Tammy always felt a little awkward at these meetings; it still seemed strange to her that she was in a position of authority

Tammy ushered the madrichot inside the exercise room, and then locked the door from the inside so they wouldn’t be disturbed. It had been a while since she’d had a meeting with all five of the madrichot together, and she worried that she wasn’t doing her eim bayit duties properly.

Mrs. Bruckstein, the morning eim bayit, had been working here for the past 20 years, and had everything down to a science. Weekly meetings with the madrichot. Discipline for infractions clearly stated and impartially meted out.

It made Tammy feel like an incompetent school girl. Maybe that’s why Tammy rarely spoke to her counterpart; she preferred to get her updates from the madrichot themselves.

Now, she sat down on the seat of the stationary bike (not without the rueful thought that it had been way too long since she’d properly exercised) and gestured for the girls to find themselves similar perches. The exercise room wasn’t ideal, but where else in the dorm could they have privacy? (Where did Mrs. Bruckstein meet with them? She had too much pride to ask.)

Tammy always felt a little awkward at these meetings; it still seemed strange to her that she was in a position of authority.

“Okay,” she said brightly. “We’re back! Time to settle in for the long winter haul. How’ve the girls been doing? Did anyone mention any issues that came up over the vacation?”

Tziri was sitting on the floor, her elbows propped on the bottom of the treadmill. “Well, you heard about the big phone scandal this morning?”

Tammy raised an eyebrow. “What happened?”

“Mrs. Bruckstein found a smartphone hidden in someone’s mattress. She was furious.” Tziri shook her head. “She confiscated the phone and also grounded her for a week. No leaving the campus at all.”

“I think she wanted to make an example of her, to make sure no one else gets any ideas,” Nechama said.

“She was crying hysterically,” Yael added.

Tammy frowned. “Who was? Who are we talking about?”

Tziri shot her a knowing glance. “Shani Mandel.”