FOUR. CAREER DAY

UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN CAREER DAY CAME, SPENCER WAS NOWHERE TO BE SEEN. While other family members and friend arrived with fifteen minutes to spare, he had sent her a hasty, yet wordy apology in regards to why he couldn't make it. Something about a triple homicide in Salt Lake City, which was more than enough information for her. She replied saying she understood, and she truly did. She was about to prioritise herself over the lives of people around the country.

She had been stressed out of her mind before the presentations started, but there was a small part of her that hoped to see him magically turn up with the case solved and citizens saved. But, the chances were slim, and she hadn't been entirely surprised when she didn't see him in the crowd.

Stepping out into the hallway, she greeted the adults, who had been making small talk amongst themselves. Eyes fell on her at her interruption, most familiar, but a few not so much. Lifting her hand in a wave, Rhea's lips widened into a smile. "Hey, everyone. Thank you for coming this afternoon! I'm Miss Reeves if you didn't know me; feel free to come inside, find your kid and get ready for the presentations!"

She stood to the side as she let everyone through, shaking hands and throwing greetings to both everyone who walked past. One of the single dads, Noah, held onto her for a little too long, but she elected to ignore it. She had never been the most physical person, unless it was with people she genuinely trusted. Daisy, for example, thrived off of contact and intimacy, so exceptions could be made.

It was something to do with the concept of love languages. Rhea could think of her friends and what theirs would be, but she'd never given herself much thought. Simon relied on words of affectation, and Louisa both loved to give and receive gifts that highlighted thoughtfulness. She didn't like to think about herself, it stressed her out. She liked to direct her attention to others; they were far more worthy of her time.

Her attention was briefly caught by her phone buzzing on her desk, but she didn't pick it up. Instead, she looked out at the class, making sure everyone was accounted for. Katie sat in the back, looking slightly bewildered by all the adults. She hadn't invited anyone considering she barely spoke to her foster parents, and didn't really know anyone else.

"First up, we have Alice's Aunt Cindy!" she looked back at the list on the whiteboard. "Now, don't forget about your Highbrook Elementary manners! Sit up straight, and if you have a question, raise your hand. Are we ready?"

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Samuel and Rhea were lying top-to-toe on the floor when the three o'clock bell rang to signify the end of the day. Most of the kids had gone home early with their visitors, so there wasn't much to do other than clean up. Katie had left on time, walking home in the warm afternoon sunshine in the company of her latest novel.

"So, you invited the other nerd from trivia night?" Samuel asked, staring up at the glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling. That had been a stressful evening - especially considering the ladder was twenty years old and hadn't been properly taken care of for the last ten. Rhea kicked him and he groaned, holding his arm. "Jesus, Rhea!"

"I thought Katie might like to meet someone who liked the same things as her," she defended herself, tucking her hands behind her head. She closed her eyes momentarily, relishing in the soft music playing from the small tape deck she kept by her desk. The current compilation was aptly named 'After-school-crying-time', and included various songs, from Luther Vandross' Never Too Much to Maroon 5's Sunday Morning. "Sue me for caring about my students, I guess."

Samuel blew a raspberry her way. Rhea laughed at his immaturity. Did working with kids allow the teachers to hold on to their childhood innocence a little longer? These two liked to think so. "Yeah, well my mom came in to talk about her job at the post office. By the way, she misses you and wants to get coffee."

"I love your mom," Rhea sighed, pushing herself up on her elbows. "You know, I feel bad for her sometimes. She has to put up with having you for a son."

"Good point," Samuel grunted, looking over to see Rhea beaming. She had a fantastic smile, one that lit up her oval face. He was happy to see it again, as after Hunter, it had disappeared for a little while. "But, if she never had me, she'd never have met you, her favourite child."

"Another good point," Rhea nodded, watching him stand up and hold his hands out for her to take. She accepted the gesture and got to her feet, brushing herself off with the back of her hands. "It sucks Spencer couldn't make it, though."

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll make it up to you," he assured her, but Rhea just pulled a face, tucking her hands in her trouser pockets. She didn't really mind if he couldn't come, she knew how busy his job could get. "Maybe he'll bring a severed head in to show the kids."

"Hilarious," she scoffed, igniting a grin on her friend's face. "You know, sometimes I wonder how you got your degree."

"Charm and charm alone," he winked just as her phone dinged with a text. The bearded man watched her read the screen and tap in a quick reply, and he raised his thick eyebrows. "Is that the boy wonder?"

"It is," she nodded, tossing him her phone. He caught it with ease and read over the messages. "This is the third time he's apologised for not being able to make it. You'd think for a guy who solves murders for a living wouldn't be such a sweetheart."

"People are full of surprises," Samuel threw the phone back at her, before wandering to her desk and nicking a few rubber bands (he kept breaking the ones he kept in his class). "Especially this guy. He probably reads War and Peace while he's eating breakfast."

"I wouldn't put it past him," Rhea agreed, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. It was considerably lighter compared to when the day began, as she'd managed to get most of her work out of the way after the kids had gone home. "But, you've gotta hand it to him, he does pretty damn well for himself."

Samuel hummed in agreement, following her out of the classroom so that she could lock up. He'd left his classroom an hour or so ago, opting to spend time with his coworker. "I wish I was a super-genius."

Rhea snorted, checking the door to make sure it was secure. "You are, in your own special way."

"You flatter me," he retorted, walking down the hall as if Rhea wasn't his ride home. His sneakers squeaked against the freshly cleaned linoleum floor. "Where's that bitch Louisa? She owes me a drink."

"Probably not a bright idea to call your boss a bitch," Louisa's voice rang through the hall, and Samuel froze, his head whipping around to see where the noise came from. The principal stepped out of her office with crossed arms and a raised brow. She'd clearly heard them coming. Lucky for them, the school was empty. "Especially when you're the biggest bitch of us all."

Samuel groaned, quickly regretting his choice of words. He rushed towards Louisa and pulled her into an overdramatic embrace (which she refused to return, instead looking over his shoulder with an unimpressed expression). Still, there was a clear sign in her eyes that found the gesture endearing.

Rhea followed the two into the principal's office, where she sat on top of the spare desk, rummaging around in the drawer where the old lady kept her stash of old-lady-treats, like Werthers and those oddly specific hard candies covered in a strawberry wrapper. She didn't know what they were called, but she associated them with her grandmother and other elderly folk.

"So, how was career day?" Louisa tapped into her computer, wanting to get the last few tasks out of the way so she didn't have heaps to do in the morning. An empty coffee mug sat on her desk; probably her umpteenth dosage of caffeine that day. "Did that FBI agent of yours come in?"

Rhea shook her head, her mouth full with three or four candies. She struggled to form words, taking a moment to compose herself as best she could. "He had a case."

"Pity," Louisa muttered, cracking her knuckles. "Ah well, murderers don't take the day off."

"Depends on the murderer," Samuel followed Rhea's lead and picked out his favourite sweets from the drawer. His curly hair bounced slightly as he moved to throw the wrapper in the trash. He missed, and swore, before getting up and trying again. "What's it called when they kill a bunch of people over a couple days?"

"A spree," Rhea threw over her shoulder, and the man made a soft 'ahhh' sound, before cheering softly as the wrapper landed in the waste basket. "I think he said something about a copycat killer, but the text was pretty brief."

"If you were a serial killer," Samuel now leaned against his elbow, which was propped up on the desktop. "What would your thing be?"

"Like a signature?" Rhea remembered Daisy talking about something like that a while back. Samuel rolled his eyes at the correction, though an amused smile still graced his lips. "I dunno, I haven't given it a lot of thought."

"I don't believe you," Louisa piped up, her eyes not leaving her screen. Rhea stuck her tongue out at her boss.

"So you've thought about it?" she asked, almost in disbelief. Louisa nodded without hesitation.

"I've worked almost fifty years in the public education sector," she defended herself. "Have you met some of the parents I've had to deal with?"

Rhea tilted her head and hummed. "Fair enough."

"I'd do something weird," Samuel's voice was muffled from the candy. "Like...paint a smiley face over their actual face. It'd be kinda funny, especially if they were grumpy bastards when they were alive."

"I'd kill rich men and steal their toupees, " Louisa said quite confidently, causing Samuel to groan, wishing he'd thought of that.

"That's way better," he huffed, before perking up. "Do you mind if we're a murder duo? We could have a really cool backstory."

Louisa squinted at her computer, before shrugging. "Sure, why not?"

Samuel then leaned forward and patted Rhea's shoulder sympathetically. "Don't worry, Rhea. You can be the getaway driver."

Rhea hummed, her expression filled with sarcasm. "Wow, thank you."

Louisa finally looked up from her work and blew her a kiss.

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ayo ! it's been a few days and i'm sorry but i've been busy finishing season fifteen of cm so !!!!!!

also i've written a fuckin Lot of future content and angst and hOOO boy it's gonna be good but i hand wrote it so i have to type it all up but YEAH ITS FINE

hope u enjoyed perhaps