Status: school in session, posting when I can

After You

6

The next morning, I heard a small dinging noise. I ignored it and rolled over to go back to sleep. Then a knock sounded on the door and Jake entered, carrying bundles of clothes.
"I come bearing gifts," he said.
"Presents!" Adam jumped out of bed and ran to Jake, who gave him his bundle. Adam unrolled the bundle and looked sad to see it was clothes.
"This is your new school uniform. You need to wear them Monday through Friday since there are classes." Jake closed the door so we could get ready.
"Man, this is bullshit," Adam said as he pulled the white uniform shirt over his head.
I sat up and walked over to Adam's bed, where Jake had deposited the other uniforms. Each one had a white collar shirt, a blue sweater vest with HATT on it, a necktie, and black pants. I took one and started to get changed. Nick still seemed to be asleep.
"Should I wake him?" I asked.
"Nah, just let him sleep. If he misses the first bell, he'll get extra community service." Adam opened the door and headed for the bathroom to brush his teeth.
I finished getting dressed and tying my necktie and then made my bed. No sooner than I finished brushing my teeth did the breakfast bell ring. Nick was still in bed when I hurried back to the room to get my messenger bag with my textbooks.
The whole school looked exactly the same. All the girls had the sweater vests, neckties, and skirts and all the guys had the sweater vests, neckties, and pants. We found Stephanie, who had pulled her hair into a ponytail carrying her books near a girl from her dorm.
"Where's that nerdy guy you two were with yesterday?" she asked.
"Our roommate, Nick?" Adam asked. "He was tired so we let him sleep. He'll get community service if he sleeps long enough." Adam chuckled and went on about his business.
After breakfast, we were supposed to report to Hades Hall, where all of our classes took place. Instead, I headed for the community service house, right next to Hades Hall. There were about ten other people heading to community service with me. I guess they would be my community service class.
Headmaster Wilkins was waiting for us in the front hall of the building.
"Once a week, you will be visiting an elementary school not too far off from here. We'll take the bus on Monday mornings after breakfast, so meet at the gates instead of the building next week." He motioned for us to follow him to the front gates where a grim reaper bus was waiting for us. We all filed in then headed to the elementary school.
Headmaster Wilkins told us we would each get a child that we would tutor every Monday. They were first graders so we were told to be patient with them. When we neared the school, the bus stopped and we exited quietly. We did a lot of things quietly at this school.
The school was called Missing Identities Elementary and looked rusted and old, just like our school did.
As we entered the building, a receptionist showed us to the first grade classrooms. Five of us went to each of the three classrooms. I was in classroom 1C. I was the last one in the classroom and there were small groups of children sitting at small tables. There were five tables of three children. Their teacher told us to pick a table after she gave us a curriculum guide we had to follow to help them each week. I could tell these kids were the kind of kids that in the long run would end up at HATT for high school.
I got a guide from the teacher and sat down at the last empty table there was. My three kids were very timid and shy. There were two boys and a girl. The girl was sucking her thumb and mumbling under her breath that she wanted her mommy. The two boys were coloring on the table. I didn't see any paper, but the teacher didn't seem to care.
"My name is Daniel," I said. "I'm in the ninth grade. What are your names?"
"Sally," the little girl said. Then she put her thumb right back in her mouth. Her blond hair was pulled back into pigtails.
"Jonny," said the little boy with short black hair.
"Isaac," the last boy said. Then he flipped his blond hair out of his face.
In the rest of the time I had with those three kids, I learned that Isaac and Sally were twins and Jonny had two sisters that went to school with me.
"Their names are Gwen and Stephanie," he told me.
"I know them," I said. "That's really cool."
"No it's not. Because of Gwen, I have to go to that stupid school that I don't want to go to but have to go to. It's all her fault." Jonny pouted and went back to coloring on the desk.
Headmaster Wilkins came in at around 8:30 and told us it was time to start boarding the buses so we could get back to school. I told my students good bye and promised Jonny I would say hi to Stephanie for him.
When we got back to school, I headed to Hades Hall and found the math lab, where my algebra class would take place. Stephanie was in my class and I sat in the empty seat next to her and told her I met her brother. The bell rang and our teacher, Professor Paddington walked to the front of the room and started a lecture on the classroom rules. Then as he was passing out workbooks, we heard shouting in the hall.
"I'm late! I overslept!" Stephanie and I knew right away that Nick was finally about to make his way to class. He wrenched the door open to the math lab and everyone turned towards the door. Nick looked very disheveled in what was not the uniform that was set out for him on Adam's bed. Obviously he didn't see it. He looked a mess in his plaid sweater vest and slacks.
He looked around the room.
"Why does everybody look the same?" he asked. Snickers could be heard around the room.
"Mr. Dean, if you would do everyone a favor and wear the appropriate uniform to class and not be late. You missed my important lecture on the classroom rules," Professor Paddington said.
"But..."
"No buts. After the ninth grade community service hour, instead of free time, you will come to my classroom and help me organize papers in my messy filing cabinet. Now take a seat."
Nick, completely embarrassed on the first day of classes, hurried to the last empty seat in the back of the room. Professor Paddington handed him a workbook and headed back to the front of the classroom.
"Let's start with a light review. Complete the first five pages in your workbook and bring them to my desk so that I may check them." He turned around and wrote the assignment on the board. I looked at Stephanie and she gave me a smile and went to work. I couldn't help grinning for the rest of the class period. Professor Paddington saw me and told me to wipe the grin off my face and finish working. I wiped off the grin, but I still couldn't believe that I wasn't the one getting in trouble. For the first time, a nerd had gotten in trouble instead of me. The universe was taking a turn, but finally for the better.
♠ ♠ ♠
Comments are always welcome! I know more people have been reading, but you haven't been commenting! It would be really helpful if anybody reading this would comment so I could make the story better.