It's Just Casual

Chapter 27

"What was she wearing?"

"Did she pay?"

"Are you going on a second date?"

"Did she talk about us?"

"What kind of underwear does she wear?"

Graham, of course, asked the most inappropriate one. He didn't really have a filter, and that used to be funny, but lately it had gotten rather annoying. No sane person wanted to know what kind of underwear their boss wore.

Clearly, I wasn't a sane person according to my own rules, but that was a tiny detail.

"She looked great! She was wearing a blue dress, she paid for dinner, yes, we're going on a second date and no, she did not talk about.."

The door to the teacher's lounge opened and Regina appeared. The room fell silent and it was immediately clear that we'd been talking about her. I wished we were all a bit more subtle, but I guess I couldn't have everything.

"Is everything okay?" Regina asked, clearly noticing the tension in the room. I didn't even know why there was tension in the room, but I didn't like it.

"Yes, splendid," Belle said and offered her sweetest smile to Regina.

"We were just talking about you," Graham said not-so-tactfully.

"I figured as much," Regina replied. "I just wanted to tell Mulan that the meeting with Violet's parents is postponed to Tuesday, next week."

Mulan nodded curtly and averted her eyes back to me. Everyone continued staring at me, probably wanting me to finish my story, but I wasn't going to do that with Regina still in the room.

"Why don't you sit with us, Miss Mills," Killian offered. I didn't understand why on earth he'd ask such a question, but I should probably be glad at least someone had stopped hating Regina.

"Thank you for the offer, dear, but I'm perfectly content in my office," Regina said. She left the room with those words and I suddenly noticed something happening. Now that people had realized Regina didn't need them, they started to need Regina.

"We'll just ask her again, tomorrow," Ariel suggested.

"Maybe she'd like to join us for a couple of drinks, Friday," Walsh chimed in and everyone started talking like that. I realized that it was a privilege to be close to Regina and I was one of the lucky few to call her my friend. "We haven't been very kind to her, we should make it up to her."

"Why?" I asked and everyone looked confused. Walsh shrugged and quirked an eyebrow.

"Wouldn't you like it if we didn't hate the person you're dating?" He looked around the group as he asked this question and he didn't seem too convinced of himself.

I shrugged. Maybe I was supposed to care more about this than I did, but frankly, if they didn't like Regina, they didn't have to start liking her for me. That just seemed odd.

"Look, Em, Belle and I talked some sense into everyone. We realized that you're always very supportive of all the relationships all of us have been with.."

"Even when Ruby got into that relationship with George," Mulan interrupted Ruby and everyone giggled softly. Ruby had had quite a few relationships over the years, but none as bad as the one with George.

"I wasn't wholly supportive when that happened, to be honest," I admitted and Ruby grinned.

"I remember. And it's good you weren't, because he was the weirdest man I've ever met," she replied and I smiled. He had been a rather odd guy, a manipulative one at that. "Anyway, we realized the least we could do was support you now. Plus, it wouldn't be too bad for the working environment if we got along with our boss. We know she must be nice if she means so much to you."

I looked around the room and grabbed the pillow beside me to hold it. It was really sweet what they'd collectively decided. I knew I considered these people my friends, but it was at moments like these - when they looked at me as though they really cared - that I realized these were the best kind of friends one could ask for.

Even a guy like Graham suddenly seemed like he could do no wrong anymore. I knew he said a lot of stupid things, but he wasn't a bad person, deep down. Everyone else was a good person too, but they didn't try to hide that as much as he did.

They were all my friends and I loved that.