With Jane, Keith and Michael busy with their classes Aria, Leo and Peyton decided to meet up in on a Thursday afternoon to do some research on Laura Patterson. The days here at Hudson no longer brought the joy they used to, to Aria, instead she was plagued with the fear of letting Laura see the disgust she now felt for her. This morning she dragged her feet into Laura's class and sat at the back with Jane, a place where she doesn't normally sat but she needed the distance between them. Peyton and Leo constant clicking on their laptops caused Aria to leave the unpleasant memories far back and try to concentrate on the task at hand; finding dirt on Laura. From what Laura had told Aria she had been doing seminar's for the past two years but hadn't mentioned what she had been doing before that and from the looks of it it had been kept rather secretive.
She glanced over to where Leo was sitting and studied him in silence. He wasn't nearly as attractive as Tom but there was something about him that had Aria give him a second look - many times over. Right now he was frowning as he read something on his screen and tracing each word with a pencil, then suddenly his body language changed rapidly. From his sitting stance he now shot up and continued clicking on the keyboard for a few more seconds, until the printer could be heard awakening in the corner. Both Peyton and Aria's eyes met and both displayed a level of hope that something had been found, something that could help them.
"I have something big," Leo announced the obvious and ran to the printer to once again confirm his finding, "Laura was telling the truth when she told you that she had been doing speaking seminars for the past two years, but I have finally found a tidbit of information on what she was doing before that."
Aria and Peyton gathered around Leo and tried to read for themselves what it said. Aria skimmed the page until she read the words Correctional Facility For Boys and her eyes grew wide with shock. A new's article that dated back to 2016 showed that Laura Patterson had been working as a counselor at a Correctional Facility For Boys in upstate New York, with no record of why she no longer worked there - but it was something big.
"It looks like someone has been trying very hard to remove all evidence of Laura's time as a counselor there because this is simply a photograph from a printed news paper - one that is no longer in print." Leo said with a sense of pride in his voice.
"If someone had worked so hard on removing the information it must be because there was something to hide." Peyton concluded.
"It couldn't be anything that would leave a criminal record though because Hudson University would never have hired her, and she would've never had such success with her seminars. Not to mention the media coverage--" Aria said.
The three of them stared at the printed out paper once again and then back at each other - it was time to get to work.
"Peyton, I need you to call the correctional facility and ask them to verify Laura's employment there," Leo ordered and without objection's Peyton got to work, "Aria, I need you to start mapping out who was the first company or person to hire Laura for a seminar and if she gave away any information on her former career as a counselor - it has to be verified somewhere." Aria nodded and sat down by her own laptop to do as she was told.
It was happy news indeed to have some new information on the enigma that was Laura Patterson but there was also a pit in her stomach that had begun collection concern. To know that Laura have been a counselor at a correctional facility for young boys alarmed her greatly, although it did give some insight in to what type of predator Laura truly was. These boys were in confinement and in a position of submissiveness and she had possibly taken advantage of that. It reminded her of when Michael had told her about the night when Laura made the video of her forcing fellatio on him; he had been in a submissive state or vulnerable if one would and that's when she had pounced - like a wild animal. It annoyed Aria how Laura had spoken of men's caveman mentality when she was suffering from the same thing, like a wild animal she had waited until her prey was in a state of disadvantage.
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.
"Wait--so you're saying she offered to host a class on her own? If it's not too much to ask for I'd love to see that email from Miss Patterson! The fact that you made sure to ask for a short biography is more than most school's do before bringing in an external speaker - we'd love to use this as a template for other's. We'll make sure the Hartfield is mentioned in the most positive light!" Aria tried her best to convince but wasn't sure Alison would pick up on it, after all this must be breaching some type of rule or law.
"Normally I wouldn't but since it was so long ago I'm sure she won't mind, it's nothing negative printed in there of course! What's your email address?" Alison answered.
Leo quickly grabbed a post it off the desk and scribbled down an email address on it and shoved it in Aria's face. Even though there was no reason to panic it felt as if they were working against time and if they didn't act rapidly the information would vanish out of their reach. Aria read out the name of the email address, a very professional sounding one that Leo had obviously made up, and thanked the principal greatly before hanging up the phone.
A brief look shared with Leo turned out to an all right scream and before she knew it she found herself in his arms, being lifted off the ground. There was a trace of Laura's employment other than that printed article and hopefully Peyton's phone call would confirm a similar fact, if this was the case the chances of proving that she had abused other's would be far easier than before. When she separated from Leo the two chuckled awkwardly before he moved back to his own desk.
"Back to work," Was all he said before he continued typing on his keyboard, leaving Aria to continue to celebrate this victory on her own.
*
The day after the team's first victory Aria was packing an overnight bag to take back home for the weekend. Since Aria had left for Hudson University Catherine had managed to find herself free from the house a couple of night's a week, that had resulted into various speed dating nights until one of the men caught her eye. Aria had yet to learn of his name since it was apparently 'too soon' to reveal it but whoever he was; he had stolen most of Catherine's free time. Earlier this week she had called Aria filled with giggles and asked if she could watch the cafe until Sunday evening now that they were open during the weekends, to which Aria had said yes. Had it not been for a potential visit from Tom Landry she might have been more reluctant to say yes.
She made sure to pick her most flattering outfits without truly having a reason to. Selfishly she hoped that he would find her attractive enough to cave on his determination that the age gap between them even mattered. You need to go to college and experience life, had been his exact words but she should've asked him what that meant because she certainly didn't know. So far she had found out that her mentor was a predator and is currently helping her accuser find justice - if that was living life then she was definitely doing it right.
"Are you really going to bring that dress?" Jane asked as she snatched the black dress from Aria's grip.
"I was going to but now you're making me doubt my decision, jerk!" Aria said and snatched it back.
"You can't casually wear a little black dress at the cafe and pretend it's your every day outfit - it's fall for Christ sake!" Jane exclaimed with a chuckle.
Aria sighed and threw the dress back in the opened drawer and sagged down on her bed. Technically she shouldn't even be doing this let alone getting so excited over it; nothing was going to happen between her and Tom anyway. It worried her that she still held hope for that man but it was a fire that was hard to put out. There was no denying the way her stomach filled itself with butterflies each time she saw him or whenever they embraced and his firm frame was pressed against her - it was enough to keep that fire lit for eternity.
"I hate that you're right," Aria said and buried her head in her hands, "maybe it was too soon when I texted him--what if I'll go back to the high school me over the weekend? I'd be horrified!"
Jane made a dent in the bed when she sat down next to Aria and wrapped her arm around her friend, "Maybe it's time for you to actually make an effort in moving on from Tom, for real this time. You should go on a date with someone here, someone you actually stand a chance with." Jane encouraged.
The thought of dating someone from the University made her more scared than for Tom to see her high school self again. Dating someone else would truly mean that she had let him go and she wasn't sure if she could fool her heart with that trick. The few guys she had locked lips with had done little to make her forget about Tom but there was still time of course. Ultimately she knew that with her chances blown with Tom, no matter what she wanted, in due time she would have to move on from him. Strangely enough Leo came to mind for a second.
But Jane hadn't been at The Cafe with Aria when she had seen Tom for the first time since prom night. There was something electric between them that was hard to erase even with their agreement to only stay friends.
"Maybe I should just be alone right now and focus on what we're doing. Since yesterday there has been a lot of development that needs our attention." Aria deflected and packed her make up bag.
"You're right, yesterday you found one end of the rainbow. All we need now is to find the other end before Laura finds out what we're doing - because she's going to find out." Jane said in a serious tone.
"Hopefully by then she won't have much to threaten us with. That's why we need to be careful now so that we don't give her anything to feel concerned about." Aria responded.
Jane stripped out of her clothes and picked up the black dress that Aria still had intended to pack and slipped it on her athletic body. It suited her well and especially for the party she had planned on going to tonight. Aria knew she was invited and that she didn't have to drive until early Saturday morning but for a chance to see Tom uninterrupted she had to drive tonight.
"Since you won't need this dress over the weekend I'm going to wear it to the party tonight," Jane stated, "unless you've changed your mind about joining me."
Aria laughed and shook her head no to the open invitation. Even though she had been to college parties before there was still something a little terrifying about being in an enclosed space with so many strangers. There were times when she saw Brody Jensen's face in every guy on campus and especially at parties, so it wasn't a hard invitation to turn down. Her curious mind let her to wonder what Tom would think if he knew that she had chosen him over a college party - the ones he seemed so eager for her to go to, for her to enjoy the college experience. Maybe if she explained why she felt no need to go to them he'd understand that it wasn't all relating to him.
Jane left for the party around the same time that Aria turned on to the freeway that would lead her home. She hadn't been home for quite some time and she missed her own room a little bit and some of the clothes that she had left behind as she rushed to Hudson, but now was every opportunity to go shopping in her own closet - or to stare at a certain dress that held deep meaning. As the countless cars joined her on the road she thought of Tom and how desperate she was to see him again. This newfound friendship of theirs was exciting territory and Aria was curious to see how it would take shape and she hoped he shared that curiosity.
Feeling terribly impulsive Aria decided to call him and prepare him for her weekend visit and hope that he would reveal some excitement in her voice. The time showed 10 pm which was later than she'd anticipated being on the road but the adrenaline over hearing Tom's voice kept her eyes focused on the road. With a few button's pressed on the car's display she heard the familiar sound as she waited for him to answer.
"Aria, is everything alright?" He answered sounded far more worried than need be. She chuckled at his non-greeting and how his caring emotion for her shined through so bright.
"I was calling to surprise you, which definitely didn't turn out so well. I'm on my way back home for the weekend, mom asked me to watch her cafe until Sunday evening." Aria bit her lip while she waited for his reaction.
"You can't blame me for being concerned, last time you called this late was when--well I'm sure you remember. So I'm assuming I'll run in to you tomorrow then?" Tom answered.
"Why not tonight? I can be at The Cafe in forty minutes if you can meet me there." Aria said continuing her impulsive streak.
She heard the doubt in his sigh and was instantly filled with disappointment as she knew he was going to decline. The assumptions swirled around in her head but the one she settled on was his work, he always worked and why not on a Friday night also. While Tom took his sweet time to answer Aria wondered if she should suggest to drive over to his place, if he could provide an address, but that would be dangerous. Aria shivered at the thought of being at his place where everything would mirror his smell and for them to be close to soft furniture seemed like a dumb idea, right now.
"I wish I would have known before, of course that would've ruined the surprise even more than what I just did! I am swamped with work and took a boatload home with me that has a deadline tomorrow morning, otherwise I'd come--" Tom answered predictably.
By now the disappointment had settled in her stomach and was easier to accept. Aria shrugged her shoulders to help the disappointment along as it was on its passing way out. For tonight she would be curled up with a good movie and some take out and that would have to be good enough.
"Oh--I understand, I didn't mean to disturb you in the middle of it all. I'll...see you when I see you." She cursed away from listening ears and hated her awkward ending.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Aria." Tom said with his obvious tone and suddenly there was only her on the line.
She was still close enough to turn around and go back to Hudson and perhaps join Jane at that party...it's probably the choice he wanted her to make had he known of it. Not even for a second did she lean toward doing so, no Aria was not going to stop until she was parked outside of her home. Well...maybe a small stop at her favorite take out place....