8
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Ophelia walks briskly down the hallway, she waves at the passing students who call out to her and gives hugs when asked. In her hands, she carries a bundle of clothes. She reaches the gymnasium and breaks into a sprint, seeing a figure standing at the end of the hall.
"What took you so long?" Dr. Davis puffs out sweet vapor, taking the clothes.
Ophelia shoots her a look but otherwise disregards her rudeness. "You didn't tell me your apartment was so cluttered." The woman's apartment was like an explosion of clothes, shoes, fabrics, and hats had gone off.
Dr. Davis slips into the girl's locker room, and into an empty stall. They're the only ones inside the room. "I just grabbed what I thought would work." She fiddles with her fingers, worrying her lip between her teeth.
She snorts out a laugh. "I didn't expect to be doused in chemicals and have to take a shower." The shower starts and soon the smell of peaches wafts into the room.
"I think Daniel shouldn't be allowed near labs for a while." Ophelia scratches her head thoughtfully. "He set the grass on fire on Monday."
A wet head pokes out with shampoo, "You saw him set a fire and didn't think it was important to tell me?" Dr. Davis' eyes are wide with anger. "Were you born stupid or just dropped too much as a child?"
Tears prick behind her eyes, "I didn't know, he immediately put it out when I told him to."
Dr. Davis goes back behind the curtain. "Yeah, and because of your incompetence, he could have seriously hurt someone today!" Her voice raises, making Ophelia stumble back. "Just get out of here and clean it up." Her head comes back out, she grips the curtains in a fist. "On second thought you might fuck it up and burn yourself. I'll do it when I'm finished." If curtains could slam, the way Dr. Davis savagely ripped the curtain closed could be considered a slam.
Ophelia turns on her heel, racing out of the locker room. She starts speed walking but when more tears burn at her eyes, she breaks into a sprint. She bangs the side doors open, running outside. Quick gasping breaths punch from her chest. She pumps her arms and legs, running the mile to the faculty apartments.
It usually takes Ophelia 15 minutes to walk from the school to the apartments, however, at her speed she makes it in 5 minutes. She lunges up the steps, using the railing to propel herself forward. When Ophelia reaches the 3rd floor she quickly unlocks her door and slams the door closed. She locks it, back against the door. Her chest heaves with her broken sobs.
Dr. Davis tended to be callous with her words but that was something else. The woman was shameless in her snide remarks, uncaring of Ophelia's feelings. Sure she made a mistake, but she had written up the paperwork about Daniel setting a fire and handed it into the office. Ophelia followed the rules designated in the handbook, and Headmistress Powell said she would handle it. She wasn't supposed to discuss such matters with others per the headmistress' request.
Honestly, Dr. Davis said Samantha was mean, she should take a look in the mirror. The older woman was truly an unpleasant and nasty person in Ophelia's eyes. She heads to her windows, drawing the blinds and curtains closed. She shoots a quick email to Judy and Mr. Rogers explaining that she's feeling unwell and is taking the rest of the day off.
After that Ophelia shuts off her phone tossing it on the kitchen counter. She grabs a bottle of water and shuffles toward her room. She undresses, filling her bathtub with water and a lavender bubble bath. Ophelia slips inside, still crying softly. She closes her eyes before dipping her head underwater. Blessed silence surrounds her. All Ophelia wants is to float in the peacefulness forever.
There's a banging coming from somewhere. Ophelia rolls over, trying to drown it out, and fall back asleep. However, the pounding is incessant. She whimpers, holding her head as it throbs. She had cried her heart out, fed up with everything and everyone at this retched school. Ophelia rolls out from the bed, she drags her favorite blanket with her, wrapped around her shoulders in a cocoon of safety.
"I'm coming!" Her throat is raw so her shout breaks off into a croak at the end. The knocking doesn't stop but increases like more than one person is at her door. She doesn't check the peephole, just whips the door open, glaring harshly. "What?"
Judy and Samantha stand outside, fists raised. They wear twin expressions of shock. Judy's face turns pale as pity shines in her eyes. "Oh darling, what happened?"
Samantha doesn't say anything. Instead, she steps inside the apartment, pulling Ophelia into her arms. She hugs her tightly, pressing her nose to Ophelia's head. "You had us worried."
Seeing both women concerned over her makes more tears prick at her eyes. She stuffs her face into Samantha's chest, wrapping her arms around the woman. "I messed up." She wails, clinging to the redhead as her sobbing starts back up. "I messed up and Dr. Davis is mad at me and I'm stupid, so stupid. I don't belong here."
Judy ushers them further inside the apartment, closing the door behind them. She walks to the kitchen, "I'll make some warm milk. Ms. Carter, could you get her to calm down?"
Samantha nods, whispering to Ophelia. "Hey sweetheart, let's sit over here." She tries to take Ophelia to the beanbag chair, but she escapes from the older woman's arms.
"No! I'm going to bed so I can wallow like the loser I am." Ophelia speed walks down the hall, blanket flaring behind her like a cloak. Samantha shoots Judy a look but follows the crying woman.
Ophelia climbs underneath her comforter and quilt, stuffing herself down so that her head is entirely covered. She hears the door open, and a weight settles near her leg. A hand pats her thigh.
"Ophelia, sweetheart, what happened?"
She sniffles, rubbing at her nose. "Dr. Davis said I'm incompetent."
Unbeknownst to Ophelia, Judy stands in the doorway with her arms crossed, face furious.
Samantha ticks her jaw, but keeps her voice calm and soothing. "Why did she call you that?"
Ophelia explains in great detail what had transpired that morning. How the junior student, Daniel, accidentally mixed the wrong chemicals and caused a gaseous vapor to fill the room. How it began to sizzle, and when Dr. Davis went to dispose of it, it suddenly erupted all over her clothes. The safety shower in the corner was turned on while students were evacuated into the hallway. Then how Ophelia had run all the way to the apartments and back to the school for Dr. Davis to bring her spare clothes to wear. The incident in the locker room, everything.
"I try my best, I do! But sometimes I feel like no one appreciates me, I shouldn't even be here if I cause so much trouble." Ophelia squeezes her head, curling into a ball. "I'm useless."
Samantha's eyes harden. "Ophelia, don't say that about yourself." She tries to uncover the younger woman but receives a kick to the hip for her actions. She sees Judy cover her mouth to hide her giggle. "Judy's going to bring you some milk, would you like that?" Taking her queue, Judy leaves the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.
"No." Ophelia grunts, wanting to be left alone. "Just go away so I can waste into nothing, I don't deserve to be ali-" She gapes when the covers are snatched off her body. Samantha towers over her, eyes livid beyond the point of sense.
"You finish that sentence and I swear Ophelia I will make you wish you never thought them, do you understand me?" She grabs Ophelia's shoulders, forcefully picking her up and shaking her. "I said do you understand me?"
Ophelia nods, eyes frightful.
"Use your damn words." Samantha growls, teeth clenched.
"Yes ma'am, I understand." Ophelia trembles, scared by how enraged Samantha is.
Samantha cradles her head in her hands. "You are too sweet and kind to think such things." She presses her forehead to Ophelia's, "Sweetheart, everyone loves you. Dr. Porter and her husband, Mr. Rogers, Judy, most if not all of the students adore you. We appreciate you even if we don't say it." She cradles Ophelia's cheek in one hand while the other travels down her neck in a featherlight touch. "You're not stupid, I don't want you to ever say that about yourself again."
"Yes, I won't." She looks up through her lashes at Samantha. "I'm sorry, Samantha,"
The older woman breathes in deeply, closing her eyes. "When you didn't show up at lunch, I asked Azalea where you were. She didn't know." The hand on her neck wraps around it. "Judy said you sent her an email saying you were sick. Then you weren't answering anyone's calls or texts. I-we thought the worst, maybe you were so sick you were unconscious or something."
That hand applies pressure, making Ophelia gasp. "Ophelia, I need you to listen very closely, okay, can you do that?"
"Yes." Her voice quivers.
"Good. Sweetheart, if anyone ever says terrible things like that to you again. You come straight to me." Samantha uses the tense grip she has on Ophelia's neck to force her up on her knees so that they're at eye level. "Because I will make sure they feel the pain those words caused you."
Fury burns in Samantha's blue eyes. Ophelia stares, possessed by the woman's dominating presence. She had never seen Samantha like this. It was hypnotic, the tone she used, how she treated Ophelia with a tenderness that didn't match her aggressive words.
"Yes." Ophelia's voice is a whisper in the quiet room.
"Yes, what?" Samantha applies a hint of pressure to her neck.
Ophelia understands right away. "Yes ma'am."
The hand moves away, patting her head. "Good, you're such a good girl Ophelia. Don't let anyone ever tell you you're not."
An influx of confusing emotions rushes Ophelia. She sits on her haunches, still staring up at Samantha. She knows that Samantha's words should be concerning, but she can't find a will to care. Rather than dwell on it, Ophelia chooses to sink into this feeling of powerlessness, trusting Samantha to take care of her. "Can I have a hug?"
Samantha's answering smile is blinding. "Of course, you can. Come here." She folds Ophelia up into her arms, taking a seat against the headboard. She kicks off her shoes, pulling them up onto the bed.
Ophelia closes her eyes, loving the warm embrace of Samantha's arms around her.
Judy walks in, carrying 3 cups of warm milk, she smiles, unaware of what had just transpired. "I have a cup of milk with your name on it Ophelia." She sits on the other side of Ophelia. "I even added a pinch of cinnamon in it." She says, patting the younger woman's back.
Samantha takes the cup, lifting it to Ophelia's lips. "Here, drink some."
Ophelia blinks open her eyes, taking a sip from the cup. She hums, lips twitching. "It's good." She takes the cup from Samantha's hand to take a deeper swallow. "Thank you, Judy."
Judy and Samantha take a sip from their own cups, sharing a look over Ophelia's head. "Ophelia, I grabbed your phone from the kitchen. You might want to turn it on and call your Aunt, she's worried sick about you."
She straightens up, dread pooling in her stomach. "Aunt Azalea." Ophelia takes the offered phone, turning it on. There's a series of missed calls and about 50 unanswered text messages. The names, Azalea, Erica, Judy, Samantha, and even 'Mom' are highlighted. She crumples back into Samantha's side. "They're so pissed."
"Yes, we are too." Judy backpedals at Ophelia's whine. "Not at you, at that bitch Davis." She shakes her head, "She and I are going to have a chat." Judy holds a hand up when Ophelia begins to protest. "I'll hear none of it. What she said to you was unforgivable and it's about time someone gave her a wake-up call."
A 30-minute phone call explaining everything to her Aunt Azalea turned into a three-way call between Ophelia, Aunt Lea, and her Mom. It soon turned into 4 when Erica joined after she got off work. Ophelia has her phone propped up in her lap on speaker. Judy and Samantha had added in things here and there but for the most part, remained quiet throughout the entire ordeal.
2 hours go by, ending with Ophelia's Mom wishing her goodnight and that she wanted Ophelia to drive down for Fall Break at the end of the month. Aunt Azalea wished them goodnight, most likely a scheme forming to end Dr. Davis.
"I'll see you Friday Fia," Erica says, the last one remaining. "We can binge-watch the How to Train a Dragon and Ice Age movies, I know how much you love them."
Ophelia's face is red in embarrassment from her family, and now from Erica. "Okay, I'm hanging up now."
"Samantha, Judy? Thank you for taking care of my best friend. She doesn't have me there so I'm grateful she has you both." Erica wishes them goodnight and ends the call.
Somehow during the call, Samantha and Judy had both become pressed up on all sides to Ophelia. Judy has her head on Ophelia's shoulder, an arm wrapped around her middle. Samantha has an arm wrapped around her back, her leg thrown over Ophelia's.
"Thanks, guys for staying and helping me explain." Ophelia wipes at her face. She feels drowsy and wide awake at the same time. She whines, stuffing her face into Samantha's shoulder. "Ugh, I'm so tired but I'm also not?"
Judy wipes at her eyes, stretching. "It's late, I have to go check and make sure Jonathan actually ate dinner and not ice cream again." She slowly gets off the bed with a tired groan. "Ms. Carter, are you coming or?"
Samantha glances down at the woman who has her face pressed against her shirt. "I'll leave in a few minutes." She smiles at Judy. "Please, call me Samantha."
Judy blinks a little dumbfounded. "Well, Samantha you may call me Judy. Goodnight ladies."
Once Judy leaves, Ophelia comes out from hiding. "Look at you making friends," She grins slyly up at Samantha who rolls her eyes. "Come on, now you have me and Judy."
"It's nice to know that she likes me." Samantha squeezes Ophelia's shoulders causing her to giggle. "Don't tell her I said that. I'll never hear the end of it."
"Are you going to leave soon?" Ophelia tucks her hand under her chin, resting partway on Samantha's arm and the pillow.
"Do you want me to leave?" Samantha trails her fingers up Ophelia's side.
She looks away, becoming self-conscious. She feels more than hears Samantha inhale deeply and then exhale slowly in one breath. Ophelia sits up, panicked at the lack of response.
Samantha stares up at her with a blank expression. She's coming to understand that it's her neutral expression, the one Samantha uses when she doesn't want others to know her thoughts.
"Never mind, you should go." She turns away. "You've been here long enough and I know you must want to go back to your apartment." Samantha moves behind her, standing from the bed. Ophelia's chest aches but she ignores it in favor of saving whatever dignity she has left after tonight.
Samantha pulls on her shoes, stretching. Her bones pop and crack to which she hisses in pleasure. "You think too much." She slips a finger in the back collar of Ophelia's shirt and tugs her backward.
Ophelia lands with her back against Samantha's stomach. "Hey!" She flails her arms out to brace when Samantha keeps pulling.
"Do you want to sleep here or in my bed tonight?" Samantha asks, wrapping her hand around Ophelia's neck again. She holds Ophelia's head still against her stomach, the woman's back against her upper thighs. "Hmm?"
Ophelia feels like this is some sort of test. Samantha has a pensive look on her face, eyes searching. She can't help but wonder what the other is thinking when she stares down at Ophelia. What she sees that makes her care so much. "Your bed."
Samantha's eyes flash and a crooked smirk twitches her lips. "Good."
Double Update this week since I was missing for a bit.
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