Claire’s gaze lifted from the class schedule sealed to the inside of her binder with a couple pieces of clear packing tape, the Home Ec teacher’s introduction to that day’s activities slipping abruptly from her attempts at attention like water through a sieve. Thankfully, she did remember her station, notable due to its location directly below the room’s fire alarm. As for her partner...
"Hey, Elena,” she greeted the other girl with relief, glad she remembered at least so much as her name. But there was more than that, too. She remembered hearing about the accident with Elena’s parents, the car crash that had left her and her brother orphaned in a single night. But had that happened yet? She couldn’t say, not with the future feeling as much like memory as the past. Leaning against the counter as she scanned the recipe printout before them, Claire settled for a more moderate topic of conversation. “Um... How was the game?”