“Now let’s get moving,” Lisa said as she nudged Eloise. “You have to sign the lease and finish up the paperwork.” Nora and her mother planned to move in the first of November.

Matt waved as they drove off. “I hope this apartment works out for them.”

“I do, too. She’s lucky to have your help.”

“Eloise is a good person with a tough story. Thanks for coming.”

“I didn’t do much,” Jorden protested.

“Enough for me to at least treat you to a hotdog. I think the Snack Shack is still open. What do you say?” Matt offered.

“I’m up for it.” Jorden chuckled as she couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten a hotdog.

“Let’s do it.” It took less than twenty minutes to drive there, fill their order, and consume the chili-dogs and Cokes.

“Unbelievable. It was delicious!” Jorden licked the excess sauce off her fingers. “I haven’t had anything that tasty in ages.”

“Me too,” Matt agreed, throwing their cans and wrappers in the trash. “How about a walk? There’s a park around the corner.”

“I’m in,” Jorden replied. They reached the park in minutes and walked along a path lined with pines, oaks, and maple trees. She spotted a near-perfect maple leaf. Unable to resist, she picked it up and twirled it in circles. “I was shocked when Nora showed up today. You know, she stomped out of my fifth period math class last September.”

“You’re kidding. What happened?”

“It was a Friday afternoon. The day had been hot and humid—in the high nineties.” Jorden remembered she had just put a math problem on the overhead projector. “Nora wouldn’t stop talking. I had been explaining a lesson on multiplication and division of rational numbers.”

“Yuck!” Matt teased.

“Don’t give me a hard time. The students didn’t like it either. Anyway, I went over the problem again. Nora kept talking. I cautioned her.”

“Did she listen?”

“Nora quieted down a few minutes, but it didn’t take long before she was back at it. Nothing I did seemed to work. Finally, I’d had enough and gave her an ultimatum: either she stopped talking or go to the principal’s office!”

“And?” Matt’s eyebrows went up.

“Nora rose, picked up her books, and stomped out. I thought I saw a hint of tears in her eyes before she marched down the hall. She certainly looked like a troubled thirteen-year-old.”

“I hear you.” Matt pushed an overhanging branch out of the way.