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“Not at all. It would be nice to talk more about what you’re observing.”
She stepped towards her own desk and took a sip of her coffee as Erin settled in. She watched out of the corner of her eye as she gracefully slid off her jacket and adjusted the front of her shirt. Just that little bit of movement was more than distracting–her eyes never leaving those curls. This will most definitely, without a doubt, 100%, not be fine.
“And if you ever need any privacy or a moment to yourself, I’m happy to step out or you can use the conference room if it isn’t scheduled,” Julia offered, desperate to break the silence. Erin nodded and opened her mouth to respond when Keegan appeared in the doorway.
“Ready, Ms. Calanis?” Keegan asked, peering in from the hallway.
“Absolutely.” She turned back to her briefcase, searching for something. “Just let me find my notebook, and I’ll be right there.”
“There’s one on the desk if you need,” Julia spoke quietly from her desk. Not looking up from the planner, she began filling in with nothing but nonsense numbers.
“Thank you, Dr. Jenner.”
There was a shuffling noise as she picked up the notebook. Julia listened as their voices faded down the hallway, merging with the distance. With their departure, she refocused on her routine. She worked on financial reports, reviewing and responding to budget increase requests and last-minute supply orders.
After Erin returned from the tour with Keegan, she spent the entire morning working at her new desk. Julia tried not to bother her, tried to give her space while she studied schedules and initial plans. No matter how badly she wanted to ask her all of the questions that burned in her mind from last night, she let her be.
When lunch rolled around, Erin left to explore the halls before her first department meeting. Julia found herself absentmindedly glancing up at her desk even after it was empty, half-expecting to admire the way she’d run her fingers through her hair while deep in thought.
Usually, she couldn’t wait for someone to leave her office. It was her sanctuary; a place where she could take a break from the hecticness of the day. She hated when it was invaded, but she didn’t feel that way with Erin.
When she wasn’t there, it suddenly felt too still. The only sounds were the periodic chimes of bells at the end of a class period or the faint shuffling of feet through the cracks beneath closed doors. When she came back and settled in that same chair, things just felt right.
Throughout the day, they remained in the same room, working side by side. Their fingers danced across keyboards, papers organized into files, and subtle sighs escaping into the air, all amidst near silence. It was something about the way she moved, the way her nose scrunched up when she ran out of ideas, that forced Julia to smile at every chance.
In the midst of being lost in thought, Julia jerked up from her desk, almost spilling her freshly brewed coffee, as a loud clamor echoed in the distance. She heard high-pitched screams reverberate off the concrete walls throughout the office.
She rushed outside, looking both ways to see where the commotion was coming from. It wasn’t in the cafeteria wing, which was just past the glass windows to her right. It wasn’t from any other administrator’s offices. As she turned the corner to the main office, the scene unfolded before her eyes. Two girls stood just outside the door, one with a fistful of the other’s blond hair. Two teachers stood to the side, attempting to mediate the situation without directly intervening.
Just as she opened the main office door to break up the contact, she watched as Erin rushed around the corner from the cafeteria. Even in heels and a suit, she didn’t hesitate as she pushed herself between the two girls. They reached out their arms, desperate to still grab the other even through the adult’s body.
“What’s going on here?” Julia’s voice thundered through the hallway, causing everyone to freeze.
The two girls remained in their suspended poses, their arms outstretched around Erin. Taking advantage of the momentary pause, Erin gently held the arm of the blond girl and guided her a few steps back. Julia positioned herself next to the other with bulging eyes.
“She stole my phone and sent a text to my boyfriend!” the dark-haired girl closest to Julia screeched, her voice filled with immature indignation.
“I did not!” the other retorted, equally whiny and high-pitched.
“Did too!”
“Did not!”
“Did too!”
The two girls couldn’t have been any older than in 9th grade. Fuzzy toys hung off the backpacks they haphazardly threw to the ground. The girl lunged once again towards her counterpart, but Erin swiftly positioned her body between them, shielding them from physical contact. Meanwhile, Julia extended her arm, gently holding back the dark-haired girl with an open palm.
“Danielle,” Julia warned.
Their eyes locked in a brief but intense exchange. Gradually, Danielle lowered her gaze and released the tension in her body, signaling she could be let go.
Erin was now facing the other. With almost a thousand students, Julia didn’t know the faces of all of them. This was one of those instances that small, intimate numbers would’ve been beneficial. She noticed Erin’s hands resting softly on the girl’s shoulders.
“Life is full of choices,” Erin whispered, fury still evident on the girl’s reddened face. “This is a choice. You always have a choice. At some point, your choices will add up. They will matter. What you do right now will matter. So, what’s your choice?”
Erin let go of her and stepped aside. The redness in the girl’s face pinkened, her shoulders slumped. With a quick turn, she dramatically opened the office door and took a seat in a chair just outside Julia’s office. Julia let out a quiet sigh, feeling a mixture of admiration and relief.
Julia led Danielle inside and sat her in a chair about ten paces away from the other girl. They seemed calm enough to be in the same room. Keegan came down the hallway, confused by the puzzled looks of the faculty in the hall. She knew she missed something.
