at school
Tasaline had never really been bad at school. Whether people hated it or loved it, Tasaline had always been a star student in reading and awesome in math. She just wished she wasn’t so bored all the time. Everyday Tasaline would come to school, get an A+ as something, then go home and do homework and watch TV. there was no more and no less.
Even on weekends she had nothing to do. She sat and watched tv all day, and nothing else happened. So it was a surprise that when her mom had dropped her off at school today, she said, “Tasaline, wait.”
Tasaline looked at her mom, the same bun she kept her cinnamon blond hair in on her head, and the same chinese food she always on school mornings in the car passenger seat right next to her.
Tasaline’s mom then tossed her two fortune cookies through the open car window. “Just eat them and read the fortune.” her mother said, and then drove off the curb and into the busy road.
Tasaline stared at the fortune cookies in her hand. She knows I hate these cookies, Tasaline thought to herself. But then her mother’s words rung in her mind. Just eat them and read the fortune, her mom had said, so she rolled her eyes and stuffed them in her pockets.
In ELA, Tasaline’s beast friend, Jessaline, had her feet on the desk in front of her, with a lollipop stuck in her mouth.
Their teacher had recently given them an assignment to do about animal sea life, and of course the two best friends had decided to work together on the two-person project. Judging by how the desks were arranged facing each other, the 25-year old teacher had already planned on jumping right into the assignment.
As soon as Jessaline saw Tasaline approaching, she slide her feet off the desk across from her. Tasaline didn’t mind that. She knew it was Jessaline’s comfortable way of saving a desk for her.
As soon as Tasaline sat down, she put her head down on the desk.
Jessaline immediately got to talking. Of course she had something to talk about. She had a phone.
“So, Lazy has the cause that she wants to fundraise and she says she needs our help to think up something to fundraise the cause. Wa-do-ya think?”
Tasaline answered with two words: “i’m bored.”
Jessaline rolled her eyes. “Well, it’s ELA. wa-do-you expect?”
“No. I mean I’m bored bored, like, with my life.” Tasaline mumbled. “I have nothing cool to do.”
“You gotta just go for stuff Tass. try new things. You’ll find things to do.” Jess answered. “Like the fundraiser, let's find out how to help Lazy with her cause.”
At lunch, Tasaline ate one of those disgusting fortune cookies. She read what it said.
the most exiting to happen to you all year will happen today.
Tassaline thought, yea, eating this cookie is probably is the most exciting thing that’s going to happen all year, I’m so boring. I bet-
“Tass!” Gem screamed.
Despite the scream, Tasaline wasn’t worried. This, was a middle school cafeteria after all. You had to scream to be heard, so this seemed normal.
Until she saw what Gem was screaming about.
When she took Gem’s phone to see what all the fuss was about, she almost dropped it. Her stomach was having a gymnastics match in her stomach. The her father was. This is great. She thought to herself. This is great. My father’s in the news. The only thing wrong is that the title he’s under says 5 MEN CAUGHT STEALING FROM GAS STATION. TO BE ARRESTED. UNKNOWN COURT DATE.
That’s when she noticed all the people staring at her. Giggling. Shocked. Whispering to one another. All with phones in their hands.
How do they know it’s my da- then she thought better. She knew they saw her dark brown eyes. Her curly brown hair even her nose shape she shared with her father. She got up, tears filling her eyes. The criminal's daughter!
Jessaline saw this and swiveled around in her seat. “Tass wait! This isn’t your fal-” despite this, she ran to the bathroom. She cried looking just like the girl version of her father. The criminal.
“Are you okay?” one girl bravely asked. From the sink next to her.
“Are you really William Heap’s daughter?” another asked.
All Tassaline admitted was one thing. “The fortune cookie was right. This is the most exciting thing that’s going to happen to me all year.”
