Mei pulled a face. “We had more important things to attend to! And that’s Alisha’s job, anyway. It’s not my fault she’s in a meeting. What’re you gonna spend it on, Lily?”
Lily glanced at the envelope. “No idea. Treats for the department, maybe?”
Brandon grinned. “I like you—you’re going to fit in great around here. Right.” He slapped his hands against his thighs. “Speaking of treats, I’d better get going. There’s cake in the math office with my name on it.”
“They always have cake over there.” Mei was remorseful as she watched him go. “And we never have any.”
“You know, if you bought some there would be,” Andrew said, and Mei elbowed him in the side.
“Stop making sense.”
Lily smiled at their bickering, and, as she slipped her winnings into the pocket of her slacks, she hoped Brandon was right: she did want to fit in.
* * *
Twelve students were forced to spend an hour in silence with Eva at the end of the first day.
None were happy about it, but no one dared miss it, not wanting to face her wrath. Eva was satisfied, as she watched the last of them hurry out the door, she’d well and truly set a decent precedent for the year ahead.
She was quick to follow them out. A teacher’s work might never truly be done—with something to grade, parents to call, or lessons to plan—but she was needed at home, and there was no reason she couldn’t do it there.
Eva was the first of the department to leave, the lights on in all the other classrooms as she stepped out into the hall. A janitor mopped the floors near the main entrance, and Eva nodded to him, skirting around the edge of the wet floor and swiping her badge to exit. Eva slid behind the wheel of her Mercedes and the engine purred to life.
Home was forty minutes away, but Eva liked the drive, using it to clear her mind. Listening to true crime podcasts passed the time, and Eva was soon pulling into her driveway. The lights were on in the front room, the sound of the television filtering into her ears as she unlocked the door.
A black Spaniel rushed to greet her, and Eva bent to scratch behind his ears. “Hi, Franklin.” His tail thudded against the wall, and he followed Eva closely when she stepped into the living room. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, sweetheart. How was your day?” Her mother was in her favorite position—in front of the television, with Jeopardy! Eva pressed a kiss to her cheek.
“Same old, same old.” It wasn’t an overly enthusiastic response, but she didn’t find teaching high schoolers to be particularly stimulating. She liked the hours, though—not many other jobs would allow her to be home by four. “How was yours? How’s your pain today?”
“So-so.”
Eva searched her face, knowing her mother had a tendency to downplay her condition.
“I had my PT with Jennifer today which went well.”
“Good. Did she give you some more exercises to do?”
“Yes.”
“And are you going to do them?”
Her mother glanced at Eva from her wheelchair, twinkle in her eye. “Yes, nurse.”
“If I was your nurse, I’d be a hell of a lot sterner with you than your current ones are. They let you get away with too much.”
“And you worry about me too much.”
“Someone’s got to.”
“What happened to your shirt?” Her mother frowned, plucking at the stain with her fingers.
“I spilled coffee on it. It’ll come out.” Eva would make sure of it. “Are you hungry, or can dinner wait until after I’ve been for a run?”
“I can wait. Or I can start it without you.”
“And set the house on fire?”
