all in a good cause (open to detention kids!)

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"Ok. On to the next subject. Ms. Aden, you said something about an important issue?"

Hazel looked at Mr. Snyder, who was leading the staff meeting. Clearing her throat, she said "I would like permission to start a self-defense class."

"Excuse me?"

"Come on, William. These kids are terrified, and who can really blame them? Whether or not we like it, a very large part of our student body was affected by what happened at the dance."

"That's enough, Ms. Aden."

"They lost a teacher, and several of their classmates. You can't just expect them to--"

"That's enough, Ms. Aden."

"Leaving them helpless, that's not going to solve anything. At least if they learn to defend themselves, then--"

"Ms. Aden! You know what the superintendent has instructed us. School will continue as usual. Nothing different is going to happen."

"You can't agree with that!" she protested.

"It doesn't matter, Ms. Aden. Besides, we don't have the budget to cover any extra activities."

"What if I did it on my own time?"

"I said that's enough. Your request is denied. End of discussion."

It might have been the end of the discussion, but it wasn't the end of the topic for Hazel. She knew Mr. Snyder didn't understand. Nobody understood. How could they? They weren't there. They didn't try to save the kids. They didn't try to lead them all out of the gym, only to be trapped in the locker room. They didn't have to listen to their co-worker--and friend--die. Emma's death was horrifying. And Hazel had wanted to do something about it. But, she was locked in the girl's locker room, with a handful of students. Her attempts to play hero had rendered her helpless. Hazel had hated it, even more than she could say. So, she knew that the kids who had been trapped in the gym had felt helpless. And even the ones who weren't there. How could they not? It seemed like someone was killing off their student body, one by one.

She couldn't just leave them, helpless, hopeless. Because, Hazel needed to have a purpose. She was alive, and there was no good reason why she was. Why hadn't it been her in the gym instead of Emma? Because she was trying to help show the kids the way out? If she hadn't heard him coming, she would have been forced back into the gym. She had been in the locker room because she had hid. She had been cowardly. Nobody could understand how that felt.

Honestly, Hazel never would have done this before the dance. Hazel had always been the teacher who went with the flow, put up with the jackass Vice Principal, because she knew that if she played it his way, she would end up with tenure after a while. And Hazel's job was everything to her, especially after her divorce. But, something inside of Hazel had changed at that dance. She knew that back when they were in high school, Emma would never have taken no for an answer. She would have fought it, never mind the consequences. And, something inside of her wanted to fight it. It was like Emma was sending her a message.

"I get it, Em." she spoke softly as she sat in her classroom. The final bell had rung over a half-hour ago. She knew that Danny would be in the middle of detention. He and most of those poor kids were stuck in detention for the rest of the year. She decided that it was a nice way to start.

She felt like a kid again, hiding out, waiting for the principal to leave. She felt like she did that day in Saturday detention, sneaking to the roof the second Mr. Radditch turned his back. Honestly, she missed that man. Hazel would rather have worked with him at this point. Mr. Radditch would have understood the need to help the kids. He would have allowed her to do this, instead of leaving her to resort to sneaking behind his back.

From her classroom, she could see the staff parking lot. And the second that William was in his car and driving away, she stood up. She didn't care what he said. She was going to teach any of the kids that wanted to learn how to protect themselves. She made her way to the detention room and opened the door, folding her arms. "Hey, guys. Excuse me, Mr. Maxwell. I figured I'd help you out today. I'm teaching self-defense in the football field. If anyone wants to come join me, I'm sure Mr. Maxwell will credit you with the time served." She was putting him on the spot. Hazel knew that. But, she really didn't think Danny would mind. She was taking some of the kids off of his hands. Besides, he didn't seem to be a person who was completely agreeable with William. And, if anything happened, she would take full responsibility.

After making the announcement, Hazel nodded to Danny. "I'll be waiting in the field. This is all on me, don't worry. Feel free to join me as well." and with that, she headed out to the football field. Now, she could be completely wrong about him. He could easily turn around and call up William and tell on her. But, she didn't think he would.