But she couldn’t eat it here, in front of them. She might get grape jelly on her white blouse. She might need to answer a question. She might choke…and these kids, helpless as they were, might let her die. Or worse, they might try the Heimlich maneuver on her.

Better to go hungry.

“You can do virtually anything,” Kit said, hiding her exasperation with a wry smile. They were just teenagers, after all. Fourteen-, fifteen-, and sixteen-year-olds searching for identity, meaning, and clear skin. “Remember the list you brainstormed last month? You could choose a comedy, musical, drama, a series of one-act plays…it’s up to you. Perhaps you’d like to take a vote?”

Alison Humphrey, the current president of the Drama Club, and the only senior in the club this year, came to life. “We’re going to vote now,” she said decisively. “It’ll be anonymous. Write down on a slip of paper what you’d like to do for the spring production, fold the paper up, and pass it to the front, and then we’ll tally the votes. Okay?”

The classroom door opened while the students were scribbling down their preferences. It was Polly Powers, one of Memorial’s math teachers and Kit’s closest friend, in the doorway and she gestured to Kit.

Kit left her desk and stepped out into the hall.

“Are you going to be stuck in there all lunch?” Polly asked.

“Looks like it. They can’t agree on anything.”

“Which club?”

“My little thespians.”

Polly rolled her eyes. “No wonder.” She didn’t get theater, or theater kids. Thought they were weird.

And perhaps they were, but Kit liked that. “How was lunch? Anything interesting happen in the staff room?”

“Lunch was boring. Fiona stayed in her room, too.”

Fiona Hughes was one of the science teachers, and Polly’s and Kit’s close friend. The three of them hung out together a lot. “Why?”

“Chase is being a dick. She was crying. Didn’t want anyone to see her.”

Kit frowned. Fiona and Chase had been married for only eighteen months but it’d been difficult from the start. “What’s he doing now?”

“I don’t know. The usual. But she needs some cheering up. Think we need to take her out after work. Have a drink. Are you free?”

“Yes.” Kit peeked into the class, saw that Alison was now recording the votes, and turned back to Polly.