I walked into the school with Mom, Brad and Dad and looked around nervously. This school was so big and it was kind of nerve-wracking. Elementary school was about as big, but we stayed in one classroom there. I'd have to find my way around the school in less than five minutes. Thankfully, Brad would save me. He'd agreed to come with me to explain things that I wouldn't understand.

The school was painted white and there were big windows. To my left, I saw the office where the secretary and principals were. There were two ways to go. Either left or right. On the left, it led you to classrooms and the right led you to another hall as well as a classroom.

"Follow them," Brad whispered.

I walked down the hall and saw a bunch of computers at the table. There were seats and we took the front row. Mom and Dad sat on either side of us with Brad and I getting to sit together again. With a laugh, Brad whispered something and we laughed hard, causing Mom and Dad to raise their eyebrows.

"You two are silly," Mom chuckled.

I laughed and the principal walked up. He had short brown hair with a mustache and was tall. He had a bit of a gut with a blue suit. The assistant principal had a gray suit on with graying hair and blue eyes.

"Hi. I'm Mr. Griffin, I'm your principal. This is Mr. Tanner. He's your assistant principal," Mr. Griffin smiled.

Dad looked at him curiously and Brad whispered, "Make sure not to anger him and he's a good guy. Mr. Tanner's a bit stricter."

"Let's talk about scheduling," Mr. Tanner started talking.

I whispered to Brad. "Let's talk about getting that mole removed."

Brad laughed and Mom gave us a look to hush.

"All periods are 45 minutes. School starts around 8:00 but you can get here as early as 7:45 with breakfast being served. You're free to roam the halls then, but you can also go to your classrooms."

Brad whispered to me, "You're also allowed to visit friends, go to the library or see teachers if you need any help."

I nodded a thank you to him and Mr. Tanner droned on about the schedule. Neither Brad nor I were paying any attention, so we were quietly planning a prank. Dad got in on the prank since he too was bored. Mom was the only one listening, but she expected that so she wasn't mad.

"We have categories of classes. There's core classes and there are what are called electives which are chosen. Core classes are required and are: math, science, FCS, art, English, wood shop, PE and social studies."

"That's a bit of a duh," Brad whispered. "FCS, art and woodshop are one each trimester. Trimesters run from September to November, December to February and March to May. PE is every other day, alternating with chorus."

"There's plenty of extracurricular activities. There's sports, clubs, the variety show and the school play."

"Fall is cross country, volleyball and football. Girls basketball and wrestling is in November/December. Boys' basketball is in January/February. Track and softball are in the spring. Cheerleading is all day. There's book club, math club, science club and plenty of others," Brad whispered.

"How is middle school different?" Mr. Griffin asked, acting like a kid.

Shoot me now, I rolled my eyes and looked at Brad who shared the look with Dad.

"You get a locker with a combination. Remember that combination! You don't want to be tardy on your first day of school. You'll have several teachers so get to know them and get to class on time."

Brad looked at me and wanted to shoot a spit wad at Mr. Griffin. Dad shook his head no to indicate that we should wait until later to do it. The presentation seems to finally have ended and I sighed in relief. That was the most boring hour of my life that I would never get back. It was better than having to listen to Al blab on about something though. Poor Mark!

"Randy, let's find your locker," Mom told and Brad nodded approval.

I saw that my locker was labeled 45 which was by the math classroom. Running to my locker, Brad chased after me and we laughed. Mom shook her head with a smile and Dad grinned in approval.

"Your combination is 73-45-02," Dad read.

"Turn the lock three times," Brad showed. "Turn it to the left. 72…73! Turn it to the right…44…45! And again to the left. 01…02! You try!"

I copied him and did exactly what he did.

"Good job, honey!" Mom smiled. "Want to travel to all your classes before we head home?"

I nodded eagerly and Mom smiled, putting her arm around me.

Brad looked at my list. "English with Mrs. Nichol. That way."

We walked back down the hall and headed toward the hallway with the English and history classrooms. "It says it's room #32."

I saw the door and looked down my list. "Second period is history with Mrs. Whittmore."

Brad looked at it. "That's number 40. Farther down this hall."

We walked down and Dad read the next number. "Art with Mrs. Brown."

After we went to art, we headed down to a science room that was also study hall.

"Thanks guys," I smiled at them.

Mom hugged me and Dad beamed down, with Brad giving a smile of approval. With a face, Brad pointed out Mrs. Green and we laughed. Mom gave a look, but Dad high fived us. Mom rolled her eyes and we headed out to the car. Mom laughed softly and helped us in.

"Thanks man," I looked at Brad.

"Anything for my best friend," Brad smiled.

….

I held Hannah on my lap with Mom sitting beside me and we looked at my school manual, knowing what to expect when we got there. While I was excited to go to middle school like Brad, I was also scared. I knew that Vinnie would tease me, but I had Brad to protect me.

"What does it say first?" Mom asked and I rocked Hannah.

"The first day of school is August 29th. The end of first quarter is November 7th. Conferences are November 8th and November 10th. November 21-25 is Thanksgiving break. Holiday break is December 21-January 4th. January 5th is when we go back. The end of 2nd quarter is January 7th. January 16th is Martin Luther King Day. Conferences are February 15th and February 17th. February 18th is a professional development day. February 20th is Presidents Day. March 15th ends the third quarter and spring break is the 20th-24th 0f March. The last day is June 1st, but snow days will be made up at the end of the year."

Mom nodded. "Okay. Read the next section."

I skipped the mission statement and went to the first section. Absences. That was kind of a problem since I got sick a lot, but the doctor was on my side usually. It wasn't my fault and the doctor faxed notes to my teachers. Mom and Dad were on my side too so I had that too.

"Every parent or guardian will send their child from age five to seventeen will enroll and send their child to a district school."

"That's an obvious," Mom told as she helped hold the book for me.

"Students will follow the same rules while travelling to and from school if they're still on school grounds. The bus driver will not drive until everyone is down. Suspension or expulsion can occur if behavior is not up to par on the bus. Parents will be responsible if transportation privileges are lost."

"I'm sure you and Brad can behave yourselves," Mom smiled at me.

"All students can choose their own seats but you're subject to get a seat if you are found to need close supervision. Be at the bus stop at the latest five minutes before it comes and stand a safe distance from it. NO playing in the roadways. Wait until you are given the signal to get on the bus. Enter and leave the bus quickly and orderly, not taking your sweet time. All classroom rules apply. Follow the directions of the bus driver at all times. Be respectful to your bus driver. Do not harass the other bus riders. Keep bus aisle clear."

Mom rubbed my back. "You'll do fine, Randy."

"The first offense is a reprimand. Second and third are in school suspensions. Fourth and fifth are suspensions from the bus."

"Not to include the punishment from Dad and I," Mom told.

That meant she'd ground us.

"Excused absences required a written note. Illness, emergency in the family, religious holidays or medical appointments are excused."

"If you do get sick honey, the doctor will take care of it," Mom smiled.

"Appointments are encouraged to be made after school. Parents are required to give permission to let kids go on school trips."

"Your dad and I usually will."

"The first bell is 7:45. First period is 8:00-8:45. Second is 8:49-9:34. Third is 9:38-10:23. Fourth is 10:27-11:12. Lunch is 10:30-12:00. Fifth is 12:30-1:15. Sixth is 1:19-2:04. Seventh is 2:04-3:00. Parents who wish to visit their kids will sign in the office and the phone in the office is only for calling home."

Mom nodded to show she was listening.

"Grading scale. 90-100 is an A. 80-89 is a b, 70-79 is a C, 60-69 a D and 59 and below is an F. Letters are sent home every four and a half weeks to parents. They must be signed and returned to school."

"If a student becomes too ill or contagious to be in class, the principal will call and let the parents know. Student will remain in the nurse's office until parent can come pick the child up. Plagiarism is not allowed and will get you grade to be counted as a zero if you're caught."

I looked at Mom nervously and she hugged me, with a squeak from Hannah.

"Honey, you're gonna do just fine, okay? Brad knows the ropes and it's not as scary as it seems. It's actually a lot of fun."

Brad nodded, walking up the steps. "It's a lot of fun! Don't worry little brother! I'm here…best friend."

Mark ran up the steps and nodded. "Plus, you get to do that for me when I'm in middle school, but you'll be in high school."

I laughed softly and looked at Hannah. "Do you think Bubby can do it?"

Hannah cooed happily as if to say yes and she made a noise. She wanted to be cuddled again and I obliged happily.

Mom laughed and kissed my head. "See? Even Hannah believes in you."

"Don't forget Dad," Dad laughed. "Randy, it's actually a lot of fun. You get to have crushes and you get to have bragging rights over Mark."

I laughed and looked at them. "Thanks guys!"