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Donovan followed up the rear and possessively placed his hand on British’s lower back when two beefy assistants came to help. “I got this,” he told them. “Is everything ready?”
“Five more minutes.”
British cocked a look at her date. “What’s going on?”
“Let’s go in and see.”
Inside, the chatter stopped and the live DJ cut the music. The former lunchroom area for the old school had been reconfigured into a winter wonderland. Giant balls of fake snow dangled from the ceiling in a mixture of silver and gold clouds. Her students were so adorable in their formal wear. The young men wore suits and ties and were clean-cut. Her girls all looked like angels. Donovan made everyone back up to give her some room.
Once British finished greeting all the parents and students, Donovan made her sit at the elevated table, where a makeshift Mr. and Mrs. Claus cozy scene was displayed. Instead of the black chairs used at the winter carnival, their chairs were teal and silver, and extremely comfy. She hadn’t realized how winded she’d be after saying all her hellos. The GRITS team oddly gathered below and looked to Donovan for approval. Instead of the music cuing back up, a screen lowered from the ceiling.
“Ms. B,” Kathleen said, clearing her throat. She held on to a set of note cards. “We wanted to tell you just how much we’ve missed you since you’ve been gone.”
Natasha stepped forward and started tearing up before she started to speak. Her mother shouted from the back with an encouraging word. Kimber Reyes tiptoed over to hand the girl a tissue. “Okay, whew.”
British began to tear up.
“When we thought we’d lost you, we comforted ourselves with the memory of your laughter.”
“And filled our playlists with your New Edition music,” Lacey interjected.
Stephanie stepped forward. “And while we appreciate everything you’ve taught us in the STEM world, we also dug back into your old roots when you came back to Southwood to teach home ec.”
The girls took a drastic pause and all turned toward Cam Beasley, lurking in the corner by a snowman.
“Anyway,” Stephanie said, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “We know you incorporated science in our daily lives, like making slime with baking soda or how we learned we use physics in roller skating, or even like recycling old cans and turning them into a grill if we’re ever lost in the woods, you know, like, teaching impressionable young students how to be self-sufficient.”
“And bake peach pies,” someone called out.
British craned her neck and was saluted with a plate of pie by Jessilyn. She realized the silver stand between her and Donovan contained a tray of desserts. She made a mental note to taste them later. The lights dimmed.
“So in honor of you,” Stephanie said, flicking her braids off her shoulder, “we want to share our STEM challenge for you.”
The screen in front came to life with a faux 8 mm film. A New Edition song played in the background as Mrs. Fitzhugh showed up in the hallway of Magnolia Palace the day British arrived. She’d been scared by the girls, which apparently had sparked an idea for them to set up the motion sensor to jingle a set of twinkle lights. The next scene was of a famous rabbit and duck arguing and then tire streaks in the road. A set of numbers counted upward and various signs of deer crossings flashed as the numbers rose. Then the screen went blank. Confused, British glanced over at Donovan. A set of twinkle lights caught her attention and the lights showed a deer in the woods along County Road 17.
“Every time a deer comes close to the country roads where most of them live, it will trigger a set of lights. Sure there are signs that say ‘deer crossing’ but we never know when, and some of us drive too fast along the roads. So since we cannot predict where or when each deer will cross, the lights will twinkle and signal to the driver that an actual deer is near and he or she can drive with extreme caution,” said Stephanie.
“And since the lights are solar,” added Natasha, “we won’t have to continue changing out batteries.”
Mayor-elect Ramon Torres appeared on the screen. “This STEM project is useful and saves lives.”
That part garnered a giggle from the girls. “That’s my man,” Kenzie said dreamily.
When did she get here? British turned in her seat to find her friend. Not only was Kenzie in the back with her husband, so were the rest of the Woodburys.
British’s heart started to beat erratically. Her commitment-phobic boyfriend was going to propose. Her hands began to shake. Distracted with thoughts of what kind of dress she’d want and her bridesmaids, she didn’t hear the part when Superintendent Herbert Locke appeared on the screen and announced the winner of the Four Points District STEM Challenge. Everyone at the dance exploded with applause.
British did a double take. Forgetting her banged-up leg, she jumped out of her seat to reach the girls, but Kimber flagged her hands back and forth in warning, so she sat back down. “Oh my God,” she cried, “you guys! Is this what you’ve been keeping from me?” She turned to face Donovan and found him sitting there with his hands outstretched, palms facing upward and a rectangular black-velvet box in his hands.
This was it.
The room grew quiet.
British’s hands shook. “Is this...?” She paused, worried she’d ruined the surprise for herself by already guessing what he was
up to.
“British,” Donovan said with a gulp, “I promise I’ve never been this serious about a life choice and I know I cannot take the next step without you.”
