Each day after that was pretty much the same. Agatha went to school, where she often encountered teasing and taunting from Lila Thompson and her fellow classmates. If it was not for Miss Hesham, she would have dreaded going to school completely.

Agatha had a lot of good times with Miss Hesham. They ate lunch in the cafeteria and talked during recess. Furthermore, Agatha could depend on Miss Hesham to stop the other children from bothering her. They told each other secrets and respected one another.

Miss Hesham was like the parents Agatha never had, She was kind, loving, caring, and was always there to give her advice ad comfort. She never ignored Agatha or pushed her away, and she never yelled at her.

Agatha adored Miss Hesham with all of her heart, but what she wanted was a friend her age. One day, she did.

(Mid-September)

One morning, while Agatha was standing in the schoolyard waiting for school to start, a girl in a dazzlingly white dress ambled over to her.

Agatha recognized her immediately. She was a classmate of hers that she often wondered about. This girl was very beautiful and was one of the best dressed in class. However, she seemed more considerate than the other children because she never made fun of-or laughed at-Agatha.

"Hi," the girl was now greeting.

Agatha smiled shyly. "Hello," she returned. "What is your name?"

"My name is Ruby Mellows. But I already know your name. It is Agatha Trunchbull."

Nodding, Agatha grinned once more.

There was silence for a few moments before Ruby commented, "How come I never seen you playing with any kids? You're always with Miss Hesham."

Agatha sighed. "No one likes me except Miss Hesham. Almost everyone makes fun of me because they think I am ugly."

"That's mean," stated Ruby. "But I don't think you're ugly. I think you're a nice girl."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Well, I think that you are nice too. Do you think we could be friends?"

Ruby beamed. "Of course," she proclaimed. "I would love to be your friend."

And they were chums from that point onward.

(Several minutes later)

When it was time for class to commence, Agatha and Ruby asked Miss Hesham if they could sit next to each other. Miss Hesham jubliantly permitted it.

Secretly, Miss Hesham thought that it was high time Agatha had a companion. She noticed that Agatha was a very lonely child. In addition to that, she seemed to be hungry for love. Agatha told her that her parents were her friends, but Miss Hesham had a feeling that this was not true.

Meanwhile, Agatha had fun with Ruby. During art period, they chatted about how they liked school and what they thought about Miss Hesham. They talked about about the students too.

"I don't like too many of them. Most of them are proud, mean, and selfish," Ruby hissed to Agatha.

Agatha coincided with her. "Yes. I do not like them much either."

When they were at lunch, they discoursed over the food.

"The food tastes better than the food my mother cooks. Mother always burns her food. Sometimes, the food is not finished," noted Agatha.

"My mother is a very good cook. Her food tastes delicious," Ruby declared.

Agatha felt a smidgen of envy when Ruby said this, but she did not say anything about it. She did not want to hurt Ruby's feelings or make her despise her.

But the conversations began to get interesting at recess.

Ruby had enticed Agatha into playing hopscotch. The latter was taking turn when she noticed that the former was deep in thought.

"What is wrong, Ruby?" queried Agatha.

Starting, Ruby turned to her. "I was thinking about something. Agatha, do you know Lila Thompson?"

Agatha nodded mutely.

"Well, she told me some mean things about you."

"What?"

Ruby shuffled her feet. "She told me that your parents hate you because you're ugly. I told her that you are not, and that they mustn't hate you because you're nice. But I want to know...Do your parents hate you?"

Agatha could not think of an honest response...she wanted desperately to lie. But something in Ruby's eyes told her that it was safe to be truthful.

"Yes," muttered Agatha. "They do hate me because they think I am ugly. They love my sister, though, because she is pretty.

Ruby looked wistful. "That's plain wrong," she murmured. "But I only asked for a reason."

"Why?"

"Because my parents hate me too."

Agatha was stunned. She had not expected that to be the reason. "Why would your parents hate you?"

My parents hate me because I'm not a boy. They really wanted a son, but I heard my mother tell a neighbor that she couldn't have anymore children."

"Do you parents yell at you a lot?"

"Yes, but they mostly ignore me. At least they give me nice things. Lila said that your parents dress you in ugly clothes because they hate you. That's not fair. Do you have one pretty dress?"

"No. All of my clothes plain or ugly. My parents say that pretty things would not make me look better."

Ruby's eyes widen in horror, but just before she could say a word, the bell rang and the girls went inside.

(3:01 p.m.)

Agatha waited outside the steel gates for her mother, recounting the day's events. Overall, it was one of the best days of her life. She had a new friend who had a plight similar to her own, and it was good to have a chum who understood what she was going through. Ruby was a kindred spirit.

When Elizabeth picked her up, Agatha decided not to mention Ruby. Her mother might not like it, and if she told her father, Agatha knew that she would be in hot water.

"What are you looking so happy for?" demanded Elizabeth.

"Nothing. School was fun today, that's all," replied Agatha.

Elizabeth pulled her face into a sneer. "You are not in school to have fun. You are in school to learn and to make your way in the world. Speaking of which, your father wants a word with you."

Agatha's insides squirmed. The last thing she wanted was to talk to him! Nothing good ever came out of communicating with him-when she was involved anyway.

She spent the rest of the ride home in absolute dread. Agatha wished that time would move slower, but she soon found herself in front of her house.

Inside, her father was sitting in the parlor, reading The Vanford Enquirer. He stood up as Agatha and Elizabeth entered the house. "Sit down, girl. We need to talk," he commanded.

Agatha did as she was told while Theodore strolled around the room.

Finally, he glared at her. "It is about time you started to earn your keep. You are going to learn to cook and clean. Your mother will teach you. Your lessons will be every weekday after you finish your homework, and a few hours on Saturdays. Do you understand me?

"Yes, Father," Agatha whispered.

"Now go do your homework."

Agatha acquiesced, knowing that the days would be much longer.

(Next day, 4:30 p.m.)

Poor Agatha was exhausted. Her mother had just taught her how to dust and sweep a room. Agatha took to it, wanting to get it over with.

First, she swept the carpet with a partially wet broom. However, it was immensely dusty, and was a half an hour later before the last pile of refuse went into the bin.

Then it was time for the dusting, which was easier to do. All Agatha had to do was whisk the duster over the furniture.

Fifteen minutes later, Agatha was finished. When she turned back to inspect her work, she saw that she did made a lot of progress, but the sofas were still slightly dusty. At least they looked clean.

Elizabeth marched into the parlor to check it out. She ran a finger over the drawers and tables. Then she punched the sofas several times. After that, she gazed at the floor.

"Not bad, for a beginner. Tomorrow I will teach you have to make tea and cook simple foods. Over time, you will learn to cook entire meals. Come now. Supper is ready," she sighed.

(Next day: Recess)

"Your mother is giving you lessons in cooking and cleaning? I wish I could have lessons in that," Ruby mumbled.

Agatha scowled. "Well, I don't. I hate it. It is not fun at all," she groaned.

"But think about it," protested Ruby. "You'll be the first in our grade to learn to cook, at least. My cousin told me that most kids learn to cook in fourth, fifth, and sixth grade."

"Is that supposed to make me happy and grateful?" Agatha demanded.

Ruby nodded. "It should. You'll know how to do more than most kids your age when your, say, thirteen. When I learn to cook, I am going to run away and become a singing sensation."

Agatha chuckled, but Ruby looked hurt, so she apologized. "I was not making fun of you," she stated earnestly.

"It's okay," grinned Ruby, comforted. "I guess it was a funny thing to say. So what is to your mother going to teach you today?"

"To make tea and cook simple foods. Tomorrow I will learn to clean something else."

"Oh, so you learn to cook one day, the clean the other, and so on. Like a pattern, right?"

"Yes."

"Cool."

(Later)

"Turn the stove up halfway. The water will boil presently," instructed Elizabeth.

Agatha was learning to make tea and cook rice and corn. On her mother's orders, she had put the teapot and two pans of water on the stove. Then she turned the stove's knobs upwards to the middle.

When the water in the pans had been boiling for five minutes, Agatha added the rice and corn. Her mother left her to her own devices thenceforth.

Cooking was much more fun than cleaning. The only thing that worried Agatha was that Agatha would over or under cook the food.

Several minutes later, the teapot whistled, but she only turn off that section of the stove and continued to cook.

In thirty minutes, the food was finished and the tea was steeped. Agatha was delighted to see that the food was just right.

When her mother and father tasted the corn and rice later, they did not comment on it, but they did not react negatively to it either. However, later that night when Agatha was in her room, her mother mentioned it.

"That girl is quick to learn, whatever else can be said of her. The corn and rice was adequate. Soon she will be able to serve our guests. Oh, I am not praising her, Theodore. I am only saying what is true," Elizabeth proclaimed.

"Well, it does not matter. All that matters is that we get work out of her. The next time we have guests, make her serve tea and refreshments. When she gets older, she will cook all of the meals except lunch and clean the house for us. That girl is made to serve and work. But not Rebecca Anne. She will be taught to be the perfect heiress," Theodore claimed.