Wonderland: 16

Lunchbreak had hinted to his colleague when they spoke that the board were close to a decision. He heard the principal talking on the phone and suggested it would be only a few days before they knew if she was being hired.

It was, in fact, that very day.

Elly was called in to Nezu's office during lunch, and Aizawa curiously followed. He got there a few minutes after she did and waited, idly sucking on an energy drink pouch.

When the door opened he choked, the foil packet dropping unheeded from his lips. He knew instantly from his girlfriend's eyes what the outcome had been. She carried herself straight and fine, yet her ears were trembling, as if she were forcing them to perk forward. She saw him and faltered slightly.

"I'm - I wasn't..." Her dark purple eyes were a riot of conflicting emotions. She took a deep breath and walked calmly yet quickly towards the bathroom in the hall, her tail held stiffly up against her back.

Aizawa's own face paled. "Mr. Principal, could I ask ..?"

Nezu shook his head. "She was not accepted," he told him regretfully. "Too many members of the staff felt her emotional issues could have a negative impact on the students."

The teacher ran a hand over his suddenly haggard features, his eyes looking more tired than usual. "Shit."

Elly wept quietly in the ladies' room until she felt she could handle herself once more. She had braced herself for this, knowing that it was most likely inevitable, yet it hurt so badly she was stunned.

Washing her face with cool water felt better but she was almost instantly red again. This was going to be difficult, but she was firmly committed to not letting any of the staff see her break.

Emotional issues. Ha!

She was going to show them all what they didn't expect. Especially because they didn't think her capable of handling herself well in tight situations. Well, how about this one?

No more Shota.

She would have to go back home go America and be completely alone again. Sure, they could chat online and on video calls, but it wasn't the same as having his warmth near when she needed him. Plus, how many extreme long distance relationships like this lasted? She laid a hand on the doorknob and choked back a sob. Pushing those thoughts aside for now, she raised her head, rolled back her shoulders and walked out.

Aizawa was waiting for her, propped up on the wall with his phone in his hands. He was texting so furiously at first that he didn't see her, but as she grew closer he glanced up. His gray eyes were worried, and he studied her carefully for any signs of incipient meltdown.

"I heard. Can you spare a minute?"

"Yes." Short replies were easier. She bit back the torrent of words that wanted to burst free knowing it wouldn't help. He walked closely beside her, uncertain if he should offer comfort right away or not. She appeared tense but in stable condition and that was strange. When they reached her office and closed the door, however, she crumpled, her strength gone. He caught her and wordlessly pulled her up tight against him as she cried quietly into his capture scarves.

"I'm highly disappointed in this facility," he muttered bitterly. "In the end, I thought your exceptional methods and records would rise above the unproven factors of hiring someone neurologically divergent."

"I don't want to go!"

"I told you there's a way you can stay." He grew anxious, dropping his gaze with an odd blush burning across the bridge of his nose.

"What is it?"

"We could get married." He coughed, still unable to look directly at her.

Elly blinked several times, wiping her tears with the heel of her hand. "W - what?"

"You could stay."

She took a calming breath. "No, Shota," she said quietly.

"No?"

"I love you, and I don't want us to be separated. But if we got married under these circumstances, I'd always wonder if you really meant it or not."

"Ches, we have no other options." He grasped her hand. "We really don't. I've failed you, and am afraid I'm becoming irrationally emotional..."

She sighed. "You didn't fail me. If anything, it was my fault. It seems no matter what I do or where I go, all people see is my illness." The bell rang and she jumped a little, startled. "You have class, and I need to start getting ready to leave."

"So soon?"

"Yes. Next week. The school arranged tickets for me - wasn't that nice of them? It's almost as if they can't wait to see me leave." She raised a hand to her face. "Please, Sho, get back to your class. Don't let them say that I'm a bad influence on you."

"Ches!" Aizawa protested, but she ushered him gently out the door. He stood there blinking with half his face hidden in his scarves. They were damp in places from her tears. He reached out, then thought better of it and slumped back to class instead.

The students were frightened by his sudden, shocking transformation. He didn't scold, his voice was quiet and he barely glanced up from his desk where he once again was scrolling madly through various sites on his phone, searching for last-minute loopholes in the system. More disturbing was the fact that his eyes had managed to produce excess moisture for once, and a single tear ran unnoticed down his scruffy cheek.