//------------------------------// // An awkward realization // Story: GTVS: The Great Teacher Vinyl Scratch // by Mariacheat-Brony //------------------------------// At the beginning of the mountain road that climbed up to Echelon hills, Officer Benson, freshly out of the Canterlot Police Academy, was about to finish the installation of one of his department's brand new speed-cameras. They were equipped with the state of arts in matter of speed scanning, and the actual camera could snap ten shots in a split of a second in order to be certain to catch a clear image of the offending driver's license plate. When the installation was done, Officer Benson walked back his police unit, which was parked a bit out of sight from the road, before he heard the loud humming of a motorcycle coming closer. Benson couldn't help to grin slyly. In the first minute of his duty, the camera will have her first catch. WUUUUUB!!!! At the very moment Benson heard the motorcycle pass right in front of where the speed-camera, a loud dubstep explosion startled him. He turned around only to see a white and blue blur disappearing in the road's turn before his gaze fell on his camera, which laid broken to pieces on the side of the road. While Officer Benson was trying to find a good explanation to give to his superiors about the state of a five thousands bits speed-camera, the white and blue blur he had seen, known to others as Vincenza Scratch, was riding through Echelon Hills at top speed. She was heading to the Philharmonica Residence without any care for the rest of the traffic. She almost had ridden over an old lady's cane. Almost. Sii a casa, Ottavia. Sii a casa! [Be home, Octavia. Be home!] Vinyl thought with anger and worry as she opened the residence's front gate thanks to the remote control installed on her handlebars. Instead of heading to the garage like she usually did whenever she came home, Vinyl stopped her bike in front of the front door, leaving a long braking trail on the gravel path. She dismounted her bike before dashing to the door. As soon as she entered the house, Vinyl saw Octavia's backpack and cello-case lying near the stairs. "Ottavia!" Vinyl called loudly, earning no response from the young cellist. "Ottavia, don't you dare ignore me!" she demanded before climbing the stairs to Octavia's bedroom. Vinyl barged into the cellist's room, finding it in perfect order, unlike hers, but one thing was missing: a seventeen years old cellist with long, silk-like, black hair. Vinyl cursed before searching through the rest of the house. She searched everywhere in, and around the house, only to see no hide, nor hair of her missing student. "Dove sei, Ottavia? Dove cazzo sei?" [Where are you, Octavia? Where the hell are you?] Vinyl whispered, now completely worried about her student's whereabouts. She started to walk in circles in the living room, pondering about any places Octavia could be before her phone started to ring. Vinyl quickly brought it to her ear, hoping her student/roommate was finally returning her calls. "OTTAVIA, IS THAT YOU?" "Hum.... Sorry, it's Celeste," the Headmistress said, a bit startled by the volume of Vinyl's voice.  "Oh! Sorry," Vinyl said sheepishly. "What's going on?" "That's what Theresa and I would like to know," Celeste replied. "Huh?" "Let's say that we're .... rather curious about the fact you're not giving class at this very moment," Celeste explained with a hint of reproach. "Per la Madonna!" [Holy Mother of God!] Vinyl muttered angrily. "Look, I don't give a damn fuck about what you , and that twenty feet long broom stuck deep into Theresa's anal cavity...." "Charming," Celeste commented matter-of-factly.  "..are thinking right now! Octavia got into a fight at school, and now she's missing!" "Octavia Philharmonica in a fight?" Celeste asked incredulous. "You're joking, right? Please, tell me it's some really bad joke you're doing to me!" "Does it sound like I'm joking?" Vinyl asked angrily. "Huh.... no?" Celeste hesitantly suggested. "It sounds more like you're freaking out." "Well, I have a seventeen years old cellist, most likely emotionally hurt if how she reacted to what Laura said is any indications, on the wild, with her cellphone turned off..." Vinyl heard droplets hit the living room's window before looking outside. ".... And now she's somewhere under this downpour," she added when she noticed it was raining cats and dogs. "Stupid Fall weather!" Vinyl muttered before checking the hatstand in the hall. "Without her jacket no less! This is getting better by the minute!" she shouted sarcastically. "Yeah, you're definitely freaking out," Celeste calmly commented. "Really? I didn't notice!" Vinyl retorted in sarcasm. "Sarcasm won't help, Vincenza," Celeste said stoically. "You really need to calm down!" Vinyl let out a long sigh. "I know, but I can't stop myself from worrying something wrong might happen to her," Vinyl admitted softly. "You and I both know that she's the type of girl who's clever enough to avoid troubles," Celeste reassured softly. "You and I both thought she was the type of girl who would never get in a fight, and look how wrong we are now! What's stopping us from being wrong again?" Vinyl asked, hoping firmly they wouldn't be wrong about Octavia ever again. "I know you feel responsible because one of your students missing, but..." "Porca miseria! This isn't about my job as a teacher!" Vinyl snapped. "The girl I live with is missing! How would you react in if you were in my place and that Selene was in Octavia's?" The headmistress remained silent for a few seconds. "I'll probably be freaking out a lot more than you are now," she admitted softly. "But, you've still got to calm down! She's seventeen, not seven! She can take care of herself, so stop acting like an insanely overprotective mother!" "I'm not acting like...." Vinyl trailed off as she realized something. "...a mother.." she whispered while turning her gaze on a picture on the chimney.  A picture of a woman with long black hair, holding the hand of a little girl with the same hair as her, walking along a dirt path next to a large pond. Both of them were happily smiling for the camera, waving at the photograph. "Celeste, thank you," Vinyl whispered in a relieved tone. "You finally calmed down?" Celeste asked hopefully. "A little, but that's only because I just found out where she is! All thanks to you!" Vinyl explained. "How?" Celeste asked in confusion. "I'll explain that tomorrow at school. See ya!" Vinyl said as she went to grab Vito's long, dark green raincoat from the hatstand. "Hang on a minu...." Celeste demanded before Vinyl hung up and tossed her phone on the couch. Perché non ho pensato a questo posto prima? [Why didn't I think of that place earlier?] Vinyl thought angrily as she ran out of the house. Deficiente! [Idiot!] ****** "Di mi, Ottavia," [Say, Octavia,] Vinyl called the young cellist who was reading a book on the couch while her teacher was inspecting the pictures on the chimney with curiosity. "Is that you and your mother in that picture?" she asked, pointing at a picture of a young girl holding hands with a woman near a pond. "Hum?" Octavia went to her teacher's side before smiling softly when she saw the picture. "Yes. It's me and Mommy," she whispered in a nostalgic, and sad tone. "You definitely inherited her good looks," Vinyl commented in a warm tone. "That's what Father keeps telling me," Octavia chuckled softly. "He says that I took the best from her. That I got Mommy's good looks and wonderful voice." "Wonderful voice, huh?" Vinyl said with a smile. "Hum-hum!" Octavia nodded. "She used to be a singer, you know? That's how Father and her met each other. She was the first artist to have signed a contract with his label actually." Vinyl softly giggled at her explanation. "What's so funny?" she asked in confusion. "Nothing, I just remember a little something," Vinyl explained, thinking about what she had first thought when she heard Octavia on the phone. "I take it that you can sing then?" "Actually, I've never tried before," Octavia replied uneasily.  "How come?" "I...It's just...." Octavia stammered with tears in her eyes. "Mommy used to sing a lot for me after she stopped working when I was born. It always brought a smile on my father's face to hear her singing for me. I want... I want him to always remember her as the only one who was able to sing in this house. I'm afraid he will start to forget about her if I ended up being as good as she was," she explained in between sobs. "I know it must sound ridiculous, but..." "It's not," Vinyl affirmed softly, gently rubbing Octavia's back. "I've been in a similar situation, so I understand why you think that. It's not ridiculous at all." Octavia looked at her with surprise before Vinyl wiped her tears away with her right hand. "You were?" Octavia asked softly. Vinyl nodded with sadness. "Mio Papa... My dad... He was a musician," Vinyl explained sadly. "He got me into the music, taught how to play the piano, and other instruments. I wanted to make him so proud that I joined a junior orchestra when I was seven. Playing in recitals and such," "You've played in classical recitals?" Octavia asked, shocked by that revelation. "Hard to believe, right?" Vinyl chuckled. "A little," Octavia admitted softly. "Why did you stop?" "When he died because of a car accident, I just simply lost the will to play," Vinyl explained. "He wasn't there to watch me playing anymore, so what was the point? Without my idol, I simply turned away from music for a while, despite my mom trying to convince me to get back to it," she told, her eyes shining in sadness. “The flame I had for music only rekindle about five years ago.” "How old were you back then?" Octavia asked softly. "Twelve," Vinyl replied matter-of-factly. "You?" "Six and a half," Octavia answered with new tears rolling along her cheeks. "Must have been tougher for you,"  Vinyl commented in a soft, caring tone pulling the younger girl into a gentle embrace which she returned instantly. "Not really," Octavia replied in shaken voice, her head resting on her teacher's left shoulder. "I was very young. I didn't understand much about what happened. One morning, Mommy didn't feel good at all so Father took her to the hospital after leaving me with the neighbors," she explained. "I didn't get the chance to see her after that. She died during the night that followed." Octavia sobbed loudly, so Vinyl started to caress her hair softly. "I still don't know what disease she had. She was gone so fast! I never got the chance to say goodbye!" she cried. "Just let it out, Tesoro," Vinyl whispered kindly. "It's not good to keep that inside you," Octavia simply did as instructed and cried for a few minutes with Vinyl gently rocking her. "Vinyl," she called softly, breaking the religious silence between the two of them. "Did you get a chance to say goodbye to your father?" "No, I didn't," Vinyl replied calmly. "The doctors said he died instantly during the accident. At least he didn't suffer," "How can you manage to speak of him so calmly?" Octavia asked in a shaken whisper. "I can't even think about the last time I saw my mother without crying!" "I had good friends who helped me seeing the "bright" side of life," Vinyl explained softly. "You just need someone to show it in yours." Octavia jerked her head away from her teacher's embrace.  "What bright side could there possibly be in my mother's death?" Octavia snapped angrily. "The fact you don't know what happened to her," Vinyl replied, unfazed by Octavia's outburst. "Huh? Why would that be a good thing?" "Because it gives you the chance to only keep happy memories of your mother," Vinyl explained softly before pointing at the picture that started the conversation. "Like the one shown in this picture." Octavia let her gaze follow Vinyl's finger to the picture of her with her mother, focusing it on the big smile her younger self was bearing before moving on to her mother's. Once again, tears filled the young cellist's eyes, only this time her teacher could see it wasn't from sadness anymore. Despite her tears, Octavia was smiling fondly at the picture of her mother with her. "Thank you, Vinyl," Octavia whispered. "Thank you so much!" "It was nothing," Vinyl replied softly. "It's within my prerogatives." "You're very dedicated to your replacement job as a teacher," Octavia retorted playfully, wiping her tears away with a handkerchief. "That was more within my prerogatives as a roommate and a friend," Vinyl explained with a short chuckle. "You consider we're friends?" "Is that a problem?" Vinyl asked with a cocked eyebrow. "Not at all!" Octavia beamed at her teacher/roommate who smiled in return. "So, where was this taken?" Vinyl asked about the photo with curiosity. "In the park three streets from here," Octavia answered. "It's a rather secluded path nearby the pond. Mommy loved that spot. She took me there for a walk every Sunday afternoon to feed the ducks," she explained with nostalgy. "That's where you disappear every Sunday?" "Indeed." Octavia nodded. "Sadly, there aren't any ducks anymore, but it's still a great place to clear my mind of the daily troubles." "Why do I feel targeted by that remark?" Vinyl made a badly executed sad pout. "You said it, Vincenza, not me," Octavia shrugged, giggling at her teacher's face. ****** "The secluded path by the pond in the park three streets from here she said," Vinyl said to herself as she ran outside the property. "Better go on foot than with the bike. Especially in those conditions!" she added as the downpour made it difficult for her to see beyond two meters in front of her. "Why did I react like I did?" Octavia asked herself as she walked along the muddy path nearby the pond, ignoring the rain that was quickly soaking her integrally. "It's not the first time someone says that to me, and I never reacted like that!" It was true. Octavia had always been looked at as a bland, boring, and stuck-up girl by those who didn't know her. It was a fact she was completely aware about, but she never cared for it before. She had always stayed outside of the crowd with her rather quiet personality, and the stern face she put on for the others. She didn't have any real friends until she entered in the music departement of her school. And back them, it was only because Beatrice, who was rather shy at that time, had been forced to work with her because she hadn't dared to ask another pupil and got left with Octavia as the last picked children.  Beatrice was the first one to see beneath the uptight facade Octavia had built around herself. The first one Octavia could really call her friend. It was only afterwards that Octavia started to open up to others. With the years passing, and the number of students in the music section diminishing, her circle of friends grew larger until it englobes her current classmates. Despite having opened up a lot thanks to her classmates' friendship, Octavia was still having difficulties in loosening up. On the times, she went out with her friends on the weekends, she still liked to wear black and grey formal ensembles, much too similar to their usual school uniforms, while her friends were wearing more cheerful colors. She barely talked to any other students besides her classmates. She didn't go to extra scholarly activities. And it wasn't until Vincenza became her teacher that Octavia opened up to other types of music than classical. People found her bland because she liked to wear grey clothes. They found her boring because she only listened to classical music. They thought she was a stuck-up girl because she only seeked conversation with her classmates, as if she was thinking that the music section was some sort of elite that was the only one worthy of her attention. Those were facts, and Octavia had ignored them like they were nothing. Even when her friends pointed that out before, she had never reacted badly to them. So why was what Laura said earlier still hurting her like hell right now? "Raaa, I don't get it!" Octavia kicked the mud of the path in frustration, burying her feet in it before losing her footing. "Oh merdaaaaa..." [oh shiiiiiiit...] she shouted in panic as she fell on the pond side of the path. Octavia let out a series of pained grunts as she rolled down the small descent to the bank of the pond, a few roots and twigs scratching her face before she ended her course in a small puddle of greenish mud. The young cellist, now completely covered in mud, tried to lean on her arms to stand up, only to fall back on the ground because of the slippery mud. As she raised her head from the puddle, her lower lips started to tremble intensively. The hurt from what Laura said to her, the frustration of not understanding why it hurt her so much, and the shame from falling into a mud hole twice was too much for her. She started to cry. Her loud sobs were completely masked by the sounds of the heavy rain on the pond and on the nearby trees. Only someone who had ears trained to discern tiny sounds under a loud background noise could find her now.  But, unbeknownst to the wailing cellist, someone just like that was looking for her, and that someone had heard her cries. "Ottavia, sei ferita?" [Octavia, are you hurt?] a voice Octavia recognized immediately as Vincenza's shouted with worry. "Dove sei?" [Where are you?]  "Here!" Octavia called in a trembling voice. "Oh Dio cane! I'm coming!" Vinyl cursed as she saw Octavia on the side of the path. The DJ jumped to Octavia's level, making a loud splotch sound, before pulling Octavia on her feet. She winced a bit at the sight of her usually prim and proper student covered from head to feet with mud.  "I ....I fell," Octavia explained sheepishly in response to Vincenza wiping her face clean. "I can see that," Vinyl said matter-of-factly. "Let's get you home. I'm supposed to lecture you about what happened at school, and I'm not doing that under the rain," Vinyl said sternly, while taking Vito's raincoat off to gently pass it around Octavia's shoulders. "Or before you take a shower!" "Let's do that," Octavia said in a trembling voice. Octavia started to climb up to the path, with Vinyl close behind her. The young cellist grabbed a strong root to help her ascension. Only it wasn't as strong as she thought. After a loud crack, Octavia fell backwards with a shriek, right in Vincenza's arms. The DJ, now carrying the cellist, stumbled backwards, her right heel hitting another root. "Motherfucking roots!" she cursed loudly as she and Octavia fell into the pond. Vinyl kicked the bathroom door open, letting the way clear for her and Octavia. Both of them were completely soaked and shivering because of their brief time in the pond's ice cold water. Both their lips were slowly turning blue. "Take your clothes off now!" Vinyl demanded firmly before tossing her biker jacket on the ground. "O-o-ok," Octavia replied shakily, her trembling hands having the hardest time of the world to undo her uniform jacket's buttons.  "Sbrigati un po!" [Hurry up a little!] Vinyl shouted as she kicked her boots off before turning the warm water faucet of the shower on. "I can't!" Octavia said in a trembling tone. "I can't stop shaking!" Vinyl sighed heavily. "Do you have a spare uniform for the rest of the week?" Octavia nodded. "Good!"          Vinyl ripped the mudded black jacket open before throwing it on the ground, then she focused her attention on taking off her student's cardigan, blouse and under shirt before she pulled her skirt down and took off her shoes and knee long socks off, leaving her with her snow white panties and bra, which somehow weren't stained by the mud like the rest of her clothes. Before Octavia could even start to think about being embarrassed by the fact Vinyl had just stripped her and that she was in her underwear in front of her teacher, said teacher pushed her under the water from the rain shower. As soon as Octavia felt the hot water raining on her body, she closed her eyes in satisfaction, finally feeling her body warmth coming back and her shakings stopping. "Sorry, but I really can't wait for you to be done with the shower," Vinyl said, chattering her teeth, before Octavia felt someone entering in the shower stall with her. "Oh Dio, ti ringrazio per l'invenzione del l'acqua calda!" [Oh God, I thank thee for the invention of hot water!] she said in ecstasy as she went under the shower jet. "You're not naked, are you?" Octavia asked worriedly, feeling her heartbeat going wilder than ever. "Huh, I still have my panties on, but huh... I...kinda didn't put a bra on this morning...." Vinyl replied uneasily.  "Oh!" Octavia let out in astonishment, her cheeks red as a fire truck. "Why didn't you put on a bra this morning?" she voiced her thoughts before she could stop herself. "Well, I don't really have many bras that fit my size anymore," Vinyl explained awkwardly. "I need to buy new ones." "Oh!" "I made you uncomfortable, didn't I?" Vinyl asked worriedly. "I kinda already was since you walked in the shower with me in it," Octavia replied with a nervous chuckle. "That part about your growing ....attributes just made it worse." "Yeah...Sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I walked in so that we're back to back, and I have no intentions to look at you,"  "It doesn't really make me feel better, but I appreciate the thought," Octavia admitted slowly. For some reason, she felt a little downer than before after the last part of her teacher's sentence. "Huh, can you... pass me the bottle of shampoo?" she asked hesitantly. "Sure," Vinyl replied awkwardly before passing a bottle of shampoo and a comb to Octavia. "Pass the comb through your hair first to get rid of all the mud, twigs and what not in it," she advised. "Why is there a comb in the shower?" Octavia asked, hoping some casual talk will dissipate the awkwardness of the situation.  "I keep one in the shower for when I have to dye my hair," Vinyl explained. "To clearly sort the cyan locks than the dark blue ones." "So you dye your hair yourself?" Octavia asked as she combed her hair. "I thought you went to a stylist for that." "Why paying 60 bits every time I go to the stylist when for the same price I can buy the dyes I need and doing it myself at least ten times?" Vinyl asked with a shrug. "Makes sense," Octavia commented while putting more strength in her combing as she encountered a tough knot. "Besides, I don't really like the mood in hair salons," Vinyl added sourly. "The whole girly gossiping about all those celebrities or the latest fashion isn't really my thing." "Same here." Octavia forced the comb down. "Ow, ow, ow!" "You're not doing it right," Vinyl commented. "You said you won't look!" Octavia shouted in horror, turning back to glare at the DJ, only to see her back. Her gaze trailed down Vinyl's light blue underwear. Hmmm dat a....Wowowow! Ottavia, look at the ceiling! The ceiling is good! The ceiling is beautiful! Octavia thought with redder cheeks than before, if it was possible, as she stared right at the ceiling before turning around. "I can hear you not doing it right," Vinyl commented about how Octavia combed her hair, oblivious to what she had just done. "Want some help?" she asked without thinking. "No!" Octavia shouted again. "I don't want you to look at me!" "I kinda already did for a few seconds when I pushed you in the shower, but I see your point," Vinyl admitted awkwardly. She could feel Octavia glaring at her even without the cellist looking at her direction "Sorry, it was a stupid thing to say." "Yeah, stupid like you!" Octavia snapped before covering her mouth. Vinyl remained silent for a few seconds. "Considering all what you did today, Octavia, you have no right to say that I'm the stupid one between the two of us!" she muttered in a cold anger. Vinyl's cold tone was more than enough to make Octavia look at her feet in shame. "I'm sorry, Vincenza. I didn't mean it," Octavia said in a sincere apology.  "Yeah, sure you didn't," Vinyl said in a sour tone. "I'm done! See you when you're all cleaned up! We have serious things to talk about," she added before exiting the shower. Octavia mumbled a soft, embarrassed 'ok' before placing herself in the center of the water jet, throwing her head to the right. When she did, her gaze fell on a the small part of the bathroom's mirror that wasn't covered with steam. What she saw in the mirror caused her eyes to widen in a mix of shock, embarrassment, and excitement. Well, mostly excitement and embarrassment. Okay, fine, mainly excitement. Vinyl was vigorously drying her hair with her towel, blinding her and leaving the rest of her body completely exposed. Octavia gulped hard as her eyes went up and down, mimicking the movement of her teacher's chest. As soon as her hair were dry enough, Vinyl passed her towel around her body before leaving the room. When her teacher was out of the room, Octavia allowed herself to breath again, leaning on the shower's wall, her right hand on her racing heart. Santo cielo! [Good heavens!] They are HUUUUGE! Like three or four cups bigger than mine! Octavia commented in her head, glancing down at her A-cup sized breasts. I knew they were big, but without her clothes, they look down right enormous! Octavia knew she shouldn't think like that, but she couldn't stop her train of thought anymore. And, that small, silver ring on her left one is .... she bit her lower lip. ...so sexy! she nearly moaned before closing her eyes. Her thoughts completely overtaken by images of Vincenza's body: her large bust, her hourglass figure, her double eighth note tattoo on her right hip, her silver ring on her left nipple, her small diamond piercing on her belly button, her firm buttocks under the wet light blue fabric.... Octavia didn't realize her right hand was slowly descending from her heart to her lower belly. The tip of her fingers had already passed under the fabric of her panties when she snapped her eyes open. "Oh my God!" she let out in a whisper, heavily panting as she realized she had sat on the shower floor during the heat of the moment. "I was about to.... Oh my God!" she buried her face in her two hands with a frustrated groan. "What's wrong with me? I was about to ..... while thinking about Vincenza!" she added in horror, not daring to say out loud what she was about to do. As soon as she said her name out loud, images of her teacher went back in her mind at full charge. Only this time, they weren't about her teacher's body. They were mainly good memories of her month of living with the DJ: Vincenza taking her on her first bike ride; the impressed expression she had after hearing Octavia playing her cello for the first time; how she had comforted her when Octavia told her mother's story; the playful tickles fight they had before that parents-teacher meeting; Vincenza trying her best to teach Octavia how to eat with chopsticks; the movie they went to see after that; how she sounded so worried when she found Octavia by the pond; How she had caught Octavia during her fall, even if they both ended in the pond shortly after.... Dumb roots! Octavia brought her knees to her chin. "I guess that now I know why it hurt so much when Laura said that someone as cool as her wouldn't go on a date with someone like me...." she whispered with sadness. "She was right though. Vincenza's my complete opposite. She's cool while I'm boring. She's social, and I'm not. She's got awesome curves while I'm flat as a plank." Octavia sniffed quietly, instinctively blushing at the mention of her teacher's sexy body.  "She's so modern when I should have been born in the past century to fit in with the others!" Octavia sobbed softly. "Vincenza's everything that I'm not.... She's simply amazing.... No wonder I ended up being attracted to her... What am I going to do?" she whispered with tears rolling down her cheeks. "What am I going to do?" she rested her forehead on her knees. "Here," Vinyl said as she put a mug of hot cocoa on the kitchen counter top in front of Octavia. "It's good for what you have," she added in a soft caring tone. Octavia coughed a couple of times before grabbing the mug. "Thank you," she said in a hoarse little voice. "Uurgh! I hate having a cold! It makes my voice sound so weird." It had been one hour and a half since Vinyl had left Octavia in the shower. It had taken Octavia more than twenty minutes to muster the strength to resume her shower. Once that was done, Octavia got dressed and meet up with her teacher/roommate in the living room, resoluted to be yelled at for what happened at school, and also resolved to hide her newly discovered attraction for the blue haired woman in front of her. Needless to say, her heart skipped a few beats when Vinyl had asked her why she was blushing like she did when the DJ saw her coming in the room. Octavia, while internally freaking out, had coolly answered that she wasn't blushing before frowning at the sound of her voice. Vinyl had frowned as well at that. She had come close to Octavia's face with her own, meticulously examining her student's visage, who at that time had been really blushing. She had put the back of her hand on her forehead, before placing it on Octavia's. After a few seconds, Vinyl pulled her hand away before demanding to Octavia to go put on warmer clothes. She had caught a really terrible cold. "You're lucky you didn't get pneumonia considering how long you remained outside soaked as a fish in the ocean," Vinyl commented casually. "As for your throat, drink!" she added, pointing at the mug. "I know it lacks the floating marshmallows, but I couldn't find any." "I don't really like marshmallow in my cocoa," Octavia said before taking a sip, feeling the thick, hot beverage calm her sore throat. "How many spoons of chocolate powder did you put in this?" she asked with curiosity. "I've never had a cocoa so thick, and chocolatey before!" "Chocolate powder is for kids!" Vinyl chuckled softly. "I broke three dark chocolate bars in pieces and poured them in the hot milk," she explained. "You like it?" Octavia nodded. "It's delicious!" "That's good to hear!" Vinyl smiled, un-knowingly making Octavia's heart skipped a beat. "Just explaining it makes me thirsty for one cup. Be right back." Vinyl went to the cupboard to take some chocolate bars. "Vincenza," Octavia called hesitantly. "Yes?" Vinyl replied as she put the pieces of chocolate into a bowl before pouring some hot milk it. "Aren't you going to shout at me for what happened at school?" she asked fearfully.  "It was my first intention," Vinyl admitted as she stirred her bowl, making the milk turn browner every second. "Why aren't you doing it then?" "Because, it probably won't do anything other than me scaring you, something I don't really want," Vinyl explained before sitting across from Octavia, her bowl in her hand. "Besides, I didn't shout at Laura for causing all this mess, I'm not gonna shout at you either." "But I deserve to be shouted at!" Octavia said as loudly as her cold would allow it. "I pushed her to the ground before running away from school!" "You forgot the part where you locked the others in," Vinyl commented. "Yeah, that too!" Octavia insisted. "I deserve to be punished!" "I said I wouldn't shout at you, cara," Vinyl remarked before taking a sip of her bowl. "I never said I wouldn't punish you." "Oh!" Octavia let out in surprise. "Now, Laura and the others told me what happened," Vinyl said more seriously. "Would you mind telling me your side of the story?" "No, I wouldn't." Octavia shook her head softly. "I was speaking to Fiona and Nathan about your parents-teachers meeting when Diana asked Laura what she was checking on her phone," Octavia told before coughing a few times. "Take your time," Vinyl advised softly. "We're not in a hurry." Vinyl listened to Octavia's side of the story. It took some time, as Octavia's cold wouldn't permit her any long sentences before coughing for a half to a whole minute. When Octavia finished her story, Vinyl was pleased that her version and her classmates' one matched perfectly. At least none of her students was dishonest with her. "Thanks for your honesty, Octavia," Vinyl said with a soft smile. "And, thanks for stopping them from watching that video about me. I really appreciate it!" "I heard you saying it was one of your most embarrassing moments, I couldn't just stand there," Octavia explained sheepishly, slightly blushing, but Vinyl couldn't see it as her cheeks were still red because she was sick. "Besides, nothing stops them from watching it at home," she added in a low disappointed tone. "Now that you make me think about that," Vinyl said as she pulled her cellphone out of her pocket. "Hmmm, ten past four... It's nearly the end of her nap time, that should do it," she commented before typing a text message. "Who are you texting to?" Octavia asked curiously. "My friend Patricia," Vinyl replied as she finished her text and clicked on the send button. Ciao, Patty How r u? Remember those videos of me at New Year's Eve 2011 at the Havana Mirage? Can you "take care" of them, please? They caused trouble at my job! Big kisses to the twins! Vinyl "The one who made Laura's fake ID?" Octavia asked with a frown. "That's one of the many things she does," Vinyl replied with a shrug. Octavia coughed before tightening the scarf Vinyl had forced her to wear around her neck. "You know that's illegal, right?" she asked with a snif. "Don't worry, the cops know," Vinyl shrugged again before passing a napkin at her students. "Thanks," Octavia took the napkin and blew her nose in it, rather delicately from Vinyl's point of view. "You mean she got arrested?" "Nope, they just know," Vinyl explained. "They never found any evidence to actually arrest her. But I suspect the chief of the MPD likes her cupcakes too much to arrest her," she added as her text tone rang from her cellphone. Heyaa, Vinyl! What kind of troubles are we talking about? Bad troubles? Or funny troubles? Ps: The twins said their first word: Patty!! :D "Is cupcake a weird code name for sex?" Octavia asked uneasily as Vinyl typed her response. Vinyl raised an eyebrow at her student. "No, it stands for a cupcake as for the pastry named cupcake," she replied sharply. "Why would you think it meant sex?" she asked a bit angrily before sending her reply to Patty. Students got in a fight, bad things were said, .... You remember how highschool was, right? Ps: that's so awesome ;) boy, they're growing up so fast! "I... I thought that... With the Police chief?... I cupcakes and..." Octavia blabbered without coordination before suffering from a unusually loud and long coughing fit. "Oh crap," Vinyl rushed at Octavia's side before rubbing her back gently while the younger girl was coughing her life out. "Okay, that's it! You're going to bed, right now!" Vinyl ordered. "Ok," Octavia managed to whispered in a rocky voice, before holding her throat with a wince. "Gosh, my throat hurts!" she growled before standing up. "What about my punishment?" she asked as she was about to get out of the kitchen. "Seriously?" Vinyl raised an eyebrow. "Go to sleep! You'll get your punishment when you're healthy enough to go back to school!" "I can't miss school! I've already skipped three classes!" Octavia shouted in her newly acquired rocky voice, regretting it instantly as she grabbed her throat with a high pitched shriek of pain. "Okay, first, you didn't skip anything, I cancelled my classes. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here!" Vinyl said abruptly. "Second, I'm not letting you go out of this house as long as your temperature isn't back to normal and until you stop talking like Sylvester Stallone!" Octavia let out a very Rambo-like growl before heading out of the kitchen. "Oh, one last thing!" SMACK “YAAAOOOWWW!” Octavia let out a very girly, pained yelp as she startled, her hands firmly on her right buttock before turning around to stare at Vinyl in a surprised shock. “Did you just spank me?” she asked in disbelief. “Sure did,” Vinyl replied nonchalantly. "That's for running away like you did, and for not answering your phone!" Vinyl reproached in a slightly shaking voice. "Do you have any idea of how worried I was?" she asked quietly before pulling an even more surprised Octavia into a strong hug. "Don't you ever do that again!" Octavia blushed madly as Vinyl passed her arms around her, her heart beating to fastest pace it could without flinching. She started to hug her back, her head resting on Vinyl's shoulder, managing to get a whiff of her teacher's smell through her tapped nose. She couldn't help but appreciate the hug. It felt safe, warm, and most importantly, it felt right. "I promise, Vinyl!" she whispered so quietly that if Vinyl hadn't had her ear close to Octavia's mouth, she wouldn't have heard her. "Good," Vinyl whispered as she broke the hug, much to Octavia's displeasure. "Off to bed now, Missy!" Octavia slowly nodded and headed to her room, leaving her teacher alone with her thoughts. Really bad day for her! Vinyl commented in her head. Never thought she'd ever snap like that. Then again, Laura did say some awful things to her. Bland, boring, stuck-up.... Does she even know her? She asked herself angrily. Ottavia is nowhere close to having any of those qualities! She's not boring at all. I've had with her some of the most interesting conversations I ever have. She's very intelligent, she can speak about anything she wants... How on God's name is that boring? she thought in disbelief. She's far from being a stuck-up girl too! I maybe thought that when I first met her, but she made realize how wrong I was the next morning. She admitted she had made a mistake, and apologized for it. Stuck-up people don't do that, they're too busy thinking they're perfect when they're nothing more than a pile of shit! Ottavia is a real gem once you get to know her. Bland.... Uurgh, what does that even mean? She likes to wear grey and black clothes, so she has no flavor? What a load of crap! I never saw a girl looking so stylish in formal outfit. She wears them so easily. She's not bland, she simply has so much class that people don't dare approach her..... Poor bastards, they have no idea what they're missing! Vinyl decided to stop thinking about that as it only made her angry at Laura. She knew Laura regretted deeply having said those things, and not because it had caused her to go to detention. She didn't have to get angry at her. Vinyl had promised her students, and herself she wouldn't treat any of them differently, no matter the circumstances. She had to stick to her word. Vinyl grabbed her phone she had left on the countertop after Octavia had started her strong coughing, noticing she had a text from Patty. Pretty bad troubles then :( Don't worry that blue haired head of yours It should be taken care of in one hour, two tops! Ps: yeah they do, that means that soon it will be time for birthday cakes!! :p Pps: camomile tea with a good dose of honey does wonders on sore throats ;) "How did she....Never mind." Vinyl chuckled before opening one of the kitchen cupboard. "Now, do we even have camomile?"  knock knock "Ye..." Octavia coughed loudly. "Yes?" "Hey, how are you doing?" Vinyl asked in a caring tone as she walked in the cellist's bedroom, a fuming mug in her right hand. "Could be better," Octavia groaned while sitting up on her bed, carefully wrapping all the covers around her. "Still freezing even with all these blankets." she shifted all her weight on her left buttock. "And, I can't even sit normally because of...." Octavia was glad she could use her scarf and covers to hide her blush. ".... of your spank," she said in a barely audible whisper. "Oh!" Vinyl awkwardly scratched the back of her head with a sheepish chuckle. "That bad?" she asked as she sat next to Octavia who nodded silently. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hit so hard. I guess I was still a bit mad at you for calling me stupid." Vinyl gave Octavia the mug. "Accept this as an apology." Octavia took an experimental sip of the beverage offered to her, before drinking a long swig of it. She could feel her throat ache diminish as the honey flavored beverage went down it. Octavia always liked the sweetness of the honey, and right now, in the drink Vinyl had prepared for her it was even sweeter. "You're forgiven," Octavia said, her voice sounding slightly more like it usually did. "Even if it still hurts a bit." "I hope you don't want me to kiss it better," Vinyl joked with a short laugh. Well, that could be nice..... Octavia thought dreamily before chastising herself internally. Bad, bad, bad Ottavia! "I prefer our relationship not involve such contact on our respective backside." she lied in a calm tone. Much more calm than she thought it would be. "I can live with that," Vinyl said playfully. "At least we're even on the butt slap ground now," she added with a chuckle. Oh my gosh, did she have to remind me of that time when I spanked her? Octavia shyly turned her gaze away from Vinyl. "I-I-I guess," she stammered softly, her cheeks feeling incredibly hot, and it wasn't entirely because of her fever. "Anyway, finish the tea, and try to get some sleep," Vinyl said caringly.  "Ok," Octavia tightened her grip on her mug. "What are you going to say to my father?" she asked fearfully. "Simply what happened," Vinyl replied. "All what happened?" Octavia asked. Vinyl nodded. "Even....the shower part?" she asked in a shaking voice. Vinyl blushed softly in embarrassment. "Huh... I don't think he needs to know that we shared the shower stall ... How about we keep that part for ourselves?" "Agreed!" Octavia approved vigorously, before taking a last swig from her mug.  Vinyl took the empty cup from Octavia's hand. "Get some rest," she said with kindness as she forced Octavia to lie down. "And, Ottavia."  "Hum?" Octavia let out as she got comfortable beneath her covers. "Don't let what Laura said get to you! It's nothing short of a huge lie!" Vinyl said firmly. "You're a wonderful girl, and anyone dating you would one of the luckiest people in the world. Don't let anyone convince you that it isn't the case!" For the nth time that afternoon, Octavia blushed because of the DJ/teacher in front of her. This time though, she didn't look away. She kept her gaze fixed on the cerise eyes of her teacher, softly smiling with small happy tears. "Thank you for telling me that, Vinyl," she whispered softly before yawning delicately. "Not that I want to chase you ...."  I really don't want to!!! "..but I'm a bit tired." Vinyl smiled fondly at Octavia, like every time the cellist used her nickname. "Sogni d'oro, Tesoro," [Sweet dreams, Sweetie,] She said affectionately as she leaned in to give a soft peck on Octavia's forehead, before rising from the bed. "If you need anything, just call," she added before going out of the room, closing the door behind her. Octavia stared at the door for a few seconds, before hugging her pillow with a quiet, girly squeal. Her thoughts locked on what Vinyl had just said to her. She never felt so giddy in her life before. She still didn't know how to cope with her feelings for her teacher, but that was the last thing on her mind.  Her "crush" said she was a wonderful girl, and that was the sole thing she thought until she fell asleep, hugging her pillow while dreaming it was a certain blue haired woman with cerise eyes instead. She realized deep down it was unlikely to happen in real life, and it'll probably break her heart to wake up alone, but she didn't care about that right now. She had the only person she ever wanted at her side in her dream. The sweetest thing she had ever dreamed so far.