Chapter Text
“Your application was sent”
Vi sighed, clicking the tab closed on her laptop to resume looking at more available jobs in the area. The heat coming from the bottom of her laptop was starting to burn her leg after it had been used for so long. Once her eyes had started to strain through the tension she'd felt in then, she decided it was time for a break.
She was roughin’ it these last couple of weeks. The gym she had been working for had laid her off due to lack of business, and Vi was currently scrambling trying to find a job soon. Her resume wasn’t bad looking, most of her history being personal trainer positions and an online degree in nutrition from Zaun Community College. She had enough in her savings to cover rent for a couple months, but her landlord had found out about Vi being jobless and had started leaving some passive aggressive messages, so Vi really had to find a better job soon.
She couldn't lose this apartment. Their situation was hard enough as it is. It had been about 4 years since Vi had turned 18 and was released from the foster care system, immediately taking on the role of Powder's legal guardian. She had been working since she was 16, saving every paycheck for the day she grew out of the place to afford an apartment. Ever since, Vi has put in the work of applying for scholarships and financial aid in order to go to college online while working over full time hours, in order to get a better paying job just so Powder can have a good life. She worked and worked until her body ached and her brain felt fried, but it was all worth it in the end for her. Things were much better than back when Vi first moved out, but they weren't stable.
Vi had walked over to the kitchen to make her third cup of coffee for the day, opening the fridge to find that Powder had used the rest of the creamer. Of course they were out of creamer. Shutting the fridge door aggressively, Vi walked over and grabbed the white board marker off the top of the fridge and wrote creamer on the grocery list, and returned back to the counter to make her plain black coffee and sit back down on the couch. It was 2:36pm which meant her sister would be home any minute now.
The click of the front door lock caught Vi’s attention, as she turned and watched her younger sister drag herself through the door, dropped her backpack, and let the door slam behind her.
“Powder! The door!” Vi scolded from across the room, her eyebrows furrowing in her little sister's direction. Powder rolled her eyes and huffed before walking toward the couch and plopping herself next to Vi, pulling her legs up to rest them over Vi’s lap.
“The landlord is already mad at me, please don’t slam the door, it'll piss off the neighbors.” Vi continued, sipping her bitter coffee.
“Ugh, fine whatever, sorry.” Powder huffed again, pulling her phone out to scroll through her instagram feed as she sunk into the couch.
From first glance the two girls do not look alike. Vi having red, short layered haircut with a shaved side, full arm and back tattoos and a muscular stature compared to her younger, lanky sister with long, bright, blue hair that grew past her waist, it was hard to tell they were related. After a minute of seeing how they interact however, it was clear they were definitely sisters. Both mirroring each other’s spread out body language on the couch, Vi picked up her laptop off the end table and placed it on the arm of the couch and flipped it back open to continue her job search.
“How was school?” Vi asked, keeping her eyes on the screen. Powder groaned and lifted her head from the end of the couch.
“Horrible.” Powder started. “Someone tried to snitch on me for juuling in the handicapped stall and then Mr. Talis said I couldn’t borrow tools from the shop because it’s a ‘hazard’ or whatever.” Vi tore her eyes from her screen and looked over at her sister with an amused look.
“Maybe you should stop juuling at school.” Vi replied snarkily. Powder scoffed and laid back down swinging an arm behind her head to lean on.
“Maybe you should mind your business.” Powder snapped back. Clearly she was not in the mood, so Vi let it go. Why Powder needed to borrow dangerous tools from her autoshop class would be a question she would have to ask later when Powder was done pouting.
Her little sister had always been crafty, her art teacher's little prodigy according to last year's report card. But aside from art, Powder loved science and robotics. She always had some messy, slightly dangerous passion project to work on that made Vi nervous about getting their deposit back on the apartment. Vi turned back to her computer screen to continue her search until her sister was ready to keep talking. After a few minutes of silent scrolling, Powder lifted her head back up, seeming in a slightly better mood.
“Today wasn’t that bad though, our shitty gym teacher finally quit, thank god.” She started, sparking Vi’s attention away from her screen.
“Yeah?” Vi responded.
“Yeah, he sucks. He’s so obviously being a creep and I think he just decided to quit before the school did anything about it. Asshole.” Powder scoffed, tossing her phone on the coffee table. Vi picked up her coffee off the end table, swirling it around before taking a sip.
"Do they have a replacement for him?"
"I think one of the coaches is subbing for now but from what I heard, they're scrambling to find a replacement."
"Damn, the school year just started too. Talk about bad timing." Vi said, before coming to a realization, and turned back to her laptop to open a new tab to the school district website to see if an application was available yet on the employment page. Powder swung her legs off of Vi's lap and pulled herself up from the couch to make her way to the kitchen.
"Yeah, whatever I'm sure they'll find someone just as gross to replace him."
Being a gym teacher would be a great opportunity for Vi. It definitely would pay more than working at that shitty gym that had barely any benefits and was full of overtly sexist gym bros. Working for the school could get them actual benefits like good health insurance and move them out of having to rely on food stamps. This plan only got better and better as Vi continued going down the list of benefits. Plus she could keep an eye on her baby sister, all the more reason to go and bug her sister in class.
Scrolling down the employment page on the district site, she clicked on Powder's high school page and spotted a newly posted position from an hour ago labeled "Physical Education Educator" and grinned. If what Powder said about the school scrambling for a quick replacement was true, Vi felt confident that she had a chance and had high hopes. As Vi continued through the application process she heard Powder open the fridge and groan dramatically.
"We're out of creamer."
The fluorescent lights in the grocery store flickered and buzzed loudly against the quiet lull of the night shoppers. There were barely any customers in the store at this time of night, which was perfect for the two sisters. They needed groceries, the boxed mac n cheese they had for dinner tonight was their last one and they ran out of cereal that morning.
Powder strolled through the cereal aisle, deciding between which sugar cereal she wanted. Vi followed behind her younger sister with a squeaky cart and a grocery list in one hand, chuckling to herself as she watched Powder skip down the aisle.
"Can we get cocoa puffs pleeeeaaase?" Powder begged, folding her hands together and attempting to pull off her best puppy dog eyes. Vi rolled her eyes and gave Powder an amused look.
"Chocolate for breakfast? I don't think so. Why don't you get the one we got last time?" Vi replied. Powder's puppy expression dropped, replaced with a slightly annoyed look.
"I like a variety." Powder stated as if it was an obvious answer. Vi shot back a knowing stare and Powder caved and groaned.
"Ugh, fine I'll get the cheerios. You're no fun."
"Love you too."
Powder tossed the box of Cheerios in the cart and spun back around to lead the way to the next aisle. Vi let Powder get away with a lot considering she's not her parent, ever since she became her legal guardian the rules have remained pretty loose in the house. As long as there was open communication between the two, everything was okay. But she'll be damned if she lets Powder have chocolate for breakfast.
Vi followed closely behind Powder and she led to the dairy aisle to find the creamer, when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Moving the cart to the side to not clog the aisle, she stops to pull her phone out of her back pocket. She recognizes the number across the screen as the number for Powder's school. Her heart rate increased. It had been a few days since she sent in her resume to the school, but she didn't expect a call so soon. Vi quickly pressed the answer button and held the phone up to her ear.
"Hello?" Vi answered, as casually as she could pull off.
"Hello, this is Principal Medarda speaking, I'm calling about your application for our Physical Education Teaching position, is this a good time?" The women on the other end of the receiver had a stern voice with a slight British accent. She sounded so regal for a public school principal, which only made Vi feel more intimidated over the phone.
"Yes! Yes, this is a good time." Vi locked eyes with an annoyed Powder who was dragging her feet across the store floor, immediately aggravated that they had to stop shopping and spend more time in the store. Vi shot an apologetic look in Powder's direction hoping it was enough to suffice for now.
"We're currently looking for someone to fill this position right away, as the school year just started. Unfortunately this position being open was very unexpected, but I went ahead and took a look at your resume and would love to have you come in for an interview, Ms. Lane."
"Yeah! I mean— yes that would be great! I'm available whenever it is uh— convenient for you." Vi coughed, attempting to sound as professional as possible over the phone, out of fear that messing up this phone call might take the opportunity away.
"Excellent" replied Principal Medarda. "How does Monday at 3pm sound?"
"Perfect!"
"Fantastic, I will see you then Ms. Lane. Take care now."
Vi hung up the call and shoved her phone back into her back pocket, unable to hide the excited smile forming in her face. Powder leaned on the other side of the cart shooting Vi a suspicious look.
"What was that about?"
"Wrong number." Vi joked, hoping it was enough for her sister to drop the subject.
It was not.
"I'm not dumb Vi, who was that on the phone!" Powder shook the cart and whined, hoping to annoy Vi enough to spill.
"Don't worry about it! We're clogging up the aisle we need to go." Vi didn't need Powder to know she's applying for her school, she tried to keep Powder in the dark about their financial situation as it is. The less her little sister knew of their struggles, the easier it was to keep her happy and stress free. It was Powder's last year in high school, she had to make the best of it, make sure things went smoothly. She was Vi's responsibility and she wasn't about to disrupt her sister's childhood if she could help it. Knowing her sister's loud and reckless behavior, finding out they reject Vi for a job at the school may cause her to lash out and that's the last thing she needs. Powder had good grades, but she was a rule breaker and Vi only wants what's best for her sister.
Vi shakes the cart back at her sister to get Powder to keep moving, and to drop the conversation. Powder rolled her eyes and groaned dramatically, turning around sluggishly and walked towards the next aisle.
The afternoon sun shone through the tan curtains of Vi's bedroom as she dressed for her interview. Powder would be home any minute from school and Vi didn't need her knowing she's applying for the open position at her school. Not yet. Keeping Powder in the dark about her looking for a new job will keep her sister from stressing out. She's still a kid and she doesn't need to be stressing about adult problems. In theory, Vi would be out of the house before Powder walked through the door.
Vi rolled her sleeves up to her elbows and adjusted her white button up shirt tucked into her striped trousers, making sure it didn't look too casual. Her hair was pushed back out of her face in an attempt to look professional, making sure her face was clear. This wasn't just some personal trainer position at the gym that didn't really care if she had wild hair, not to mention the gym wouldn't ask her to wear a button-up shirt, one that made her seem like she was about to present a slideshow full of graphs to a group of stuck-up businessmen. She had to look presentable no matter how out of her comfort zone it was.
After feeling satisfied with how she was presented, she made her way across the living room to grab her keys and a folder with a printed version of her resume, and headed out the door.
The buses had all left the school grounds by the time Vi arrived, only spotting a few students outside still waiting for their ride. Poor kiddos, it was a cold day and they were stuck waiting outside. It made Vi feel grateful they had a bus route to their neighborhood so Powder always had a way home on her own. The closer Vi walked to the front doors the more nervous she felt, not being able to help twiddling her thumbs. She stepped into the front office to make her presence known for her interview, attempting to hide her nerves in her voice.
"Hi, uhh... I'm Violet? I'm here for an interview?" Vi said in a more questioning tone, not used to addressing herself with her actual name. The front desk lady nodded, and grabbed the phone off the hook. She had her curly, black hair tied up in a tight bun and gold rimmed glasses, and a name tag on the edge of her desk labeled "Skye Young". After awkwardly waiting and listening to Skye on the phone tell the Principal she was here, Vi picked at the crease on her folder, trying to keep her hands busy. Skye said her goodbyes and set the phone back on the receiver and shot Vi a warm smile.
"Have a seat, she will be right out with you in a moment." Skye said, dismissing Vi from the front of her desk, before looking back at her computer to continue her work. Vi nodded and sat in the waiting chair by the window, going over her script in her head of how she was going to present herself.
Watch the slang, don't swear, don't crack jokes no matter how uncomfortable you get, try not to stutter and watch your um's and uh's, etc.
This was a big opportunity not just for Vi, but for Powder. The school offers benefits, better pay, job security and she could keep an eye on her sister. She knows her little sister is smart, and has so much potential but she's a troublemaker. Not that Vi was much different when she was in high school, all the shenanigans she pulled with her foster siblings before they disappeared. Whatever happened to Claggor and Mylo remained a mystery for Vi, but the memories she shared she treasured, even if it led them to after school detention pretty often. Vi didn't want to be a hypocrite; she only wanted the best for Powder. If that meant taking advantage of working at the school to check up on her sister to make sure she's not on the brink of suspension, so be it. She was Vi's responsibility, she couldn't let Powder fail.
"Violet?" Called a voice Vi recognized from the phone call from the other day, causing her to stiffen and shoot her head up in the woman's direction with a slightly panicked expression. The principal looked just as regal as she sounded. She was very well put together, a white button up shirt tucked into a grey pencil skirt, topped off with a fitted grey blazer that contrasts against her dark unblemished skin, her outfit finished off with short, black heels. Her hair was absolutely perfect, not a single hair seeming out of place. Large cornrows pulled back on the sides with golden beads that matched her golden, dangling drop shaped earrings, wrapped up into a neat bun, along with braids curled and swept to the side that framed her face. Not a single flaw was seen on this woman, which only intimidated Vi more.
"Yeah that's me." Vi responded, standing up from her chair.
"Go ahead and follow me back to my office." Principal Medarda turned and started her way down the hall back to her office, Vi following a few paces behind. The hallway walls consisted of photos of the staff along with crafty decorations on all the office doors that had the staff member's name written in marker on each door. This hallway was not new for Vi. Back when she went to school here and pulled all kinds of shenanigans, she knew the way to the principal's office like the back of her hand. Being back here with a whole new prerogative felt weird for her. But the current principal was not the principal from back when Vi was in school, thank god. So maybe her teenage reputation won't be an obstacle for this opportunity.
Principal Medarda opened her office door, leaving it open for Vi to follow through.
"Would you close the door behind you?" The Principal asked. Vi nodded and turned to quietly shut the door, before making her way to the chair across from the Principal's desk. Before either sat down, Ms. Medarda stuck her hand out in Vi's direction.
"My apologies, I never introduced myself. I'm Principal Mel Medarda, we spoke over the phone, yes?" Vi reached out to reciprocate the hand shake, careful not to squeeze or shake too hard.
"Yeah! Uh, Violet Lane it's nice to meet you."
Shit. Don't say uh.
Mel smiled, and sat down in her office chair, pulling out a tan folder and flipping it open to reveal a copy of Vi's resume.
"Alright, well." Mel started, clearing her throat. "I went ahead and took a look at your resume, but I'd like for you to tell me a little about yourself." Vi kept her hands in her lap trying not to fiddle with her hands in order to stay professional presenting. As the interview went on, Vi answered Mel's questions with the practiced responses she had prepared hours earlier, being sure to mention her 4 years at Zaun and her years as a personal trainer. Things seemed to be going pretty smoothly, and Vi's nerves had started to ease as the interview continued.
"So, Violet," Mel started, "Why do you want to work here at Piltover High?" Vi studied her answer in her head for a moment before responding. She hoped she didn't sound like she was trying too hard.
"Well, over the years of working my position as a personal trainer, my teaching skills have immensely improved and helped me advance in the world of health and fitness, but those positions, even though they're what helped me improve, we're not where I wanted to stay. My passion for teaching health and fitness goes further than one on one training, so when I heard about the open position I was stoked — er —" Fuck "ecstatic for a new opportunity. Teaching younger kids to be better fit for their future is my goal, and I feel I would be a great fit for this position" Vi's voice cracked, nervous that her professionalism she practiced so hard had faltered. Mel leaned forward, her hands folded on top of her desk drawing out a moment of silence. Vi swallowed, hoping her answer sounded fancy enough for Mel's taste.
"Would your interest in the school happen to relate to the fact that you used to be a student here, Ms. Lane?" Mel tilted her head, her expression remaining the same with no readable emotion.
"Uh..heh, it definitely does help. My time spent here has made me familiar with the layout and formula our PE classes here usually follow."
"I see." Mel sifted through the papers in the tan folder and pulled out another sheet that Vi noticed had her old junior year school photo printed in the corner and froze.
Mel had her school record.
"You had quite the reputation here Ms. Lane. It seems you've had a lot of experience here in this room." Mel remarked. Vi cringed, this felt like a big callout post. Her shoulders tensed as she avoided eye contact.
"Are you aware that a teaching degree is required for this position?" Shit.
She completely forgot that's like the main requirement for being a goddamn teacher. Her shoulders loosened, surrendering her civility. Clearly Mel already had her opinions on how qualified she really was for the position. Vi remained silent, unsure of what she could say next that would help her case. Mel smirked, sifting the papers back into the tan folder before folding it closed.
"From my understanding, your sister Powder attends this school. Is that correct?"
"Yeah, she's a senior this year."
Mel smiled and glanced at her computer screen for a moment. The silences in between felt like centuries long for Vi. Why was she even called for an interview if Mel found her unqualified?
"Well, it seems like since you've graduated, you really changed your life around, Violet. I see you are Powder's legal guardian, so you have experience in taking care of teenagers." Vi nodded, a bit uneasy about how personal Mel is digging in her experiences. Mel looked her up and down before leaning slightly forward, dropping the smile to a neutral, expressionless face.
"Alright well, while it is to my understanding you don't have a teaching degree, it seems like your experiences line you up well as a responsible employee. You're adaptable, seem to have a great history in one on one teaching, not afraid of taking responsibility when necessary, and seem like a very hard worker." Mel described, leaving Vi on edge for her next response. "Considering our urgency to fill this position due to it being the beginning of the school year, and your years in personal training experience, I think we can overlook the lack of a teaching degree." Vi's eyes brightened at her response, afraid saying anything back might block this light at the end of the tunnel.
"I think you would make a great contribution to Piltover High." Mel leaned back and smiled.
"Does this mean I'm hired?"
"I have one other interview first, but I like you Violet. Keep an eye out for a phone call, I will definitely keep in touch." Vi's shoulder relaxed and couldn't help the big grin spreading on her face. Holy shit! She has a chance at this job! She reached a hand out to initiate an overly excited handshake, maybe shaking Mel's hand a little too hard, but she didn't seem to mind.
"Thank you, Principal Medarda. I look forward to hearing from you soon." Vi replied, voice slightly shaken.
"Likewise." Mel responded. "Have a good rest of your day, Ms. Lane."
"You too!" Vi beamed, before turning to open the door. Waving a quick goodbye to Mel, she turned and walked down the hallway to make her way to the school exit. Her thoughts were running a mile a minute. She's got the lead for a job! Her walk to the parking lot got her a couple of weird stares, as she could suppress the smile on her face, but she didn't care. She was proud of herself, dammit!
Untangling her keys that were caught on the inside of her pants pocket, she pressed the unlock button and collapsed in her car, leaning against the steering wheel and letting her shoulders relax. Even though the interview went well, that was probably the most stressful interview she's ever had. Interviewing as a trainer never had as much riding on her shoulders as a teaching position did, but she did it.
After the short ride home, she made her way up the stairs to her apartment and couldn't suppress the buzzing energy in her chest. Opening the door, the first thing she noticed was her little sister sprawled out on the couch, scrolling through her phone as per usual with a bored expression on her face. She couldn't wait to tell Powder the news.