he wishes that he wasn’t always on the defense. part of him - the good part of him, that part that elle had brought out, the part that he hasn’t seen since college - curses himself for making such a rash judgement. he can’t tell if he offended her, as in, disgusted her, or if he actually wounded her. emotional cues like that were never his strongest suit. ( maybe that’s why he didn’t make it as a lawyer. ) he feels bad, he wishes he could retract that assumption.
that part of emmett is buried far, far within. almost as if it doesn’t exist anymore, so small and insignificant that it doesn’t get a say in what he thinks or does. ever the businessman, emmett’s got a school to represent. and this school has an image to uphold. one he demonstrates in each measured step, each immaculately tailored suit he wears, and every rule he enforces.
she does not fit this image.
and he’s not one for conformity. it’s not his choice. if he’s learned anything from elle woods - oh, how disappointed she’d be to see what he’d become - it’s that a person’s individuality shouldn’t be compromised. it’s the parents. they like the sleek, put - together look that new mission sports.
emmett wonders if he’s made a mistake, hiring her. granted, her resume was OUTSTANDING, her education - princeton? not as great as harvard ( not that he’s biased, or anything. ) , but still almost as impressive. and as an avid mystery / horror / crime fan ( what? he’s a jack of all trades! ) perhaps he was the slightest bit star - struck for a moment upon seeing the name on the application. considering the lack of an author blurb on ariel’s books, he’s struck that she looks like that. not that that’s a bad that, but a surprise all the same. oh god, he’s getting caught up in his own overthinking isn’t he? it takes a second for him to really comprehend who she is, and he tries to play this off as a moment of deep thought.
he hums, and does his absolute best not to look her over - no, he’ll focus on her striking eyes, and thrust a hand out for her to shake. “ ariel cameron? ” he asks, with an expression that screams sternness, but with the faintest hint of a childlike excitement in his eyes. “ EMMETT FORREST, i’m the principal here, at new mission. welcome. i’m a huge fan of your novels. though - i’m sorry to say you’re LATE. classes started over an hour ago. ”
he’s silent for a moment, and she can’t help but wonder what he’s thinking. briefly, she remembers how she used to be able to know what was passing through his mind with just a look at his eyes, and now here they are — hiding behind fake names and fancy suits, staring each other down, any recognition lost. she takes advantage of the pause to take in his appearance more, and she’s shocked at how stern he looks. she’s aware that people change as they get older, and SURE, it’s been years since they were last in the same relative area, let alone in the same room, but this isn’t how she expected him to grow up at all. he was kind, then, and it practically radiated off of him — she used to make fun of him for it, but it was always one of her favourite things about him.
not much feeling seems to come from this man but an aura of exhaustion. she wonders if he’s really felt much else but that lately.
it almost takes her by surprise when he speaks again, and she’s lucky she’s able to remember just in time what she’s actually doing here and suppress her confusion at being called not her name. that’s something she’ll have to get used to, isn’t it — by all intents and purposes, ariel is HER, now. any thoughts ( hopes? ) that maybe, just maybe despite the years between their last interaction, he’d still recognize her and things would all come apart before they’d even begun are suddenly disappearing, and she can’t tell if the feeling in her chest is relief or disappointment. this isn’t the time to think of that now, anyway.
she plasters on a polite smile when he sticks a hand out, and reaches out to take it. she gives him a firm shake, the faint sound of her mother’s voice popping into the back of her mind to remind her just how important a good handshake can be in business! in a rare moment of that actually being HELPFUL.
❛ that’s me! it’s nice to meet you. ❜ she’s officially decided there’s nothing stranger than introducing yourself as someone else to your old childhood friend who seems to not recognize you as yourself. her eyebrows furrow for a split second in confusion before her face evens out and she smiles at him, flattered. of course he would recognize ariel’s name from his books — thank god she’s read most of them. ❛ thank you. and sorry, i got a bit lost finding my way here. ❜ not true, but not completely false: she spent a good fifteen minutes trying to decide if she was going to do this at all, another ten talking to ariel and seeing if he was cool with it ( dewey may not have asked, but there’s no way she’s messing with someone like ariel like that. at least this way if she gets caught that’s one less person to be angry at her ), and then she got lost.
suddenly remembering the way he’d looked at her when he’d first spotted her inside, her eyes flicker down his body again as she takes another look at his suit, and she grimaces just slightly, looking up again to meet his eyes. ❛ also, sorry about this, ❜ she says apologetically, gesturing towards her outfit, ❛ i didn’t know if there was some kind of dress code for the teachers, and i’d forgotten to ask on the phone earlier. i can wear something nicer tomorrow, if you’d like. ❜ note to self: go shopping later today.
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