Bernice ran into the gym and sat down on a front row bleacher, trying to catch her breath. She looked around at the crowd of girls who looked as curious as she felt.
The chattering died down to a hush as Principal Stillman walked into the middle of the gym and stood before them.
"Good Afternoon, Ladies." He said, showing his larger than life smile.
"Good Afternoon, Principal Stillman." The Girls said in unison.
Bernice put her hand in front of her mouth to keep from laughing. She couldn't get over how "proper" Smithville High school girls were. It had been years since she'd lived in Chicago, but she was pretty sure that kids in the Windy City didn't address their high school principals in unison.
"As you know..." Stillman was saying. "Each year, Smithville High School holds a special Father/Daughter dance for the Senior class. This year's theme will be Moonlight and Lavender, and it will truly be a magical evening. The dance will be held next month, which will hopefully give you plenty of time to find a date."
Stillman's lame comment brought a wave of laughter from the girls.
Just get on with the details, please...
Finally after several minutes of listening to Stillman drone on about the importance of a father/daughter relationship, he handed out flyers and they were free to leave.
Bernice carefully folded the flyer and slipped it into her pocket. As she grabbed her backpack and ran out of the gym, her mind raced with a million ideas. She could hardly get home fast enough. Tonight her homework would have to wait.
She had a very important email to write.