Forbidden

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The weekend went by in a drag for both women. Stef was struggling with her own personal battles. She knew that she should stay away from Lena but she couldn't help but think about her all weekend. She would lay in bed slightly longer, just imagining what it would be like to share a bed with her. What it would be like to wake up early or go to sleep late just to watch her sleep. Every time that light beamed in Mike's eyes when he talked about Ana she thought about how much joy she would gain from having a connection like theirs, or to have someone to go home every night to. Yet she couldn't bring herself to reach out to her for some strange reason and it was driving her crazy.

Lena wasn't doing any better. Mason came back home once again ready to pick a fight. So the whole weekend she tried to find ways to keep herself, busy but nothing seemed to make time move any faster. She called to check on Mariana and was relieved to find that she was still alright after what happened with Mason. She wasn't so lucky when it came to Stef however. She couldn't bring herself to call her just because she was too embarrassed by the whole situation. Plus, she knew that Stef really wouldn't want to be near her. Especially since she hasn't reached out to her either.

But luckily for her it was Monday, the first day of school for Anchor Beach. She loved when school was in session because there were so many reason she could find to stay late or come in early to avoid being home.

So far Lena's 4th grade class was wonderful. She was thankful that her classroom was facing the beach. She was gazing out of the window as she had a few hours of free time. Her kids were out for lunch and recess, then off to their arts and humanities classes.

She heard the door creek open and had a pretty good guess as to who it was. "Lena?" Mariana poked her head in the door. She wore a yellow and white poke a dotted dress and a wide smile as she ran up to her. Lena wrapped her in a hug and sat her on top of the desk. "How are you doing my sweet girl?" Mariana opened up her brown paper bag and began to take out her lunch. "Oh I'm great now". She looked up at Lena's amused look as she took a bite of her sandwich. "Is it ok if I eat lunch with you again this year"? Lena laughed as she took out her own lunch. "Of course, but only as long as you promise to go out for recess and make some friends". Mariana just nodded her head as she continued to eat.

"I actually have a surprise for you". Lena opened one of the side drawers of her desk and pulled out a pink box that housed the adorable doll that she saw Mariana looking at in the store. Mariana's eyes glossed over as she reached out to grab the doll, completely speechless. "I saw how you were looking at it the other day. I could tell that you really wanted it". Tears began to rush down the child's face as she looked down at the doll and then back up at Lena when she felt her hand on her cheek wiping away the tears. "What's wrong Mari?" Mariana just shook her head as she looked back down. "Before she died, my mommy promised she would buy it for me...thank you".

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Surprisingly, Stef was in a pretty serene mood for it to be a Monday. Today was the first day of school for most of the charter schools there in San Diego. For police officers this was the week where extra security was required because of the amount of new students, parents, and people in general in the area. Stef and a few of the others were assigned to Anchor Beach.

They spent the first part of the morning monitoring students and parents as they came in. Then as people moved around before and after classes. It was about noon, and while some of the officers were on as the kids played and went to lunch, Stef was done until the time that school was scheduled to let out.

She wanted to walk around the beautiful school on the beach. She couldn't imagine how anyone got anything done with a school like this. She began to wander when she found herself in the younger section of the school as she saw the small desks and chairs in the brightly colored class rooms. "Stef?"