Ava and Samantha talk, sitting at the same library table while studying together. They spend some time talking about how they’ve both been, nothing too serious. Samantha doesn’t even know what classes Ava has been taking this semester so she asks. They both talk about their teachers, the ones who are good and the ones who are just collecting a paycheck.
At least neither of them have any who are trying to look up their skirt, Ava says mockingly. Both of them have heard the rumors about a young, conventionally handsome math teacher who was around until last semester and discreetly fired because of inappropriate comments as well as general creepiness towards 9th and 10th grade high school girls.
“Apparently, he’s working for some bank as an elite now.”
“Really?” Samantha’s eyes grow wide.
“Yeah, you know how this school is. A lot of influential parents send their kids here and I think he got a job because he befriended a parent who mints money for a too-big-to-fail type bank.”
“Ugh.” Samantha scrunches up her face in disgust.
Samantha and Ava talk about students they know who were in the class of this teacher and spend some time laughing at how creepy the guy came off, especially in the way he hung around groups of girls in the hallways. Ava even shares a shaky cam video on her phone of the guy walking down the hallway with two pairs of pretty highschool girls on either side of him.
It looked just slightly less conspicuous because the hallway itself was packed, but anyone watching him and the girls could tell what was going on. Samantha can even hear some flirtatious remarks being shared, making her surprised that it took so long for the guy to lose his job (though maybe not too surprised).
“He looks like a fucking idiot, can’t even get any women his own age… Fucking loser!” Ava whispers to the slight chagrin of a nearby librarian who raises her index finger to her lips.
“You know… he’s almost identical to that guy who was ‘killed himself’ in prison some years back after he was caught running that rape island for the rich and powerful… Whatever has happened before will happen again. There really is nothing new under the sun. Pfft–”
Ava and Samantha laugh together. Samantha feels better. Just ever so slightly better. Her mind taken off of her own loss, her pain. She doesn’t even care that she wasted her lunch period talking to her friend instead of studying. Their dynamic is so familiar, so… comforting. Best of all, Ava isn't looking at her with feigned sympathy or outright pity like all the others.
The two of them continue to talk until their lunch period ends. Then, Ava meets Samantha after school to continue their conversation. They walk home together as they both live in the same neighborhood, though not on the same block. They talk about various silly and funny gossip items floating around social media.
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Eventually, Samantha asks about what Ava plans to do in the future. To Samantha’s slight surprise, Ava has been accepted to an ivy league college just like Samantha, one called Lower Dietrich.
They walk home slower and slower while talking just so they can extend their time together. Finally, Ava asks something that makes Samantha pause her slow walking completely.
She asks about Samantha's parents. She doesn't want to just ignore what Samantha is going through after all, and Samantha on her part understands that they should at least discuss the elephant in the room. Ava asks about what kind of people they were, what they meant to Samantha.
“A-Ah, it is a bit of a long story, you know? Are you sure I haven’t told you about it before?” Samantha bites her lip.
She hasn’t shared her family’s history with anyone, mostly because very few people were ever truly interested about her or her family prior to their deaths, but also because she didn’t want to embarrass herself by gushing over them. She was and is proud of the lives they’ve lived and she wished she had told her parents that when they were still…
“I’m not sure if you talked about it before, Sam, at least not with me. If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to say any–”
“No! No, I… I want to talk about them. They lived an uphill battle their entire lives, and I… I should talk about it more. Why have I never shared this…” Samantha sighs. She looks up at the bright blue sky, not a cloud in sight. Now would be as good a time as any to sing their praises.
She offers what she can about her mother and father after a small bit of hesitation. She is proud of her mom and dad so she doesn’t keep much hidden away, all except what she thought was too personal or anything that would make her burst into tears if she said it out loud.
Both her parents were immigrants who came to this country in their early adulthood with some of their extended family in tow.
They became citizens after a lot of time and hard work. They only met each other after they both became permanent residents of Western Britannia and they grew to love each other with enough time and effort. Their two families also became close because of the kinship they felt in terms of their struggle and circumstances.
As Samantha spoke more and more about her family, minutes flew by. Yet, Ava was captivated by it all. They stood outside, Samantha speaking and Ava listening intently, for half an hour before Samantha realized she had been speaking longer than it would be polite too.
"I'm… I'm sorry for rambling on like that, wow. The floodgates just opened up, huh…"
"No, no, it's alright, Sam. It's perfectly alright. They were incredible people and I can see that you were proud of them. I… I'm sorry you lost them. I know it probably doesn't mean much to hear words like that, but I'm sorry."
"...I–"
Before Samantha could say anything in response, Ava embraced her tightly. Samantha holds back her tears and reciprocates the hug. She feels sad and just a bit refreshed. She doesn't know why, but thinking of her parents right now doesn’t bring forth her more despairing thoughts.
Right now, she's just… happy to remember her parents. She’s happy to have known them and loved them.
This is how Samantha and Ava reunited once again.