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The High Holidays had come to Greendale, and Annie was pleased to see that this year, the school had actually seemed to make an effort to acknowledge them. It wasn't much, but there were at least apples and honey in the cafeteria, plus a jaunty series of "Happy Fasting!" and "Enjoy Your Repentance!" posters in the hallways.
Annie wasn't sure if it was her influence – all those quietly pointed conversations she'd had with the Dean during their event organizing sessions – or if the Dean had decided that this was part of being a real college with diversity. Or if it was because of the Jewish Student's Union threatening to sue after the Dean publicly expressed surprise that there was a Jewish Student's Union. But whatever it was, Greendale had gotten into the New Year's spirit.
Some of it, anyway.
"No skipping class," Senor Chang said flatly.
"I'm not skipping," Annie protested. "I have to go to temple. I need to be excused."
"And no excuses." He folded his arms and leaned back in his chair, eyeing her. "If this is such a big deal, why didn't you say anything about it last year, huh?"
She blinked. "Well… Rosh Hashanah was on a Saturday, and you canceled class on Yom Kippur because you said you were sick, and when Shirley asked what was wrong you said you were sick of all of our faces, and–"
"Whatever." Chang considered. "Still no."
Annie gaped at him. "You can't do this! This is discrimination!"
"Please. I don't get to take off for Tet, is that discrimination too?"
She hesitated. "But… that's Vietnamese. Don't you mean Chinese New Year?"
"Oh, so just because I'm Chinese I can't celebrate Tet? That's racist!" He leapt to his feet, suddenly outraged. Annie stared at him.
"I—what? No—" Shake it off, Edison. You've been dealing with him for a year now! She steeled herself and looked him in the eye and tried to ignore that her fists were shaking at her sides. "Now you listen to me. You can't do this."
"Why not, little Ana? I'm in charge around here!"
"The Dean's in charge!"
"Well—" He faltered, and for a moment, thinking she'd won, Annie felt a surge of triumph. But her hopes were quickly crushed when he said, "I'm second in command. And good luck trying to get me in trouble. Until Greendale finds another Spanish teacher willing to sacrifice his health, happiness, and liver function to this miserable place, I can do whatever I want."
And the problem with that was, Annie realized with a sickening lump in her gut, he was right. "You just wait," she warned, pointing at him. "This isn't over."
Chang flapped his hand at her. "Yeah, yeah." He sat back down and kicked his feet up onto the desk, putting his sombrero over his face. "Turn off the lights on the way out. I've got like five minutes before my next class."
Annie grit her teeth. "This isn't over," she said again, as menacingly as she could possibly muster, and stormed out, leaving the lights on. That'd show him!
…A little.
