Written by
Mabel Wong
Mindy was wide awake, past her bedtime. Her parents’ bedroom lights were still on. Mindy’s curiosity got the best of her. She silently creaked open her door and walked out being so cautious not to make any noise. She placed an ear onto the door and listened. “Wow! Thank you, I’ll be there!” said Mindy’s mum and hung up the phone. “What did she mean by I’ll be there?” whispered Mindy under her voice. She heard her mother’s footsteps approaching and hurried back into her room. She laid in her bed thinking about what she just overheard. Suddenly, her door opened and in walked Mindy’s mum. Mindy quickly closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. Mindy’s mum sat on her bed and brushed her bangs off her forehead. She kissed Mindy on her cheek and walked out of her room. The last thing Mindy wanted to do that night was sleep. Eventually she became tired of the many questions in her head and so little answers that she fell asleep.
The next morning Mindy woke up so tired that she forgot about last night. She lazed around in her bed for a bit and decided to wake up. It was a beautiful day outside, the rays of sunshine shone from her windowsill. The birds were chirping on the tree branches, it was just like the type of mornings in the movies. Mindy got dressed and brushed her teeth. She made her way to the table, halfway there she could already smell the aroma of blueberry pancakes. “Now that, is a breakfast to look forward to!” exclaimed Mindy. On the table were blueberry pancakes piled on a plate, a glass of milk and finally, a platter of fruits. “Morning Sweetie!” greeted Mindy’s mum. “Morning mum” replied Mindy. They both took a seat at the table. Mindy got started on breakfast as soon as she sat. When she finished with a nice glass of milk, her mum’s expression changed to being serious. “Yesterday, my boss called and he said that I got the promotion, sadly it’s in San Francisco. I told him that I needed some time to think about it." explained Mindy’s mum. Mindy gulped hard. “So, what your trying to say is that WE’RE MOVING?” asked Mindy. “Precisely.” Said Mindy’s mum. They spent some time talking about it and Mindy finally gave in.
It was hard to take in that they were moving. Mindy did not get a wink of sleep that night, it was sad that Mindy had to leave her only home. It took an entire day to box everything up. When they were done, it looked like their house was made of cardboard and boxes. Slowly but surely, it was time to leave. It took a while to say goodbye to their home but the time eventually came. They took a taxi to the airport. Mindy always liked the airport, seeing the planes take off and land really satisfied her. They arrived at the terminal and unloaded their baggage from the back. Checking in was not very hard for them as Mindy’s mum was always prepared. They hanged around for a bit and finally boarded the plane. It took a few hours to reach San Francisco as Chicago was not very near. The plane finally landed. “Mum, where will we be staying here in San Francisco?” Mindy asked. “Well, we’re going to have to stay in an apartment for now until we can find a house.” Said Mindy’s mum. “Oh, ok.” Mindy Said with an unsure look on her face but trying her best to hide it.
Mindy’s mum waved for a taxi, and soon, they were on their way to the apartment. Mindy looked out of the window most of the time during the car ride. The scenery was beautiful, with beautiful houses, rolling hills and lakes. They arrived at their apartment. It was not very big, but it was an apartment nonetheless. Within a week, they slowly begin settling in. Mindy’s first night in her new bedroom was not that bad. She was still in the same bed her dad had built for her when she was a little girl. Her bedroom still had some of the same furniture, except a smaller space.
The next day at breakfast, Mindy and her mum were discussing about Mindy’s new school. It was San Francisco Sunrise Middle School. They called it SFSMD for short. Mindy needed a school uniform too, which hadn’t really been liked from Mindy as she liked to wear her own clothes.
The days went by fast, slowly approaching the first day of Mindy’s new school. She was in the same school since kindergarten, so she did not know the feeling of being new the day finally came, Mindy woke up to her alarm clock. She did not want to be late, especially on her first day. She got dressed into her uniform, brushed her teeth and washed her face. She went to the breakfast table and saw her mum already there dressed for work. On the table was just a bowl of cereal and some fruits. “Eat up sweetie, we’ll have to leave soon.” Reminded Mindy’s mum. “Ok”, said Mindy.
Soon, they were on their way to her new school. “Remember, you are walking home, ok?” said Mindy’s mum. “Yeah, got it.” Replied Mindy. They arrived at SFSMS. Students were coming from all directions. Some were walking, some were taking the bus and others were getting dropped off by their parents. The school looked so big. There was a football field to the right of the school and a tennis court to its left. This was a really big upgrade from Mindy’s old school. The doors were made of glass and you could see a sign inside that read office inside the school. “Here we are! Try to make some friends.” Said Mindy’s mum. Mindy nodded and headed out of the car. As soon as she thought she had not made a mistake yet, Mindy realized that everyone around her was wearing a different uniform. “Oh no.” said Mindy under her breath. She headed to the front glass doors and realized that there was a sensor at the door. She headed straight to the office and avoided all eye contact although she could feel many eyes staring at her with a puzzled face.
The office was huge, but she managed to find the main counter. There was a lady there wearing a dress and a light sweater. She was a bit plump as far as Mindy could tell. She was already talking to another girl who looked just about Mindy’s age. ‘She must be new too!’ thought Mindy in her head. Mindy walked to the counter, “Hi, I’m a new student in the 6th grade.” Explained Mindy. “Oh, Hi Mindy, I’m Miss Miller, Sarah here is also a new student in the 6th grade too. Said Miss Miller pointing to the other girl. You two must be here for your class schedules I take it?” asked Miss Miller. “Yes.” Said Sarah. Miss Miller looked at Mindy and she nodded. Miss Miller begin typing into her computer. Two sheets of papers came out of the printer. “Here you are.” Said Miss Miller and handed the papers to both Mindy and Sarah. “And if you girls have any questions, you can always come to the office and we’ll provide you with answers.” Said Miss Miller with a warm smile. Both girls nodded. “And one more thing Mindy, you might want to switch out of that uniform.” Said Miss Miller with a playful laugh. Mindy chuckled.
When they were out of the office, Sarah asked “Hey, do you want to have lunch with me?” Sarah asked. “Yeah, sure.” Said Mindy. And with that said, they left for their classes. “1st period, math.” Mindy said to herself. She went to a nearby student and asked, “Do you know where Miss Hayley’s Homeroom is?” “Yeah, just down the hall and to your right.” She directed. “Thanks.” said Mindy. She headed down the hall and to her right just as the girl instructed.
‘Miss Hayley’ read the sign on the door. She opened it and saw almost all the seats filled up. She quickly took the seat almost to the back of the classroom. There was a table in the front of the classroom, and the nametag read Miss Hayley. There was a nice lady there with glasses, she wore a sunflower dress and a sweater. “Good morning class! Who is ready to learn?” said Miss Hayley with an enthusiastic tone in her voice. “Me!” said a kid in the front row with his hand raised up high. He wore glasses and a plait collar shirt. “Okay?” said Miss Hayley and moved on. Even if Mindy did not say anything, she always had a passion for math and was excited to learn. “We’re learning about variables and expressions today.” Instructed Miss Hayley. The kid in the front row was very actively asking questions, maybe even too active. He was scribbling down notes while his other hand was raised up high. Mindy also took down some notes and had her hand raised up only when she really needed too. Others were busy whispering to each other and passing notes. Others were also listening but not really taking down any notes. So really, only Mindy and a few others were making use of their teacher’s time and knowledge. The lesson went past really fast, Miss Hayley handed out their homework at the end of class. Mindy was happy to receive hers. The bell rang, people started leaving the classroom. Mindy was the only one who took the initiative to thank the teacher for the lesson. “Thank you for your lesson Miss Hayley, I really learnt something from it.” Said Mindy. “Why thank you, although some students make my lesson fall on deaf ears.” Said Miss Hayley and smiled. “And you are…” “Mindy.” Said Mindy finishing her sentence. “you should go, don’t want to be late for your next class.” Reminded Miss Hayley. Mindy nodded and left.
Mindy looked down at her watch and realized she was only a minute late from her next English period. “Oh no the time! Ok, Mrs. Rooney next period.” Said Mindy to herself. She didn’t mind asking anybody for directions, she ran as fast as her feet could. She raced past classes and eventually reached Mrs. Rooney’s classroom. She took a seat right in the nick of time. This time, an older lady appeared behind the teacher’s desk. Her face was pale and wrinkled. She wore glasses that looked way too big for her eyes. “Good morning students.” Said Mrs. Rooney in a less enthusiastic tone than Miss Hayley. We’re going to learn about on-demand writing today.” Explained Mrs. Rooney. Not surprisingly, Mindy was also taking notes. This seemed longer this time but it was still learning. At the end of the lesson, they received their assignment. They had to write a two-page essay on on-demand writing.
The bell rang, and this time for lunch. Mindy remembered that she was having lunch with Sarah. She headed to the cafeteria and lined up for the food. She got a tray of mashed potatoes and baked beans served with some bottled water. She took a seat at one of the tables and waited for Sarah. As she waited people were still staring at her for wearing the wrong uniform. She felt like a hole would open up from the ground and swallow her into the earth and at the same time, she felt like telling those people to mind their own business. Finally, Sarah showed up. “Hi Mindy.” Sarah said with a warm smile. “Wait, why are those people staring at you?” Sarah asked. Mindy pointed to her uniform to answer her question. “So, how were your two periods?” Sarah asked to break the tension in the cafeteria. “Oh, yeah.” Said Mindy finally saying something since she felt everyone staring at her like she was an alien. “I really liked math first period, it was always really fun for me.” said Mindy. “No way! I really like math too, it’s my favorite subject.” Explained Sarah. The two girls spent the whole lunch talking. They found out they had a lot in common too. The bell rang again, that was their que to depart. “Do you want to meet up after school?” Mindy asked. “I would really like that!” replied Sarah. With that, they headed off.
Mindy made use of every other lesson she had. At the end of the school day, her backpack was filled with homework. From math, to social studies, to science… Mindy never had this much homework in her life. But, she decided that this was what she had to get used to from now on.
The bell rang, Mindy waited outside the office drinking fountain waiting for Sarah. She arrived right after Mindy did. “I was thinking of going to a park nearby that my mum took me to once.” Suggested Mindy. “Sounds like a plan.” Agreed Sarah. The girls headed to the nearby park. It was a beautiful and sunny day. They found a nice shady tree and decided to do their homework there. They concentrated and in the end, they only took an hour and a half to get it done. Although when you’re in homework land, it feels like an entire week. They talked for a bit until they went home. Turns out, Sarah lived really close to Mindy’s apartment, well, a little small vacation site while they were trying to find a house, is what Mindy’s mum likes to call it.
When Mindy reached home, her mum was already started on dinner. “Oh, there you are! I want to hear all about your day.” Said Mindy’s mum. They had pasta that night. Mindy told her mum about her day, from her wrong uniform to almost being late for her English lesson to Sarah in the cafeteria and finally ending with homework in the park. “That was some day.” Said Mindy’s mum. “Talk about it.” Replied Mindy. “You made a friend!” exclaimed Mindy’s mum. Mindy shrugged her shoulders. “OH, we have to get you a different uniform sweetie.” Said Mindy’s mum with a little bit of a concerned look. They finished dinner and Mindy did the dishes. Soon, it was time to go to bed.
The week passed, slowly getting more and more normal. And Miss Hayley secretly being Mindy’s favorite teacher. As the year passed, Mindy and Sarah became best friends. The two inseparable girls made more friends and soon, they became an inseparable group. Mindy and her mum eventually moved to a house. San Francisco was becoming their new home now.
The next morning Mindy woke up so tired that she forgot about last night. She lazed around in her bed for a bit and decided to wake up. It was a beautiful day outside, the rays of sunshine shone from her windowsill. The birds were chirping on the tree branches, it was just like the type of mornings in the movies. Mindy got dressed and brushed her teeth. She made her way to the table, halfway there she could already smell the aroma of blueberry pancakes. “Now that, is a breakfast to look forward to!” exclaimed Mindy. On the table were blueberry pancakes piled on a plate, a glass of milk and finally, a platter of fruits. “Morning Sweetie!” greeted Mindy’s mum. “Morning mum” replied Mindy. They both took a seat at the table. Mindy got started on breakfast as soon as she sat. When she finished with a nice glass of milk, her mum’s expression changed to being serious. “Yesterday, my boss called and he said that I got the promotion, sadly it’s in San Francisco. I told him that I needed some time to think about it." explained Mindy’s mum. Mindy gulped hard. “So, what your trying to say is that WE’RE MOVING?” asked Mindy. “Precisely.” Said Mindy’s mum. They spent some time talking about it and Mindy finally gave in.
It was hard to take in that they were moving. Mindy did not get a wink of sleep that night, it was sad that Mindy had to leave her only home. It took an entire day to box everything up. When they were done, it looked like their house was made of cardboard and boxes. Slowly but surely, it was time to leave. It took a while to say goodbye to their home but the time eventually came. They took a taxi to the airport. Mindy always liked the airport, seeing the planes take off and land really satisfied her. They arrived at the terminal and unloaded their baggage from the back. Checking in was not very hard for them as Mindy’s mum was always prepared. They hanged around for a bit and finally boarded the plane. It took a few hours to reach San Francisco as Chicago was not very near. The plane finally landed. “Mum, where will we be staying here in San Francisco?” Mindy asked. “Well, we’re going to have to stay in an apartment for now until we can find a house.” Said Mindy’s mum. “Oh, ok.” Mindy Said with an unsure look on her face but trying her best to hide it.
Mindy’s mum waved for a taxi, and soon, they were on their way to the apartment. Mindy looked out of the window most of the time during the car ride. The scenery was beautiful, with beautiful houses, rolling hills and lakes. They arrived at their apartment. It was not very big, but it was an apartment nonetheless. Within a week, they slowly begin settling in. Mindy’s first night in her new bedroom was not that bad. She was still in the same bed her dad had built for her when she was a little girl. Her bedroom still had some of the same furniture, except a smaller space.
The next day at breakfast, Mindy and her mum were discussing about Mindy’s new school. It was San Francisco Sunrise Middle School. They called it SFSMD for short. Mindy needed a school uniform too, which hadn’t really been liked from Mindy as she liked to wear her own clothes.
The days went by fast, slowly approaching the first day of Mindy’s new school. She was in the same school since kindergarten, so she did not know the feeling of being new the day finally came, Mindy woke up to her alarm clock. She did not want to be late, especially on her first day. She got dressed into her uniform, brushed her teeth and washed her face. She went to the breakfast table and saw her mum already there dressed for work. On the table was just a bowl of cereal and some fruits. “Eat up sweetie, we’ll have to leave soon.” Reminded Mindy’s mum. “Ok”, said Mindy.
Soon, they were on their way to her new school. “Remember, you are walking home, ok?” said Mindy’s mum. “Yeah, got it.” Replied Mindy. They arrived at SFSMS. Students were coming from all directions. Some were walking, some were taking the bus and others were getting dropped off by their parents. The school looked so big. There was a football field to the right of the school and a tennis court to its left. This was a really big upgrade from Mindy’s old school. The doors were made of glass and you could see a sign inside that read office inside the school. “Here we are! Try to make some friends.” Said Mindy’s mum. Mindy nodded and headed out of the car. As soon as she thought she had not made a mistake yet, Mindy realized that everyone around her was wearing a different uniform. “Oh no.” said Mindy under her breath. She headed to the front glass doors and realized that there was a sensor at the door. She headed straight to the office and avoided all eye contact although she could feel many eyes staring at her with a puzzled face.
The office was huge, but she managed to find the main counter. There was a lady there wearing a dress and a light sweater. She was a bit plump as far as Mindy could tell. She was already talking to another girl who looked just about Mindy’s age. ‘She must be new too!’ thought Mindy in her head. Mindy walked to the counter, “Hi, I’m a new student in the 6th grade.” Explained Mindy. “Oh, Hi Mindy, I’m Miss Miller, Sarah here is also a new student in the 6th grade too. Said Miss Miller pointing to the other girl. You two must be here for your class schedules I take it?” asked Miss Miller. “Yes.” Said Sarah. Miss Miller looked at Mindy and she nodded. Miss Miller begin typing into her computer. Two sheets of papers came out of the printer. “Here you are.” Said Miss Miller and handed the papers to both Mindy and Sarah. “And if you girls have any questions, you can always come to the office and we’ll provide you with answers.” Said Miss Miller with a warm smile. Both girls nodded. “And one more thing Mindy, you might want to switch out of that uniform.” Said Miss Miller with a playful laugh. Mindy chuckled.
When they were out of the office, Sarah asked “Hey, do you want to have lunch with me?” Sarah asked. “Yeah, sure.” Said Mindy. And with that said, they left for their classes. “1st period, math.” Mindy said to herself. She went to a nearby student and asked, “Do you know where Miss Hayley’s Homeroom is?” “Yeah, just down the hall and to your right.” She directed. “Thanks.” said Mindy. She headed down the hall and to her right just as the girl instructed.
‘Miss Hayley’ read the sign on the door. She opened it and saw almost all the seats filled up. She quickly took the seat almost to the back of the classroom. There was a table in the front of the classroom, and the nametag read Miss Hayley. There was a nice lady there with glasses, she wore a sunflower dress and a sweater. “Good morning class! Who is ready to learn?” said Miss Hayley with an enthusiastic tone in her voice. “Me!” said a kid in the front row with his hand raised up high. He wore glasses and a plait collar shirt. “Okay?” said Miss Hayley and moved on. Even if Mindy did not say anything, she always had a passion for math and was excited to learn. “We’re learning about variables and expressions today.” Instructed Miss Hayley. The kid in the front row was very actively asking questions, maybe even too active. He was scribbling down notes while his other hand was raised up high. Mindy also took down some notes and had her hand raised up only when she really needed too. Others were busy whispering to each other and passing notes. Others were also listening but not really taking down any notes. So really, only Mindy and a few others were making use of their teacher’s time and knowledge. The lesson went past really fast, Miss Hayley handed out their homework at the end of class. Mindy was happy to receive hers. The bell rang, people started leaving the classroom. Mindy was the only one who took the initiative to thank the teacher for the lesson. “Thank you for your lesson Miss Hayley, I really learnt something from it.” Said Mindy. “Why thank you, although some students make my lesson fall on deaf ears.” Said Miss Hayley and smiled. “And you are…” “Mindy.” Said Mindy finishing her sentence. “you should go, don’t want to be late for your next class.” Reminded Miss Hayley. Mindy nodded and left.
Mindy looked down at her watch and realized she was only a minute late from her next English period. “Oh no the time! Ok, Mrs. Rooney next period.” Said Mindy to herself. She didn’t mind asking anybody for directions, she ran as fast as her feet could. She raced past classes and eventually reached Mrs. Rooney’s classroom. She took a seat right in the nick of time. This time, an older lady appeared behind the teacher’s desk. Her face was pale and wrinkled. She wore glasses that looked way too big for her eyes. “Good morning students.” Said Mrs. Rooney in a less enthusiastic tone than Miss Hayley. We’re going to learn about on-demand writing today.” Explained Mrs. Rooney. Not surprisingly, Mindy was also taking notes. This seemed longer this time but it was still learning. At the end of the lesson, they received their assignment. They had to write a two-page essay on on-demand writing.
The bell rang, and this time for lunch. Mindy remembered that she was having lunch with Sarah. She headed to the cafeteria and lined up for the food. She got a tray of mashed potatoes and baked beans served with some bottled water. She took a seat at one of the tables and waited for Sarah. As she waited people were still staring at her for wearing the wrong uniform. She felt like a hole would open up from the ground and swallow her into the earth and at the same time, she felt like telling those people to mind their own business. Finally, Sarah showed up. “Hi Mindy.” Sarah said with a warm smile. “Wait, why are those people staring at you?” Sarah asked. Mindy pointed to her uniform to answer her question. “So, how were your two periods?” Sarah asked to break the tension in the cafeteria. “Oh, yeah.” Said Mindy finally saying something since she felt everyone staring at her like she was an alien. “I really liked math first period, it was always really fun for me.” said Mindy. “No way! I really like math too, it’s my favorite subject.” Explained Sarah. The two girls spent the whole lunch talking. They found out they had a lot in common too. The bell rang again, that was their que to depart. “Do you want to meet up after school?” Mindy asked. “I would really like that!” replied Sarah. With that, they headed off.
Mindy made use of every other lesson she had. At the end of the school day, her backpack was filled with homework. From math, to social studies, to science… Mindy never had this much homework in her life. But, she decided that this was what she had to get used to from now on.
The bell rang, Mindy waited outside the office drinking fountain waiting for Sarah. She arrived right after Mindy did. “I was thinking of going to a park nearby that my mum took me to once.” Suggested Mindy. “Sounds like a plan.” Agreed Sarah. The girls headed to the nearby park. It was a beautiful and sunny day. They found a nice shady tree and decided to do their homework there. They concentrated and in the end, they only took an hour and a half to get it done. Although when you’re in homework land, it feels like an entire week. They talked for a bit until they went home. Turns out, Sarah lived really close to Mindy’s apartment, well, a little small vacation site while they were trying to find a house, is what Mindy’s mum likes to call it.
When Mindy reached home, her mum was already started on dinner. “Oh, there you are! I want to hear all about your day.” Said Mindy’s mum. They had pasta that night. Mindy told her mum about her day, from her wrong uniform to almost being late for her English lesson to Sarah in the cafeteria and finally ending with homework in the park. “That was some day.” Said Mindy’s mum. “Talk about it.” Replied Mindy. “You made a friend!” exclaimed Mindy’s mum. Mindy shrugged her shoulders. “OH, we have to get you a different uniform sweetie.” Said Mindy’s mum with a little bit of a concerned look. They finished dinner and Mindy did the dishes. Soon, it was time to go to bed.
The week passed, slowly getting more and more normal. And Miss Hayley secretly being Mindy’s favorite teacher. As the year passed, Mindy and Sarah became best friends. The two inseparable girls made more friends and soon, they became an inseparable group. Mindy and her mum eventually moved to a house. San Francisco was becoming their new home now.
Mindy learnt that not all change was bad, some change was good, especially this one.
To be continued…
- So proud of my 10 year old niece 😘💓 -
If you enjoyed what you read, feel free to leave some words of encouragement for more of these stories
To be continued…
- So proud of my 10 year old niece 😘💓 -
If you enjoyed what you read, feel free to leave some words of encouragement for more of these stories
Great story! So well written. Looking forward to the next one. Keep it up!
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