asked if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight to have pizza with me and Kenny. Mom's going out with some friends to have a girl's night. We're going to rent a movie and stuff ourselves silly with junk food.”
“Yeah, that sounds great. Let me just check with my mom to make sure she doesn't care about me being out two days in a row, but I think it should be fine.”
“Hurray,” Katie clapped excitedly. “It's going to be the best.”
Once at school, the girls parted ways. Katie was immediately surrounded by a group of kids in her science class, while Tabitha walked to her first class alone. As she neared the door, Tabitha saw Ryan waiting for her. She had half expected that he would be there, and she felt a rush of warmth and excitement when she saw him.
“Hey cutie!” Ryan greeted her with a wave.
Tabitha blushed. A boy had never called her “cute” before. “Hey Ryan. Sorry about last night. I really didn't mean to ruin our evening.”
Ryan laughed. “It's not a big deal. I was just wondering if you wanted to try again tonight.”
“Oh, I can't tonight. I've got plans with Katie already.”
Ryan looked disappointed for a moment, but Tabitha quickly added, “Maybe tomorrow or later this weekend, though. I had a really good time with your sisters. They're all really sweet.”
“Yeah, they really liked you, too. My nephew can't stop talking about you.”
The bell for class buzzed loudly. “I need to get going, but I'll see you later,” Tabitha promised with a wave.
Tabitha entered the classroom jubilantly and was eager to start the day. She had been enjoying her studies this week. As the semester progressed, things had started to make more sense and the work became easier and more interesting. While many of her reports and projects were complicated and required dedication and hard work, she still found herself enjoying the things she learned. Her favorite class by far was literature. Tabitha had expected class about books to be full of grammar patterns and talking about sentence structure, and while those were both a small part of the class, most of it was talking about stories and books that the students read together as a group.
Mrs. Bailey, Tabitha's literature instructor, was a short, stout woman. She had black hair that hung in soft curls and deep, piercing brown eyes. Mrs. Bailey was not a woman to be trifled with. Tabitha enjoyed listening to Mrs. Bailey's lectures and frequently participated in the classroom discussions, but she knew that her instructor had little tolerance for students who lacked self discipline. If a student didn't do her homework or came in late to class, Mrs. Bailey would mark down that student's grade without batting an eye. She was a harsh grader and difficult to please, but she rewarded genuine effort and was always available to offer suggestions and pointers to her students.
Mrs. Bailey's class was Tabitha's last one before lunch time. Her stomach growled hungrily as she slid into her second-row desk. The classroom was full of students chattering and hustling to their seats. A few girls in the back of the classroom were giggling about the upcoming school dance, while the boys who sat next to Tabitha were excited about basketball practice. When Mrs. Bailey walked into the room, the students were immediately quiet and at attention.
Today was a special day, as each student was very aware that Mrs. Bailey had promised to return their recent essays today. Mrs. Bailey took her time grading papers. While some instructors, like Tabitha's history teacher, gave back essays after a day or two of grading, Mrs. Bailey liked to take a full week to grade papers. A few students complained about this, but one day Mrs. Bailey explained her reasoning to the class.
“I realize that I take more time than most teachers to grade your papers. This way I spend adequate time on each essay and don't slap down a poor grade because I'm tired,” she offered with a gentle smile. “Be
“Yeah, that sounds great. Let me just check with my mom to make sure she doesn't care about me being out two days in a row, but I think it should be fine.”
“Hurray,” Katie clapped excitedly. “It's going to be the best.”
Once at school, the girls parted ways. Katie was immediately surrounded by a group of kids in her science class, while Tabitha walked to her first class alone. As she neared the door, Tabitha saw Ryan waiting for her. She had half expected that he would be there, and she felt a rush of warmth and excitement when she saw him.
“Hey cutie!” Ryan greeted her with a wave.
Tabitha blushed. A boy had never called her “cute” before. “Hey Ryan. Sorry about last night. I really didn't mean to ruin our evening.”
Ryan laughed. “It's not a big deal. I was just wondering if you wanted to try again tonight.”
“Oh, I can't tonight. I've got plans with Katie already.”
Ryan looked disappointed for a moment, but Tabitha quickly added, “Maybe tomorrow or later this weekend, though. I had a really good time with your sisters. They're all really sweet.”
“Yeah, they really liked you, too. My nephew can't stop talking about you.”
The bell for class buzzed loudly. “I need to get going, but I'll see you later,” Tabitha promised with a wave.
Tabitha entered the classroom jubilantly and was eager to start the day. She had been enjoying her studies this week. As the semester progressed, things had started to make more sense and the work became easier and more interesting. While many of her reports and projects were complicated and required dedication and hard work, she still found herself enjoying the things she learned. Her favorite class by far was literature. Tabitha had expected class about books to be full of grammar patterns and talking about sentence structure, and while those were both a small part of the class, most of it was talking about stories and books that the students read together as a group.
Mrs. Bailey, Tabitha's literature instructor, was a short, stout woman. She had black hair that hung in soft curls and deep, piercing brown eyes. Mrs. Bailey was not a woman to be trifled with. Tabitha enjoyed listening to Mrs. Bailey's lectures and frequently participated in the classroom discussions, but she knew that her instructor had little tolerance for students who lacked self discipline. If a student didn't do her homework or came in late to class, Mrs. Bailey would mark down that student's grade without batting an eye. She was a harsh grader and difficult to please, but she rewarded genuine effort and was always available to offer suggestions and pointers to her students.
Mrs. Bailey's class was Tabitha's last one before lunch time. Her stomach growled hungrily as she slid into her second-row desk. The classroom was full of students chattering and hustling to their seats. A few girls in the back of the classroom were giggling about the upcoming school dance, while the boys who sat next to Tabitha were excited about basketball practice. When Mrs. Bailey walked into the room, the students were immediately quiet and at attention.
Today was a special day, as each student was very aware that Mrs. Bailey had promised to return their recent essays today. Mrs. Bailey took her time grading papers. While some instructors, like Tabitha's history teacher, gave back essays after a day or two of grading, Mrs. Bailey liked to take a full week to grade papers. A few students complained about this, but one day Mrs. Bailey explained her reasoning to the class.
“I realize that I take more time than most teachers to grade your papers. This way I spend adequate time on each essay and don't slap down a poor grade because I'm tired,” she offered with a gentle smile. “Be
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