In first period they had the girls of our class assemble outside and line up so a photographer could take our photos for the yearbook. The photographs were taken in different locations: in front of the main building, in the schoolyard and in the park. When we were done, we hung out in the cafeteria, waiting for second period to begin.

"Tonight there is going to be a meeting of the Galads," Eleanor Bradford addressed me. "How would you like to visit and introduce yourself, Hart? You are a nice girl. If you apply for membership, I am sure the committee would take it into consideration."

I noticed that the others had stopped talking. Everybody appeared to be listening, waiting for my reply.

"Um, who or what is a Galad?"I inquired.

"They are a bunch of self-important busybodies who think that they run the school," Natty declared.

Bradford shot her an angry look.

"Don't listen to her," she advised me. "The Galads are the students' society of St. Albert's. We meet at least five times per month. And yes, we do assist the school authorities in running the school, in many ways. We take on all kinds of responsibilities. Most of the prefects and many of the tutors are members of the Galads. We also organize events like the summer fest and the excursions, and we do fundraising for St. Albert's as well. Carol, Dorothy, Barbara and I all are members."

I noted that she had listed the group of 'rich girls' in our class.

"Mallory is a member too, and Langden and Burns have only recently applied for membership," Barbara Lane added.

"What about Morgan?" I asked, in an attempt to gain time.

"Morgan is not a Galad yet." Eleanor Bradford turned towards Erin. "But I keep telling her that she really ought to apply for membership. Morgan would be a natural Galad."

"You know how I feel about that," the Welsh girl replied calmly. "As long as Eunice's application is rejected, I will not consider joining."

"At the time, the committee decided that Ndemba did not qualify." Bradford looked distinctly uncomfortable now. "However, she could reapply anytime."

"I will not reapply," Ndemba stated categorically. "Never."

"See, the Galads are not just a bunch of snobs but a bunch of bigoted snobs," Natty cut in.

"Surely it's not as bad as that, Nat," Mallory Carmichael remarked.

"You would say that, wouldn't you?" Natty retorted.

Mallory shrugged. "Not everybody is as opinionated as you are."

"Or as opportunistic as you are, Mallory," Natty shot back.

For a moment, the tension between the two girls was palpable.

"Did you ever apply for membership, Natty?" I asked her.

"The more relevant question is, was I ever invited to visit a meeting," Natty replied.

She sounded bitter.

"Whatever some people here may think, the Galads have no prejudices or biases of any kind," Bradford declared. She turned towards me again. "So, will you come to our meeting tonight, Hart?"

"Thank you for the invitation. But I am afraid that I will have to decline," I told her.

"That's a pity," Dorothy Barnett commented.

Mallory glanced at me, with an expression on her face that was somewhere between amusement and regret.

During second period, I recapitulated what I had learned about the Galads. Natty had claimed that they were just a bunch of rich snobs. Alright, the four 'rich girls' in my class, each of them a member of the Galads, fit that description.  What about Mallory Carmichael, though? Mallory was complex, but she could not exactly be described as a rich snob. Jessica Burns and Helen Langden were no members, but they had applied for membership, apparently. As had Ndemba, whose application had been rejected – a decision based on the color of her skin, or so Natty had insinuated. But if the Galads were known to be bigoted snobs, why had Burns, Langden and Ndemba applied in the first place?

I needed to talk about this with one those girls, in private if possible. However, to talk to one of them alone proved more difficult than I had anticipated.

Finally, during recess, I approached Helen who, for a change, was not in conversation with her friend Jessica.

"Hey," I said.

A great opener. But Helen did not appear to mind.

"Hi there, Hart. How are you doing?" she asked.

"Great. How are you?"

After a bit of idle chit-chat, I got to the point.

"I was a bit surprised to hear that you and Burns are applying for membership with the Galads."

Helen looked uncomfortable.

"You are new at our school, Hart. I do not expect you to understand what it is like, really. See, Jess and I are best friends, real close and all that, like sisters. But almost from the start, there have been those rumors among other students. I do not know who started it. Not that it matters, really. Anyhow, there have always been those rumors that Jess and I were, you know, more than just friends."

I shrugged. "What if you were? It does not concern anybody but you and Burns, does it?"

"I completely agree. But that's not how some of our fellow students see it." She sighed. "There are girls here who treat the two of us like social outcasts."

"That's disgusting. How dare they?"

I felt really angry. From the research I had done In preparation for my First Temporal Assignment, I had learned that prejudices and biases of all kinds had been abundant in the twentieth century, but somehow I had not expected anything like this.

"So you hope that things will improve after you and Burns have joined the Galads?"

"That was the idea. But maybe we are grasping at straws here."

"Well, I hope not. Anyway, I wish you guys good luck."

After last period, I paid a visit to my tutor Allie and her friend Lena. I liked to hang out with them. They were always fun to chat with, and great sources of information, too.

Not that I had forgotten what had happened when our history teacher had sent me to see my tutor. On the contrary, I remembered it vividly.  Allie had put me over the knee, bared my butt and administered a spanking.

Leaving me with a smarting backside. But more importantly, it had bruised my ego. Nothing like that had ever happened to me before. Getting my bare bottom spanked, by a girl acting as my tutor, had been a humbling experience.

Which made me wonder. Could I really be friends with a girl who had taken me across the knee and would most likely repeat that exercise in the near future if I did not watch my step?

Apparently I could.

From the corridor I heard the sounds of Allie and Lena's voices, through the open door.

"Hi guys," I greeted them.

"Hey, Cathy," Lena called from inside.  

"Hi. Come in,"  Allie added. "Have a seat."

I pulled up one of the two extra chairs in Allie's office – the other one was occupied by Lena – and sat down. 

"I wanted to ask both of you, what is your opinion about the Galads? Or, is either of you perhaps a member?"

"No, I am not a member, I have got no time for all that social stuff," Lena replied.

"Me neither," Allie observed. "Though I have never heard anything negative about them, either. I guess they are doing good, when it comes to fundraising and organizing events at our school. But why do you ask, Cathy? Are you planning to join them?"

"Not really, no. But I noticed there seem to be tensions between students that are members and those that are not."

"Really? I wasn't aware of that." Lena frowned. "Can you give us an example?"

"Um, I don't know."

All of a sudden, I was feeling uncomfortable. I knew that both Allie and Lena regarded Natty as a troublemaker for some reason. It would not be helpful if I told them about an apparent conflict between Natty and members of the Galads in our class.

Allie and Lena exchanged a look.

"Meaning, you do not want to talk about it," Lena said. 

"Look, if this is about Fogg," Allie began, but I cut her off.

"I do not want to talk about it, okay?"

"Fine." Allie shrugged. "It's just that I'd hate to see you get in trouble because of her, Cathy."

****************************************************************************

A / N :   Thank you for taking the time to read this chapter. If you liked it, you may consider voting or adding a comment. I am always happy to get some feedback.