The kids weren’t the ones she was having an issue with. “Yeah, they’ve been great. A few of them have tried it on, but I haven’t had to hand out any detentions yet.”
“Speaking of detentions,” Mei said, sipping from her mug of coffee. “We’re having a wager on how many kids Eva is going to keep after school tonight if you’d like to join. It’s five dollars, winner takes all. We have guesses of five, seven and eight.”
“So many?” Lily was shocked. “It’s the first day.”
“Oh, you’re adorable.” Mei patted the back of her hand. “You can go lower if you want.”
“But I wouldn’t,” Andrew said. “It’s usually high. She likes to set a precedent.”
Lily could barely comprehend it. The most she’d ever had to keep behind was four. Then again, based on what Lily had seen so far, she wouldn’t be surprised if Eva handed out detentions if the kids dared breathe too loudly. “How does she get away with it?”
“Because it works,” Andrew said around a mouthful of his salad.
“Yeah, cause they’re too scared of her to step out of line again,” Mei said.
Andrew shrugged. “It’s not my style, but you can’t argue with the results. She doesn’t have any issues with behavior, and we’ve had the best biology grades in years since she’s been here.”
“I know. It’s annoying.” Mei sighed, before turning her attention back toward Lily. “So, what’s your guess?”
“Uh, twelve.” If it seemed outlandish, neither of them commented. Mei made a note of it in her phone as Lily reached into her bag to see if she had a five-dollar bill in her purse. She did, and as she was handing it over the door opened behind her.
“Are you betting on detentions again?” Alisha said, making a beeline for the coffee machine. Lily felt her cheeks warm and wondered if this was supposed to be a secret, not wanting to get on the wrong side of Alisha on her first day.
Mei seemed nonplussed. “Uh-huh. What’s your guess?”
“Considering I’ve heard her chew out at least six different kids, and we’re not yet halfway through the day… Let’s go with twelve.”
“You’re out of luck, boss, Lily already took that.”
“Good guess,” Alisha said, nodding at Lily. “I’ll have thirteen, then. How are you finding things, Lily?”
“Fine.” Lily knew it was still early, but she was enjoying her day so far. The kids were good, seemed eager to learn, and she was excited to dive in.
“How did you get into teaching, anyway?” Mei asked. “Was it always the plan?”
“Far from it. After I finished my degree I worked in industry for a while, at a pharmaceutical company.”
“Wow, that’s a change of pace. Why’d you switch careers?”
“I didn’t feel fulfilled, I guess. I always wanted to do something to make a difference, and I thought that job would, but… It’s disheartening to dedicate so much time to developing a drug with the potential to help thousands of people for it to fail at the first hurdle or get sold at extortionate prices so only the richest can afford it. I enjoyed being a tutor when I was at college, loved seeing students succeed, and I guess it spiraled from there. What about you all?”
Lily wasn’t surprised Mei answered first—she seemed the most talkative of the lot. “I always wanted to teach. Got my master’s in education and never looked back. Specializing in earth and physical sciences wasn’t part of the plan, but”—Mei shrugged—“it’s the way things worked out.”
“What did you want to teach?”
“I started out in elementary school, believe it or not.”
Lily scrunched her nose. High schoolers could be a nightmare, but she did not have the patience for younger kids. Plus, they were brutal.
“Yeah, I didn’t last long,” Mei said, lips twitching. “I was already certified to teach high school, so when a job for an earth and physical science teacher came up, I took it.”
“How long have you worked here?”
“God, too long.” Mei grinned as Alisha mock-glared at her. “Five years I think?”
“Yep.” Alisha joined them at the table, mug held between her palms. “I’ve been here ten, and Andrew you’re on your fourth year now, aren’t you?”
“Uh-huh.”
