Life's a Drag - Chapter 6 (Patreon)

Two weeks had passed.  Sarah had gotten her papers for her school after a week’s delay, and it seemed she wasn’t going to public school anymore; she was actually enrolled at St. Catherine’s. “At least I have a uniform already.” Sarah sighed.  “Should’ve known that little white lie would come back to bite my ass.”

It was Sunday afternoon, and she had never so much as set foot on the campus.  She really didn’t know anything about the school beyond the horror stories she heard by proxy from her friends - none of whom attended either.  Now with her essentially outing both herself and Morgan in her excitement from winning two weeks ago, she had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She sat down on the edge of her bed and grabbed her phone, dialing Amy’s cell phone number.  To her surprise, Morgan picked up.

“Doctor Snider’s cell phone, if this is an emergency please stay on the line,” she said warmly.

“Hi Morgan, is your mom busy?” 

“Oh hi Sarah!  No she’s not busy at all.  She just left her phone downstairs,” she giggled.  “Hang on just a second.”  Sarah could hear Morgan racing up a flight of stairs and down a hardwood floored hallway.  “Mom, it’s one of your patients, but I’m not at liberty to say whom,” she teased.

Amy laughed softly as she took the phone.  “This is Doctor Snider?” she said.

“Hi Aunt Amy,” Sarah teased.  “Sorry to bug you on a weekend like this...”

“Calling about school?” Amy teased back. “Don’t worry St. Catherine’s isn't that bad of a school, actually it’s one of the best all girls academies in the united states.  And for the rumors, they do have an automotive club and they are open minded about a lot of things.”

Sarah laughed.  “Jesus.  I didn’t know you were a Jedi too,” she said, fighting a giggle.

“I figured it was about school, since you start tomorrow.” Amy laughed. 

“And only JUST found the warning-I mean acceptance letter today,” Sarah sighed.  “Apparently it got lost in a pile of bills.  So I’m like freaking out worried about a hundred different things from what the school is like to if they’ll think I’m a flake because I didn’t try to contact them in the last two weeks to-”

“Rayne is a good friend of mine, she’s also the school's guidance counselor.” Amy laughed softly. “You have nothing to fear either.  Morgan got accepted as well.”

“Oh wow, really?” Sarah brightened.  “That makes me feel so much better; well, a little better.”

“Well she said that if you had to there, then she would join you.” Amy said.  “I’m surprised your school packet and uniforms haven’t arrived yet.”

“I already have a uniform.” Sarah giggled. “I ordered one from the schools site..”

“You should be receiving several more.  I’ll ask Rayne to look into it.  But the one you have should be sufficient for your first day as long as you remember a change of clothes for auto shop,” she teased.

“Aren’t Catholics kind of anti-LGBT though?” Sarah asked, quickly adding, “I mean not trying to stereotype or be anti-religious or anything.  It’s just you know, you watch CNN and it’s hard not to be kind of biased.”

“It’s not a Catholic school anymore sweetie.  It’s still a private girls academy, but the state owns it now, they just kept the name.” Amy answered.  “For what it’s worth though, I was raised Catholic, and I know Morgan believes in a higher power, but we both recognize that the Bible as it was written, touched by the hands of man, is inherently flawed, even if it was inspired by a higher power.  We’re not all anti-gay lunatics,” she teased.

Sarah giggled.  “Oh no I do too, believe in a higher power I mean.  I have to for how many close calls I’ve had racing.  There’s an old saying, that there are no atheists in foxholes?”  Sarah giggled.  “It’s true on the race track too.  I wouldn’t be racing under the name Angel if I didn’t believe I had one with me every time I get behind the wheel.  I was just worried about the “inherently flawed” part of the equation.

“Oh um, Aunt Amy?  Do you still do the church thing?  All this talk about religion and angels, I kind of realized I should probably at least thank the big guy for my guardian angel,” she giggled.

Amy laughed softly.  “I’m the last person who should be giving spiritual advice.  As a doctor and a therapist it’s a bit of a conflict of interests for me, but as your ‘aunt’, purely off the record, I want you to know that I don’t believe you need to be in a building to talk to God.  He - or she - already knows you’re grateful.  But if you want to go to Mass with us next Easter you’re more than welcome sweetie.”

“Thank you aunt Amy, for everything.  Just knowing Morgan is going to be there to suffer with me,” Sarah said jokingly.  “I haven’t picked out my classes or anything yet.  Do I need to call someone or meet with someone tomorrow or what?”

“Morgan hasn’t either,” Amy laughed softly.  “You’ll both meet with Rayne tomorrow morning, and she’ll get you set up with a schedule based on your previous class credits.”

“Oh, awesome,” Sarah answered.  “Thanks again,” she said warmly as they hung up

~oOo~

That night Morgan came over with her copy of the school handbook and, essentially, helped Sarah ‘cram’ for life at St. Catherine’s.  The next morning, Sarah was a blur of activity, running around trying to get ready.  She put her hair up in a ponytail with a piece of ribbon that matched her tartan skirt that she had found a while ago, and checked her makeup in the bathroom mirror.

“Let’s see.  Makeup, brushed my teeth, did my hair, did my nails last night, change of clothes for auto shop just in case, had breakfast,” she said to herself as she grabbed her purple backpack and slung it over her shoulder, rushing out of her bedroom.  “What am I forgetting?”

“Hey Sarah,” Meghan called from downstairs, apparently hearing Sarah talking to herself from the top of the stairs.  Meghan was <something something> at Muscle, and a long time friend of the family’s as well as a major car collector in her own right.  “Saw you race last weekend,” she said as Sarah stepped into the living room.

“Oh, God,” Sarah laughed.  “I was totally off my meds.  I took third in the oval track run.  At least I hit it home on the quarter and half mile drags,” she sighed, giving Meghan a hug.  “I guess Dad’s in his office huh?”

“Yo,” Chris called.  “We’re just getting some hard copies of some documents for the mag.  We’re thinking of moving corporate back here to South Haven and making the old office into a branch office.”

“You mean YOLO,” Sarah teased.  “Sounds awesome.  I’ve got to get to school.  Will I see you tonight?” she asked.

“Yes, absolutely,” Chris said as he stepped out.  “I’m taking you and Meghan to Clover tonight to celebrate.”

“Oooh,” Sarah said.  “Their roasted garlic chicken is to die for.”

As Sarah bounded out the door, grabbing her keys from the key holder, Meghan gave Chris a look.  “You still haven’t told her?”

“Well I was going to, but then this whole thing with her wreck happened, and finding out I even had a daughter,” Chris laughed sheepishly.  “Tonight.  I’ll tell her tonight at dinner.”

Sarah breathed a nervous sigh as she pulled up to the school in her pink GTO.  She knew that every girl in school probably knew her name by now thanks to the media crapstorm following her win after the wreck.  She also knew that if she hadn’t wrecked, she wouldn’t have gotten even a tenth the attention she did.  It was actually daunting.

“Come on Sarah,” she said to her reflection in the rearview mirror.  “You can take a hairpin at over a hundred, but you’re nervous about school?  At least Morgan’s going with you,” she reminded herself.  She smiled as she grabbed her purse and her backpack, and stepped out of the car.

Everyone in the parking lot that had seen her driving in with the pink GTO watched her walk across to the main school building.  That didn’t bother her so much, though.  She was used to having people stare at her.  She enjoyed the attention, really.  She approached a security guard just inside the door.

“Hi, I’m new here,” she said.  “I’m supposed to meet with Rayne, the guidance counselor?”  The security guard turned around and grinned at Sarah.  It was Marcus!  Sarah squeaked a little.  “I didn’t know you worked here!”

Marcus laughed.  “You didn’t know an old street dog like me could be respectable?” he teased.  “I’m just kidding.  But yeah, I always thought it was odd that I never saw you on campus.  Anyway Rayne’s office is just off from the main office there,” he said, pointing to a big plate glass office with corporate-like glass doors.  “Just tell Regina at the front desk that you’re there for orientation.”

“There you are,” Morgan said as Sarah stepped into the main office.  Morgan was just a little bit shorter than Sarah, but her natural curves really showed off the uniform even with the jacket.  Sarah play whistled at her before giving her a hug.  Morgan laughed and swatted her arm lightly.

“Hey, welcome,” a woman who at least looked like she was in her late 20s said as she came out of one of the side offices.  She stood about 5’1”, dressed in nice slacks and a peach top  The most striking quality about her though, was her hair.  Long and voluminous, laying in thick curls, it looked quite pretty, and very, very green: emerald green, to be exact.

“Wow that’s some wicked cool hair,” Sarah blurted out without thinking.  Morgan gasped, but the woman laughed softly.

“Thanks!” she said warmly.  “I thought I’d try something new.  And the school can’t fire me because I’m so good at my job,” she teased.  “I’m Rayne Matthews.  You’re Sarah, which means you must be Morgan?”

“Guilty as charged,” Sarah giggled.  Morgan just nodded nervously.  Rayne grinned.

“Relax sweetie.  You don’t actually have your first class until you’ve had a chance to check out everything St. C’s has to offer.  So do you want the grand tour first, or do you want to get down to business and talk classes?” she asked.

“Both?” Morgan finally found her voice.  “I’m dying to see the school.”

Rayne laughed.  “Good answer.  I can tell you about the school while I show you around.  The original campus dates back to 1927 when South Haven was still just a sleepy little village...”

~oOo~

The school seemed to live up to its reputation as a prestigious academy.  The girls were even given a dorm assignment so that they had a place to stay if they were ever working late on a class project.  There were two rather large surprises in store for Sarah that day, though.  The first came in the form of the school’s auto shop teacher, a young woman in her early 20s, most definitely Latin descent named Karmen.

The other was her home ec teacher - her mother.  All she could do was stand in the doorway and stare blankly ahead.  She hadn’t seen her mother since she was six, but there was no question it was her.  She hadn’t aged that much despite ten years.  Susan looked up, realizing Sarah was staring, and her breath caught in her throat.  

Sarah turned and started to run down the hallway.  Morgan looked between the two, and then turned to follow Sarah.  “Sarah!  Hey!” Morgan called, but Sarah wasn’t stopping.  

Susan sighed and stepped out, almost bumping right into Marcus.

“Where’s the fire?” he asked.

“Marcus, thank God,” Susan said.  “Can you follow Sarah and make sure she’s okay?  I...  I need to talk to her, but I don’t want to make a scene in front of her new classmates,” she sighed.

“Sure, no problem,” he said as he took off without a second thought, down the hall in the direction he had seen Sarah running.  He quickly caught up to the girls on the stairs, where Karmen was holding Sarah close and letting her cry on her shoulder.

“No way, I know I signed up for it, but there’s absolutely no way..” Sarah sighed.  “I haven’t seen her for ten FUCKING years and she’s been teaching right here at St. Catherine’s this whole time?  I just... I can’t...  I can’t do this.”

“Shh, it’s okay,” Karmen said reassuringly.  “We’ll go talk to Rayne okay?  I’m sure she’ll make an exception and change your schedule.  Yours too Morgan, if you want.”

“Sure.” Morgan nodded, “I mean she did leave my best friend high and dry...”  She knew exactly what was up now.  Like Sarah, she didn’t know the whole story, but she knew enough to put two and two together.

“Sarah,” Marcus said as he came down the stairs.  Karmen glanced back at him.  He held up his hands.  “I know Karmen, I know.  I’m the last person to be giving advice on this kind of thing.  I just wanted you to know there’s more going on here.”

Sarah shook her head.  “I don’t care.  I don’t want to know.  I made peace with her leaving me when I was little.  I’m sure she’s been very happy here.  But that doesn’t mean I want to see her right now.  I’ve got too much shit in my life going on to deal with reunion drama with a deadbeat mom.”

An older woman with long blonde hair came out of one of the side offices as Morgan and Sarah walked downstairs with Karmen.  “Is everything ok?” she asked.  Unknown to Sarah just yet, she was actually the vice principal of the entire school.

Karmen spoke up for Sarah.  “Sarah just found out her estranged mother is teaching her home-ec class.  They haven’t talked in ten years.”

“Oh dear..” The woman sighed, “We can place them in Mrs. Callender's Home-ec class I believe?”

Sarah nodded.  “That’ll be fine.  I’m sorry for the drama.  It’s just ... I saw her, and all I could do is run the other way.”

“No no, it’s ok, I’m sure she’d want what’s best for you as well.” The woman nodded. “I should go talk to her.  You girls head over to Rayne’s office and get switched.  Tell her Miss Jones said to transfer you to Mrs. Callender’s class.”

“Yes ma’am,” Sarah and Morgan answered in unison.  Karmen stayed behind to talk to the woman.

“Poor kid,” she sighed.  “I caught her on the stairs before she could run all the way to the parking lot.”

“Mrs. Keston is such a good home-ec teacher too.  We were smart then to hire her.  I really hope this isn’t going to cause problems for either of them..” Miss Jones sighed.

“Me too,” Karmen answered.  “I know Susan’s story, and I know she’s coming out of a very dark place.  She needs stability as much as Sarah does.  I hope this doesn’t cause her to lose this job,” she said, hinting strongly.

“I’ll go talk to her, but the school really doesn’t have any reason to fire her.” Miss Jones said and started up the stairs to the upstairs home-ec classroom.  The school had two, with Susan’s being the older, and Mrs. Callender's in the new building, though both were state-of-the-art.

“And that’s just a few of the skills we’ll be working on this week.  I bet you thought when you signed up for home-ec it would be all cooking,” Susan teased.  She had managed to regain her composure, at least on the outside.  Not one student had asked about Sarah.  They all knew better, it seemed.

Miss Jones smiled and waited a moment at the door before speaking up.  “Susan, can I have a word for a second?”

Susan glanced up and nodded, turning to her class.  “Everyone, please open your books to Chapter 7.  We’re going to talk about balancing a meal plan on a budget when I get back,” she said, and then turned to follow the VP out into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

“I don’t want to keep you.” Miss Jones said with a reassuring smile as they stood in the hallway. “I just want to make sure you’re alright.”

“If it looks like I have everything under control, then I’m doing a better job than I thought,” Susan sighed as she shook her head.  “I don’t even have any words for what just happened.  I’m still processing it.”

“I just got done talking to the two students.  We’re going to transfer them to Mrs. Callender's class, so there won't be any more issues.”

“I should have known when I saw the name Miller...  I should have asked someone, said something...  That was my...” she couldn’t finish her sentence.

“You’re not in trouble Susan, nor is Sarah, “ Miss Jones nodded, “It also didn’t click with us when we scheduled her for your class.  You know the school policy about parents and students.” she laughed a little.

“I used my married name.  There’s no way the school could have known.”  She sighed deeply, choking back a sob.  “I was going to tell her I moved back to South Haven, that I had gotten clean and got my life back on track.  I didn’t want her to find out like this.  That’s why I applied here instead of the regular high school.”

“Well the situation is solved, in a way.  You’re a damn good home-ec teacher Susan.  Keep up the good work, and I’m sure Sarah will come around someday.” Miss Jones said reassuringly.

“Thank you Theresa,” Susan said as the two women hugged.  “I have a feeling I’m going to be using my emergency contact number during lunch today.  If it’s possible, I’d like to get a copy of her schedule so I can stay out of her way for a few days at least.  Just a general idea where not to be would be great.”

Theresa nodded, “You can also stop by mine or Kandy’s office, or even Rayne’s.  And you’re more then welcome to have a copy - you know that.” 

Downstairs, Rayne gave Sarah a tight hug.  Being a private school the faculty were allowed small liberties like that.  With the current environment in public schools, a staff member hugging a student was practically automatic grounds for a sexual harassment lawsuit, but St. Catherine’s had cameras everywhere, always recording video and audio, so there was no questioning things like that.

“Mrs. Callender’s class is down the new wing, 2nd door, “ Rayne said, smiling softly as she handed the girls notes.  “I’m so sorry about all this, girls.  I really am.”

“It’s not your fault.” Sarah shrugged. “Morgan could have stayed, but there was no way in all nine Hells I’d stay.”

“Not a chance,” Morgan answered.  “I don’t care if she was my Dad’s best friend, she hasn’t talked to him in as long as she’s been avoiding you.  You might be okay with this, but I’m not.  When I get home Dad’s got some questions to answer.”

“If we had known she was your mom Sarah, we would never had assigned you to her class in the first place.  We have strict rules against students being in their parents’ classes.” Rayne sighed.

“I’m just glad Karmen caught me,” Sarah said wryly.  “As angry as I was I would’ve jumped in my car and left.  Now that I’ve had a chance to calm down I’m okay though.  And... I don’t want to get Susan in trouble either.  This really isn’t about her or what she’s done or whatever.  Far as I’m concerned, I just don’t want to see her right now.”

“She won't be in trouble, just like you two won't be.” Rayne nodded. “But you best get to class.  You’ve already missed the first half.”

“Thanks, Rayne,” Sarah said, and she and Morgan turned to leave again as Marcus came around the corner.

“You alright?” he asked.

“Never.” Rayne laughed, “I hate dealing with rotten situations like that, but someone has to.”

Marcus nodded.  “I promised my daughter I’d stay out of it,” he laughed.  “But I had to tell Sarah there was more to the story than just Susan ‘hiding out’ here.  But that’s all I’ve said to her.  If she wants to look into it further, that’s her decision..  She’s a good kid, though.”

“She’ll get it.  She’s a big girl now.” Rayne laughed softly.

Marcus nodded.  “I guess we all sorta adopted her when she joined the auto club,” he laughed and then turned to leave again, returning to his regular duties.

~oOo~

“Ah, two new students.” A woman in her early to mid 30s  with black hair said, smiling as Morgan and Sarah gave her their transfer papers, “Morgan and Susan I see.”

“Sorry we’re late,” Sarah said.

“No no, it’s ok.  Actually we were just going over the basics.  Why don’t you two girls take that middle table.”  She pointed to a small work table with two empty seats.  Jenny waved lazily as Sarah and Morgan sat down near her.

“I heard you two transferred schools,” she whispered, grinning.

“Yup.” Morgan whispered back.

“Ok so as I was saying, you girls think Home-ec is all about cooking and sewing, but there’s way more to it.” Mrs. Callender went on to explain what they would be learning in her class.  Every nine weeks, elective courses like Home Ec would go in rotation, though girls had the option to continue an advanced class the next nine weeks.

“I won’t be spending too much time on the baby stuff.” Mrs. Callender  laughed, “But we will cover it.”

Sarah raised her hand.  “Does that mean we don’t have to do that stupid babysitting a bag of flour thing every sophomore dreads?”

“Actually we have automated babies but no, we’ll do a small workshop on it, but with how society has changed it’s not really a necessary Home-ec skill anymore.  Lots of couples choose to not have children, or adopt, so we prefer to focus on the actual ‘economics’ in Home Economics.”  She winked.

Everyone breathed a relieved sigh at that, and Jenny spoke up.  “Good because Sarah and I race on Saturdays, and getting a babysitter for a bag of flour would just be weird.”

“How come you never told me you’re a St C’s student?” Sarah whispered to Jenny.

“You never thought it was weird that we never met at school?” Jenny answered, winking at Sarah.

Mrs. Callender ignored the girls’ quiet conversation, since they were actually taking notes in between instead of just texting or not paying attention, as she went on to explain about other workshops that they’d be doing, including a group project she jokingly called ‘The Disaster Budget’.

“When my mother taught Home Ec they did the $5 budget, where you plan a meal on just $5, but in this day and age that’s just not feasible unless you plan on eating like a college student,” she teased, causing the girls to laugh.  “So instead we’ll be doing the disaster budget for that project.  You’ll be given a set amount, and you have to balance a grocery budget around that money, while drawing random disasters - someone needs braces, your husband or wife totaled the car, etc.”

Sarah groaned at that. “Can I skip that disaster?”

Mrs. Callender tried not to chuckle.  “If you’re lucky.  They’re all jumbled together in a big jar.  There are even multiples of some disasters.  Using the car analogy, if you draw that one twice, then the deductible is even higher for having multiple accidents in that month.”

“Tell me about it.  My racing insurance went up just from one wreck.” Sarah sighed.

“And it wasn’t even her fault,” another girl chimed in.  “My stupid brother forgot to take the Nos out before the race, said he would just not use it.”

Mrs Callender smiled thoughtfully.  “So it seems some of you girls already have a small taste of what it’s like then?”

“Vicariously,” the girl laughed a little.  “My parents won’t let me near the track, especially after Devin’s wreck.”

Mrs. Callender chuckled a bit.  “So for the rest of class, I want you girls to pick one of two final projects as well, either an outfit handmade and designed by you, or a meal for a dinner party meal, made from scratch, on a budget.”

Jenny raised her hand at that.  “Any outfit?  I mean what are the guidelines?”

“Nothing too streetwalker as they call it.” Mrs. Callender laughed. “But it’s got to be a complete outfit, so if it’s a skirt, it also has to be a top, etc.”

“What about materials?” Sarah asked.

“Depending on your home money situation, the school can help you get those, or the food products.” She nodded.

“Money’s no problem for me,” Sarah said.  “I just think Jenny and I are on the same wavelength.”  She glanced over and grinned.  “Racing suit, right?”

Jenny giggled and nodded, “Yup.”

Morgan laughed, “So are they a solo project or can you get help from a fellow classmate?”

“As long as everyone contributes, you’re free to group up as much as you’d like,” Mrs. Callender said with a grin.   She already liked this class.  They paid attention, and engaged with her.

“There’s no hurry figuring out what you want to do.  I just like giving my students time to relax and get to know each other their first day.” she winked.  “So, that’s everything for today.  If you want to leave early for lunch, come up and I’ll give you a note.  Otherwise you can hang out here until the bell rings.  And of course if you have any questions feel free to ask.”

A few girls got up to get a note to leave, but most just stayed around, chatting among themselves.  The girl who spoke up about Devin being her brother stood up and approached Sarah.  “I just wanted to say I’m really glad you’re better.  Devin wants to apologize too once he’s back on his feet.  He feels horrible about totaling your car.”

Sarah shook her head.  “Don’t even worry about it.  I got a new 2016 GTO, and Morgan and Team Angel helped me fix up an old 86 exclusively for racing, so it totally worked out in the end.  I’m just glad Devin’s going to be okay.”

“Me too,” she sighed.  “Oh gosh, I’m sorry.  I’m Lydia.  Devin is my fraternal twin brother.  I’ve been watching you and Jenny race since we moved here.”

“Oh you look nothing like him.” Sarah laughed and shook Lydia’s hand gently.

“Thanks,” Lydia laughed.  “About the only thing we have in common is we both like to go fast.  He has his cars, aaand I’ve got my motorcycle that my parents would kill me if they knew I had.”  She rolled her eyes.  “Anyway, I’ll leave you alone and stop fawning now.  I just wanted to come over and say hi.”

“It’s cool.” Morgan giggled, “You can hang if you want.  I was just going to discuss with Sarah about our projects.”

“Cool, thanks!” Lydia said brightly as she pulled up an extra chair from the table in front of theirs, sitting down with them.  “I’m not sure what I’m going to do.  I can’t boil ramen without burning it, but Mom insisted I take Home Ec.  I swear the woman was born in the 1900s and just sucks the lives out of children to stay young,” she joked.

Jenny laughed.  “Oooh, dark.  You’ll fit right in.”

“Thanks,” Lydia said sheepishly.  “I’m kind of unintentional metal.  I say things without thinking.  Open mouth, insert foot.  But yeah.  Your project idea sounded cool.”

“Yeah,” Morgan nodded.  “I hope Jenny doesn’t mind if we steal it,” she teased.  “On the other hand I have a couple of fashion ideas rolling around in my head too.  I might just help Sarah and Jenny while I work on my own too.”

Jenny laughed.  “Oh, hell no I don’t mind.  I’d love to work with you girls too.”