Science was easily the most popular class at Rachel Carson Junior High. Taught by none other than the ever-enthusiastic Mr. Woods, the class was famous for awesome experiments, ferret-related antics, and endless excitement.

Today, Mr. Woods scribbled two groups of ridiculously round blobs with squiggles coming out of them on each side of the chalkboard. "Let's pretend these are animals and not potatoes with legs," he said as the class giggled at his subpar drawing skills. "We have two herds here, but not all of our herbivores want to stay with their friends. For one reason or another, they want to join a different herd. Integrating yourself into a new group can be difficult, but under the right conditions..."

Anna tried to focus on what he was saying, but her mind kept drifting to auditioning for Sliced. Once she got the money she needed to apply, she'd be assigned three mystery ingredients she'd have to use to wow the judges and secure her spot on the show.

Durians, prickly pears, chocolate-dipped jalapeños: all those and more were listed on the humungous list of possible mystery ingredients on the Sliced website. Anna couldn't imagine eating half of those foods, much less making something edible with them, but she had no choice if she wanted to save Sweet Surprise.

She'd spent hours studying that list the night before, leaving her mind abuzz with strategies for how to deal with different challenges she might come across. Boiling down candy and working it into a sauce would help avoid excessive sweetness. Crushing anything hard could add extra crunch to a crust. If she got stuck with anything spicy—

"Anna, could you please tell the class why a herd might benefit from gaining a new member?"

She startled, her bees buzzing in alarm as her pencil slashed across one of the many ingredient combos she's jotted down. "What?"

Snickers erupted throughout the classroom. Mr. Woods silenced them with a pointed look and high-pitched chittering from his ferrets. "Why do you think allowing another animal to join a herd might be a good idea? Why not just keep the group the same?"

"I think, um..." Heat rushed to Anna's face as the entire class stared at her. Her bees shrouded her in a cloud of black and yellow, but she still felt everyone's gazes piercing through her companions. She wished the floor would swallow her like a python, but alas, there was no escaping her embarrassment.

"Everyone's learning here, so no need to worry if you're wrong." Mr. Woods grabbed a piece of chalk and circled one of the blob-esque animals, drawing a huge arrow to the other herd on the other side of the board. "You don't have to go into detail. Just give me the first idea that comes to mind."

"Maybe it knows where to find tasty food?" Despite how fun Mr. Woods's class was, science had never been Anna's strongest subject. Sure it was nowhere near as hard as math, but she wasn't a natural at it like Tay was, especially not when she was put on the spot.

Mr. Woods drew a leaf over the arrow between the two herds. "Yes, sometimes a new member can help the herd find resources they didn't know about before." Anna breathed a sigh of relief, but Mr. Woods wasn't done yet. "I'd like to talk to you after class."

Anna sank deeper into her chair as a chorus of oohs broke out behind her. As if her family didn't have enough to worry about, now she might get detention. Again.

Mr. Woods silenced the other students not with the threat of more homework or a pop quiz but with a quiet look of disappointment. Only when the rest of the class settled down did he nod at Anna. "Now, who can tell me what some of the other benefits might be?"

Despite longing to get back to planning for her audition, Anna stayed focused on Mr. Woods for the rest of class as he described different aspects of herd dynamics. Or at least, she tried to. Not even Mr. Woods's ferrets, Ichabod and Mable, fighting over the eraser and making everyone cough with a cloud of chalk dust could keep her attention for long. Not when her family needed her help.

Finally, the bell rang and dismissed everyone to second period. As the other kids scurried to their next classes, Anna made the walk of shame to Mr. Woods's desk with her eyes glued to the floor.

"You're not in trouble," Mr. Woods said gently.

"I'm not?" Getting singled out in class and being forced to stay after the bell felt like as much of a punishment as having to pick burs out of Bertrand's fur after the old bear romped by the bayou.

"I'm going to give you this whether you tell me or not, so no pressure," Mr. Woods said as he filled out a hall pass, "but is something bothering you? You seemed distracted today."

Ichabod and Mable sniffed Anna's hands gently. She stroked their backs, smiling as they leaned into her touch. "Sorry. Things've been really rough for my family's bakery."

"It's Sweet Surprise, right? The one on Abbey Road?"

"Yup, that's the one."

"Caleb grabs us bear claws from there whenever his team at the lab finishes a project." Ichabod and Mabel scampered away from Anna to dive into the trashcan. Mr. Woods sighed as they burrowed through used paper towels and crumpled up sticky notes. "Sorry, they always start foraging whenever I'm craving something."

"You should see me whenever Grandpa makes a fresh batch. My bees go straight for the glaze!" Not that she could blame them. Nobody could resist her grandpa's famous maple cinnamon glazed bear claws. They'd been on Sweet Surprise's menu for decades, and even after all this time, they were still one of their most popular treats.

"I've always been partial to the raisins, myself." Mr. Woods cocked his head to the side. "You said your folks aren't doing well?"

"We might have to shut down Sweet Surprise if we don't get enough money, but I found something that might help." Anna showed him the flier for Sliced's auditions. She'd circled the application deadline with a red pen. "I still need to raise money so I can apply, but I've got lots of ideas for recipes!"

"Ideas that make it hard to focus on anything else?"

Anna blushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get so carried away." Last semester when the only things at stake had been a grade on one project and the chance to make her grandpa proud, she'd spent countless hours perfecting her recipe. Those cookies wouldn't cut it this time, not when she'd be competing against some of the most talented young bakers in the country. Whatever she made couldn't just be good. It had to be one of the best things she'd ever made.

"I'd have trouble focusing if my family was going through a hard time, too." Mr. Woods handed back the flier along with a hall pass. "Please promise me you'll at least try to concentrate on schoolwork when you're in class, okay? I know that must be hard right now and I'm proud of you for trying to help your family, but it's important not to neglect your studies."

"I promise." Anna knew keeping that promise would be more difficult than making meringue, and that was saying something since hers never came out with stiff white peaks like her grandpa's. How was she supposed to pay attention to school when she might lose the most important place in the world?

"Good. Now, about that entry fee. I can't promise anything, but there's a big event coming up at the lab where my husband works. I know they've been going nuts trying to find someone to cater the desserts since the place they originally asked to do it canceled on them last week, so maybe Caleb will be able to convince them to give your folks a call." Mr. Woods winked. "Once he knows one of our favorite bakeries is in trouble, it wouldn't surprise me if he makes the call himself."

"Oh my gosh, thank you so much! I'll make sure we bring a bunch of bear claws." Baking a big batch of his husband's favorite pastry was the least she could do to thank Mr. Woods for such a sweet favor.

"Don't thank me yet. I have no idea if they'll actually ask your folks to cater the event." Despite his gentle reminder that things weren't set in stone, Mr. Woods's smile was as warm as a batch of perfectly gooey brownies. "Best of luck with that audition. Remember me when you're famous, okay?"