LOSING, BABY｡ CRIMINAL MINDS

SIX

unedited

six. passing time

MONTHS WENT BY, AND SOON RHEA'S CLASS GOT USED TO SPENCER'S ODDLY TIMED VISITS. She couldn't deny that she'd enjoyed the days she'd look outside and see the doctor's eager face through the window. She hadn't seen Katie smile so wide before, especially since she had the support of not one, but two adult influences. If Rhea was her maternal figure, Spencer was the paternal, and they both looked out for her in a way that made her feel like she finally had true caregivers. 

The girl was starting to talk to the other students a little more, as well. She and Louis had gotten talking about A Series of Unfortunate Events and were now joined at the hip, giving her someone to play with at recess and to walk home with at the end of the day. 

That left Rhea in a quiet room at lunchtime, sitting across from Samuel as they shared a grilled cheese over a paper plate. Rhea had always loved her coworker's 'cooking', and he was happy to share, which was why they sat widespread on the carpet in silence, appreciating the rare delicacy of supermarket bread, butter and melted cheese.

LUNCHTIME MIX was playing on the tape deck, the current song being a badly recorded version of Tracy Chapman's Stand by Me bleeding through the speakers. Rhea's shoe tapped against Samuel's knee, her head nodding back and forth to the beat. 

Samuel finished his half of the sandwich before her, and he lay back on the ground, listening to the music with closed eyes. Then, he shot up quickly, as if remembering something important. "Oh my God, did you hear Louisa met someone?"

"Shit, really?" Rhea stopped swaying, her full attention on her friend. It was lucky there weren't any students in the classroom, as they'd probably end up repeating the foul language if they heard. "Who? When? Where?"

"Her name is Kylie Hanne," Samuel began, reaching for the plate and frisbee-ing it into the trash. "She's fifty-three, she works at Sandstone High School, and they met at that conference a few weeks ago. You know...the one that was handing out the Kraft vouchers?"

"Oh, I remember that!" she exclaimed, pointing at him. "Aw, that's great for her. Maybe she'll get some and finally loosen up a little."

"You can talk," Samuel snorted, and Rhea rolled her eyes, finishing her last bite and wiping her hands on the paper towel they'd been sharing. "When was the last time you got laid?"

"Don't worry about it," she waved him off with an amused smile. "I don't want a relationship right now. Besides, I'm already living vicariously through Daisy and Aaron."

"I'm not talking about a relationship," Samuel shook his head as the tape clicked, signalling the end of the side. He heaved himself up and changed it, pressing play and returning. Radio by The Corrs began to play, and he huffed as he sat back down. "I'm talking about meaningless sex with someone you don't care about. It doesn't have to be someone you work with, though I'm sure Whittle wouldn't mind."