A quiet glow—and the removal of her braces, leaving perfectly straight, white teeth and a far more natural smile—made Willow considerably prettier than she’d
been in early November. “I have, thanks to Dieter and…
and to you.”
“Me?” Touched, Fiona hugged her again. “I’m glad
if I’ve helped.”
The kids who’d been on that trip had become important to her, far beyond the fact that she coached them in Knowledge Champs. It was a combination, she thought,
of having faced actual danger together, and of the intimacy of the days that followed. She knew them, foibles, joys and weaknesses, as she rarely knew her students.
What she couldn’t decide was whether it was an upside
or a downside that they felt they knew her, too.
Kelli and Tabitha together stopped at her desk after
class perhaps a month after Fiona’s date with Chad.
“You went out with Mr. Scammell, right?” Kelli asked.
Her mouth probably dropped open. “How did you…?”
“I heard him ask you. I was waiting in the hall,”
Tabitha said.
“I really don’t think my personal life…”
“He is so into rules.” Kelli wrinkled her nose. “It’s
like, who’d want to be the vice principal in charge of
discipline?”
Fiona had wondered that herself.
“Besides, he’s not hot like Mr. Fallon.”
No. He wasn’t.
“Girls.” She schooled her voice to be pleasant but
steely. “It’s not in any way appropriate for me to discuss
my dating life with you.”
Looking worried, Tabitha said, “But are you still
dating him?”
“What did I just say?”
They both looked crushed. “You are,” Kelli mumbled.
“As it happens, I am not dating Mr. Scammell.
Which would seem to be a really, really good thing, if
the entire school gossips every time two teachers have
dinner together.”
“You’re not,” Tabitha said in a rush of what appeared
to be relief. Both their faces brightened. “Cool!”
Before she could ask them what that had all been
about, they dashed out, claiming they were going to be
late although she realized the minute they disappeared
into the hall that they had lunch this period.
Oh, well, she thought philosophically. Perhaps she
should be flattered that they even noticed she had a
personal life—and even more that they worried about
her. So much for the self-centeredness of teens.
Her mom worried about her, too. She’d been calling
more often lately, even though she had a busy social
life. She and Barry went to a movie, play or concert at
least a couple evenings a week, and had joined a
Saturday walking group. They often asked her to join
them, which she had a couple of times. She and Barry
had relaxed around each other, and even joked about
the Thanksgiving debacle. Nice as it was to get to
know him, Fiona couldn’t help feeling as if she was
being included out of pity.
She could just hear her mother telling him, “Poor
Fiona! The first time she’s been serious about someone
in…oh, forever, and to have it end so badly.”
She had to roll her eyes at her own imagination. Her
mother had probably never said anything of the sort!
And if she had…well, it was true. Every word.
Mid-April, the seniors received their acceptances
and rejections from colleges across the country. Troy
would be going to the University of Oregon, and was
happy about it.
“Dad wanted me to get into someplace like Stanford.
That’s why I joined…” He looked embarrassed.
“Knowledge Champs.” Fiona nodded. “I guessed.
It’s okay. Most high school kids are thinking about how
to make their applications look good.”
“Yeah. Thanks. I guess I didn’t join enough things.”
He grinned. “Stanford said no.”
She smiled back. “As long as you’re satisfied.”
“Yeah, this is what I wanted to do.”
Erin, in contrast, was accepted by Stanford. And
Princeton.
“I also got into this college in southern California.”
She had asked to talk to Fiona during her grading
period. She sat at a desk facing Fiona’s, her back