Another year of school has come once again. Luke stands by the door, waiting for Uncle Owen to get his boots on. Luke's bookbag is slung over his shoulder. He's sure it feels heavier than it did last year. Uncle Owen just said that it was because Luke isn't used to carrying a whole bunch of new books at once, and eventually, he'll have less things to take to school. Luke doesn't mind school. He likes to get away from the farm every day, but he knows that once he's through five more years of class, he's going to have to stick around the farm for a long time. He thinks back to the very first time he ever went to school. He was five years old, and was full of questions. Uncle Owen told Luke that he's supposed to go to school for ten years, and when he's sixteen, he is finished, and then must stay on the farm for a few more years.
"Have a good day at school!" Aunt Beru calls from the living room, as Luke and Uncle Owen head outside.
"I will!" Luke shouts back. Luke always makes sure he tells his aunt that he'll have a good day in school, and when she asks how it went later, he always tries to come up with at least a few interesting things he had learned. Aunt Beru never went to school, and Luke knows that for her, he has to learn many things and become very smart. When he was little, he asked her why she was making him go to school, and she had told him that her family didn't have enough money to send her to school, and she had to learn how to read, write, and count at home from her parents. Since then, Luke decided that he wouldn't complain about going, and sometimes, he can tell she appreciates that.
Luke hangs his jacket and his book bag on a hook on the wall. His name is written on a card above the hook in neat printing. It's written in purple ink, and he knows just what that means. It means he has the same teacher as he did last year. Luke supposes that he should have been expecting that. In the five years that he's been in school, she's been the only teacher in the one room schoolhouse. He reaches into his bookbag, and pulls out his brand new writing tablet and books. So far, he's the only one here, other than his teacher. He decides to wait by the door for Biggs and Fixer. Grizz stopped going to school last year, but nobody knows why, except for Luke. Grizz told Luke that he was going to start homeschooling, because his parents didn't have enough money for him to stay at school in town. Luke swore that he wouldn't tell anyone, and even now, he can't think of a single person he mentioned it to. Well, he did tell Aunt Beru. She sympathised with him, and all she said was that she hoped that Grizz finds a good job when he's older.
The door opens, and a couple of girls come skipping into the building. Luke knows them. They're Nona and Lyla Dunehill, and they're twin sisters. Luke used to play tag with them outside once in a while, and sometimes, if Lyla brought her toy ship, she and Luke and his friends would pretend to be pilots. Nona twirls her curly black hair around her finger, but Lyla does not do the same. Luke knows that Lyla isn't one for fancy clothes and hair, and that she's a lot more comfortable around a group of boys than around a group of girls. Luke thinks back to the little girl he met at the market at the very beginning of his holidays off from school, Leia. Leia and Lyla would not mix well.
Behind Nona and Lyla, another girl comes in. Luke takes one look at her, and instantly feels like pulling a face. That girl is Toré Saisie, the daughter of a nobleman on the planet Naboo. Luke knows where Naboo is. He remembers learning about it in school last year. It's not far from Tatooine. Luke doesn't like Toré, and she doesn't like him, either. She didn't make a very good first impression on Luke when the first thing she called him was a "commoner". That was some time in the middle of last year, when her parents moved to Tatooine for some kind of fancy government thing. He hope she moves back to Naboo, and soon.
Finally, Biggs and Fixer come in. They've walked to school together, Luke assumes. They both live in town, and not far from this little building.
"Hey, guys!" Luke says excitedly. Fixer grins.
"Luke! I haven't seen ya in a while!" Biggs nods in acknowledgement.
"How's it goin'?" The dark haired boy bops Luke in the shoulder. Luke pops him one back.
"Let's sit down before our spot gets stolen!" Fixer suggests. Their "spot" is right by the window, where Luke once watched a group of Jawas chasing a wild R5 droid. On warmer days, a cool breeze outside sometimes sends a draft through a crack in the window. On cooler days, the suns shine in through that way in the morning, and leave a warm beam of light on the floor. And, if they're sitting by the window, they don't have to stare across the room to watch outside when they're bored of paying attention. Luke was the one who discovered how awesome this spot is, but Fixer is convinced that it was his idea, and his idea alone. The boys sit themselves down on the floor, and the rest of the students that have come in join them.
"Class," the teacher says. "Before we get started, I have some exciting news!" There are a few whipers and titters from around the room. Luke and his friends look at each other, but they don't know what's going on. "We're going to have a new student in the year five class! Her name is Matay Twinsuns, and she's from Anchorhead. She'll be here soon, so I think you guys need to be very friendly and welcoming to her." A new student? And she's a girl? Luke finds this interesting. He wonders what she's going to look like.
The door opens, and a man who looks Uncle Owen's age comes in. His long beard is curly and brown, and that reminds Luke that he should check in the mirror when he gets home to see if his beard is making any progress. Behind the man, a young girl trails behind, holding a writing tablet close to her chest. Teacher stands up from her stool and walks over to them.
"Hello, Mr. Twinsuns," she says. She looks down at Matay. "Hello, Matay! Come join us!" Matay nods quickly. She scans the room for some place to sit. "There's room beside Luke over there," Teacher suggests. She points at Luke. Luke's heart starts to beat quickly. Matay is a pretty girl. Her sandy hair falls past her shoulders, and her blue eyes are as bright as the sky outside. She looks at Luke, and bats her long, dark eyelashes. She sits down on the floor between him and Biggs. Biggs scoots over to give her a little space to sit down. A few minutes after her father leaves and the class resumes, she pokes Luke in the shoulder.
"You're Luke?" She whispers. Her fine, curly hair hangs in ringlets around her heart-shaped face. Luke nods, not sure what to say.
"Y-yeah. I'm Luke. And that's Biggs." He points at Biggs. "And that's Fixer." Fixer turns around and waggles his eyebrows at Matay. She giggles.
"Our hair is the same colour," Luke remarks. What on Tatooine did I just say? His face starts to feel warm. Matay nods slowly.
"Yeah, kind of. Our eyes are the same colour, too." Luke watches her full, pouty lips as she talks. He nods, and tries to give her a friendly grin.
"Matay, do you wanna play with Biggs and Fixer and I when we go outside for our break?"
"That depends," she replies. "What are you playing?"
"Well, I brought my toy shuttle and another toy ship. I think the other guys brought theirs, too. You can borrow one of my ships if you want." Matay's face lights up.
"That sounds fun!" She says. "I love ships and stuff like that! My dad's a pilot!" Already, Luke is pretty sure he's going to really like this girl.