It was Tuesday.
Sandy was pedaling her red bicycle up the street, on her way to the start of her new life, to her first day as a high school student. She was so not looking forward to it. Already, she missed her summer holidays, the days of sleeping in bed till the sun was high, the days of watching television and listening to the radio with no worry in the world.
The days of doing household chores and then being bored with nothing to do. Okay, high school just might be fun and exciting, hopefully. Besides, she might find her wealth there. She certainly had not found it at home during the weekend since she had her fortune read.
Her new school, Fernham High, was lively that morning. Students were arriving for a new semester of school. There were a few, like Sandy, who arrived on bicycles. There were also those who were dropped off by parents or school buses in front of the school or across the street. There were also those who arrived on foot, either from the bus stop or nearby homes.
Sandy wheeled her bicycle into the shed, which was located within the school walls, just next to the entrance. That was where the students left their bicycles, where they would be safe from the weather. There were rows of grating where bicycles could be chained to. Sandy knew of that building when she had visited the school during the summer holidays to register and get acquainted with the school's layout.
Actually, it was her guardian, Momma Lois, who had dragged her to school to get her familiar with the place. Sandy had wanted to lie in bed and listen to music.
Sandy took off her helmet and locked up her bike. She exchanged her helmet for her schoolbag in the basket mounted above the back wheel. Then she stepped out onto the driveway.
Her mind wandered to the burnt card that had her fortune written on it. It was a reminder that she would one day be rich. That card was now in the back pocket of her baggy shorts. Shorts and T-shirt, proper attire for riding a bike on a cool windy morning.
She looked up and down the driveway. Her fortune had mentioned hidden wealth where she would not look. So where could her wealth be? If it was in school, she was going to find it someday and get rich! Aside from that, she wondered what she was supposed to do while she was there.
Sandy spotted the blond Ariel Peterson, who had been her classmate from middle school. As always, Ariel had her shoulder-length hair tied into a ponytail. That day, she wore a light blue skirt, something Sandy could not wear while riding a bike.
"Ariel!" Sandy called her friend.
"Sandy!" Ariel greeted back with a pleasant smile. She had a pair of thick-rimmed glasses that hid her gray eyes. "What class are you in?"
Sandy thought for a moment. Then she searched through her bag for her registration papers. "9-B," she said when she had found the detail.
"Looks like we're classmates again," Ariel commented.
"So, ah, it looks like you've filled out a bit over the summer," Sandy observed, "Is this the return of the 'Air Blimp'?"
"Stop that!" Ariel huffed with indignation. "You know I don't like to be called that!" She moved her schoolbag in front of her to hide her waist. "I just had very good food over the holidays."
"Uh huh."
"Surely you've better things to do than to point out my weight!" Ariel grumbled.
"Well..." Sandy shifted from foot to foot.
"You're wondering what you're supposed to do," Ariel guessed, "for school, I mean."
"Yeah," Sandy admitted.
Ariel shook her head. "Still as lost as ever. We can drop off our bags in class. Then there's assembly in the gym." She turned and led the way to their class.
"It's amazing. You know everything," Sandy complimented as she caught up with her friend.
Ariel looked at her with narrowed eyes. "It's written in the handout they gave us when we registered." She indicated the papers still in Sandy's hand. "You didn't bother to read them, did you?"
"Ah, no," Sandy confessed. There had been more important things to do during the summer holidays, like eating and sleeping. Certainly, there had not been time to read a few slips of paper. After all, it was not anything that would appear in an exam.
Ariel shook her head again.
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