Nearly
seven weeks had passed since that night when Sandy had been attacked in
her own home. Time had passed peacefully with no more attempts to
kidnap her.
(Likely because there was a shortage of incompetent
criminals. In the cutthroat business of crime, the incapable ones
would be weeded out quickly. Of course by that logic, that meant that
the next attempt on Sandy would be a more serious threat.)
(Not that
Sandy realized that. Especially when faced with a very real
difficulty that was just round the corner. Final year examinations,
while not as life-threatening, was a large concern in the life of a
high school student. Especially for a person who dreaded questions
she could not answer. Lots of questions on neat pieces of paper. Over
the duration of three days.)
Sandy
arrived in school by police patrol car on that clear, windy morning
as she always had. It was the first day of the week, the first day of
exams. She went straight to her class where she found Ariel seated at
her desk, reading her notebook. Sandy stepped up to her.
"You
didn't forget about the exams this time, did you?" Ariel asked
without taking her eyes off her notes.
"No,
I'm ready this time," Sandy announced, "I've got my pens
and pencils ready!"
"Okay,
but have you studied?" Ariel asked.
"Studied?
Well... I did, a little... I did finish all my homework, though! ...
(eventually)..."
"Looks
like you won't be in my class next year," Ariel commented, eyes
still on the notebook in her hands.
"What
do you mean?"
Ariel
rolled her eyes up to Sandy. "If you fail, you'll be held back a
year."
"What?
Really?"
"Even
if you do pass, you're going to end up in the 'special' class,"
Ariel added.
"'Special'
class?" Sandy repeated.
"For
those who don't do well," Ariel said, "Gives you a chance
to catch up."
"You
still hate me, don't you?" Sandy asked directly.
Ariel
put her notebook down and frowned at Sandy. "After what you put
me through, yes," she said.
"Hey,
you tried to kill me!" Sandy threw back.
Ariel
turned away sadly.
Oops.
Maybe Sandy had hit a little too low.
Sandy
was vaguely aware that a few of her closer classmates were listening
in on her talk with Ariel. Those classmates each had an ear directed
at the girls' conversation. Awkward...
Just
then, Esper and Selina entered the class. Esper went straight to
Sandy and Ariel.
"Why
so gloomy?" Esper asked cheerfully, "A few days of exams
and then it's the summer!"
The two
girls remained silent.
"Hey,
what's wrong?" Esper noted Ariel's notebook. "Haven't
finished your studying?"
Ariel
gave her a dark look.
"Well,
excuse~ me." Esper hurried away.
***
(Exams
might mean the world for the teenager facing it but to the casual
observer, it was just hours and hours of students seated at their
desks, writing their answers or composing essays. Or staring blankly
outside the window into the sky.)
(It was
terribly boring to watch. Maybe in the future, someone might come up
with a fun way to grade students. Something like Final Exam Extreme
Challenge! Students have to answer questions while skydiving or
balancing on a tightrope or something similarly physical.)
(Someone
would probably try to make a reality TV show out of it too.)
The exams did eventually end for Sandy. But school lasted a little
longer. There were still two days left in the semester. That Thursday
was the first of the two.
Homeroom
was on the first period of the day, instead of after lunch. Once the
attendance was taken and the announcements were made, the students
were free to do as they wished. Which left Sandy bored with nothing
to do.
(That was
why students joined clubs. Those gatherings of teenagers with similar
interests were places where a person could hang out and do fun stuff.
The two free school days were usually used to plan summer activities
or start holiday projects. Or to collectively goof around.)
The
bespectacled Ariel had unsurprisingly joined the Culinary Society.
Esper and Selina were with the Drama Club.
Sandy
was left sitting alone in the cafeteria. With a few of the seedier
students of the school. There was a group of them drinking and
talking loudly at one of the tables. Drinking soft drinks of course,
since they were underage. Other than the students and the cafeteria vendors, there was a man in
overalls who had entered the cafeteria carrying a toolbox.
The day
was hot. Sandy wished she could afford a cold, sugary drink. Once her
fortune came true and she inherited her money, she would be able to
afford a can of ice-cold fizzy drink everyday. She could even buy her
own vending machine. For that moment, however, she had to settle for
a cold drink from the drinking fountain.
Sandy
turned and saw that the man in overalls was dismantling the drinking
fountain. What a time for him to perform maintenance! When Sandy got
rich, she would buy her own mobile drinking fountain!
Annoyed
by the inability to have a cool drink and finding the voices and the
laughter of the students a little too much, Sandy decided to take her
schoolbag for a walk.
No comments:
Post a Comment