Chapter Text
It was Greta Gill’s first day at Beyer High School in Rockford Illinois. She wasn’t nervous. This wasn’t the first time a school offered to build an entire program around her. She was irritated because she was late. She wanted to get to campus a couple hours early to grab a bite to eat before the semester officially started. Her damn dog had gotten into something again, and she had to be up with him all night. He was the most neurotic creature that had ever lived. She parked in the teacher’s parking lot and gathered up her bag. She stepped out of her mid-size SUV and checked her phone for the time. She rolled her eyes at her cell which had a picture of the brown brindled menace that kept her up all night. She shook her head and turned toward the walkway to the language building and walked directly into a shorter brunette woman dropping her phone on the ground.
“Woah, easy there Red,” the shorter woman said.
Greta apologized and took the woman in. She was maybe 5’6”. Her dark brown hair was layered and barely met her shoulders. She was Caucasian, but not pale with thin lips and pretty brown eyes. She wore a pretty tight T-shirt that displayed her beautiful breasts and wore nicer looking joggers that weren’t skintight, but showed off her lovely hips and strong looking legs.
The shorter woman picked up her phone for her. “Good looking pup.”
“Thanks”, Greta responded. “He’s a giant pain in the ass.”
The brunette laughed. “Aren’t they all?”
Greta wasn’t sure if she meant dogs, or men, or male dogs.
“I haven’t seen you around. You new this semester?”
Greta responded, “Yes, I am.” She held out her hand, “Greta Gill, Beyer’s new Sign Language teacher”.
The brunette nodded, “Carson Shaw. I didn’t know we offered Sign Language”.
“That’s because you didn’t, until I came along,” She winked and started walking.
Carson followed her. “You know where you’re heading?” She asked, “This place can be complicated to get around at first”.
Greta almost rolled her eyes and the patronizing, “How chivalrous of you, but I think I can manage”.
Carson liked sass. “See you around then Red”.
Greta smiled. Carson was cute, but she wasn’t looking for romance right now. Her last relationship was a shitshow. The married woman Greta fell for who went back to her husband in Idaho was still too fresh. She just wanted to get ready for class. She went into the faculty restroom to check her appearance.
She had full, curly red hair, a long, freckled face and ruby red lips that were her signature.
It was time to get her day started.
**
Carson had finished day one of evaluating the girls for the upcoming season. It was a rough group, but she had a couple months before games started. She had done a lot better with a lot worse. She’d figure it out.
She checked the time. She’d normally just head home, she had to get ready for her pickup basketball game. But she smiled to herself and decided to make a pit stop.
**
When Greta walked to her car at the end of the first day, she had a smile on. Enrollment was maxed and the students were enthusiastic about the new language option, she was looking forward to the year ahead.
She walked to her car around 4:00 and was surprised to find Carson Shaw looking at her phone leaning against her dark red Cherokee.
Greta smiled. “Waiting for someone?”
Carson turned and smiled and tucked her phone in her back pocket. “I wanted to see how your first went”.
She was cute, but Greta didn’t exactly feel sparks this morning. She felt vaguely patronized. “Why would you want to do that?”
Carson chuckled, unphased that the redhead didn’t seem to be her biggest fan, “Maybe I’m a sucker for sassy redheads”.
Shaw was cocky, she’d give her that, but two can play at this game. “I see, remind me your name again?
Carson’s smile didn’t dim at all, she liked the attitude. “Shaw, Carson Shaw”.
Greta pursed her lips and smiled, “Well Shaw, lovely to meet you again, you wanna let me in my car?”
Carson stepped to the side and let Greta climb in. She gestured to Greta to roll the window down. Greta couldn’t decide if she was irritated or intrigued by Carson’s obvious flirting. She rolled down the window and raised both eyebrows, letting the irritation show on her face.
Carson leaned both her forearms on the window so her head was halfway in the car. “I think we should probably get a drink”.
Greta tucked her tongue in the corner of her mouth, “Is that so? What if I disagree?”
Carson smiled a cocky smile, “That’s OK, I can be patient. You’ll agree eventually.”
Greta hadn’t met anyone so full of themselves in a long time, “Why are you so sure?”
Carson leaned back to stand up, “Because Chickadee, I have a good feeling about you.”
Greta shook her head and rolled up her window.
Carson spoke up loud enough that Greta could hear her through the glass. “Same time tomorrow!”
**
Carson went home and hurried to pack her bag for basketball. She played every other Monday with a local group of girls she met at a party the year before.
On the drive over, she thought about the redhead she’d met that morning.
She did have a good feeling about Greta. She hadn’t felt that way in a long time. She’d been attracted to women before…a lot of women. She’d had more than her share of casual flings and one-night stands. She started to think the ‘real thing’ was just a movie construct, and she wasn’t that upset about it. What a time to be alive when you could be a woman into other women openly, when you didn’t have to be ashamed for wanting sex. Carson always marveled at America’s treatment of women through history. The things she learned researching her major and thesis turned her stomach. Even when women put on capes and were the heroes of the day, they were second class to men. There was still too much of that in the world as far as she was concerned. Sometimes she thought that she wanted to be with so many women as a ‘fuck you’ to the man.
She pulled up to the park and started warming up. She was chatting with the girls from both sides about what they had been up to in the last two weeks. Some of them talked about hookups, some talked about work, or new restaurants they tried. It was always a fun group, there had rarely been any drama, even though there were quite a few of the girls that had slept together. Carson dipped into that pool once or twice herself, but it stayed casual.
One of the girls from the other team approached Carson a few minutes before the game was going to start. “You’re Shaw right?” The girl asked. “I’ve seen you around. I’m Emily.”
“That’s me. Nice to meet you.” She smiled and took the girl in. She was cute. She was about 5’7”, young, blonde, perky and fit.
“I’ve been hoping we’d get to play together the last few weeks.”
Carson smiled. “Well, I guess it’s my lucky day then.”
**
On her way home from work, Greta had to stop at the store to pickup some chicken breast and plain white rice for her stupid dog child. He was allergic to life, and he cost her a mint at the vet every month. He was the cutest little shithead in the world though. He’d gotten her through her heartbreak over the last year. Who the hell goes to Idaho? Greta would never forgive herself for falling for that fucking straight girl in the first place. Even though she was legally separated from her husband….Charlie…..she sneered at the thought of him, she should have known better.
Greta couldn’t understand why her brain jumped from her ex to Carson Shaw. One thing was certain about Carson though, she was NOT straight. She was cocky, and exactly Greta’s type. She shook her head. She had always been a sucker for a soft butch. She was so full of herself though. Greta found it simultaneously annoying and sexy. She wondered how persistent Carson would actually be. She really wasn’t looking for anything serious right now. She smiled at herself. Earlier that day it was, “I’m not looking for anything”, now it’s “I’m not looking for anything serious”. She shook her head. It was always nice to feel wanted. She’d just have to see where this went.
**
It was around 10:00PM when Carson left Emily’s place. She took a shower and sat down in her office. She had fun with Emily, but the whole car ride back, she was planning how she was going to approach Greta. She hit the internet and hunkered down.
She didn’t have to get to Beyer until practice the next day, but she’d be sure to look for Greta when they wrapped up.
**
Greta was packing her bag in class the next day, getting ready to go home. It had been a crazy day. She was supposed to have a TA for the school year, but that student picked up another elective, so Greta had to rethink certain parts of her syllabus.
She walked to the parking lot and was startled to see Carson leaning against her car again. She’d forgot about her promise of ‘Same time tomorrow.’ She controlled her smile into a scowl and cleared her throat.
Carson stood up and smiled that Carson-fucking-Shaw smile. Greta had to work to keep the scowl on. What was wrong with her?
Carson furrowed her brows. She put her right hand into a v-shape with her thumb in the middle of her two fingers and pushed it back and forth between them. The she bent her right index finger into a hook and bounced it. Then she made a ‘D’ shape with both hands and bounced them together with her index fingers pointing towards Greta.
Greta pursed her lips together to try to stop the smile, but it was no use. She grinned and replied, “We should dessert?”
Carson’s confidence finally took a hit. “I thought that was date!”
Greta unlocked her car and put her bag in her passenger seat and walked over to Carson.
“Show me again.”
Carson put up the ‘D’ hands pointing straight ahead. Greta took both of her wrists and tilted her hands so her index fingers were pointing straight up in the air and bounced them together
Greta smiled, “Date”, she put her wrists back down to the original position, “Dessert”.
Carson was actually blushing.
Greta raised an eyebrow. Either the confidence Carson usually had on display was carefully cultivated, or she was blushing at their proximity. Either way, it was an interesting wrinkle. She decided to play along.
She signed something back to Carson. It looked like 10 different signs. Carson liked watching Greta’s hands moved but she understood none of it.
Carson smiled. “What does that mean?”
“Figure it out and maybe we can talk.”
Carson’s brows furrowed, “Wait that’s not fair, do it again. Slower.”
Greta smiled. It would be hard enough for her to figure it out at all, let alone having to do it from memory. It was a risk to do this, but she went for it.
“Take out your camera.”
Carson smiled widely and whipped out her phone and turned it to video.
Greta signed it again slower and finished it with a wink.
Carson was grinning like an idiot. Not her usual debonair smile, but like a smitten teenager. It made the dimple even cuter.
Greta knew she had to leave before she did something stupid. She squeezed past Carson to her driver side door and for a brief moment, their mouths shared the same air. It was palpable for them both.
Greta got in and turned the car on noticing her heart rate had picked up. Carson hadn’t moved. She was wearing an expression Greta could only define as bewildered amusement.
Greta drove away and Carson watched the video about 30 times walking to her car. She headed home to figure out how the hell she was going to decipher the message.