Chapter Text
First Day Jitters
Claire was not ashamed to admit that she loved back to school shopping. New notebooks, pens, pencils, binders, markers and more. When they'd registered Maisie at the nearby school, she'd barely been able to suppress her glee at the required school supplies list that came with it. Owen had laughed at her, watching as she skimmed over the list as they'd left the building. But Maisie had been curious. She'd been homeschooled her entire life so far, and so never really had that traditional first day of school or shopping for school supplies. Nothing from a required list anyway.
The two of them had looked over the list carefully that evening at dinner, with Owen rolling his eyes. "Seriously, what do you need besides a pencil and some paper?" he'd scoffed. "Let me see that list." Owen had grabbed it from them, eyes quickly skimming it over. "Wait, what? You have to buy kleenex? And paper towels? What's next – bring your own desk?"
"Wow, you've really ignored the news for years, haven't you?" Claire had raised an eyebrow. "School budgets have been decimated."
The argument had stopped there, briefly, as Owen hated discussing anything even remotely political. He had just handed the list back, listening quietly as Claire and Maisie made plans to go shopping.
Claire had been a little surprised when he'd brought it up later that night, as the two were getting ready for bed. She hadn't been sure where he was going at first, and had simply smiled when he started expressing concern for the state of the school they were sending Maisie to and were they sure they shouldn't have chosen a private school? Or should he stay home and continue her homeschooling? She'd reassured him that it would all be fine and it was just fifth grade. Worst case, they could always pull her out and put her in a different school if they needed to. And, no matter what, they would continue to foster her interests outside of school. They could, and would, provide their own enrichment activities with visits to museums and science centers, the library and, of course, the DPG.
Besides, she'd reminded him, part of the reason they'd chosen their neighbourhood was the quality of the local schools. And they had both agreed that she needed to spend more time around kids her own age.
"I guess I'm just nervous," Owen admitted, climbing into bed.
"Yeah, me too," Claire nodded in agreement. "I thought after college I'd never have to deal with the first day of school again."
"I can't picture you ever being nervous about the first day," Owen said.
"I liked school," Claire shrugged. "But that doesn't mean I never got nervous about finding my classes and having friends in them."
"Do you think Maisie will be okay?" Owen asked after a moment.
"I think–" Claire paused. Was she sure? "I hope so," she sighed after a moment.
"It's not always great being the new kid," Owen said softly.
"I find it hard to believe you never fit in," Claire looked over at him.
"Kids can be mean," Owen looked away for a moment, before turning back. "We've all done stuff we regret, especially as kids."
"Yeah," Claire also looked away. Her list of regrets seemed to only get longer.
"Hey," Owen reached for her, pulling her into his embrace. He pulled her down with him, settling into the bed as Claire curled into his side, her head resting on his shoulder. "Don't go down that path. We should be focusing on the positives."
"And those are?"
"We'll finally be able to have some alone time," Owen grinned down at her. "Maisie'll be out of the house during the day."
"Sure, but so will we."
"And she'll make some friends, and can go on sleepovers…" Owen continued, raising an eyebrow suggestively, when Claire looked up at him.
"Let's see how the first day goes," Claire laughed. "But I like where your going with this."
x x x
They decided to do the drop off all together. None of them were quite sure what to expect, and all were feeling equally nervous about it (although pretending they were fine). The school was only a few blocks away so they decided to walk. They weren't sure how busy the drop off would be, and this way they could take their time.
They'd gone into the school the previous week for a "meet your teacher" day. It was also another chance for Maisie to walk through the school and get a sense of the layout. Mrs. Stevenson had been friendly and welcoming, and while Maisie had explored the classroom, Owen and Claire had taken the chance to talk to her about the whole situation around Maisie. They'd gone through it with the Principal when they were registering her, but they wanted to make sure Mrs. Stevenson was also clear on it. They were sure that Maisie wouldn't be her first student who was living with guardians and not parents. However, they were also pretty sure she'd would be her first student who had a terrifying encounter with dinosaurs, much of which had been broadcast over the news for months.
In the fallout, they had managed to keep Maisie's name out of most of the coverage. The DPG had been really useful there, with Claire continually redirecting the media's focus with well timed updates. But, that also meant that Claire was a very recognizable figure, and she'd seen Mrs. Stevenson's eyes widen in recognition when they had entered the classroom.
As they approached the school, she started to realize that they'd made a strategic mistake. They had been more focused (rightly so) on Maisie and surviving the day, that they hadn't thought about the reactions of the other parents during drop off. The whispers were almost immediate, heads turning in their direction as they walked up. Claire reached up, self-conscious, knowing her hair was one of the first things that gave her away. Owen gently tugged her arm down, lacing his fingers through hers, and Claire clutched it tightly. Maisie didn't seem to notice the commotion they were causing, too busy watching the continuous stream of kids arriving – walking, biking, tumbling out of cars and pouring from busses.
Claire stopped on the very edge, not really wanting to venture further into the crowd and among all the stares, but Owen confidently pulled her forward. He had his other hand resting lightly on Maisie's shoulder, directing her as well, until they had moved closer to the main school doors. They weren't in the center of the crowd, that hadn't been his point. He had just wanted them to at least be able to watch as Maisie headed in. For her to be able to easily see them and know they were there.
"So, are you ready?" Owen turned to Maisie, ignoring the surrounding whispers.
"I think so," Maisie nodded confidently, her hands gripping tightly to her backpack, eyes still darting around the area, taking it all in.
"You remember where your classroom is and your teacher?" Owen asked.
"Yep," Maisie said. "Mrs. Stevenson. Through the front doors, down the left corridor, second last on the right."
Owen nodded along, although he couldn't actually remember the specific door. "And she'll be standing by it too. So just look for her."
"I know." Maisie gave him a big smile.
Claire forced her attention to focus on the moment and ignore everything else around her. She knew she was squeezing Owen's hand in a death grip, but he hadn't tried to pull away, and she wasn't quite able to relax her grip yet. "I can't wait to hear all about your day," she told Maisie.
"Will you be here? After?" Maisie looked around at the crowd again, before her gaze came back to them. Before they could answer, a bell rang, and the crowd started shrinking, as kids headed into the building, calls of good-bye being shouted over shoulders.
"I'll even be early," Owen smiled at Maisie.
"Both of you?" Maisie confirmed, turning to Claire. She knew Claire was headed into the office.
"Absolutely," Claire nodded. "I'll be the reason he's early." She nudged Owen playfully, and Maisie laughed. "But, looks like it's time to head in," she nodded towards all the other kids entering the building.
"Yeah," Maisie squared her shoulders.
"And remember, if you need anything, you go to Mrs. Stevenson. And they can always call us."
Maisie nodded. She looked towards the doors of the school and took a hesitant step in that direction, before turning back and throwing her arms around Owen. He wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, Claire joining in.
"We'll see you at four," Claire reminded her, pulling back.
"You better head in," Owen also pulled away, and gently turned Maisie back towards the door.
"Have a great day," Claire called out, as Maisie walked away. Maisie looked over her shoulder and waved at them and they waved back. They watched as she approached the front door, getting lost in the crowd for a second, before they saw her again, looking at them and they waved again. And then, she was out of sight.
"Oh god," Claire moved closer to Owen, finally letting go of his hand to wrap her arm around him instead, pulling herself into his side. "I really didn't think it would be this hard."
"Me either," Owen sighed. "How do people manage when their kid is only five?" He copied her action, wrapping his arm around her, as they stood watching the school and the final kids heading inside.
"I really hope it goes well," Claire said. She hated being in this position, where there was nothing she could do but wait and see.
"Me too," Owen nodded. He brought his free hand up, rubbing it along his jaw. "God, me too."
As they heard the final bell ring, they finally turned away from the school to head back home. Claire needed to get going if she was going to have any time in the office that day. Especially with needing to be back in time to pick up Maisie after school.
There were still parents hanging around, some with kids too young for school who had gravitated towards the now empty playground. It was clear that many of the moms knew each other (and it was mostly moms there) and were catching up. Claire could tell some of them were still looking at her and Owen and talking about them. Probably wondering about Maisie, she was sure. None of the articles on her had ever mentioned that she had a kid. Or that Owen did, for that matter. And Owen, while he had less coverage, had still been in numerous photographs and articles. They'd rehashed his involvement in Jurassic World as well, and people had loved him back then. The "sexy raptor guy," as he'd been known. "Brooding and mysterious," as another publication had labelled him, when he'd refused all interviews he hadn't been forced to do. She'd teased him about that before, to which he'd just shrugged and said "I just don't like people."
No one said anything to them as they left, and soon they were far enough away from the school that Claire could feel some of the stress and tension melt away. Her mind finally felt free to focus on her work and other priorities for the day.
x x x
Back at the school, Maisie made her way down the hall to her classroom, listening as all the kids around her were chatting away. She could tell many of them were catching up after having not seen each other over the summer break. It felt kind of lonely walking down the hall by herself, realizing that everyone around her already knew someone else. But, she mimicked what she'd seen Claire do before, straightening up and looking confident, as she sought out her classroom. Spotting Mrs. Stevenson, she headed towards her.
"Maisie! Welcome," Mrs. Stevenson said with a warm smile. "Head on in and choose a seat anywhere. We'll be sorting out lockers once we're all here."
Maisie nodded, and went into the classroom, quickly taking it in. It was the same as when she'd seen it the previous week, desks clumped together in groups around the room. One group was already occupied by a group of boys. Another group, front and center in the room, had a few girls at it already, and so Maisie headed towards them.
Reaching the group of desks, she reached for an unoccupied chair, only to be stopped by another girl reaching out. "You can't sit here," the girl informed her, the rest of the girls standing behind her in support.
"What about…?" Maisie looked at the other empty desk in the group, but they shook their heads. Not wanting to make a scene, and also not at all sure how to deal with this behaviour, Maisie backed away, and headed instead to an unoccupied group of desks on the side. Pulling out a chair, she sat down heavily, and watched as other kids entered the room. Eventually, as it began to fill, two girls came in, chatting with each other. They headed towards her.
"Are these chairs taken?" they asked and Maisie shook her head 'no' and both immediately sat down, before continuing their previous conversation. Maisie sat quietly, unsure how the rest of the day was going to play out.
x x x
At ten to four, Claire and Owen arrived back at the school. While Owen thought 10 minutes early was a little extreme, Claire had been unusually jumpy since she'd got home, and sitting around the house waiting wasn't going to do either of them any good.
They moved towards the same spot they'd stood at earlier. Owen leaned against a tree, watching as Claire paced in front of him. On her tenth pass, Owen reached out, snagging her wrist and pulling her to a stop. "You wearing a path is not going to make her come out any faster," he reminded her.
"I know," Claire looked towards the building behind her before back at Owen. "Why am I so nervous?"
"Because it's out of your control," Owen replied bluntly. "Whatever happened today, happened. And we'll deal with it, good or bad."
"Right…" Claire moved over to stand beside him, wringing her hands nervously, but at least no longer pacing.
"Your kid's first day of school?" a voice startled them out of their thoughts, and they saw a woman had come to a stop near them. She was dressed casually, wearing jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."
"That's okay," Claire smiled at her. "And yes, first day."
"What teacher?" the woman asked.
"Mrs. Stevenson," Owen answered.
"Oh, fifth grade," the woman looked confused for a moment, before shrugging it off. "Sorry, I just assumed kindergarten."
"Nope, fifth grade," Claire looked a little chagrined.
"Well, I'm sure it went well," the woman nodded. "Mrs. Stevenson's a great teacher - my son had her last year."
"I hope so," Claire looked nervously toward the building again.
"Sorry, I should've introduced myself. I'm Amanda. Amanda Mayer," the woman held out her hand and Claire automatically shook it.
"Claire Dearing," Claire said.
When she let go, Owen stepped forward and also shook Amanda's hand. "Owen Grady."
"Why do those names sound familiar?" Amanda asked them.
"You must not watch the news," Owen chuckled. He'd been watching as more and more parents had shown up, and the whispers and nods in their direction had started up again.
"Yeah," Amanda winced, apologetically. "Sorry, not big on it."
"That's actually kind of nice to hear," Claire replied. "I run the DPG – the Dinosaur Protection Group."
"Oh," was all Amanda said in response, her mouth gaping open a few times like a fish.
"Yeah," Claire laughed. "Don't worry about it. That's probably one of the better reactions I've had."
"I didn't know you had a kid," Amanda moved back to the topic at hand, which both Owen and Claire were grateful for.
"Maisie," Owen nodded. "As of this summer."
"Ah, the first day of school nerves make more sense," Amanda laughed. "It gets easier, trust me."
"Can't get worse, can it?" Owen joked back.
At that moment, the bell rang, and they all turned their attention back towards the school. It took about a minute, and then kids started streaming out and scattering in all directions. A couple of boys headed towards them and Amanda greeted them. She introduced them to her two sons, Josh and David. Claire and Owen greeted them politely, but their attention was focused on locating Maisie. A moment later, they saw her. They knew the moment she spotted them, her expression brightening and she hurried towards them.
"You're here!" Maisie exclaimed, as she got close.
"Promised we would be," Owen stated. "How was your day?"
"It was…" Maisie looked back at the school building, before turning back to them. "...Different."
"Different good or different bad?" Claire looked concerned.
"Just different," Maisie shrugged. "A lot of noise."
Remembering that Amanda and her boys were still standing beside them, Claire quickly introduced Maisie.
"Well," Owen said, "It's been a long day. We should get home and you can tell us all about it."
"I'm sure we'll be seeing you again," Claire said to Amanda, who was also being tugged away from the school yard by her youngest.
"For sure," Amanda nodded. "Bye!"
Waving goodbye, the three of them headed out of the yard and away from the school.
"So, really, how was your day?" Claire asked again, as they got farther from the school and the noise died down.
"Fine," Maisie shrugged again.
"Any homework?" Owen asked, meeting Claire's gaze, both of them not really sure how much to pry and how to interpret Maisie's responses.
"No," Maisie shook her head. "But we did get a weekly planner*!" Her face brightened at that, and she paused on the sidewalk to pull it out of her backpack so she could show it off.
"That's great," Claire said, peering down at the planner. "I love mine."
"Love is a bit of an understatement, don't you think?" Owen laughed.
"I'm an–," Claire started to retort.
"Organized person," Maisie and Owen finished for her. "We know."
* Okay, so I originally put "agenda" here and then Elise-Collier and I had a discussion about this word. At the schools I went to (middle, high, university) they were always called agendas. What did you call them?