“No.” He fiddled with the strap of his bag. “Nothing like that.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“My mom had a new baby. She cries a lot, y’know? Makes it hard to concentrate on homework.”
“I see.” Eva glanced at Aaron’s face, searching for bags under his eyes. “Are you getting enough sleep?”
“When I don’t it’s my fault for staying up late playing video games.”
“And you’re not expected to help look after the baby, are you?”
Aaron shook his head. “It’s just the crying, Dr. Thomas, I swear. I’ll try and do better next time.”
“All right.” Eva made a mental note to keep a closer eye on him in the next few weeks. “But if you need any extra help, you can come and see me after school.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
She dismissed him with a nod and made her way across the hall to Alisha’s room. The meeting was already in full swing, and Eva slid as quietly as she could into her usual seat.
“I met with the school board earlier this week,” Alisha said. “They’re pleased with the work we’re doing and are starting to put together the timetable for next year. If there are any changes to the syllabus anyone would like to make, come and talk to me in the next few weeks. And if anyone has any suggestions for more electives we could offer as a department, I’d love to hear them.”
“How about forensics?” Lily said. Her enthusiasm for her craft had yet to be beaten out of her by her punishing schedule. “We ran that at my previous school and the kids loved it.”
“Do you think you could put together a syllabus for it?”
“Sure.”
“Excellent. It’ll be easier to sell—and to split the teaching hours—if it has a good mix of biology and chemistry in it,” Alisha said, and Eva fought back a groan, knowing what was coming next. “If you could run it by Eva and make sure it has a healthy mix that would be great.”
It seemed she’d be helping Lily Cross out yet again.
* * *
Eva didn’t expect it to be quite so soon, surprised when Lily knocked on her door a few minutes after the meeting ended.
“Is, um, now a good time to talk about the forensics syllabus?” Lily looked like she’d rather be anywhere else in the world.
Eva shared the sentiment.
“Aren’t you eager to be running off to the bar with the rest of the department?”
Lily shrugged. “They’ll still be there when we’re done.”
“Very well.” Eva waved her inside. “As long as I can be out of here by half past.” Eva had to take her mother to a neurologist appointment. “What did you have in mind?”
Lily approached Eva’s desk. “I printed off the one from my old school. I thought we could use that as a starting point.”
Eva held out a hand, and Lily passed her the piece of paper. “You can sit down, you know. I won’t bite.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” Lily said, and Eva felt her lips twitch into a smirk. At least Lily seemed to be learning it was wise to keep her distance.
It had only taken her three months.
The legs of the stool she chose screeched as she dragged it to Eva’s desk, and Eva tried not to let the racket distract her from the syllabus in front of her. One that would not be taught if she were in charge of the school. “This is weak.”
“Why?”
“It’s convoluted. You could fit this whole thing into half the time, and a single semester, which would make it easier to teach. And these labs…the kids could come up with better ones than this.” Eva glanced at Lily, expecting some pushback, and was surprised when Lily merely nodded.
