Chapter Text
The first time Victoria saw Cassie was last month. School had just ended an hour before, yet she still stayed glued to her desk, watching over the last kid who had yet to get picked up.
She liked to think that as a teacher, her patience was pristine. But every second that ticked past dismissal time, her patience grew thinner and thinner.
Harrison played on his iPad, something she'd never allow him or the other students to do during school hours, but after the first 30 minutes of him bombarding her with the most random questions, she had enough.
Truth be told, if this were any other kid in the class, Victoria would have sent them downstairs to the after-school program. But unfortunately, her curiosity was thicker than her patience.
She had never met Harrison's mother before, only spoken to her via a very short parent-teacher phone call a few weeks ago. Part of Victoria wanted to give her mother a piece of her mind, while the other part wanted to give her grace. Cassie was a mechanic; Victoria remembered her briefly mentioning it over the phone once.
Yet when the door swung open to reveal the woman clouding her thoughts, red hair, messy bangs, and out of breath as if she had been running on her way here, all of Victoria's irritation vanished. She watched as Harrison let his iPad drop on the desk and run towards his mother, falling into her open arms as she spewed out apologies and I love yous.
Cassie was still in her work flannel, sleeves rolled up, a faint smear of grease near her wrist she hadn’t noticed. The cool weather of October allowed for her lack of an undershirt, and Victoria couldn't stop her breath from hitching as she noticed a chain dangling from her neck, catching the light from the window in front of her.
It wasn't until Harrison mentioned something about Victoria letting them watch a movie during class that Cassie finally met her eyes.
Victoria watched as she quickly told Harrison to finish packing his things, then took a few steps towards her desk with an apologetic frown. Victoria stood, clearing her throat (and straightening out her dress) as she mustered up a big smile.
"God, I am so sorry. His grandparents are at the doctors. I tried calling his father, but he isn't answering the god damn phone..." she trailed off and watched Victoria's expression faint, confused expression, so she pursed her lips and held out her hand. "Never mind. I'm Cassie, Harrison's mother. I believe we've met over the phone?"
"Yes," with a nod, Victoria shook her hand. "It's nice to finally meet you in person."
As cliché as it sounds, Cassie's smile made her heart skip a beat. Two dimples pressed into her cheeks, contrasting against the sharp edge of her jawline.
Very nice to meet you, actually, Victoria mused.
"And it's no worries. Harrison's a great kid. Good company," Victoria continued while Cassie's eyes curiously flickered down between them to where their hands still shook a few seconds too long. Victoria noticed and let go with a nervous laugh.
Cassie took the brief moment of silence to scan her classroom.
Victoria's classroom didn't look like a typical math class. She had fluffy purple rugs that housed big bean bags and plants scattered along the windowsills. There was a string of dimly lit fairy lights that hung from the ceiling, casting a soft glow in the room instead of the harsh, bright overhead lights.
So what if she went over her budget for decorations?
"He talks about you a lot," Cassie said without looking at her. Her eyes fixated on the small shelf next to Victoria's desk that was full of snacks and kids' drinks. There was a sign that said 'Please ask before you touch!'.
Taken aback, Victoria blinked a few times. "Oh?"
Cassie hummed and absentmindedly traced her finger along Victoria's desk. "Pretty sure you're the only reason he likes math now. Says you make math not suck."
"That's a high honor," Victoria smiled despite herself.
The sound of Cassie's chuckle made her want to curl up into a ball and scream into her pillow.
"Well, he doesn't really give those out easily," Cassie said, then her voice softened. "So, thank you. For being patient. I swear this won't happen again."
A few weeks later, it did happen again. This time, Victoria didn't mind it.
Harrison was busy working on some classwork at his desk as Victoria pretended to grade papers. Truthfully, she was pretending not to be as excited to see Cassie again as she thought she was.
Over the past few days, Victoria had learned that Harrison was picked up by either his grandparents, father, step-mom, or Cassie. She also learned that Cassie picked him up on Wednesdays, her usual off day, as she overheard Harrison randomly mention during class one time.
Today was Wednesday.
Victoria wondered what Cassie did on her off days. What did she wear? Did she sleep in? Hang out with friends? Spend time with Harrison or allow herself some quiet time?
She also wondered if Cassie's voice always dropped an octave every time she said a woman's name. Did she greet the women who walked into her shop with that sharp smile that always tugged on her lips?
"Miss Javadi?"
Victoria turned to see Harrison now at her desk, holding his sheet of paper and a pencil with a frustrated pout.
Oh, God.
A flash of guilt hit her stomach— hard. She had been thinking about his mother while he had been waiting for help.
"Yes?" Victoria asked, shaking Cassie out of her thoughts and straightening her posture.
He offered her his paper. "I'm having trouble with question three. I keep getting the wrong number. Can you help me?"
"Oh, of course," Victoria motioned for him to come around the desk. She always liked to keep a second chair next to hers for one-on-one sessions like this, so Harrison took a seat and scooted closer. "Let's walk through what you did."
Harrison used his pencil to point out each step he did carefully, and she listened closely.
"Take a look at what sign is next to twenty-four," Victoria said gently. "What is it?"
"It's a negative."
"Correct. So when you moved it to the other side of the equation...?" Victoria tailed off, hoping he'd catch his mistake.
His eyebrows raised, "Oh."
"There you go," Victoria smiled as Harrison fixed his mistake, landing on the correct answer.
That day it was raining, and Cassie walked in with a huff. She greeted Harrison with a kiss on the head despite her frown.
Her clothing was damp, and Victoria assumed that she had forgotten an umbrella. This time, she was wearing a jacket and jeans that stuck to her curves due to the damp fabric. Still wearing that damn chain.
Her hair was damp too. Water droplets trace the skin along her jawline, and Victoria chewed on her bottom lip, trying to resist the urge to lick them away.
But something was different. She didn't have the usual grin on her face. Her lips were pulled down into a small frown as if something was troubling her. Victoria didn't mention it.
Cassie apologized again. Victoria brushed it off again.
No worries! I totally understand.
"You know, school policy says that kids are sent to after care thirty minutes after dismissal time," Cassie said almost hesitantly. "You don't have to stay with him. I won't mind the fee."
"I know," Victoria replied with a reassuring smile. She wanted to add that she wanted to. That she wanted to wait for her. To see her.
Cassie briefly looked at Harrison, who stood under the threshold of the door, playing on his iPad, before she stepped closer to the desk and lowered her voice.
"Look, Miss Javadi," Victoria almost choked, hearing her name roll off Cassie's tongue. "I appreciate it, but I feel bad—"
"It's okay. Really," Victoria gently cut in and waved her hand. "I meant what I said. Plus, he's great company."
Cassie's lips curved into a smile at her words, though Victoria could still sense the guilt etched on her face. She could sense the amount of stress she was in too. The bags under her eyes and the small crease on her forehead made it evident.
When was the last time she got a good night's sleep? Or had a good home-cooked meal and not those microwave TV dinners that Harrison said she buys all the time?
Does she have friends? Is she seeing anyone romantically?
Victoria's thoughts raced through her mind as Cassie said her goodbyes.
And just as Cassie started to leave, Victoria couldn't stop herself before she yelled out a little louder than called for. Cassie, who was in the middle of shrugging off her hoodie to put it over Harrison's head, jumped slightly.
Victoria grabbed her umbrella from underneath her desk and walked over, gesturing for her to take it.
"I just figured you forgot one," Victoria said as Cassie eyed the floral purple umbrella, still yet to take it. "And it's getting pretty bad out, so..."
Her eyes looked behind her and at the window as the rain came down hard onto the pavement. "What about you?"
"Oh, I have an extra one," Victoria lied easily. "Here, take it. Please."
Something warmed in Cassie's eyes as she stared at Victoria for a small moment. Maybe it was admiration or appreciation. Victoria couldn't name it.
Victoria was drenched by the time she got home that night. Her hair stuck to her face, and her jacket clung uncomfortably to her skin as water squelched in her shoes. She laughed under her breath anyway.
Parent-teacher conferences are when she sees her next.
She had gotten special permission from the school to spread the conferences over the span of a week instead of cramming them all in one or two days. That way, it gave parents who work odd hours more flexibility.
Well, that was the official reason.
It also meant that Cassie could choose any time slot that best fit her schedule.
Not that Victoria had done that for any particular reason.
Most of her students, including Harrison, were doing exceptionally well in her math class, so her meetings seemed to breeze by faster than she had expected.
She was nervous. It was only her second year teaching, so part of her nervousness stemmed from wanting parents to like her, but the thought of being in a room and having a one-on-one conversation with Cassie for about 15 minutes was taking a toll on her nervous system.
It was 6:40 pm when Cassie walked in. She was five minutes early, and Victoria wasn't expecting her just yet. She was busy organizing a stack of graded assignments, absentmindedly humming and mumbling lyrics to an upbeat song.
She didn't notice Cassie, who stopped to stare and take in her appearance.
Didn't notice Cassie, who was dressed in a hoodie and dark colored pants in place of her usual work attire.
Didn't notice the gentle look of amusement on Cassie's face when she finally turned around and let out a gasp, dropping the stack of papers she had in her hand.
"Oh, fu— fudge!" Victoria knelt, grabbing at the paper on the ground with one hand while the other held her chest. She looked up to find Cassie holding back a laugh as she walked towards her to help. She couldn't help but take a double glance, taking in her appearance for a few seconds.
She looked different... refreshed.
Her hair was down, messy but not too messy. Almost as if she had been running her fingers through it. Her eyes were brighter without the usual dark circles under them, and it became very clear to Victoria.
Cassie was insanely beautiful.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't hear you come in," Victoria admitted
There was one last paper that had slipped underneath a chair, and Victoria didn't miss the subtle groan that left Cassie's mouth when she bent down to grab it.
"No, I'm sorry, sweetheart," Cassie smiled at her once they both stood, handing the paper back to her. "Didn't mean to startle you."
Victoria pretended like her knees almost didn't just give out at the sudden nickname. She decided that it would be best to sit down before they actually did.
"I-It's fine," she managed, making her way towards the table she set up for tonight. She sat down and smoothed out her hair more than necessary. This morning, she braided her two front pieces and tied them together in the back with a bow while the rest of her hair fell past her shoulders. She also decided to wear a black and white gingham dress that fit around her torso but flowed loose past her hips. "Please," she politely gestured for Cassie to join her.
There was a tray of cookies on the table that Victoria had baked the night before. A few of the parents before her simply glanced at them or completely disregarded them, but Cassie didn't hesitate to grab one.
"I know Harrison can be kind of a handful at times. I hope he hasn't been too much for you?" Cassie asked before she took a bite.
Victoria shook her head, eyeing her notes instead of looking at the intense gaze in front of her. "Well, he's a great kid—quite talkative— but not disruptive or distracting for his classmates. Honestly, it's helpful at times. He's always answering my questions in class or offering to share his thoughts."
"Really?" Cassie's shoulders relaxed as she dramatically exhaled. "God, that's a relief."
Pulling out a few papers from her pile, Victoria showed her some of Harrison's recent tests. "He's doing pretty well academically. I did notice a bit of a struggle recently during our line graph unit, however. I've put together a little study guide for students who seem to be struggling, so with more practice at home and here at school, I'm sure he will show some improvement in no time."
"That's awesome," Cassie looked through Harrison's school work with a hum of approval.
"Yes, however," Victoria trailed off, trying to find her words. Cassie paused her moments, eyeing her over the papers. The last thing Victoria wanted to do was offend or embarrass Cassie. "I just want to make sure he's getting enough sleep at home."
Cassie blinked, pulling back with a look of concern. "Enough sleep?"
"This week, I've noticed that he falls asleep sometimes in class. I um..." Victoria nervously swallowed. "I send him to the nurse's office sometimes so that he can squeeze a nap in."
She could see Cassie's jaw tighten, and the room suddenly felt smaller.
"Fucking Chad," She ran a hand over her face and shook her head. "I'm going to kill him."
"I'm sorry?"
"He's been staying with his father this week. They like to play video games sometimes, and Harrison will convince Chad to let him stay up late because he just has to be the fun parent." Cassie explained. Her forehead creased as she leaned back into her chair and sighed. "But, honestly, it's my fault. I've been working more hours than usual this week because of this fucking custody battle. It's like I barely see him sometimes."
"I'm sure you're an amazing mother," Victoria almost wanted to reach over and soothe her. She wanted to kiss the vein running along Cassie's neck and tell her that everything would be okay.
Cassie met her gaze and smiled so lightly that Victoria wouldn't have caught it if she wasn't already subtly glancing at her lips.
"Thank you for letting me know. None of his other teachers mentioned anything about that."
"Of course," Victoria smiled sweetly, briefly looking at her notes again, only half interested. She caught herself thinking about the custody battle Cassie mentioned. Was that why she seemed so grumpy last week?
Cassie stared again for a moment, chewing on the bottom of her lip in thought, before she spoke. "Sorry, this is a bit of a personal question, but do you have kids?"
"God, no. I'm only twenty-one." Victoria couldn't help but laugh. She stopped when she saw Cassie's bewildered expression. "No offense," she added.
"You're only twenty-one?" Cassie asked, leaning over the table almost as if she tried to get a closer look at Victoria.
"I graduated early, then started teaching right after," Victoria shrugged impassively. She's had this same conversation more times than she could count.
Her mother, Elieen, was a New York Times best-selling author and one of the most well-known professors at Harvard. She always taught her that the more a daughter follows in the steps of her mother, the stronger the daughter. Victoria's childhood was filled with lectures in classrooms with people twice her age and college textbooks that probably weighed half of what she did back then. She never really knew what it was like to be a kid. Never went on a class field trip. Never went to homecoming or prom. Never even had a romantic relationship.
So maybe becoming a teacher was her way of making sure kids had the childhood that she didn't have.
"I mean, I assumed you were young, but I was thinking twenty-five," Cassie scoffed to herself in disbelief.
Victoria laughed under her breath. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"Oh, it is," Cassie held her gaze. "Trust me."
The words lingered between them, and Victoria could feel her pulse pick up as she tried to concentrate on her breathing. She hesitated, part of her wanting to talk about Harrison's strengths and weaknesses in the classroom, while the other ached to ask questions that she had no professional business asking.
Did Cassie think of her just as much as she did?
"How so?" Victoria questioned before she could talk herself out of it.
Cassie shrugged, but the corners of her mouth tugged into a small grin.
"You're... you seem very put together for your age. Way more than I ever was at twenty-one. God only knows what I was doing at that age.” She huffed a quiet laugh. “And you’re good with the kids. Really good. It feels like a lot of teachers just clock in and clock out.”
Victoria ducked her head and chuckled, feeling her cheeks embarrassingly heat up. A piece of hair fell out of place, and she pulled it back behind her ear.
"Believe me, I'm not as put together as I look."
"I doubt that."
"And, thank you," Victoria exhaled. She was never good with compliments. "But I’m just doing my job. I promise I’m not anything special. Just a boring math teacher.”
"I don't see any other teacher doing what you've done for my son. It's amazing, Miss Javadi," She stilled at Cassie's words. "These past few years have pretty bad for him with everything going on with his father and me. It hasn't been exactly peaceful. He started doing badly in school— failing tests and losing friends— but this year is really the first time that I'm seeing a change. You're good for him."
Victoria's throat felt tight, and she silently prayed that Cassie didn't catch her eyes that started to water under the dim light. But, before she could respond, a sharp string of electronic beeps rang through the air.
A groan echoed from Cassie's mouth as a confused Victoria scanned the room, trying to locate the source of the obnoxious sound.
"What is—"
Then, Cassie maneuvered her leg from under the table and reached down, pulling up her pant leg to expose her ankle.
Oh, Victoria's breath caught.
There was a black metal device attached to her ankle, a red light blinking as it continued emitting that awful sound.
A distorted voice came through the device, questioning Cassie about her whereabouts, earning another frustrated groan from the woman. She dragged a hand over her face, a hint of humiliation and irritation written all over it.
"I am at my son's school!" She called out as Victoria watched in bafflement. "Just like last time and the time before that."
The device continued beeping, and Cassie stood up from her seat, letting her pant leg naturally fall back into place. She shot Victoria an apologetic look. "Sorry, I'll have to cut this short. This stupid thing never wants to work."
Victoria didn't say anything at first, just nodded. She kept glancing at her ankle, wondering why it was there. Wondering what she did.
Are you okay?, she wanted to ask.
"No problem," She finally managed. "You can always email me or call with any more questions or concerns."
"Will do," Cassie curtly nodded with an awkward purse of her lips before she turned for the door.
She was gone before Victoria could blink.