“Let’s start with these,” Gabby says, sliding a folder across the desk to me.

I open it up to find a stack of report cards and letters home from Ellen’s teachers. I flip through them, skim-reading.

Almost all of these say that Ellen is disruptive and unfocused in class, but also lazy and unmotivated. Apathetic about her homework and assignments, always missing deadlines.

By the time I’m done reading, I can easily see why Kent gets so stressed out every time he gets an update from one of Ellen’s teachers.

“Wow,” I say, when I get to the end. “This - really isn’t how I would describe Ellen. Like, not at all.”

Gabby nods. She’s been waiting for me to finish, her chin propped on her hand.

“I agree, Jamie. None of this sounds like Ellen to me, either. And I notice that most of the concerns brought up by the teachers are focused on the fact that Ellen is distracting the other kids in her class. Not at all focused on her own struggles.”

“That’s true.” I toss the folder back on the desk, frowning at it. “Also, some of these behaviors that they say are signs that Ellen isn’t paying attention - she does that stuff in her classes with me, and it’s no problem. Like - yes, she doodles and fidgets, and sometimes she doesn’t look at me when I’m talking. But it doesn’t mean she’s not listening. I actually think it helps her listen better. I don’t stop her, when she starts that up.”

Gabby writes something down on her notepad. “Do you let her do those things when she’s taking a quiz or a test?”

“I don’t give her quizzes or tests,” I admit, hoping I’m not going to get in trouble for that. “We just have a conversation about what we covered. That way I can see if she understood it. If she didn’t, we go over it again.”

Gabby’s eyes narrow thoughtfully.

“Start from the beginning, Jamie. If you were writing one of these reports, what would you say?”

I take a deep breath, and launch into what I’ve learned about Ellen during our freeform science classes.

I haven’t really been in a meeting with Gabby before, aside from a few casual ones at the exhibition space. I find that she’s a very attentive listener. She sits in silence as I speak, only interrupting to ask questions - “How many times has that happened?” or “Is that exactly what Ellen said?” - and to take notes. Otherwise, her gaze is fixed completely on me, and she absorbs everything I say without comment.

“So, punishing Ellen doesn’t help with anything,” I finally finish. “When she’s too hyper or distracted, or when she doesn’t do an assignment - she’s the one who gets the most frustrated about it. It’s like she wishes she could stop, or explain herself, but she can’t. Telling her off for it doesn’t accomplish anything, besides - embarrassing her, and frustrating her more.”

Gabby looks at me silently, absorbing that.

“But lazy and apathetic is not the right way to put it,” I add. “Ellen is neither of those things. It’s the complete opposite, actually. You saw all the drawings she made when we talked about planets, all the extra research she put into it. I didn’t even ask her to do that.”

Gabby’s thoughtful expression breaks into a smile.

“Yes, I know. Kent put the drawings up on the fridge. Ellen is very proud of them.”

I smile, too, but it quickly dissolves into a frown. I stare at the folder on Gabby’s desk, chewing the inside of my cheek.

Lazy and apathetic. Please.

When Ellen and I talked about space, it wasn’t just that she was interested. In fact, that’s a hell of an understatement. She was so absorbed, so excited. It’s like she’s actually up there, swimming in planetary oceans, diving to the bottom to collect samples. Rising up to float in orbit, ready to take on the next planet, feeding her enormous appetite for answers.

Ellen can’t help but throw her entire self into what fascinates her. She wants to know and experience everything.

“These fucking report cards.” I scowl at them, offended on Ellen’s behalf. “These are some bullshit. Ellen is brilliant, when she hits her stride. Honestly, she makes me look at things in ways I hadn’t before.”

Gabby smiles again, tips her head to the side. “Does she?”

“Yes, absolutely. If you’re patient with Ellen, and she’s interested in the topic, she comes at it like a little explorer who just discovered a brand new world. She loves to learn new things, she devours information, she’s got boundless energy for it. She’s joyful about it. And there is no perimeter on her imagination, let me tell you-”

“Okay, you don’t have to shout,” Gabby laughs, holding up her hands. “I know that as well as you do.”

I didn’t realize that my volume had gone up so much, and I quickly bite my lip.

“Oh, god. I’m so sorry.” I take a breath, trying to cool the rising heat in my cheeks. “It’s just - it’s fucked up, that no one’s acknowledging those things about her.”

“One of her teachers had nice things to say.” Gabby closes the folder, sets it aside. “Ms. Nakamura. She’s very fond of Ellen. I think she’s trying to understand her, but she does have a full class of students, and limited time for each one. There’s only so much she can do.”

“Well, at least someone is making an effort to see Ellen clearly,” I answer, relieved to hear it. “Makes sense that it’s Ms. Nakamura. She’s Ellen’s favorite teacher, right?”

Gabby arches an eyebrow. “Jamie, you’re Ellen’s favorite teacher.”

I stare at Gabby, caught entirely by surprise.

“What - really? What makes you think so?”

“She’s said as much to Kent. And to me.” Gabby folds her slender arms over her chest, taking in my expression. “You didn’t realize, did you?”

I smile at Gabby, feeling a burst of warm affection for Ellen. “No, I guess not.”

“That’s why I’m coming to you for solutions,” Gabby explains. “Now that I have all this information, I’m going to talk to a friend of mine, tell her what you said. She’s an expert in childhood education, she’s worked with kids for ages, and she might have some answers for us. From there, we can figure out how to arrange things so that Ellen doesn’t have to struggle like this.”

As always, Gabby has a plan, a solution. I instantly feel better about Ellen’s situation, knowing that.

“In the meantime.” Gabby leans forward, catches my gaze with hers, and holds it. “You keep doing what you’re doing. I don’t want Ellen’s spirit broken before we have a chance to sort this out.”

“I will, but I don’t think we need to worry too much about that,” I answer. “She’s such a little force.”

“Then keep her going,” Gabby says firmly. “Make sure she knows she’s not broken, and she’s not something that needs to be tamed. No matter what her other teachers or the other kids try to tell her.”

“Of course, I-”

“Seriously, Jamie,” Gabby interrupts, staring intently into my eyes. “Don’t let that fire in her go out. Do everything you can to keep it alive. Promise me.”

This is a promise I’m more than happy to make.

“I will.” I hesitate, then pin on: “You and Kent are already doing a really good job of that, though.”

Gabby smiles at me again, then stirs as someone knocks on the door.

“Come in,” she calls.

The door opens, and a tiny streak of pure energy comes bounding through.

Gabby’s smile grows even warmer. “Oh, hello, princesa!”

“Hi, Gabby!” Ellen rushes around behind the desk, seizes a handful of Gabby’s dress, smiling up at her brightly. “Dad said we could come say hello if you weren’t busy, and if I-”

Ellen breaks off, noticing me in the other chair, and lets out an excited squeak.

She races around the desk, nearly crashes into my knees. “Jamie!”

I get to my feet and catch her before she can tumble to the floor, suppressing a laugh. “Hi, El!”

“Ellen,” Kent rumbles from the doorway, “Are you trying to cause a tornado in Gabby’s office, running around in circles like this?”

Ellen twists to stare at him, wide-eyed. “Can people cause tornadoes?”

“I - don’t know, baby,” Kent chuckles. “But we’re about to find out, if you don’t slow it down.”

Ellen stops by my side, gives me a look like: this guy doesn’t even know if humans can cause tornadoes. I wink at her, and she laughs.

Gabby rises from her seat and glides over to Kent. He folds an arm around her waist, pulls her close for a quick kiss.

“I hope it’s okay that we just showed up,” he says. “I didn’t realize you’d be in a meeting with - Jamie, for some reason?”

I wave at Kent. “Hey, boss!”

“It’s no problem,” Gabby tells him. “We were just talking about this one, actually.”

She nods at Ellen, who is busy examining a potted plant on the shelf by the window. Kent blinks in surprise, then fixes Gabby with an adoring smile.

“I think we’ll have some answers, soon,” Gabby says, pinching his cheek.

Kent’s smile broadens.

“Do you want to come with us for a quick coffee break?” he asks, twining a hand around Gabby’s long ponytail. “Hot chocolate for El, obviously. Unless you and Jamie need more time?”

“No, no,” I cut in quickly, picking up my jacket. “Don’t let me get in the way of hot chocolate.”

Kent nods at me, then turns to Ellen.

“El, let’s go,” he says, to no response. “Ellen - are you listening to me?”

“Mhm,” she says absently, still going through Gabby’s shelves. Kent waits a minute, then tries again.

“We’re gonna go take a break with Gabby, get some hot chocolate. You think you can look at me when I’m talking, baby?”

Ellen doesn’t answer this time, doesn’t even seem to hear him. Kent starts to look frustrated, but he closes his eyes, quickly shakes that expression off of his face.

“Okay, looks like we need the attention monster,” he says, rolling out his neck.

He rushes up behind Ellen and throws his arms around her, lifting her off of her feet. She lets out a surprised shriek, then bursts into giggles, trying to kick her way free.

“Dad, noooo!” she squeals, laughing as he starts tickling her with his face and beard and hands.

“Do I have your attention?”

Ellen tries unsuccessfully to squirm out of his arms, gasping through her laughter. “Yes, yes!”

“Good.” Kent sets her down, then turns her around to face him. “We’re gonna go get hot chocolate, so grab your-”

“What?” Ellen immediately takes off running for the door. “All you had to say was hot chocolate, dad!”

“I said it like three times!” Kent calls after her, but she’s raced out into the waiting area.

“Come on, tesoro,” Gabby laughs, looping her purse over her shoulder. “At the speed she’s going, Ellen will be in outer space by the time we catch up to her.”

“Nope, I caught her!” Ripley calls from the waiting room. “But I can’t hold her back for long!”

“Figures,” Gabby says fondly. “No one can.”

“True of both of my girls,” Kent answers, and threads his fingers through Gabby’s.

~~~~

I slip into Aiden’s office, and he glances up at me. He’s sitting at his desk, his laptop open. His phone is in his hand, and Noah is on speaker.

“-those special lights for the exhibition,” Noah is saying. “I found the ones you wanted, the archival bulbs that won’t hurt the old photos.”

“Okay?” Aiden says, beckoning me inside. I close the door after myself, then pause when I see the frustrated look on Aiden’s face.

“I can install those lights, no problem,” Noah continues, “But I looked at the wattage, and - the room is going to be dark. There’s no way around it.”

“That’s… not good,” Aiden murmurs, his blue eyes troubled. “Ripley’s part of the exhibition needs to be well-lit, right?”

“Yeah, bro, exactly. And these lights aren’t cheap, either. I emailed you a number, did you get it?”

Aiden glances at his laptop, then winces. “Yeah, I did.”

“Right, so. You see the issue.”

“We can’t cut the budget there,” Aiden says, rubbing his temple. “Regular lights could do serious damage.”

“That’s not the only problem, Aiden,” Melanie chimes in. I hear the shuffle of the phone being handed over. “I went to the space this morning, and with the ground frozen solid, there’s just no way that Jamie can turn that garden into anything. Even if the snow melts before the show goes up, the timeline is gonna be too tight.”

Aiden lets out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes. “Fuck.”

“Oh, no,” I say, at the same time.

“Is that Jamie I’m hearing?”

“Yeah, it’s me,” I answer, leaning closer. “Hi, Mel!”

“Hey, Jamie! Can I talk to you for a sec? Just you, not Aiden?”

I catch Aiden’s eye. He shrugs, then hands me the phone. I step back out into the hallway, take it off speaker, and put it to my ear.

“Aiden sounds upset,” Mel observes.

“Yeah. He looks upset, too.” I bite my lip, my heart sinking. “Are there just like - a shitload of problems popping up with the exhibition?”

“A few, yeah,” Melanie says. “But when you’re planning an event, there are always unexpected things like this that come up. I have never planned or executed an event without it happening. There are going to be surprises. It's perfectly normal.”

The distress spreading through me comes to a sudden stop. “Really?”

“Really,” Melanie says firmly. “It’s actually good for these issues to come up early in the planning process. This way we have time to handle it. Everything is going to turn out just fine.”

I take a breath, pressing a hand to my chest.

“God, Mel, that’s a relief to hear. Can you tell Aiden that, please?”

“You tell him. You’re exceptionally good at cheering him up.”

I smile to myself, glancing back at his office. “You think?”

“Mhm,” Melanie says. “And if all else fails, then… okay, I’m gonna let you in on a secret. Not as an event planner, but as Aiden’s ex-girlfriend. You know how he acts like he isn’t ticklish anywhere?”

Oh, yay. “Are you telling me he is ticklish somewhere?”

“The back of his neck. But you didn’t hear it from me, alright?”

“Mel,” I sigh happily. “How can I ever thank you for this gift?”

“He’s gonna be mad when you do it, so use it sparingly. You’ve been warned.”

I go back into the office to find Aiden still at his desk. He looks defeated, his broad shoulders slumping, his jaw tensed. I can tell that he’s doubting his ability to wrangle this thing.

I go directly to him, stop behind him, and drag my fingertip lightly up the back of his neck.

Aiden lets out a gasp of laughter, then whips around to face me.

“Jamie!” he sputters, outraged. “What the fucking-?”

I fling my arms around his neck and pull him up into a kiss, cutting him off.

“Hi,” I say, against his mouth. “Do you know that you’re an amazing exhibition director and archivist, and I love you, and we will find a way to make things work-”

“Jamie-”

“-and even if the whole thing crashes and burns, you’re still stupid hot, so there’s that.”

“Oh, thanks so much,” Aiden says, his scowl starting to break down. He gives up and smiles, shaking his head at me. “Really appreciate the vote of confidence.”

“I’m saying that I do have confidence in you,” I tell him, taking two handfuls of his sweater. “Everything is gonna be fine.”

The frown on Aiden’s face falls apart completely, and he huffs out a laugh. He wraps his arms around me, and I bend to kiss the top of his head.

“How do you make me feel better so easily, dude?”

“I just know that we’ll find a way to make things work.” I tap his nose with my fingertip. “Together. How we always do.”

Aiden blinks at me, then smiles.

“Companion Plants,” he murmurs, leaning in for a kiss.

“Exactly,” I answer, and meet him halfway.