No. Go back home again.

You’re back home. It’s 6:40 pm and you’re in bed to escape the cold, reading an article about civil and political rights for one of your classes when you hear a knock on the door that startles you far more than you’d ever admit. No one ever visits you, after all.

You open the door and see Ms. Campbell on the other side. She looks at you up and down with amusement, seeing you already in your pajamas. It’s a plain black pajamas with pants and a buttoned up shirt, but you still feel embarrassed.

“Already in bed?” She asks with an amused grin.

“Escaping the cold, mostly.” You answer with a wry smile. “Come in. What can I do for you?”

She comes inside and turns to you.

“I just got out of the teacher’s meeting.” She says. “It turns out only the headmistress knew about your circumstances, and when the other teachers heard they were outraged.” There’s a small grin on her face as she tells you this. “She insisted there was no other place to put you in, so we convinced her to renovate this place. Ms. Owen and Ms. Miller, the P.E. teacher, were especially supportive of this since they know what this place looks like.”

It makes sense that the P.E. teacher would know. This shed was used to keep sport equipment after all.

“You’ll be staying at a hotel for a couple of weeks while this place gets worked on. Don’t get your hopes up, though, I’m sure it won’t be a very fancy hotel.”

Your emotions build up until you can’t hold it anymore. You step closer and wrap Ms. Campbell into a tight hug. She lets out a surprised yelp, but then chuckles and hugs you back.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” You say rapidly. “I…” You didn’t think anyone really cared or was willing to do anything, but this woman just showed that she does care, and that there are others who care.

“Thank me when this is a decent place to live. Besides, I had the other teachers’ support. The headmistress wouldn’t have listened to me if not for them.”

“Still. Thank you so much.”

-Campbell, Emma- Affection Score: 54.