"And the person who turned in the best essay
this time was Sara. Excellent work," Mallory Pike praised, smiling at the
bespectacled blond in the front row. Sara blushed and grinned.
"Now, I've made copies of this story that I
wrote, and I want you all to read it. We will discuss it in class tomorrow."
Mallory handed out the papers. The final bell rang, and the seventh-graders
immediately began standing up, stuffing papers and books into their bags while
shuffling out of the class.
"And goodbye!" she called as they left. She flopped down at her desk and examined her chipped fingernails. She had never imagined herself as an English Literature teacher at Walter Perry Junior High in Seattle, sharing an apartment with her poetess sister Vanessa and writing stories as a pastime.
Mallory glanced at the clock. In two
minutes' time, she was due to meet with the new Science teacher and show her
around. The original one, Mrs Jeffries, had quit to take care of her newborn
baby.
Mallory opened her bag and took out a
chocolate-chip granola bar that she stashed away for times like this. She was
starving, but she couldn't go for lunch yet. She unwrapped it and took a huge
bite.
The door of the classroom creaked open.
Mallory turned slowly. "You must be the new Sc—" her voice trailed away as she
took in the tall, slender brown-haired young lady in the trendy clothes. "Oh,
my god! Carolyn, right?"
The lady's eyes widened in shock and let out
a squeal. "MALLORY!" The two embraced in a tight hug.
"I can't believe it!" Mallory blurted out.
"Well, you've always been interested in Science, so it comes as no surprise.
But I never thought you'd come to teach in this school as well."
Carolyn Arnold grinned widely. "Well, it was
the only offer I got, so I figured, why not? I mean, I'm still single, so I
don't have any commitments to tie me down. It's so great to see you again!"
Mallory nodded happily. "So what's up with
Marilyn? And all the rest of your old pals, like Charlotte and Haley?"
Carolyn looked thoughtful. "Marilyn's
married, and she has a three-year-old daughter. She's lovely. And Marilyn
herself is a piano teacher. It's no big surprise. And Haley's working in a
school for the deaf. I guess all her experience with Matt when she was young
paid off. Becca's a lawyer. But I suppose you already knew that? I mean, from
Jessi?"
Mallory shook her head slowly. "Jessi and I
no longer talk. We drifted apart after high school, when I went to college and
she joined some dance troupe. But I miss her a lot."
"Charlotte's a Science teacher, like me. We
even attended the training together. But she decided to stay in Stoneybrook,
and teach at some Stamford school. Danielle…" Carolyn bit her lip. "The
leukemia returned early last year. There was no warning at all. One moment she
was fine, the next…She went for treatment straight away, but it was just too
late. The cancer had spread to many parts of her body. She slipped into a coma
one night, and never woke up again."
Mallory gasped. The illness, which had
plagued poor Danielle since she was just a little kid, had come back to cause
her family and friends so much hurt and pain, and a loss which could never be
replaced.
"So…what's up with Vanessa?" Carolyn wanted
to know, changing the subject.
Mallory raised her eyebrows. "I don't know.
She stays at home all day, writing poems. Right now she's doing some for a
company that sells birthday cards."
"Well, you're supposed to be showing me
around, right?" Carolyn asked.
"Yeah. Come on. This school is pretty okay, but
nowhere near as good as SMS," Mallory told her as they started to walk down the
hallway.
"Really? Or are you judging by just the
cafeteria food?" Carolyn joked.
Mallory laughed. It was good to be back with
some old friends again.