“Maybe we’ll do it your way in the end, but if someone else has a different idea, they’re allowed to say it!”

When Mrs. Katz announced the plans for the siyum, I was so excited to be in Nechama’s group.

I mean, obviously. Everyone always wants to be in Nechama’s group. She’s smart and fun and popular and knows exactly how things should be done.

“Everyone should pick a pasuk from Sefer Bereishis,” Mrs. Katz said, “and create a banner based on that pasuk. You can use any materials you want.”

The other girls in our group were Avigail, Sima, and Yocheved.

All the groups split up to work. Our group went to an empty tutoring room at the end of the hallway.

Nechama said, “Okay, I think we should do a field of tulips out of tissue paper.” She used a tissue to show us how the poster would be divided into sections, with fluffy tissue paper in each section filling the spaces to form the scene. “We can use a pasuk about Hashem creating the plants and flowers,” she said. “Okay, Leah, you run up to the office and get the tissue paper and glue. I’ll start drawing the outline.”

“Okay,” I said. “What colors do you want?”

“Yellow and purple green for the flowers,” Nechama said. “And as many shades of blue and green as they have.”

I went upstairs to get the supplies. It took a little while until the secretary was able to get me what I needed.

When I came back down, I saw right away that something was wrong. The poster board was lying on the floor, and part of the outline was already drawn in thick black marker. But Nechama was standing on one side, facing Sima and Yocheved. All of them looked angry. Avigail was off to the side, looking upset.

“Listen,” Nechama was saying, “this is the only way it’s going to look normal.”