A small high school stood adjacent to a much larger hill, which effectively blocked out the sun so that shadows engulfed the building. The absence of activity on the outside of the building—as classes were in session—combined with the darkness made for a very dreary atmosphere. The feeling became even more prevalent as soon as one stepped inside Mrs. Adam’s English III classroom, Room 106.

In the room, Mrs. Adam sat struggling to keep her weary eyes on Jane Landau, whose grievance had been the center of the aging teacher’s reluctant attention for all of the first ten minutes of her planning period. Jane Landau, whose incessant complaints were enabled by the fact she had a free period, was practically jumping as she went through the details of what she described as a tragedy for the fourth time.