Intermission 5: Emma and Megan.

Nervously, Megan knocks on the door to Ms. Campbell’s office. It’s early in the morning, with 15 minutes left until classes start, but if she wants to talk to her teacher alone, it has to be now.

“Come in!” She hears the voice of the older woman inside. She swallows and opens the door. “There you are! So, what did you want to talk about?” Emma asks from behind her desk.

Walking slowly, Megan takes a seat on the chair in front of it, and doing her best to get rid of her hesitation, speaks up.

“It’s… about David. No, well… it’s about both David and Emily.” Megan admits, having a hard time meeting Emma’s eyes.

“Why? Did something happen?” The teacher asks worriedly, to which Megan quickly shakes her head.

“No, nothing happened. It’s just that… I’m the one with the problem.” She sighs.

“Ok, so this is personal. When you said you wanted to talk to me early today, I thought it was about school.”

“I wanted to talk to you alone because… well, I don’t feel it’s right to ask this to either Em or David.”

“Alright then. Tell me. We did say we were going to be honest with each other, right?” Emma gives her student a reassuring smile, which helps her a lot.

“Thanks. Well, you see… Recently, I’ve been thinking that…” She sighs. “We told you how I’ve been in love with Emily since we were in high school, right?” Emma nods. “Well, I’m just a little worried that, in the short time I’ve known David, it feels like I love him more than I love Emily. I think of him more often and stuff like that. I worry that… maybe I’m not being fair, that maybe I shouldn’t feel this way.”

Megan says, admitting her feeling to her teacher.

Emma eyes Megan for a bit, tracing a finger along her chin. Then, she asks her. “You’ve never been in a relationship before this, right?”

“Eh? R-Right.”

“And you’ve known Emily since middle school and David for just a few months.” Emma asks again, and Megan nods. This makes Emma smile. “Sweetie, what you’re feeling is completely normal.”

“Huh?”

“This is what we call the honeymoon phase. Heck, I’d say I’m still in it myself.” Emma laughs. “You’ve known Emily for so long, that you’re already used to her good points AND her bad points. You know her, but you’re just getting to know David. With him, everything is new, everything feels special and exciting. He’s always on your mind for every little thing you do, right?”

“Y-Yes! That’s exactly it!” Megan answers eagerly. Emma nailed her feelings perfectly.

“See? Don’t worry! I’m in the same situation!” Emma laughs. “I assure you, it’s not like you love Emily any less. I’m sure she’s in your thoughts just as much as David is, but since you’ve known her for, what, 7 years? you don’t realize it. I’d bet anything Emily is going through the same, and if you want to rest easy, I’d suggest you talk to her about it.”

“So… this kind of thing is normal?” Megan asks, embarrassed that she was making such a big deal out of it to the point of losing sleep.

“It is. Like I said before, it’s not like I’ve been with David that much longer than you, so I’m still in the honeymoon phase.” Emma gives a goofy smile. “Though I won’t deny that David has an unusually strong charm. I found myself being really serious about my relationship with him just two weeks into it.” Emma hums as she ponders. “Why don’t you spend some special time with Emily, just the two of you alone. Go out on a date, do something you never normally do. Maybe that’ll help you realize you’re just into her as you’re into David.”

Megan reflects on her teacher’s words. Is she right? She has to be. She described her feelings to the letter. And it’s true that lately they spend a lot of time with David, the three together. Maybe she and Emily should do something on their own? Just for a change of pace?

“Do you think it’ll bother David if we do something by ourselves?” She asks Emma.

“Not at all! Heck, I bet he’d encourage it.” Emma assures her. “I really shouldn’t be speaking for him, but I’m sure he loves you two a lot, and wants you to be happy. He won’t be upset because you and Emily went on a date without him. He’s even taking Mia on a second date, so you could go on the same day if you’re still uncomfortable.”

A smile starts forming again on Megan’s face as she sighs in relief. “You’re right. I… I’m so glad I talked to you. I was really worried about this. I think I’ll talk to Em about this and ask her on an actual date.”

“I’m glad to help, and I’m glad you’re looking better.” Emma smiles kindly. “Now go to class. You only have two minutes left. And if you ever need anything again, don’t hesitate to tell me. We’re all in this together, after all, right?”

“Right!” Megan nods enthusiastically. Her chest feels light. When she meets Emily outside their classroom, she gives her a strong kiss on the lips and says nothing as she goes to her seat with a big grin on her face, leaving her girlfriend stunned and their classmates with their mouths open as they understand the kind of relationship that’s going on there.