She tried to ignore how much the girl reminded her of herself at this age.

Shy, pretty but probably afraid to think it. Her brief smile had shown a glint of

metal. Braces. Kate had forgotten how much she'd hated to smile when she had

braces. Two whole years of high school photos with just a tight-lipped, grim Mona Lisa smile, not to mention junior high. Courtesy of some orthodontic condition she could pronounce. One thing she hadn't forgotten how much high school could suck.

“So, do you take any art classes?” Kate pointed to the drawings next to the

backpack.

“There aren't many to take, but I've done some extra-credit painting.”

“What year in school are you?”

“I'm a senior.”

“Oh, almost ready for college?”

“I guess.”

“And you like chemistry, too?”

There was a lot longer pause as if Stacy was deciding something. She didn't

look up, just said, “Not really,” in a small voice.

Kate's eyebrows arched slightly. “But you're taking the second chemistry

class? I'm guessing that's what the two-oh-one stands for, right?”

“Yeah.” Another pause. “My parents think I need to get as much science as

possible. For college. So I can get a good job.”

Now where have she heard that before? “Let me guess. One or both of your

parents work at Nitrovex?”

That got a direct look in the face. “How did you know?”

Kate chuckled. “Lucky guess. I bet half the town works there.”

“I guess.”

Kate noticed Stacy's unopened chemistry binder on the table. It was covered

in intricate doodles. Animals, shapes, filigree, all intertwined. She opened the binder and saw more doodles in the margins as well as whole pages of drawings.

Cats, lions, a girl with hair streaming in the wind as she stared from a cliff out at the ocean, hands clasped behind her back.

“Stacy, these are really good.”

Stacy's head popped up. Her face grew pink when she saw Kate looking through her binder. “Oh. Those are just things I do. In my notes when I'm bored.”

“Well, they're good.”

Brief smile. “I like art the best, but my dad wants me to do something in science, like be a doctor or something.”

Kate felt a burning in her neck. Sheesh. Some things never change. “Well, I

suppose that's practical…but have you considered getting an art major? Or something in graphic design?”

Stacy's shoulders shrugged. “I might take some classes in college if I have time. But I'm not sure if my dad would go for it.”

“Well…I'd be happy to talk to him. If you like.” Okay, where did that come

from? She didn't even know this family.

Stacy paused what she was doing and looked up. “You would?”

“Sure. I like art, too. Do you remember—have you heard of My Little

Pony?”

Stacy cocked her head. “The toy?”

“Yup.” She waved her hand through the air. “I painted a full mural on my wall. When I was a kid. All eight ponies, with a rainbow, grass, a bridge over a

creek.” She rubbed her chin with her finger. “I think I even had Queen Chrysalis

up there somewhere.”

Stacy smiled fully for the first time, dimples forming on her freckled cheeks.

“Wow.”

Kate laughed. “Yeah. Pretty geeky, huh?”

Stacy returned to her work. “I don't know. Sounds kind of cool.”

Kate leaned on the table with her elbows. “Well, I thought it was. At least then. I switched to business and graphic design for college. Got to be practical,

right?”

“I guess.”

The girl seemed disappointed. It reminded her of the tone her parents had used when she said she was going to art school instead of college. Except this was in reverse. “I did do a lot of art in high school, though. Even entered the Scholarship Fair.”