CHAPTER SEVEN: SUPERMAN
song of the chapter: superman, taylor swift

Indiana doesn't believe in regrets.

It's a simple belief that she implemented into her life years ago, back when she was offered a job in Chicago with higher pay and better benefits, but she had turned it down to stay in LA with Hugo. Every so often since then, Indiana will think about Chicago, about what her life might be like if she had just gone- but she never regrets.

The thing is, Indiana knows the decisions she makes are made for a reason. Whether it be split second or methodically thought out, she makes them in sound mind and she tries her best not to look back on them. Just because she might have a different opinion on the situation now doesn't mean that she wishes she had changed her mind back then- she makes these decisions with the information that she had at that point in time, and she knows that her life would not be the same if she had made a different one.

And, Indiana really likes her life, so she'd rather it stayed just as it is.

(Even if that means being cornered by Jasmine in the staff room during Wednesday lunch.)

"So," Jasmine starts, loading a spoonful of tomato pasta onto her fork. "How'd your date with Buck go?"

Indiana knew that she would have to answer this question eventually, from Jasmine and from Athena, then from everyone else around her. People are dying to know if Indiana has finally found someone worthy of moving on to. So it's not like she's unprepared, she's just not expecting the question right as she's halfway through a bite of caesar salad.

She holds a hand in front of her face, barely managing to swallow without choking. Then she takes a deep breath, glowering at Jasmine, "You realise I wouldn't have been able to tell you if I had just choked on a crouton?"

Jasmine shrugs, "I know the Heimlich manoeuvre. Now, how was your date with Buck?"

A swallow. A deep breath. A sigh.

It can't be that hard, can it? Lying to her best friend, looking her in the eye and telling her something she knows blatantly isn't true. It's not like she has never lied to Jasmine before, they are both guilty of the odd white lie here and there.

This, however, is far from a white lie. It's a big red banner with a warning sign on.

Still, Indiana sips at her water, and says, "I'm seeing him again on Saturday."

It's not a lie. She is seeing Buck on Saturday, and they're going out for lunch at a place Athena recommended to Indiana months ago. Sure, she's going to fabricate how they got to this point and she's going to lie through her teeth about everything that happens regarding her and Buck past this point, but this part is the truth.

"No shit," Jasmine replies, sounding only a little surprised and a lot breathless. "He charmed you real good, didn't he?"

Indiana chuckles, "He's a nice guy."

"He's a nice guy," Jasmine repeats, mockingly. "That's all you've got to say? You went out with a modern day God and that's all you can give me?"

This part, Indiana came prepared for. She knows Jasmine, knows that her perpetually single friend will thirst until she dies over anything that looks in her general direction before she even dares to make a move. She lived vicariously through Indiana and Hugo's relationship for years, and now that it's finally looking like the drought might be over, she's right back to how she was a few years back.

"Jas," Indiana says, patiently, using her teacher voice. "Buck is a perfectly nice man, and we both know he's a good looking man. However, I did not sleep with him. We both were very respectful of each other's boundaries, and we will continue to be until we both decide if and when we may be ready for that to change."

"God," Jasmine groans, flopping her cheek against the table uselessly. "You are such a good woman. Stop making me feel bad about myself."

Indiana's laughter rings across the staff room, right in time for the lunch bell to sound once more. She points as Jasmine with her fork, "Put your professional face back on, Miss Mendoza. We have children to teach."

.・゜゜・　　・゜゜・．

The school week ends on a high note, with Indiana's class passing their pop quiz with flying colours and a glowing review from her superintendent about her performance that year. Her superintendent, Bridget, tells her that another vice principal position is opening up in Texas that she'd like to recommend her for.

Indiana turns the offer down, for the second time. She loves her job, even with its ridiculously low salary and unrealistic expectations, Indiana wouldn't want to do anything else or be anywhere else.

Still, Bridget tells her that she's going to forward the recommendation anyway. It'll look good for her when she eventually decides to progress in her career, to show that she's had multiple offers but stands firm in her loyalty to the school she's already at.

Durand is good. Good, not great, but it's where Indiana's heart lies.

Besides, if Indiana was to move to Texas, she wouldn't have Jasmine anymore. Or Athena. Or her parents.

Whether or not Buck comes into the equation is entirely irrelevant.

She's at home, the Saturday morning sunlight coming through her windows. She works at the dishes in her sink, scrubbing the supposed non-stick pan that Jasmine somehow managed to fuse some sort of miscellaneous mixture to when she cooked dinner for them last night. A sigh breaks free from her lips as she strains to get it off.

She's nearly at breaking point, just about ready to drop the pan into the trash and call it a day, when her doorbell rings.

Indiana frees herself from her pink washing up gloves and wipes her hands down on her pyjama pants, stalking down the hallway in nothing but her yellow slippers and satin pyjamas, her hair shoved back into a ponytail. She tugs at the hairband to free her curls as she closes her hand around the door handle, pulling it open without a second thought.

The minute she opens the door and sets sight on the man stood on her doorstep, she pushes it closed again. At least, she attempts to, because Hugo's hand is jammed in between the door and the wall, preventing it from being closed.

Not today, she thinks to herself. Find somebody else to fuck with today, God, because it's not going to be me.

Indiana doesn't say a word, only raises her eyebrows in question. Really, she asks him, are we really going to do this?

Hugo speaks first, "Who was that guy you were with last week?"

His tone is desperate, and now that Indiana is really looking at him, she notices his red rimmed eyes and messy hair- like he's been running his hands through it and tugging. She'd feel bad for him if he wasn't Hugo.

Alas, he is, so Indiana really could not care less.

She opens the door a slight bit more, but still stays spread across the doorway protectively. "You aren't allowed to be here, Hugo."

She ignores the question, partly because he already knows, but mostly because the sight of him is threatening to bring up the granola she had for breakfast this morning to decorate her welcome mat.

"I know," Hugo says, his voice an octave higher, verging on desperate. "I know, but it's been nagging at me for days, I need to know. I can't close my eyes without seeing you with him. I feel like I'm going insane."

Indiana shrugs, well and truly tired of this whole charade already, "That's not my problem, Hugo."

"Indi," he pleads, reaching out a hand to grab her wrist. Indiana pulls it out of his reach immediately, a deep frown on her face. "Indiana, please. You know he's not good enough for you, that he's not right for you."

"Right," Indiana says, a breathy laugh accompanying her words. "And you are?"

"I can be," Hugo promises, hope glimmering in his eyes. It's pathetic. "I swear to you, Indiana, I can be better for you. Just give me a chance."

She shakes her head, "You had your chance. Two years ago."

"I'm different now," he promises. "I'm a new man, Indi. I'll be so good to you, if you just let me. Please let me."

In the distance, she can see a black jeep approaching her house. If her suspicions are correct, then her lord and saviour is going to walk out from that car any minute now, and this whole debacle will be over and done with.

"No, thank you," Indiana declines, just as Buck pulls into her driveway. "These sound like the type of promises you should be making to your fiancée."

The car door opens, then slams shut a second later. Indiana can't wipe the smug smile from her face as Buck nears them, his eyebrows raised in a silent question, what do you want me to do? Indiana shrugs, whatever you want.

And whatever he wants, Buck does. He pushes Hugo to the side slightly as he comes to the doorstep, reaching out one of his arms to tug Indiana into his side. She melts into it, her head falling onto his shoulder as a breath punches out of her chest.

"Hi, sweetheart," Buck whispers into her hair, pressing a kiss to the side of her temple. He raises his head, staring at Hugo with some sort of venom that Indiana doesn't recognise. "You'll be leaving now, won't you?"

It's not a question.

Indiana barely manages to hold back her laugh, burying her face into Buck's shoulder. Hugo doesn't say anything in response, so Buck pulls himself and Indiana back into the house slightly, until they're far enough away that he can slam the door closed.

The minute that Hugo is out of sight, Indiana's laughter breaks free of its confines and spills out onto Buck's forearm, his arm still wrapped around her waist, a safety anchor from the storm that is Hugo Wright.

"My hero," Indiana says, eventually, once her laughter has subsided, patting a hand against his chest. "I owe you my life."

Buck tuts, "Just doing my job, ma'am. Now, will you do yours and get ready for the lunch reservation we have in," he checks his watch, "An hour."

Indiana grins, teasing, "You want me to dress all pretty for you, Buckley?"

He separates himself from her, pushing her down the hallway slightly towards her bedroom, "You're plenty pretty already, Indiana, but I'm not taking you out for lunch in a pair of swan slippers."

She shouts from the other side of the house, "They aren't swans, Buck. They are ducks!"