Okay, so it's a little slow. It'll quicken up, I promise! PLEASE review!! I will like you if you do (wink)
Jazz peered over the railing to see if she could see anyone inside. Nothing. She rang the doorbell again. This time, a middle-aged butler with thinning hair opened the door.
"May I help you, young lady," he asked dismissively.
"Yes. My name is Jazz and I'm supposed to be showing Melissa to school." A teenager poked out from behind him. She was wearing a three- quarter sleeved green shirt and a black skirt. A matching green scarf tied back her brown, curly hair. She smiled shyly.
"Hi, Jazz. You can call me Mel." She walked out the door and turned to thank the butler, who seemed startled that someone appreciated him. The two girls got in the car and sped off to a new year at Casper High.
"Hey Sam, hey Danny." Tucker Foley waved from the entrance of the school as the first bell rang. "Ready for another ghost-butt kicking year of high school?" The two just glared at him. "What?" he asked innocently. Sam grumbled.
"I wish the next three years would go by faster! I can't wait to go to college where I'll be accepted for who I am! Protests at every corner," she continued as the trio walked down the halls, "people who wear what they want without fear of being mocked and labeled outcasts! Rallies for the innocent! A plethora of traditions and people from every race!" The two boys raised their eyebrows to each other. It was Sam's turn to ask 'what.' "Hey, what do you guys have first period? I'm taking Japanese." They compared their schedules.
"I have Biology and then Spanish," Danny commented. Tucker glanced over at the crumpled schedule.
"Hey, me too. Sweet." He looked down. "Aw, man, but we don"t have Geometry together. I go to English, first. How 'bout you, Sam?"
"I've got Japanese, then Biology, English, and I'm taking Algebra because I didn't take it last year." She scanned down. "Hey! We all have history together! Last period! At least it's something." The second bell rang. "I gotta go to the third floor. See you guys at lunch!" Sam yelled 'bye' as she ran for the stairs. Tucker and Danny turned to go to Biology with the dreaded principal, Mr. Lancer.
"Ohayou Gozaimasu!" The teacher bowed in front of class. "Watashi no namae wa Chien sensei desu." She wrote her name on the board in English, then in Japanese. "Good morning. My name is Chien sensei." She turned to her paper. "Kurasu ga hajimarimasu, ne? Let's begin with role. As I call out your name, please take the name card I've made for you."
She picked up the cards and began reading names. "Dauachi-san." Sam looked in front of her as the new girl took her card. "Maanson-san." Sam took her own. "Kuan-san." Sam turned to see Quan from the football team in class. The teacher handed out the rest of the cards, only eight people in the class.
"Okay, who here has heard Japanese spoken before?" Everyone raised their hands. "How many of you have spoken it before?" Everyone's hand stayed up. "Conversational?" Everyone's hands dropped, save for one. The new girl kept her hand up. Chien sensei turned to her. "Dauachi-san. Can you introduce yourself in Japanese?" She nodded and lowered her hand.
"Hajimemashite. Atashi no namae wa Melissa Dauherty desu. Atashi wa jyu-go-sai de, koukou no ni-nensei desu. Atashi no haha wa Aaron Carnegie to kekkonshiteimasu. Chichi wa...." She faltered a little, then finished. "Chichi wa shindeimashita. Douzo yoroshiku." She bowed her head slightly.
"Totemo yokatta desu! However, we will use the proper 'watashi' instead of 'atashi.' But that was very good. Can you repeat it in English please?" Melissa nodded her head.
"How do you do? My name is Melissa Daugherty. I am 15 years old and a sophomore in high school. My mother is married to Aaron Carnegie, and my father," she sighed, "is dead. Nice to meet you." Chien sensei thanked her again, then asked the remaining students to introduce themselves, more for the teacher and the new student than for the class, who all knew each other already.
After class was over, Sam made her way over to the new girl. "Hey. How do you know Japanese so well?" Melissa blushed a little as she gathered her books.
"I have some friends who speak it, and I want to be an interpreter. And I want to be a songwriter."
"Mel!" Jazz called from the hallway. "We gotta get down the hall so I can show you to class." Melissa waved to Sam. "I'll see you later! Sayounara!"
"Uh, Sayounara," Sam replied.
Jazz grabbed Mel's schedule. "Spanish with Mr. Grace...oh, that's right down the hall!" She pointed down to the end of the hall, where Danny and Tucker had just come from the stairwell."Aww! Don't tell me he has Spanish, too!" Mel looked.
"Who?" Danny saw Jazz pointing and stopped at the door, waiting for the two to get there.
"Hey, Jazz. And you must be the new girl." He held out his hand. I'm Danny, and this," he nodded to his side, "is Tucker." Tucker waved his fingers.
"I'm Mel," she took his outstretched hand politely and shook.
"But you can call her Melissa," Jazz retorted. Danny raised his eyebrows a little, then walked into the classroom with Tucker in short pursuit. Jazz turned and headed for the stairs. "See you after class!" She opened the door and left. Mel walked in the room and took an empty desk next to Danny. The teacher, a squat elderly man with thick glasses, stood up from his desk.
"Buena manana, clase," came the nasally voice. Mel smiled at Danny as she took out her notebook. Danny blushed, and did the same.