Chapter 2 Two

"You're in far too good of a mood."

Mia turned just in time to catch the smirk on Janelle's perfectly glossed lips as she leaned against the hallway lockers, arms crossed, legs long and impossibly toned in stiletto heels no normal teacher would dare to wear on the first day back.

"I'm always in a good mood," Mia replied sweetly, balancing a cookie and her coffee as she made her way back to her classroom. "It's meet-the-kids day! Why aren't you happy?"

Janelle rolled her eyes, flipping her voluminous curls over one shoulder. Her silk blouse hugged her hourglass figure like it had been painted on. "Because it's meet-the-kids day. And summer is over. And I have to go nine hours without getting a flirty text from a man who owns a yacht."

Mia chuckled. "You're so dramatic."

"Baby, I'm a Leo," Janelle drawled, following her with the lazy grace of a panther in four-inch pumps. "I can't help it."

Janelle had been the first person to befriend Mia five years ago when she walked into Roosevelt Elementary nervous, lost, and clutching a teacher's manual like it was a Bible. Janelle had taken one look at her cardigan, shy smile, and ballet flats and decided on the spot: Project.

But over time, their friendship turned into something real. Deep. Safe. Janelle was outrageous and unfiltered, but she never judged. Never pried. She accepted Mia's quietness, even if she teased her relentlessly about it.

"Don't pretend like you didn't miss me," Mia teased as she paused in front of her classroom door.

Janelle raised her middle finger and scratched her nose with it, perfectly discreet. "I missed your cute little bird voice. And how you blush when I talk about my sex life."

"I do not blush."

"You turn pink like a cartoon character," Janelle said with a wink, then blew her a kiss. "Go tame your babies, mama."

Mia grinned and stepped into her classroom.

The room was warm and full of light, with windows open just enough to let in the early fall breeze. Her pastel bulletin board read "First Grade is Magical!" and her student desks were arranged in soft clusters with hand-lettered name tags and tiny foil stars taped to the corners.

By 8:15, the hallway had erupted with high-pitched voices and the frantic shuffling of tiny feet. One by one, her students arrived some skipping in with wide eyes, others clinging to their parents like their lives depended on it.

Mia greeted every child at the door with a smile. "Good morning! Welcome to first grade, sweetie. I'm Miss Hart. I'm so happy you're here."

A little boy named Lucas walked in and immediately tripped over his own feet. "I'm okay!" he announced proudly from the floor.

Mia crouched down, hiding a smile. "I believe you."

Once the chaos settled, she stood in front of the class and clapped her hands gently. "Hi everyone! I'm Miss Hart. And I'm so excited we get to spend the school year together."

The kids clapped and giggled as she made her way around the room. "Let's go around and introduce ourselves. I want you to tell me your name, and one fun fact. Anything! A favorite food, a silly pet, a dream you have for the future... absolutely anything counts."

The first hand shot up instantly.

"I'm Rosalynn and I lost a tooth last night and the Tooth Fairy gave me five dollars!"

Gasps rippled through the class like she'd just announced she met Taylor Swift.

"Wow, that's impressive," Mia said with a soft laugh. "Do you think she knew it was the first day of school?"

Rosalynn nodded solemnly. "She always knows."

The next kid Xander stood proudly and declared, "My family got a dog and a cat this summer. The dog smells like poop but I still like him."

Mia smiled as the class burst into laughter. "That's very kind of you, Xander. What's his name?"

"Booger."

"Charming."

When she reached Elijah, a quiet boy with oversized glasses and nervous hands, he looked at her with wide, uncertain eyes. His backpack was still on, like he might bolt at any second.

Mia knelt beside him. "Hi, Elijah. You don't have to say anything big, okay? You can tell us something small. Or I can help if you want."

He leaned closer, whispering, "I don't think I have anything special." I like dinosaurs.

Mia's heart squeezed. "I think liking dinosaurs is pretty special. Do you have a favorite?"

He hesitated. "T-Rex."

She stood and beamed at the class. "This is Elijah, and he loves T-Rexes."

The class applauded, and Elijah's cheeks turned pink. But he smiled. A shy, shy smile that made her throat tighten.

At lunch, Janelle popped into Mia's classroom with a salad she had no intention of eating.

"I need a break," she sighed, kicking off one heel and flopping dramatically into the reading corner. "One of my kids tried to eat a glue stick. I don't get paid enough for this."

"You chose this life," Mia said, biting into her sandwich.

"Lies. I chose fashion school and wine tastings. Life chose this." She eyed Mia. "You're glowing. Grossly, annoyingly glowing. Did something happen?"

Mia hesitated. She thought about the drawing Elijah gave her just before lunch break, stick figures of a boy and a woman with big hair labelled "Me and Miss Hart."

"No," she said softly. "Just a good day."

Janelle narrowed her eyes. "That smile looks like something more than glue sticks and baby hugs."

Mia gave her a helpless shrug.

Her heart was still aching. Still tangled up in the man who wouldn't love her. But here in this little bubble of construction paper and T-Rex facts, she felt wanted. Needed. Seen.

And for today, that was enough.