“Can someone give me onedifference between covalent and ionic bonding?” Lily glanced at her watch—two minutes until the bell was due to go. “Quickly, please.” Her gaze darted around the room, waiting for someone to take pity on her. She was unsurprised to see a hand on the front row shoot into the air. “Yes, Imogen?”
“Atoms share electrons in a covalent bond. Ionic bonds transfer electrons.”
“Thank you.” The bell rang, excitement thrumming in the air, and Lily’s voice was nearly drowned out by the sound of her students packing away their things. “Remember you’ll have an exam next week!”
Her room emptied in seconds, everyone eager to get down to the football field or to get ready for the Homecoming dance, and Lily breathed out a sigh once they were gone. Work was starting to pile up, and she was looking forward to a relaxing bath at home before getting on with it.
Lily grabbed her phone from her desk drawer and pulled up her thread with Elsa. She tended to shoot her a message when she was done with her workday, her evenings now incomplete without a conversation with Elsa—no matter how random.
Would you rather twenty butterflies appear every time you sneeze, or an angry raccoon appear every time you cough?
The reply came quickly, and Lily chuckled.
What kind of question is that?
Well, I’ve got to keep you on your toes,Lily wrote.Can’t have everything be serious.
And that’s where your mind goes? Should I be concerned?
Nah. And you haven’t answered.
A knock sounded on her door, and Lily tore her attention away from her phone to see Macie hovering in the doorway. Another student Lily didn’t recognize stood at her elbow. Lily beckoned them both inside. “We got approval!” Macie said, waving a piece of paper in front of her, and Lily’s lips curved into a smile to match the ones on their faces. Relief flooded through her—she’d been dreading the thought of another battle with David had he turned them down and was glad she hadn’t fucked it up.
Lily might have to watch her back, might have to deal with parental opposition once they were up and running, and they’d no doubt be scrutinized to high hell, but still. It was progress.
“That’s great news! What’s next?”
“We’re going to start putting together posters to put around school so people know when we’re meeting. Are you still okay to do every Thursday?”
“Absolutely. How many members do you have so far?”
“Six, but we’re hoping to get a few more.” It was the most animated Lily had seen Macie, her hands gesticulating wildly as she spoke. “Sara is one. She helped me set everything up.” Lily glanced toward her friend. “And we have a couple of juniors on board, too.”
“Good. Let me know if you need help with anything.”
“We will. Thank you again for helping us do this.”
“You don’t need to thank me, Macie. I’m happy to do it. Are either of you going to do the dance?”
They both shook their heads. “Dances aren’t our thing.”
They weren’t Lily’s either, and she was glad she had another few months before she’d be forced into chaperoning. “Have a good weekend then, and I’ll see you next week for our first meeting.”
“Bye!” They turned to skip away and nearly ran straight into Mei, who deftly stepped out of the way.
“Knock knock,” Mei said, perching on the front desk of Lily’s room. “What was that about? No student has ever been that happy leaving my class after school.”
“Our GSA has been approved.”
“Sweet. Look at you, already setting up extracurriculars. You’re making the rest of us look bad. Alisha’s going to start using you as an example to tell me I’m slacking.”
“Hardly. I haven’t had to do anything yet. They did all the paperwork themselves, and I think my supervisory duties are just going to be letting them use my room for meetings and making sure they don’t argue.”
“Still. It’s cool that you’re doing it. They need a safe space, and I can’t think of anyone better to run it than you.”
“Why? ’Cause I’m gay?”
“I was going to say because you’re kind and welcoming, but that helps too.” Mei grinned, and Lily rolled her eyes. “You coming to the game? We’re going to be late.”
