Shy William and Squeaky Kimberly waited nervously while Ms. Hupp's pen wrote a few last-minute things down on the paper. The class was hushed, staring at the nervous mouse and dalmatian at the center of the room, or at anything that caught their attention. At last, Ms. Hupp flipped the paper over and stared up from her desk; "Very good, Kim and Will. Thank you very much." The class applauded quietly. "Next up: Ket and Panda."
From opposite sides of the room, the tiger and the panda stood up. Ket carried his papers on chapters one and two, and Panda had a paper on chapter three. The tiger inwardly sighed with relief; perhaps the bear wasn't so lazy after all. They stood up in the center of the room in front of the whiteboard, while Ms. Hupp started writing on a new gradesheet.
"All right, who's doing what?"
"I'm doing chapter one and two," Ket said.
"I'm...doing chapter three," Panda finished.
"Okay, let's hear it. Quiet down, everyone, show your classmates respect."
Ket cleared his throat, looking over his papers. "Our report is on the first few chapters of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, a book from The Chronicles of Narnia. In chapter one, the main characters are: Eustace, Edmund and Lucy. Edmund and Lucy are brother and sister, and Eustace is their cousin. Eustace is a really bratty kid, and the other two don't want to go to his house for the whole summer.
"One day, while Edmund and Lucy are talking about Narnia (they had already been there twice before this book) Eustace eavesdrops on them and then comes in to pick on them about it. They start observing a picture on the wall of a ship sailing at sea, and while they talk about it they're magically pulled into the painting..."
Ket proceeded to report on the rest of the first chapter, as well as the second. Meanwhile, Panda stood nervously, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, like he was trying to evade the eyes of the kids watching him. He licked his lips and stared at the sheet in his hands, back up at the class, back down at his sheet.
"Eustace apoligizes for playing the joke on Reepicheep and the chapter ends with him and Lucy going to treat his hand." Ket dropped his papers at his side and looked to his left. "Your turn," he whispered.
"R-right," Panda said, looking at his sheet. "So...um...in chapter Three..." He straightened the paper, which twitched nervously in his palms as they began to sweat a little. He stared at the blank spaces between the questions. "They uh...In chapter th—three they go sailing...um..."
"It's okay, Pan," Ms. Hupp intervened, "Just take your time. You don't need to be nervous."
"Well I..." He dropped the paper and looked down at his feet. "I um...I kind of...don't know what happened."
Ms. Hupp rested her chin on her hand. "Did you not read the chapters?"
"I...I read one and two," he stated, "I didn't get to three..."
"Hmm; Ket, did you manage to get to chapter three?"
With a sigh, Ket nodded. "Yes ma'am," he said.
"Maybe you'd like to tell us about it really quick?"
The tiger pushed his lips to one corner of his mouth. He blinked, staring at the bear who stared back at him pleadingly. Ket narrowed his eyes. "No," he said.
Ms. Hupp leaned back in her chair. "You don't want to report on it? It'll count against you if you don't."
He nodded. "Okay. That's fine."
The raccoon stared from behind her mask at the two boys for a moment, but more at the tiger than the bear. "Okay then," she stated, writing a quick few notes on the gradesheet, "Panda, I would like you to try and catch up over the weekend, please."
"Yes'm," he said quietly amidst the class's murmur.
"If I can have your sheets, please. Next up is Arthur and John," Ms. Hupp's tone was a bit agitated, "Please hurry, we don't have much more time before music class."
* * *
The rest of the day was kept fairly busy. They learned about music from the Renaissance, took a math test, froze their butts off at recess, ate chicken tenders for lunch, and finished learning about dinosaurs in science class with Mrs. Rinder. As usual, Rini left five minutes early to go get ready for patrols, while the rest of the class finished up matching strange names to the beasts which they belonged. Lined up at the door, ready and raring to go, the bell rang and the hallways were immediately flooded with voices, shoe squeaks, laughter and shouting.
Emeral walked a few kids behind Ket, but when they passed their own classroom Ms. Hupp caught him and he followed their teacher inside. Confused, Emeral darted in, but Ms. Hupp told her to step outside because she had to talk with Ket in private. Awkwardly, she stepped out the door, and waited in the hall.
"Ket," Ms. Hupp began, sitting in one of the chairs, "I want to ask you something and I want you to give me an honest answer, okay?"
Ket blinked hesitantly, but nodded his head. "Okay," he said. These conversations were never good.
Ms. Hupp clasped her hands together and set them on her knees, leaning forward. "Do you...feel like you might not be challenged enough?"
He tilted an ear, twitched a whisker. "I don't really know what you mean," he replied.
"Well, I didn't concern myself for a while because you seemed to be improving but lately I've noticed you...lacking enthusiasm. I know it can be boring repeating a grade for a second time, especially since your reasons don't have to do with grades. I just would hate to see you falling into Ritzer's habits; not doing your work, distracting yourself and others in class, that kind of thing."
He stared with his lips ajar. Ms. Hupp must have been confused, he had been doing all the work she gave him since the beginning of the year. Was this about the book report? She should be talking to Panda more than him!
But...she was sort of right; he didn't feel challenged. "I...I guess it is pretty boring," he admitted. "It's sort of easy cuz I've done it before."
She rested a hand on his shoulder. "I understand. That's why I wanted to know if you would be interested in being promoted to seventh grade for next year, so that way you can be a little less bored and also be with kids your own age again."
He blinked with surprise. "How...how does that work?" He asked.
"Well," Ms. Hupp smiled. "Your best bet would be to take the sixth grade level standardized test coming up in April. You will still have to take the fifth grade test also." She stood up, the chair beginning to get uncomfortable. "It would mean staying after school for about forty-five minutes at least three days a week, so that I can go over the higher level material. You may have extra homework assignments and you will be taking practice exams, but, in the end if you satisfy the test you can go right into seventh grade."
"I dunno..." Ket said nervously, "Do I have to do that?"
Ms. Hupp shook her head. "No no, of course not dear. That's completely up to you; no one will tell you what you should or shouldn't do." She took him by the shoulder and walked him to the door. "Take a weekend to think about it. Talk it over with your mom. No matter what you choose, we support you wholly. We just wanted to give you the opportunity, that's all." She opened the door, "Now go on and enjoy your weekend!"
"Thank you," Emeral heard him say, "I'll think about it. See you Monday." He turned to her, letting out a bit of air. "Sorry about that. Ready to go?"
"What was that all about?" She asked as they walked through the cafeteria.
"Nothing interesting." He opened the door to the outside world, and Emeral pulled her hood over her head, and her turtle-neck over her muzzle.
They set foot out into the cold, a thin layer of crunchy snow underneath their shoes. Even though kids were still around and the buses were just now leaving, they walked together without fear of being recognized. Their hoods kept their identities secreted, plus kids were more concerned with keeping warm over watching everyone who walked together to figure out exactly who they were.
After the teacher-manned crosswalks, and on the residential streets, Ket noticed that today the walk home was one of their more unusual. First of all, they hadn't said a word since their brief exchange in the cafeteria ten minutes prior. But the front that had come in, bringing colder-than-wanted air, made it so that when Ket opened his mouth his teeth began to hurt. He assumed hers would too, so that was why they were so silent.
Unusual thing number two was that they did not hold hands by now. They had gotten used to walking home together and became more comfortable holding hands, even at the risk of a car passing by with someone who might know them. They could play it off as just being cautious to keep the one nearer to the street from falling into traffic. But today Emeral kept her hands shoved into her jacket pockets. Again, it was cold, so Ket didn't mind because his fingers had already gotten very numb.
Unusual thing number three was that Emeral had a very strange expression on her face. Her eyes were straightforward, her brow flat, and her lids half-closed. But, really, she was facing the wind just like he was and the turtleneck over her muzzle probably added to the ice-cold effect of her gaze.
They arrived at the gate. Emeral stood expectantly while Ket, being the gentleman that he was, pushed the code in with his stiff fingers. He had to do it twice though, because one of the buttons didn't register. Beside him, Emeral huffed steam when she heard the error-beep chitter forth from the little speaker.
Up the steep driveway and at the front door, Ket fished in Emeral's backpack for her purse and then fished in her purse for the key. Using it on the door, he unlocked it, put it back in the purse, and put the purse back in her backpack while she opened the door and walked inside. He was about to step through as well, when the door shut on him.
"H—hey," he said, knocking. The jamb crunched, and the door opened again. "Thanks," he said with cold teeth, stepping through the threshold into the warm air.
"Sorry, thought you came in already. Hurry and shut it," she commanded, even as he did so. "Don't forget to take your shoes off."
"I know, I know," he replied, bending over and untying his laces.
"Aren't you going to help me with my jacket?"
"Yeah," he grunted, taking off his second shoe. He straightened up and held her jacket still as she shimmied out of it. He went to the clothing tree and set it on, slipping out of his jacket and putting it on the next branch over. He turned to her, smiled, and walked toward her with his arms rising.
As he neared though, she shoved him away. "Oof!," he huffed, gazing at her with surprise. "What was that for?"
She folded her arms, a searing look on her eyes. "I don't hug people who are jerks." She stated.
"People...who are jerks?" He asked.
She nodded with one, emphatic rise and fall of her jaw, her hair rippling just a bit.
"I'm a jerk?" He asked.
She threw her hands up and looked at him like he was dumb. "Are you really that dense?"
"How am I a jerk?" He asked sharply.
"I don't know," she said, turning around and crossing her arms. "Why don't you ask Panda?" She looked back at him over her shoulder. "I'm sure he'd like to explain how much of a jerk you are, embarrassing him in front of the entire class."
Ket's brows narrowed. "Hey. He said he was going to read chapter three. You have no idea what happened yesterday; he didn't do any work."
"So?" Emeral turned back around so he could see just how irritated she was at him. "I had a hard time reading cuz I'm dyslexic. Are you saying that if I didn't read that chapter you'd let me drown up there like you did Panda?"
"Of course not, you're my girlfriend."
"Yeah, well, you won't have any kind of 'friend' if you keep acting like a jerk like that. You should have been nice and covered for him; I'm sure he would have done it for you."
Ket sighed with agitation. "Do you want your five-minute hug or not?"
"No." She said flatly. "I told you, I don't hug jerks."
"Kay, fine," he replied curtly, retrieving his jacket from the tree.
"Where do you think you're going?" She asked.
"Home."
"But I haven't seen you all week. I thought we'd hang out today."
"We see each other at school every day. Besides, you're mad at me."
"So? I'm mad at you now but maybe if you hang out with me I'll consider being nice to you again if you can prove you're not a jerk."
"I can't hang out today," he explained, "I have to go rent a movie."
"What for?"
This was starting to get irritating. "Friday night is family night."
"'Family Night'?" She asked bitterly, "How does that work?"
Ket didn't really understand the question. "...We rent a movie and watch it together. How else would it work?"
"But it's just you and your mom. That's a date. You have to a be a family to have family night."
Ket felt his hackles rise. He was speechless, and he felt his anger boiling up. He turned to the door, opened it up. "Later Emmy," he said curtly.
"Fine, just leave me here all alone and bored!" She said, following him partway out the door before she pulled back into the warmth and slammed it shut with a grunt of fury. She rested upon it, her palms pressed against the solid wood, staring at the cream-white paint. She breathed heavily several times, and then suddenly pushed away, got into a fighting-stance, and shouted with all of her diaphragm.
* * *
In her room, Emeral sat upon a bean bag chair situated in the far corner from her bed. Behind her, the reading light on the long pole shined brightly against the pages of the book in her left hand. In her lap was an ice-pack, on which she rested her right hand. The coldness made her right shoulder shiver every now and again.
Outside it was well past dark. They hadn't eaten dinner yet; dad was working late. But that was fine, she didn't have an appetite anyway. She could hear mom humming to herself as she worked in the laundry room, slamming the washer door shut and starting the cycle. Her humming receded down the hall and back into the kitchen, passing Emeral's almost-shut door along the way.
The little red phone chirped at her feet, signifying her to take a break from the ice pack for a while. She set the pack aside and reached down for her phone, opening it up and hitting the little red phone icon to shut the alarm off. But what flicked away from the screen was not her alarm.
Call rejected.
Her lips fell ajar as she went to the history. Her eyes pulsed, and she quickly selected the most recent call to dial it back. It rang for a couple seconds before it was picked up. From a distance away, his voice carried through the air from the little ear-speaker.
"Hello?"
She moved it to her ear. "H...hey," she said softly. "...You-um... ... You called?"
"Yeah," was all he said.
"...Why?" She questioned, but it almost sounded like she was irritated.
"...I just," he spoke awkwardly, "thought it might be a nice move. Forget about it I'll jus—"
"No-wait-don't—" She froze, silence on the other end. She waited several seconds until finally; "...Hello?"
"Hello," he replied with a sigh.
"You sound angry," she pointed out with a bit of a pout.
Another sigh, "Listen, Emmy, I know I was a jerk and you're right. But I don't want us to end the day angry so...I just wanted so I'm sorry for—"
"Bullshit!" She hissed.
"Well, fine, if you don't want to hear it I'll just—"
She mewed, and spoke very quickly and high-pitched, "No, I didn't mean it like that I..." she froze again, unsure if he'd hung up.
"...You just what?" He asked, still a little irritated but willing to listen.
"Nevermind," she spoke with a wilt, "I used the wrong word but it doesn't matter."
"Second rule," Ket said flatly.
Emeral sighed. "...You're not the one that should apologize. I went too far today."
"I forgive you," he replied, irritation gone from his voice. "Were you bored all day?"
She shook her head, even though she was talking on the phone. "No. I...I got all my homework done. I'm almost done with the last chapter for this week. ...How was...family night?"
"It was a gigantic bust," he replied, but he sounded rather okay-disappointed about it.
"...Cuz I ruined it?" She asked meekly.
"Wha—? No. The rental place didn't have any videos," he explained.
Emeral furrowed her brow. "...How does a movie rental not have any movies?"
"No it had movies, it didn't have any videos."
"I...I still don't get it."
Ket made a frustrated noise, "They only had DVDs, they didn't have any videotapes."
"You mean you don't have a DVD player?" Emeral blurted.
A sigh came from the other end. "Not everyone is rich like your family Emmy." But then he immediately followed up with, "Jeez, sorry. That was low, I didn't mean it that way—"
"No it's okay; it doesn't come close to what I said earlier." She replied casually. "It's tough for you and your mom. You guys have a lot more value in whatever stuff you have than my house does." She swirled her finger in the beanbag. "But...don't you guys have videotapes at home? I mean...I know I probably sound real dumb—"
"Yeah, yeah we do," he replied, with a strange tone, "But get this, they've all been recorded over with TV shows like Seinfeld and Cops."
"Who would do that?"
"Who do you think?"
Emeral didn't need long to think. She pursed her lips. "I hate him, Ket. I really do."
"Hang on—" the phone was covered because Emeral could hear muffled words. Then his voice came clear, "I gotta go. Mom needs the phone."
"Wait, just a sec—" she took a breath, whispering, "I know you can't say it back but...please, Ket, I love you. And I'm sorry, okay?"
He paused before saying, "Night, Emmy."
Left without any closure, she nodded. "G'night, Ket."
As soon as she clacked the phone shut she sprinted over to her bed, slamming down into it. She nuzzled her pillows, not crying but not exactly staying dry either. She hated these little fights, wished she wouldn't be so dumb and get them into all this. After all, she was the one who wanted him as a boyfriend in the first place.
Now she was at a loss: she wanted to really show him how sorry she was because there was no way he could really believe her. But it would take something really, really nice. A surprise. Not a present, that was dumb, plus Christmas just happened. And it had to mean something; something that told him she really cared about him and his fam—
Christmas!
The idea hit like a hippo cannonballing into the Dead Sea; she lifted her head up, staring at her doorway with mouth agate. It could work. They didn't need it anymore; and...and.. She crawled off the bed, slamming her bruised hand against the ground without even caring about the pain. "Hey, Mom?" She shouted, running into the hallway.
