Chapter 2: SCHOOL DAYS

Although he loved being a part of a big family and wouldn't want to miss their busy chats at the breakfast table, Friedrich found his siblings quite annoying this morning.

While walking to school, Brigitta gave him one of her investigating looks and told him he was unusual quiet today. Kurt nodded and then the others, except Liesl, agreed. Liesl only smiled at him and continued her talk with Marta.

"What's wrong with you?" Louisa asked, "You're always the one who seems to be the most awake in the morning. You always make me want put my head under the blankets again when."

"Can't you just be quiet?" Friedrich interrupted, while staring to the ground,

"I just got a bit of a headache, that's all."

"You should have taken some aspirin then before we left home,'" Brigitta stated wisely. From the tone in her voice, Friedrich could tell she did not believe him.

He did not answer and pursed his lips instead.

Fortunately, they arrived at school soon thereafter.

Liesl took Marta to her friends in the playground and the other children made their own ways to their classes.

The school was small and situated in a wooden building in the middle of the village.

After their arrival in Switzerland, the Captain and Maria had had a talk with the head master and had explained him the situation.

Now, after a few months, all the children seemed quite happy in their classes and also had made some friends.

Even Marta, the shy one of the family, enjoyed her new environment.

When Friedrich entered the classroom, most of the pupils had already taken their seats and were busy talking.

"Hey, Friedrich!" Ernst shouted, "I thought you would never come!"

Friedrich shrugged his shoulders and took his seat next to him.

Ernst was quite nice and had been very helpful after their arrival.

Friedrich had struggled with the Swiss-German dialect in the beginning, but Ernst had never made fun of his Salzburg accent and had always helped him out when their teacher, Mr Gast, had used incomprehensible words to explain things.

"Morning, Friedrich," Kathi Simming said, taking her seat right behind him and smiling.

"Hello," was the only thing Friedrich said, while placing books on his desk.

"You look like you didn't get a lot of sleep last night," Kathi continued.

Friedrich didn't answer. He didn't like Kathi Simming with her girly manners and giggles.

She seemed to enjoy teasing him, and always managed to make him feel awkward.

When Ernst had told Friedrich that Kathi liked him, Friedrich had given his friend a questioning look.

"You know," Ernst had continued, "she likes you a lot", with the stress on the last two words.

To his annoyance, he had turned red and Ernst had laughed at him, "I guess that means you like her too!" he had said.

Friedrich had only shaken his head and had started another subject.

He really couldn't stand Kathi Simming, whether she liked him or not.

"Take your history books, we will start with the French revolution today," Mr Gast entered the classroom,

"Heinz, sit straight and stop talking, Marie be quiet!"

Everyone opened their books. Another school day had begun.

*

A/N It would be logical if the older children would have enrolled high school but I decided to have all the classes in the same school building. I figured that the village where the family settled down is maybe quite high in the Swiss Alps, or that the nearest high school is in the next town, so there is one school for all the pupils in the village.