Present Day
May 2023
Silence. She wasn't sure why, but it worked like a charm. Whenever the kids were getting rowdy, she turned her reversible octopus into the red side. The angry face. All of her second graders would stop talking within 30 seconds and settle into their seats.
She stood against the smart board with her arms crossed. The plushie sat on top of her right shoulder, looking over the tiny faces as she did. She raised an inquisitive eyebrow, earning some giggles in the front row, but turned the octopus back to blue. The happy face. A small hand shot into the air. The brunette nodded at the child.
"Ms. Ginny! We made you some cards!"
Ginny smiled wide, feeling her cheeks squish against the crinkles under her eyes. She set the octopus on her desk, before walking to her student. Her lanyard clapped against her pink dress- the keys jangling with every step. "You guys made me something!? That's funny... because I made each one of you a special gift for your summer breaks!"
The class cheered, glancing around at each other with grins. Ginny pointed to her desk, where a pile of neatly stocked bags were waiting with a name on each one. "I'm going to call each of you up and then we can trade gifts! How does that sound?"
"Yay!" Everyone clapped with their little hands.
Ginny called the first student up with a smile. Johnny jogged up to her feet and wrapped his arms around her legs. Ginny giggled, leaning over to hug the boy as he whispered he'd miss her being his teacher. It was always bitter sweet saying goodbye to her kiddos each year, but she was so proud of how far they'd come since the beginning of the year.
"I'm going to miss you too, buddy." She patted his head. He handed her a piece of red construction paper with an eleborate stick figure drawing of the class during reading time. Johnny smiled wide, showing off some gaps in his teeth.
"I drew that because it's my favorite time of the day... besides lunch."
Ginny rubbed her stomach, nodding slowly. "Me too! I love it so much, thank you Johnny! Now, here's your gift!"
She gave him the goodie bag and he squealed, running back to his seat to open it. This went on for about twenty minutes- calling each student up to her desk and swapping gifts. By the end, Jenny had a stack full of 25 drawings. She'd keep them forever.
"Can Ms. Ginny's class line up one more time for dismissal!?" She cupped her hands around her mouth and smiled.
The kids jumped up, grabbing their belongings along the way. They made their way to the door and stood in alphabetical order. Ginny patted each of their heads, silently counting as they giggled. She made it to the line leader and nodded firmly.
"You guys did amazing! Not just right now for line, but all year! I'm so proud of each and every single one of you! Make sure you guys come visit me next year when you're all in the big bad third grade!" She clapped her hands, feeling the most joy in her heart as her class whooped and hollered. She'd miss them and all the laughs they brought her. But she was happy they were all moving forward.
The bell rang. Ginny opened the door and led her class down the hallway. She shuffled them off to either the bus lanes or carpool, hugging her students as they passed. She wished them all a great summer. When the other classrooms had emptied out, she walked back to her class with a faint smile. She was almost to her decorated door when a familiar face appeared down the hall.
"What are you doing here?"
"Hello to you too sister." Timothée chuckled, grabbing the shades from his face.
He tucked them into his hoodie. His honey brown eyes glistened with something mysterious. He strode over to her, with that distinctive walk where he bounced from one foot to the next, and wrapped his arms around her neck. She face planted into his chest, smelling Tom Ford cologne in her nostrils.
Her voice came out muffled. "Hey, Timmy."
He let her go, taking a step back to admire her outfit. She did the same to him. He was wearing a pair of black cargo pants with a white hoodie underneath a blue Jean jacket. He wore his favorite shoes that looked like they came from the 90's: big and bulky.
"Look! The lady at the front desk gave me a name tag." He pointed to the visitors pass stuck to the fabric of his jacket.
"She gives them to all visitors." Ginny rolled her hickory brown eyes.
Timothée shrugged his shoulders, still looking pleased about the fact he got one. Though, Ginny knew in the back of her mind that all the receptionists had crushes on her brother. They definitely knew who he was... without checking any identification. But she kept that to herself.
"You still haven't answered my question." Ginny narrowed her gaze onto him.
He waved a dismissive hand, nodding his head towards the inside of her classroom. "It's the last day of school isn't it? I came to help you pack things up."
Ginny loosened, even if she didn't have a reason to be uptight. She patted her brother on the shoulder, thanking him as she strolled into the classroom. He followed behind her. There wasn't much to take down- she'd gotten most of the decorations off with the help of her students. She only had a couple big items left, like her bookshelf, homework cubbies, and a few posters around the walls.
Timothée threw off his Jean jacket and rolled his hoodie sleeves to his elbows. His hair looked extra fluffy as he turned and asked what to get first.
"Let's get the posters first. It'll be easier."
He rubbed his hands together, moving to the wall behind her desk. Ginny joined him. She tucked her computer chair away and grabbed a plastic chair to stand on top of. Timothée was tall enough to reach the poster's from his place on the floor.
"What did you do today?" She asked after a moment of silence. They could work without talking for ages, but she did enjoy her brother's company. She talked with him everyday and saw him whenever she could. He'd been away shooting some last minute scenes for Wonka. But he had called her last night to inform her he was in town. She wasn't expecting him at her school though- they'd planned to have dinner.
He had already taken down her adjectives poster. He set it on top of her desk and turned back to her face. He smiled brightly, somewhat looking absent minded as he spoke. "Just some interviews with W Magazine and Vogue."
"Casual." Ginny joked.
He laughed his infectious laugh, earning a grin from Ginny. He kicked at her ankle. She almost lost balance, but caught herself on the wall. Timothée would've caught her though too. He grinned and took his turn to ask about herself, "How was your last day of school?"
"Bittersweet as usual." She let out a content sigh. She gestured to the stack of cards on her desk. Timothée's eyes widened in awe. "But my kids made me some drawings as a goodbye gift!"
"That's so cute." Timothée gushed. "Any plans for the summer?"
"Not really." Ginny shrugged, trying to think of any big adventures ahead. She just wanted to read a lot of books and watch television. Do all of the things she couldn't do while school was in session. Oh- and tan. She was almost as pale as her brother, and that was saying something.
"Cool, cool." He whispered, fiddling with the edge of one of her laminated papers.
Ginny hopped off the chair and shoved him lightly in the chest. "If you have something to say, just say it Timmy."
He sucked in a harsh breath, rubbing a hand through his curls. He scrunched his nose and bit into his top lip. "I was invited to Monaco."
"France?" Ginny raised her eyebrows. They hadn't visited there in years.
Mostly because of what... happened.
But even with such a bad memory looming in her mind, she'd been yearning to go back. New York was always bustling and full of angry people. France was relaxed, and the complete essence of peace. "That's so exciting! What for?"
"Well-" Timothée was standing like their dad, with his arms crossed and legs spread out like he was preparing to get tackled. "I got invited to the formula one race in Monaco. It's at the end of this month."
Formula One.
Ginny gulped down a ball of saliva. Her eyes darted around the room, not wanting to land on her brother's. She could feel her hands trembling by her side. She took a step back, leaning against the wood of her desk. She wasn't exactly sure if she was ready to hear what was next... but hopefully she'd be sturdy enough to take it. The words fell out of her mouth before she even realized, "By whom?"
Timothée didn't answer. He stood with his arms still crossed. He shifted his weight from one leg to the other. His eyes were steady on her, trying to figure out how to word whatever he needed to say. His lips parted to speak but nothing came out.
Ginny cocked her head to the side, deciding to speak for him. "Charles?"
He shook his head- the curls bouncing on the ends of his hair. His voice came out wrangled and sounded like a mosh of words. "No, it was Pierre."
Ginny froze. A sinking feeling grew in her chest. The discomfort bloomed into a searing pain, with her heart feeling tighter and weak. The horrible memories flashed in her head like a horror movie. She wanted to look calm for Timothée. But she knew her face was probably contorted into fear. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Well." Timothée nodded slowly. "He invited you too."
Pierre invited her?
She shook her head in disdain. She couldn't believe it. It had to be some practical joke. Timothée was always a jokester but never would he bring up Pierre... not after what happened. He was one of the reasons why Ginny never went back to France after she turned eighteen.
"He didn't."
Timothée grabbed onto her shoulders. "He did."
"I'm not going." She grimaced, yanking his hands off her. He let his arms fall to his side. She bit into her pointer finger nail. There was no way she could go to France if Pierre was inviting her. "I can't go."
"Yes you can." Timothée tried to plead with her, his voice unsteady and a bit squeaky. "What's stopping you? Him? You can't let him get to you after all this time, Genevieve."
The full name.
Ginny glared at him. "Why should I see him? Because you guys are still friends? Even after all this time, Timothée?"
He lowered his eyes, focusing on the blue octopus on her desk. She wanted to turn it to red- maybe it worked on adults too. He kept talking though, "I'm not friends with him... you know that. We've all just known each other for a long time."
"And that's why he invited us? Because of history? Last time I checked, our history was a little fucked up."
Timothée tried to be humorous, laying a hand on his heart as he gasped. "There's no cussing in school young lady."
Ginny stared at him. His shoulders slumped as he moved closer to her, pressing his back against the desk. "Ginny, I know you hate him-"
"He hates me!" She declared, raising her voice.
He nodded understandingly, as he always did being the middle child. It was second nature. "You guys are two very different people. I get that. But when was the last time you talked to him? When was the last time you saw him? He's a whole different person, I'm telling you-"
"So you've kept up with him? Personally?"
"Not personally, no." He mumbled before raising a finger. He didn't want her to object. "But I've watched the show. I've seen interviews. He seems like a really nice guy now."
"Yeah, he's a nice guy for all the cameras." Ginny groaned, plopping into her chair. Timothée scooted onto the desk, knocking over a few pictures. He pressed his hands into prayer form and pleaded.
"Look, I just don't want you to waste another summer in your apartment."
"I do not waste my summers-"
Timothée deadpanned. Ginny rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "Okay, but I'm going to spend time with Sara! We have lots of plans."
"Really? Because when I asked if you had any plans you said not really?"
"Well, plans with Sara are implied. She's my best friend." Ginny glanced at the framed picture of herself and Sara on the 100th day of school. They dressed up as old ladies for the kids. Everyone loved it. Sara was not only her work-bestie, but her best friend since kindergarten.
"And you know who else is your best friend? Chloé!"
Ginny felt a smile creeping on her lips. She hadn't spoken with Chloé in forever. Probably since the last time she was in France: five years ago. She followed her on Instagram, keeping up with her life from afar. Just as Chloé did when she liked Ginny's pictures. It wasn't because they had a falling out... just anything from France was a sour spot for quite a long time.
But it had started to fade as Ginny's healing process deepened.
And she wouldn't mind talking with her again.
Along with her brother.
Charles.
Ginny shook her head, trying to get rid of that thought. "You know we haven't really kept up."
"But if you come to France with me you can change that." He smirked, showing off his perfectly white teeth. "Think about it... you can bring Sara-"
"Of course you want her to go." Ginny raised a suggestive eyebrow. Timothée might have dated multiple models and daughters of famous celebrities, but Ginny knew where his heart lied. And it was with her best friend.
"Yeah." He snarled. "So she can be your moral support. Anyway, you can bring Sara, and I'll bring Austin. It'll be a whole party! Then, you can also see Charles and Chloé, but have your buddies if things are awkward."
"You're gonna bring Elvis to Monaco?"
Timothée chuckled, but straightened up after realizing she'd made a joke. "So is that a yes?"
"What about Pierre?" Ginny shook her head. "I still don't trust him."
"That's why you'll have us there." Timothée placed a warm hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "If he isn't a changed man like I think he is, then I'll break his nose."
"Why are you breaking someone's nose?" Sara's voice rang through the room.
Timothée whirled around, fumbling forward as he tried to steady his hand on the desk. "I'll break anyone's nose... especially for you doll."
Sara was wearing her matching styled dress to Ginny's. Hers was sky blue and decorated with bedazzled jewels along the neckline. She wore some jangling bracelets that rattled as she walked closer. Her chestnut colored hair was tied back in a ponytail, swishing from side to side. "I'll keep that in mind, Timmy. But what were you two actually talking about?"
"How would you like to go to Monaco, France?" He caught her hand, bringing it up to his lips. He kissed her skin once and smiled. "A full week and a half of fun! Great food, delicious desserts, and you can listen to me speak French."
Sara tried to hide her blush, turning her gaze to Ginny. "You're going to France?"
"Timmy wants me too." Ginny nodded. "He's trying to convince me."
"What about Pierre?"
Sara had never been to France. She'd only heard all the stories. She'd never met Ginny's lifelong bully- but hated him nonetheless. Ginny shrugged her shoulders, leaning back in the chair. "My brother thinks he's a changed man."
"I'll be damned." Sara wagged her finger in front of Timothée's face. He staggered backwards. "People like him don't ever change."
"You never even knew him." Timothée scoffed, finally dropping her hand. "C'mon Sara! He invited me and Ginny to the formula one race in Monaco. It's going to be a blast! You're invited too. And I'm gonna bring Austin."
Sara thought for a moment, twisting her lips. "It would be kind of cool..."
"Sara!" Ginny hissed.
Timothée clapped his hands. "See! Even Sara knows you can separate the visit. Yes, we'll see Pierre but you're gonna be partying the nights away. It'll be great!"
Ginny rubbed her temple. "If I say yes... promise me you will break his nose if he acts up."
"I promise!" Timothée jumped. "He'll catch the fastest fist to his face."
Sara grinned, "I can wear all my fancy clothes! Maybe I'll actually want to get cute instead of bumming it everyday."
"You always look beautiful to me, doll." Timothée flirted.
Ginny rolled her eyes, but knew Sara was eating it up. She blushed but said nothing.
"I'll go." Ginny declared.
Timothée and Sara ambushed her in a hug and promised they'd be there for her no matter what happens. Ginny was excited to visit France, but she still was nervous about Pierre. He was trouble. And she didn't think he had changed that.