Heidi got out of the car with her head bent down, eyes on the concrete, no “Good morning!”, and trudged up the hill to the school’s front doors. Obviously, she did not want to be dumped out on the curb at 7:30 a.m. in front of her elementary school. The start of her day was not stellar.

she forgot her homework
It’s not that she wanted her day to decline from rotten to worse than rotten, it just did. When Ms. Rose asked for homework, Heidi searched her backpack…twice. “I guess I left it at home, Ms. Rose,” she offered meekly. “Well (pause) Heidi. Exactly what are we gonna do about that?” prompted her teacher. “I’ll stay in during recess and do it again?” suggested the fourth grader. “Sounds like a plan to me,” responded Ms. Rose.
sometimes staying in isn’t so bad
After lunch when her classmates raced out the doors to play, Heidi walked, head down to Ms. Rose classroom. She peered into the room and her heart pounded an extra beat. She saw Johnny Ash. He was sitting in the desk next hers. She licked her lips and felt her cheeks go hot. As she slid into her seat, he looked up from his writing and smiled. “What you in for?” he asked. “Forgetting my homework,” Heidi answered. “Me, too!” he smiled bigger. “But I’m not so mad about staying in. It’s 100 degrees outside!” And he punched her in the arm as an exclamation point. For a full twenty minutes Heidi sat next to Johnny and worked. She redid her pages, had time to breath the air he breathed, and made quick glances at his long eye lashes and blonde hair.

When Heidi got into her mom’s car at dismissal she smiled, turned to the teacher opening her door and said “thank you” and waved to everyone on the curb. Her day had been excellent.