Taking a deep breath, she unwrapped her scarf so that she could breathe easier in the warm room. “What comes after this?” she whispered.

“Just some announcements. They won’t take too long. Then Seth will be up.”

She noticed another teacher looking at her. When his eyes widened, she knew he’d recognized her and had to steel herself so she didn’t bolt—especially when he slid to the left, nudged the woman closest to him and jerked his head in her direction.

“I think the word is out,” Eli said. “Are you going to be okay?”

“Sure,” she said with a nervous laugh. “What can they do?”

“Ask for an autograph and try to get a picture,” he replied, stating the obvious as if he understood that would not be enjoyable for her.

“I hope to get out of here before the assembly’s over and they have the chance.”

“I’ll make sure of it,” he told her.

Although her presence caused a small stir, none of the kids seemed to realize what was going on behind them, and she stubbornly maintained her smile.

“Fame has to be hard,” Eli muttered as he shook his head at the man who’d started to spread the word that she was there as if to tell him not to do anything more to draw attention her way.

“It is when it goes bad,” she said, joking.

“It says something that you’re willing to brave coming here.”

It said she cared a great deal about Seth, and that was true. He knew it as well as she did. Still, she wondered if she’d been crazy to take this on. She was just considering telling Eli that she was going to duck out, when Seth came to the podium.

He started by telling the kids it was art and the ability to create and express himself that had provided him with a lifeline through a really difficult childhood. What he shared was more intimate than she would’ve expected, and she could tell the kids really responded to it. There was no more fidgeting or talking. They were all drinking in his words, and she loved seeing this window into a period he didn’t generally like to talk about.

He was almost finished by the time he saw her. When he realized she was there, he paused as though he couldn’t believe it, and it took him a moment to remember what he’d been about to say. He got back on track, but his eyes kept flicking in her direction.

Suddenly, she forgot about being self-conscious and simply smiled at him. She was so caught up in who he was and what he’d been able to accomplish, despite his rough beginning, that Eli had to lean over and nudge her as Seth brought his remarks to a close.

“If you don’t go now, you’ll be caught in a throng,” he warned.