Project Equality

Odd Man Out

Jenna

"Welcome to your first admin meeting!" I said cheerily on the first Saturday of December. "Stick with your buddy and they will teach you how their job is done. You ready for this, Anthony?"

My trainee nodded and smiled. "Ready when you are, Jen."

"I mean, do you have the calendar?"

"Oh." The color drained out of his face as he started rifling through a pile of papers. "Um . . . yes! Here it is."

"We always start with the calendar, Anthony," I said through my teeth as I tried to maintain a smile.

"I'll remember it for next time Miss Sterling - I mean, Jen!" He was too respectful for his own good.

"Let's get this show on the road," I sighed, taking the calendar from him. "Next Friday, which is the eighth, we will be having a couple of things go down. Firstly, support group, per the usual. Secondly, drawing Secret Santas from the hat." I gestured to the hat in the middle of the table. "So many names, it's crazy. Anyways, on the fifteenth, we will not have a meeting, and on the twenty second, we have the party and exchange gifts. Twenty ninth will bring a New Years Eve party, and that's it for twenty seventeen!"

"I can't believe it's December," Lynn sighed. "Viktor will be home soon."

"Oh, yeah!" May recalled. "You called him for his birthday yesterday, right?"

"Duh. You did too?"

"I am his moirail. Of course I did," she assured her.

I cleared my throat. "That's lovely and all, my dear moirail, but please, do you have a budget for the festivities?" Though I missed Viktor as much as the rest of them, I knew that it would result in Lynn spending all her time with him, and none with me. What can I say, I was the jealous type.

"Yes I have a budget. Who do you think I am, girl? Heather, give the lady our budget." Her trainee handed me the binder, and I opened it up to the December section. "We did quite well in our fundraisers this year. Oh, that's something you newbies should be aware of, by the way. Fundraisers."

"Vital to the success of Club," Heather said dutifully. "We won't forget."

"This is the best we've been doing since we got started, oh my god," I gasped. "Um, right. Now to delegate tasks for the party. We need a Food, Decoration, and Hospitality Committee, so sign up on these pieces of paper to whichever. You don't necessarily have to stick with your mentor on it, by the way."

"I'll give each group their individual budget, but I'm sure you'll find it's more than enough," Lynn said as everyone signed up.

"I haven't asked you yet, but what math are you in? You're so good with numbers," Heather marveled.

"Precalc, nothing fancy. Besides, this is mostly just the basics of adding and subtracting."

"What about all of your predictions in this section for the coming year based on previous years?"

"Guessing game. I just hope it fits the growth trend."

"Have you ever been wrong?"

Before she could answer, Amilia interrupted, "Not once since the seventh grade."

"Then you're good with numbers."

It was always good to hear someone outside of our little group assure her of that. One day she would accept how brilliant she was, but until then, we were going to constantly find ways to point it out.

"So, Lisa, Ami, do you have the schedule?" I asked.

"All written down, Jen," Ami assured me.

"Here's what I've got for the newsletter," Lisa said, handing me her sketchbook. "Snowmen, trees, snowflakes, and general festiveness. Verdict?"