach. They have a lot of potential. Of course I'll still make every game I can, to watch my granddaughter play, and offer my assistance"

"Exactly. The best of both worlds" I return "I envy you"

She observes me, in my peripheral. "Envy me leaving the school" she asks.

"No, I just mean. I envy where you are in life. You know who you are, where you're going to, and you have the love of your life at your side. You've already been through it all, the hard part is over. Now is the reward"

Willa leans back, her head against the head rest and she seems to consider that response and mull it over before looking back to me as we entered the long driveway. "Millie if not for the journey to this moment...I would not now appreciate the reward. If Allie and I hadn't been through so much to be together, would we truly appreciate each other now, decades later. In the same way?! I never take her for granted, not for one single moment, because for most of my life I ached to have her. The journey through life to this moment, it was long and sometimes painful, but I wouldn't ever skip it to the good part. You should never skip a story and read the last page, for you wouldn't know what it took to get there, and you wouldn't then appreciate it's end. You are so young, just at the start of yours, don't skip a page, hoping to get here sooner, enjoy the little moments that one day become the big moments you look back on. Enjoy being youthful, and having fun, and love with an open heart, not a guarded one, don't look back with regret. You have a whole lifetime ahead with your love, if you both choose it. Perhaps I, should be the envious one" she replies. "After all, when I was your age, I was just returning home after five years of absence. Alberta and I were not together, and all we had was a love that was forbidden, and that neither of us realised the other felt"

I couldn't imagine going through what Allie and Willa had. It was true, Wren and I were in a position that we could be honest with each other, we could choose one another, and we could live openly as a couple, unlike Willa and Allie had been able to do. If we worked this out, Wren and I could spend a lifetime together, which was a privilege and a gift.

"This like a therapy session, or can anyone join" Veda asked from the backseat.

Willa turned to them in the back.

"I'm glad you and Gaga finally got to be together" Josephine said to Willa "I can't even imagine her with Grandad Jameson..." she trailed off.

I couldn't believe they had listened to all of that. I pulled up to the house and cut the engine. I turned to look at the girls in the backseat too "Forgot you were there" I commented, looking between them both. "So, Josephine, do I need to go into the woods and forage some vegan dinner for you and Veda here... or are you both happy to order a pizza"

"Pizza, duh" Veda replies, opening her door and getting out. "And your still not funny Snow white" she called back.

Josephine smiled, and replied politely "thanks Millie that sounds perfect"

Josephine got out and followed Veda to the guest house, and Willa and I gathered our things "Don't worry" she said "Allie and I will keep an eye on them tonight for you"

"Thanks, I appreciate that" I returned "you don't think there's... that this is a ..." and then I stopped myself from saying something so absurd.

"I think it's just friends" she says with a knowing smile. "But I will keep an eye don't worry"

I felt like I had said something stupid. Two girls could of course just be friends "of course. I just don't want Veda pulling 'sleepover' stunts on me"

"Harper and Teddy had me and Allie fooled on that for a little while, but then again they were adults. But it means I've got an eye for it now. Nothing gets past me" she says confidently.

"Good. Then yes, keep an eye for me. I don't want boys or girls being sneaked into this house"

"I'll take the night watch" Willa joked.

"Nobody gets over the wall" I joke back "but, if you happen to see a red headed wildling with me later, one with the eyes of a white walker, please look away"

"Noted" she says laughing as we exited the car.

I waved over to Allie who was stood on their porch with Mr Darcy at her feet, and then headed to the guest house.

Veda and Josephine were stood inside, fussing over a purring Norman who was in Vedas arms like a baby.

"I'm gonna go get showered" I let them know "order a pizza whenever you guys get hungry. But" I stress "nobody give Norman any cheese. I repeat... nobody give Norman any cheese"

"We won't" they both called back to me as I walked up the hallway.

They did.

They regretted it instantly

They never saw vegan cheese in the same way again.

Now to get ready for this date...