Chapter 14

By the time Ashley and her parents arrived at Southwest High School early that afternoon; her legs muscles ached and her back was screaming for relaxation. The medical test was a lot more brutal then a regular training day, and it was one she hoped she would never have to do again.

'Can't we post-pone this to another day?' she groaned as she rubbed her back and winched immediately at the pain.

'No we can't there is a lot to get through in this meeting and the sooner we can get it done then the sooner you can start school,' her mother replied, Daniel parked the rented Ford station wagon in a free parking space next to a shiny black Nissan Silva and three of them exited the car. Ashley grimaced as she rubbed her back again.

'Stop doing that,' her mother said.

'It hurts,' she moaned.

'Well bare with it for now please.' Catalina remarked and Ashley pulled a face behind her mother's back. They walked up a concrete path stairway that led to the entrance of the tall three-story building. At the right-hand side of the steps, was a wooden sign that read: 'Welcome to Southwest High' along the top and just below the welcome message was written: 'Excellence is our aim and we aim to please.'

Ashley and her parents walked inside the building and the first thing they saw pasted against the wall in front of them was a long rectangular trophy cabinet stacked with hundreds of trophies, certificates and awards from a variety of sporting and academic activities

'Wow.' Ashley muttered.

'Come on the reception is this way,' Daniel said they headed down the left side of the large corridor, with its endless rows of lockers, and doorways into class rooms; and from time to time as they passed each room Ashley had a quick peep inside. In many of the classrooms there looked to be a large number of students and in others only a small collection. They reached the front reception area where inside the main office it looked like a buzz of activity was happening with two middle-aged women furiously typing away on theier computers and chatting animatedly on the phone. One of the two women looked up from their computer screen and motioned for them to take a seat, which Daniel and Catalina did but Ashley remained standing. She noticed where they were by the reception area directly opposite was two closed doors. The door on the right-hand side had a golden plague against it with black writing: 'Mrs Henderson head principal'

'Sorry about that sir, our phones have been going off all morning,' the woman remarked she came out of the reception area with a clipboard in-hand.

'Not a problem, first week back at school for everyone?' Daniel asked and the woman nodded.

'Yes, certainly is and it's been chaotic.' She replied.

'Now then.'

She looked at Ashley for a brief moment.

'Are you enrolling here Miss?' she asked.

'Yeah.' Ashley said.

'We have a meeting with a Mrs. Henderson,' Catalina said.

'Yes. Sure if I can just get you to fill out these forms. It won't take longer than ten minutes or so, then Mrs. Henderson will be right with you,' the woman explained.

'Sure that is fine we're happy to wait,' Catalina added she took the clipboard with the papers attached to it along with the blue pen and began to fill it out.

'Can I go for a walk?' Ashley asked.

'Sure honey just don't be too long, you don't want to miss out on the meeting,' her mother remarked a sly grin on her face Ashley pretended to huff and roll her eyes.

Yeah, thanks mum like I'd miss it at all.' She said.

'Of course you won't now go on, go and take a look around.' Her stepfather encouraged and Ashley didn't need to be asked twice. She headed off down the corridor pass another long row of lockers and more class rooms. One of the room doors was left open however and she heard a fair bit of noise coming from it. Curious she moved closer hugged the side wall and ever so cautiously poked her head around the corner. Inside of the room a group of seven or eight kids sitting together on top of the desks with the chairs scattered all around in a messy state.

'So yeah we won by a huge margin yesterday. Coach is happy and he says if we keep playing like that for the next few games, then by the time the season kicks off we will be far better prepared than all the other teams,'

'How cool will that be as well? Then we will definitely be champions for sure unlike last year,'

'Yeah, screw the Eagles they robbed us.'

Ashley did her best to try and not laugh and give her position away she was used to hearing this sort of talk but it was amusing nonetheless.

'Man I'm hungry I'm going to grab a bite from the cafeteria.'

There was the noise of the chair scrapping the floor and shuffling of footsteps Ashley pretended to be interested at a painting hanging on the wall and in the reflection she saw a guy with dark brown hair wearing a loose plain black t-shirt and baggy shorts leave the room. He didn't even give her a glance and just kept walking and once he was a fair distance out of ear shot she turned back to the doorway of the room the rest of group were still chatting away; but this time instead of eaves dropping she walked into the room.

'Hey!' one of the kids called out she turned around.

'Hello.' She said.

'This is a private room go away china girl,' one of the boys' spat but Ashley only smiled back at them.

'I overheard you guys talking about a hockey game,' she remarked.

'Yeah? What about it?' the same guy said.

'Well can I join in too?' she asked, the guy and his friends burst out laughing all of them pointed at her.

'As if! You wouldn't last; this game is for the big boys. Go back to playing on the computer and doing your maths equations or whatever it is your type is good at,' he replied but Ashley just smiled coyly in return.

'I have a far better idea.' She said.

'Not interested so just get lost.' He said before Ashley could come up with a reply she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

'Maybe next time then,' she said the guy just laughed and waved his hand.

'Whatever,' he said and turned back to continue chatting with his friends, Ashley left the room and jogged back down the corridor her parents were already waiting for her and so was a middle-aged women dressed in a navey blue business skirt and a white shirt.

'Miss Pearson?' she asked.

'Yeah.'

'Ok good I'm Mrs Henderson the principal of the school, pleased to meet you,' Mrs Henderson remarked.

'Yeah, yeah same here I guess.' Ashley answered they followed Mrs Henderson into her office.

'Please take a seat.' She said nodding to her desk, there were three chairs already there perched directly in front of a long rectangular wooden desk with a computer, a lamp, printer and other office supplies. Behind the desk was a book shelf filled with files and books all to do with the school.

'So you want to enrol here?' Mrs Henderson asked. Ashley looked at her parents they both nodded.

'Um...yeah,' she remarked.

'Very well let me see what we have here.' Mrs Henderson replied she put on her reading glasses and browsed through the papers on the clipboard.

'I see you love your sport.' Mrs Henderson remarked she peered over her glasses.

'Yes, I do, but I just play hockey.' Ashley answered.

'Well that is a good thing since our school has a hockey team and a very good one. I'm sure you'll fit right in with them.' Mrs Henderson added; immediately Ashley thought back to those kids she'd seen a few minutes earlier.

'Yeah ok that will be cool,' she remarked.

'And it says here your strongest subjects are English and computer studies,'

'Yup.'

Mrs Henderson stopped flipping through the papers she folded her arms across the desk and looked at the family.

'I would like to see your recent school reports as well to go along with this file we have now, is there any way you can get those sent as soon as possible?' she asked.

'I've contacted our daughter's school back home in New Zealand yesterday and they will fax a copy first thing in the morning,' Catalina replied.

'All right well on what we have here I am happy to accept your enrolment into our school.' Mrs Henderson answered.

'Really?' Daniel and Catalina asked; somewhat surprised at her quick decision she nodded.

'Even with the information you have given us here I can judge students quickly, and your daughter here obviously has some talents that our school system can sharpen, only if she is willing to apply to her studies and work just as hard at it as she does with her sport,' Mrs Henderson added.

'But let us not forget I was on the phone with Mrs Illitch earlier and she has explained to me the details of everything as to why we were recommended by the club. When the time comes we will find a way to schedule your school timetable around the hockey schedule.' Mrs Henderson remarked.

'Ok thank you,' Ashley said.

'I do want to remind you though that just because of that particular perk you have it is still important you keep to your studies while you are a student here.' Mrs Henderson answered Ashley nodded so did her parents.

'That sounds good so the sooner she can get started the better,' Catalina said

'Of course but first let us now sort out your core subjects and the electives,' Mrs Henderson added she moved to one side of her desk and opened up the drawer ruffled around in there and placed a folder in front of them. The folder was neatly organized into subjects' headings along with papers inside detailing all the subjects available.

'I just have a few errands to run at the moment so I'll leave you for a few minutes to discuss what you'd like to do and then we can make the final arrangements for you to start here first thing tomorrow morning.' She added.

'Thank you, we really, really appreciate you doing this in such a short space of time,' Daniel said he rose from his seat to shake hands with Mrs Henderson she returned the hand shake and did the same with Catalina.

'Just take your time with this; it is a big decision especially for you Miss Pearson. We want to ensure all of our students are happy with their choices,' she added.

'Ok.' Ashley said, the elderly woman than walked out of the office and left the family alone to make their decision.

'Well then honey go on, pick out what you want.' Her mother said.

'I don't know,' Ashley said. She looked at the papers in front of her a helpless expression on her face.

'It's too confusing,' she added.

'We have plenty of time honey and don't worry. Read through everything carefully and make your choice. You know your father and I will support you as we've done from the very beginning,' her mother answered.

'Yeah, yeah I know. But...it is all so different to what I know at home.' Ashley said.

'Ashley, sweet heart I think this is a very good opportunity for you to be a grown up,' her step father added Ashley looked at her parents the both of them gave encouraging nods.

'Ok well here goes,' she remarked.