Checkmate - Chapter 32: Chapter 32

"Is this the part where we have to go to school for real this time?" Hana asked.
Althea sighed, and then tucked her in a tight embrace, remembering everything that had happened the day and the night before. Everything good and everything bad: the fights, the resurfacing pain, and the revelation of secrets, the feeling of betrayal, and the kisses they shared in privacy, the crying, the intimacy that followed, and the way she had allowed Hana to touch her. Hana's childish yet most charming questions and her bewildered face expression as Althea had told her about everything she needed to know. Althea cupped her face, losing herself again into the maroon depth of her iris, while her hands grabbed hers in a tender squeeze.
"I'm afraid so. It's against my better judgment to miss more classes than we already have."
"You'll have to tempt me to go." Hana puffed her cheeks. "I have no motivation."
"How about if I cook for you for breakfast, will that suffice?"
"Oh! It would!" Hana smiled and Althea mimicked the gesture, but it seemed to Althea that how Hana's lips curled was far more sincere than hers. Althea knew then that she was changed into a woman, perhaps in a way that she would have never thought she could be altered by another woman.
Yet Hana, with her dreaminess and cheerfulness, had managed to awake the inner child that had been hidden behind an adult mask for too long. Althea found her extremely beautiful that morning as they sat in his bed, flanked by messy sheets and ruffled pillows, wearing nothing but their hearts on their sleeves. Althea fingered Hana's back, while she rested her head on the taller girl's shoulder, carefully sniffing her skin hoping to preserve the memory of it forever.
The saccade sound of Hana's heart pulsating in her chest resounded like a melody. She could sense the forceful pounding as Althea laid her hand on Hana's chest and its mere pace brought so much confidence to her. This heart, the one that Althea was listening to, was beating for her and at that point, she realized that no heart had ever lived for her, before.
"Come now, Hana. What would you want for breakfast?" Althea asked
"Anything you can come up with, I'm not picky," Hana said. "Oh wait, I'm starting to get tired of potatoes being served in the cafeteria so something with fewer potatoes would be best!"
Time went by fast as the girls prepared their new morning routine with each other.
Hana settled to sit on the kitchen counter as Althea insisted to their cook that she would be cooking for their breakfast. After managing to tell the cook to step out for them, Hana had been browsing her phone for quite some time.
"Althea!" Hana said, frantically, and went off the stool to show her the phone. "Something happened! Someone posted this on social media!"
Althea leaned in and looked at the blurry photo posted by Millie—one of Wafiqah's friends at the NAN. "It's a photo of us leaving the Samhain together."
"Althea," Hana huffed. "You're missing the point. Look at the comments?"
"So some students can see it," Althea said flipping the pancakes. "How is it concerning, Hana?" She offered an encouraging grin, making Hana understand the hardest part was behind them and anything that happened at the Lancaster manor could only pale in comparison to the school's reaction to their relationship.
"But are you okay with...." Hana looked down at her feet, knuckles paling even more as she clenched her phone. "It's me, Althea. I'm a loser, remember? Will it be okay when people know you're with me?"
"Hana, you are not a loser, you can't have someone's opinion define you. So stop it. You have so much potential. Professor Oakley chose you. Do you doubt her choice?"
"Uhh..." Hana said, due to lack of words, "only sometimes."
"She saw something in you—something different, and unique," Althea said as she placed a stack of pancakes on two plates and added a lot of sweets on Hana's. "That's nothing to be ashamed of. I'm certainly not ashamed of you."
"But once your aunt finds out—"
"She wouldn't understand, but she wouldn't care at all," she said, quite self-assured with a distinct pride emanating from her tone of voice. "She has no rights to govern me anymore, I am the heiress to the most developed pharmaceutical and biomedical engineering giants in the world and I'm not in the least excited about explaining my every decision to her... But I don't want to talk about this now; I'd rather you eat as quickly as possible, though."
Hana smiled, although with a hint of sadness. "Alright, let's go have breakfast and go to school."
Andromeda hadn't managed to settle her dispute with Tosca yesterday. She got home to her apartment and slept with an aching heart. Memories and dreams of every time Tosca walk away from her vivid in her mind.
The morning after, she doesn't the time to sulk around for a call from her co-worker Professor Babineaux violently woke her up to inform her they had an emergency staff meeting at seven in the morning.
Andromeda stared at herself in the mirror; her true hair color has now slightly grown from the roots. No matter how many times she colored it down, probably damaging her hair, the stubborn red still wanted to be seen.
"But what's the point. Hana already knew my secret and she hates me." She mused.
Andromeda took in a deep breath and prepared herself for another day in another face, hiding her true identity to the world. Yet she had no time to dye it again so she hoped that not a lot would notice the original color of her hair was red.
Fully dressed, Andromeda walked along the corridors past the overflowing students and staff members, passing a row of large shelves that stood with trophies, awards, and plaques of honor from various competitions over the past hundred years. A glimpse of her photos winning awards sent a notched arrow to her heart.
Andromeda stopped in front of the Headmistress's office and knocked on the massive door before she opened it. The smell of sweet herbal tea and jasmine flowers wafted to her nose. All of the other deans and professors from the various departments were by now present.
"Professor Andrea," The dean of the School of Medicine—Professor Faulkner huffed. "Late again I see."
"I'm truly sorry for this." Andromedaadjusted her glasses back to her nose. Anxiety-ridden personality was not an act for it was her true character. She nailed it at this.
Behind the desk of the Headmistress are heads of the school founders made of stones with their names stamped on the plates. There were books on the shelves, stacking from floor to ceiling. Her massive desk was placed in front of a large window, overlooking the lively garden of the Neos Athens campus.
"What makes you want to call for us, Headmistress?" Professor Faulkner asked, getting straight to the point.
Headmistress Mariam stood up from her antique desk. "My friends, I think we find ourselves in a dire situation."
Professor Babineaux screamed, scratching her head before saying. "I KNEW IT! OUR SCHOOL FUNDINGS ARE SHORT!"
"What?" Professor Kavanagh asked. "How come?"
"The headmistress has been into online shopping these days." Professor Kavanagh said.
"Oh what would you know about it," Professor Faulkner said. "She uses her own money; she's a respectable leader and not once did she embezzle the school funds."
"Calm down, everyone," the Headmistress said. "Neos Athens is not in huge debt."
Everyone made a collective sigh of relief.
"We all agree that Althea Lancaster is our star artist, even if she does not belong to the arts curriculum. Imagine if she has additional art lessons, she will become the genius of her generation." The Headmistress rubbed the back of her left palm explaining before retrieving a letter from her drawers and showed it to her teaching staff. "So our problem is... this letter."
"An invitation?" they all repeated in a question.
"Indeed," Headmistress Mariam smiled. "I've read the contents and so far we need an artist who would rival hers."
Professor Faulkner took the letter and read it silently, her face aghast.
"I know someone from the art department," Andromeda spoke. Suddenly everyone's shifted in Andromeda's direction. A chill of some remote recognition rushed into her body, her face twitched slightly in surprise as everyone looked at her hopefully.
"You don't mean her, do you?" Professor Kavanagh asked.
"Her?" Professor Faulkner asked.
"Oh! Professor Andrea," the headmistress chuckled, reaching out a hand towards the youngest member of the teaching staff. "I trust your judgment. I'll see to it that the girls will have to agree. Thank you for saving the day, Andrea."
Andromedawithdrew her glance and went to shake hand with the Headmistress with a polite nod.
"Morning Althea," someone waved at them as soon as Althea parked the car at her usual spot.
Althea and Hana have noticed the familiar spiky orange hair, brown eyes, and dark skin complexion of the University's favorite reporter. It seemed that their friend hadn't noticed Hana from the passenger's seat.
"Oh, hello Wafiqah. A good day, isn't it?" Althea greeted back, planting her feet on the ground, closing the car's door behind her.
"Very much," Wafiqah grinned. "Are you okay though, Althea? It's unheard of that you were absent yesterday."
"No need to worry, I'm fine. I felt sick yesterday because I've had long nights to finish my paintings. I took the day off from school because I couldn't keep up with the stress." Althea had eloquently half-lied.
"Glad you're okay." Wafiqah smiled. "I still feel a little tired though. I wished the school called a holiday yesterday considering we all were still awake past midnight during the Samhain Festival. And I'm pretty sure it will be pardoned by the professors. They should really change the school regulations about canceling classes the day after a midnight event.
Hana slowly got off the car from the passenger's seat and tried to close the door as quietly as possible. But with Hana, the silence seemed impossible.
"Hey, Hana!" Wafiqah greeted, pleasantly surprised. "I didn't see you there. Love your outfit."
Hana couldn't have looked more surprised. She was wearing a nerdy Marvel shirt that would have scorned most pretentious people, "I... uh... hi, Wafiqah... and thanks!"
Wafiqah glanced at Hana before looking back at Althea. "Have... have you heard the, uh." Those doe eyes with the red, slim, and elliptical markings underneath looked down at her adorning her feet, and Wafiqah sighed. "Do you know what's being said about you?"
Althea almost snorted. She had been waiting for someone to start rumors, knew it would happen eventually. While she was prepared for ways to handle her cousins and aunt, she was not so sure if she had it in her to deal with possible disappointment and embarrassment from her friends.
Althea looked at Hana. While she was brave and could not care less of gossips about her, she stood there, white-knuckling the straps of her backpack and intently peering back at her through the ever-present part in her bangs. Admittedly scared that Althea could not handle the pressure and break up with her.
But Althea who had received a ton of disagreement from her mentor decided to approach it in the most aloof manner she knew how.
"Oh, let me guess." She looked up at the blue sky, pretending to be lost in thought for a moment, tapping the tip of her slender finger at her chin. "Hana and I are gay."
It wasn't a question. Wafiqah nodded shyly, glancing away for a moment before turning back to Althea with a small smile.
"It's cool with me if you are, you know? I mean, love is love! The whole school is cool with it too, so don't worry, okay?"
"Whoa. The whole school is cool with it?" Hana chimed in.
Today had just proven to be a little more challenging than what Althea and Hana originally prepared for.
"How would you know that?" Althea asked.
"Oh please, you underestimate my journalism skills. My friends and I at the news club are always on top of news and opinions so don't worry about heading through those walls."
"This was really unexpected. Hana and I—we are not even hiding it; yet, for everyone to know we fancied each other were all too startling."
Wafiqah grabbed her hand, shaking it. "Congratulations, you! Your painting of Hana was not really subtle and I bet most of us knew it was coming!" She swooped over to Hana and shook her hand too, so fiercely Hana's whole world was shaking. "And you! You are so gay too!"
"T-thanks Wafiqah!" Hana's word shook.
"I knew it the moment I saw your photos of Althea. It's none of my business... or anyone's really, but if you are okay with it, it would make a good genuine article for NAN because it's representation! Publishing an article about a lesbian power couple would really pave a path for future diverse and minority groups to shine."
While Althea wasn't really looking for approval, Hana quickly realized she much preferred Wafiqah's reaction over some judgmental sneer or a sideways, disapproving stare from Althea's mentor or reactions from elitists who would look down on an eastern transfer student.
Hell, Hana was even smiling—genuinely back at Wafiqah.
"Indeed," Althea spoke, face plastered with the same smile. "It is unquestionably newsworthy; getting the recognition like that would make Hana feel better."
"B—but..." Hana began. "I'd love the recognition, but I don't want to be remembered only as Althea's girlfriend. You said you want to write an article about a power couple, I need to prove something to them too. That I'm more than just a girl who the great Althea Lancaster dated."
Althea stared at her, her eyes glistening. "It's okay, Hana, I understand," she smiled, a tad bittersweet. "I am very aware that not many people would see Hana as a suitable partner, but it is because we value the same virtues and aspirations for art that made me fancy her."
"Aww, that's wonderful!" Wafiqah folded her hands to her chest, a stray hand landed on her chin in deep thought. "A girl from a high-class society falls for this simple country girl. It's cute and besides," she removed her hand from her mouth and flashed them a supportive smile. "I think both of you'll be good for one another, I hope things go well for you two. Alright then, if you ever found yourself with great achievement, you two should promise me that I have your exclusive interviews."
"Of course, Wafiqah!" Hana squealed, grabbing Althea's hand while her other hand made a peace sign.
"You're welcome," she promptly replied, perking up a bit. "Alright lovebirds, I have to get to class, but I'll see you all later."
"Thanks again, Wafiqah. See you later."
"Sure thing, see you guys around." Wafiqah bounced off toward the school building, leaving Althea and Hana standing there, exchanging faces.
Althea asked. "Would wonders never cease?"
"Okay, seriously, did that just happen?" Hana asked.
"Yes, it did. Although, everyone okay with it is a bit hard to believe," Althea said as they turned around to head towards the main building. All prior thoughts of making Professor Tosca pay for terrorizing Hana were temporarily forgotten.
Without another word, Althea reached down and took Hana's hand in hers. She smiled proudly at her girlfriend, happy that she was finally coming out of her shell.