Sugar & Spice

06|rapid developments

Mapping out where Laura's first seminar had been wasn't very difficult since she kept a very detailed schedule of where she had been and where she was going next. Aria read the name of a high school by the name of Hartfield High and the principal's name Alison Johnson. Bingo, she thought but left out the victory cheers. Thankfully Alison was still the acting principal from what the school's website was concern and a few seconds later Aria was listening to the hollow tone of the ringing phone. 

"Hartfield High this is Janice speaking, how can I help you?" A cheerful older lady answered.

"Good afternoon Janice, my name is Aria. I was hoping to speak to Principal Johnson - does she have time?" 

"Let me see, what is this regarding?" The lady responded.

"I am doing some research on the top high school's in the country and your name came up several times as well as Principal Johnson.  It'll only take a second but I'd really like to give her the accolades she so deserves--" Aria said in her most convincing voice which earned a laugh from Janice.

"Oh, she is going to be ecstatic about this! Let me transfer your call immediately." Janice squealed happily.

With a thumbs up from Leo she waited for Principal Johnson to pick up her phone and a few seconds later another female voice was heard on the other end. 

"This is Principal Alison Johnson, who am I speaking with?" 

"Hello my name is Aria and I'm doing some research about the top high school's in the country, and as I mentioned to Janice, your name and the name of your school was mentioned several times - that's when I knew I had to give you a call!"

The proud giggles of Alison was heard loudly over the phone and Aria smirked as she felt this would be easy enough. 

"I can't tell you how happy that makes me, we do really strive for being top in our state when it comes to education as well as social safety and inclusiveness!" Alison started with her sales pitch and Aria truly did wish she was doing actual research when she heard the pride displayed in Alison's voice. 

"That's great to hear! There was something specific that caught my eye; the female activist Laura Patterson did a seminar at your school, she started off her tour at your high school actually, is that something you'll do again?" Aria asked to soften her up before the big question.

"Oh Miss Patterson--yes we loved having her here! The students really responded to her presence at the school for the day, we have a range of different activist we'd love to work with--"

"Excuse me for interjecting--did Miss Patterson happened to tell you what she had done before her tour? I'm a bit of a fan and have always been interested in the work she did prior to the tremendous seminar she held." Aria crossed her fingers for luck that there would be some new facts for them.

Alison was silent for a while and it sounded like she was chewing something. Snack time, Aria thought and didn't bother worrying about anything else. From across the room she could see Peyton in the middle of her own conversation but Leo was peaking over his screen to give Aria a look of encouragement - she responded with a shy smile. 

"Before we hired her we asked her to send a short biography of herself, in it she mentioned that she had worked as a counselor in upstate New York which really resonated with me because that meant she was used to dealing with all sorts of kids," Alison cleared her throat and then whispered, "even the troubled ones. She even offered to have a separate seminar only for the boys in our school, for free, which we took her up on. She was her for an additional day." Alison explained.

Aria immediately stood up after Alison had finished speaking and the rapidness of her change in position caused Leo to jog over, he leaned in to hear what Alison was saying. The closeness of Leo made little impact but it did make some, enough for Aria to take note of it. To avoid her cheek to turn to a darker shade of pink she quickly put Principal Alison Johnson on speaker phone.