[A shell from the coast of maine]


The school's common ground stood under the shade of two dozen great maple
trees. The brick buildings had been built in the days of civic pride, just
as the soldiers came back from the Great War. They had planted trees,
springing up and putting down roots after being ripped up from where they
had once been.

Every building was built of regal red brick, outlined in white, almost the
same white that made the headstones in the cemetery down the road, the rows
and rows of same white, only broken by rows of red poppies one day a year.

The school was much the same, the civic monotony only interrupted once a
year. Its saving grace was that it lasted all summer, not long after those
red poppies had blown away from the cemetery, and only the groundskeeper
stayed on, keeping it trim and tidy.

The common was as empty now as the buildings. It set facing the woods, the
buildings on three sides, and the great trees kept the inner courtyard
mostly shaded. Even midsummer it was cool enough to sit comfortably. What
heat the trees didn't shrug off from their leafy canopy, the buildings
absorbed, sitting cool and upright and waiting.

Taylor left eyes unfocused, letting the dizzying flutter of leaves wave back
and forth, staring up at nothing in particular. It was more comfortable than
home, both cooler and quieter. The breeze that moved the trees was a welcome
relief after the stagnant air of the little house at the edge of town,
standing out next to the dollar store parking lot, catching the full brunt
of the sun in every direction, and catching the full brunt of Taylor's
mother's careless anger.

When Taylor sat under the trees, time just stopped for a few hours. It was
welcome relief.

"Does anyone else find it ironic that we, of all people, are the ones here
when school's not in session?" Dylan only had two volumes, silent and
public address. Taylor sat up and let eyes focus. There was the ugly jacket
and mischevious grin interrupting the reverie on nothing in particular.

"Hey, Dylan."

"Hey yourself. Whatcha doing?"

"Nothing."

"You do a lot of that."

Taylor tried not to hear it, but it came out in Mother's voice. Stifling
that, Taylor just said "I guess so."

"Gang's all here, I see." Maria and Emily trailed in, Emily pushing Maria's
daughter in a stroller.

"Better here than at home."

"Yeah, really. My mother's still trying to plan Lola's wedding, and she's
not quite out of diapers yet. How long you been here, Tay?"

Taylor shrugged. Taylor always shrugged. "A couple hours I guess. It's
already a million degrees at home already, and Mother's home from work."

"We gotta get you out of there. You still sharing a room with your sisters?"

"Yeah. Mike's got his own room since he's the oldest still at home, so I'm
crammed in there with the Preteens Of Doom."

"I can't imagine. Is it 'Like, youknow, totally too much?'" Maria did a
great imitation of Taylor's twin sisters, even managing to mimic their
brace-faced grins.

Taylor started laughing. "Totally"

Mr. Cox-Sachs sauntered in, still dressed in the white dress shirt and
leather vest, even though it was July. Somehow, he didn't sweat. Taylor
wasn't sure how he managed it.

"Mr Cox-Sachs. You made it!"

"Of course I did. But I have some bad news and some good news."

"What's the bad news?"

"You don't get to call me Mr Cox-Sachs anymore."

"But Mr..." Taylor stopped midsentence after the teacher raised one eyebrow.

"And the good news is that I'm no longer a teacher here."

"That's the good news? How?"

"The university hired me as a full professor!" There was always a twinkle
behind the steel-rimmed glasses he wore, and it shone full strength today.

"Technically, it's been Dr. Cox-Sachs for a while, but since you're some of
my favorite students, I'd really rather you call me John."

"Oh congratulations! How do you do, John?" Derek and Dylan said, as usual,
in unison.

"So I have an announcement, too" said Maria. "I'm not coming back to school
next year either."

Taylor waited for the explanation, hoping it wasn't having a kid. Everyone had
expected Maria to drop out when she'd had the baby, and when she hadn't,
they all teased her that she was going to anyway. Taylor was hoping it wasn't
like that.

"Why?"

"Because Emily and I are starting a business!"

"No way!"

"The old pharmacy on the corner of Main, they bulldozed the back of the
building and made it a parking lot. The space left over is perfect. Emily's
been binding books all year, and my dad just gave me a bunch of money. We're
going to start a craft store!"