Lilyana - Report cards and Rebecca Weirdness

Ah, the great day of report cards have arrived. I’ve always cared about my grades, and so I work hard, and therefore get good grades. To me, that’s all there is to it. Some people moan about studying and never do their homework, but then they wonder why they get Cs. They don't get that you have to work for it, strive towards it.

So anyway, the thick letters thumped onto the doormat one after the other this morning, along with some bills and a American girl magazine. Four, one for each of us. I wanted to open mine right then and there, but I didn’t, because we usually like to do them together. Why so much ceremony? Well, Sutton is very big on grades. You have to maintain a certain average to keep studying there, and if you don’t you may get suspended. If you have really bad grades, you might not even be allowed back! I know that sounds really harsh, but because this is a school for the arts; we don’t have as much time to spend on schoolwork, so we need to be really smart. I know that there are some people that find that unfair, and when I think about it, it kinda does. It does seem kind of demanding, but I guess its what they have to do. Anyway, I brought the letters into our loft bedroom, where Samantha was playing with her American Girl Doll, Nellie. She’s the only one of us that has an American Girl Doll, but we each have a My Generation. I could also see Melanthe, sitting on her bed and doing her nails this sparkly turquoise color.

“Samantha! Melanthe!” I called. Samantha looked up from dressing her doll.

“What is it, Lil?” She asked, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. Samantha hates her bangs, she says they are babyish. I say they’re really pretty, but she’s always pulling them back and clipping them up.

“Our report cards came!”

“Ooh, really?”
“Yeah, here.” I passed her the one with Samantha Parkington on it in a loopy scrawl. “Hey, Melanthe, catch!” I said, tossing one up to my redhead friend, who caught it with her palm, her nails still being wet.

“Where’s Rebecca?” asked Melanthe. “Don’t we open them together?”

“Yeah, where is she?” I echoed.

“On the roof.” Said Sammy, with a ‘What could I do?” shrug.

“The Roof? Of the house?”

“Yeah, the house. Well, kinda." she amended.  "That low bit where the attic stops.”

“But what is she doing up there?” I asked. This made no sense.

“And how did she get up there?” Melanthe said.

“She went through the window in Melanie’s room, i think. You know, you can just slide down to the lower part of the roof, where its flat before it drops to the garage. I don’t know what she’s doing now, she was playing her guitar before, I could hear it. But it stopped a while ago.”

“Um….ok. I’ll go get her.” Melanthe slid off her denim comforter, and padded across the room, going out into the hall. She poked her head around the door of a room slightly down the hall. “Rebecca!” We heard her call, then again. “Rebecca!”. This time an answering response I couldn’t make out. “What is it?”

“Our report cards came. We’re waiting for you in the bedroom.” This time we could hear Rebecca’s response.

“All right, I’ll be there in a sec.” She sounded annoyed. No different then usual.

Melanthe came back into the bedroom, and was met with interested faces on all sides.

She shrugged.

“She was just up there with her guitar, Ok? Nothing weird.”

“…..OK.” I said, not sure if that qualified as 'Nothing weird."

Rebecca came into the room then, her guitar in her arms. She put it on her bed, and accepted her letter from Samantha. Things went jut as they always did from then, but something about Rebecca unsettled me. I don’t know what it is, I don’t know what she was doing up there. Not drugs, or anything bad like that. She’s too focused on her dancing to do anything like that. But I still wonder.

I guess I should post our grades on here. Our teachers would hate that, they say grades are our own business and nobody else’s. Nobody pays any attention, they rip them open the second they leave the classroom, trading letters and comments. And we all care, about our own, and about everybody else’s. So here goes. 

Lilyana –  Math-A-, Language arts-A, social studies-A, Science-A, Computers-A, spelling-A, handwriting-A.

Samantha –Math-A-, Language arts-A, Social Studies-B+, Science-B, Computers-A+, spelling-A-, Handwriting-B+

Melanthe – Math-C+, Language arts-A-, Social Studies-A+, Science-B-, computers-B, Spelling-C, Handwriting-A+

Rebecca – Math-A+, Language arts-A+, Social Studies-A+, Science-A+, Computers-A, Spelling-A+, Handwriting-A+

Rebecca had fantastic grades! I mean, she studies so much, so that’s no surprise. She doesn’t talk about herself or her past, or her anything very much, but it seems like her old school had higher standards then this one. It must have been a really good school. Anyway, I was pleased with my grades, and I do know math is my downfall. Just way to many rules and numbers. I like rules in real life, but on the paper, and with all the symbols it doesn't make as much sense. I want to try and study some over the summer, because eighth grade math is much harder. Melanthe was really upset about her grades, although it is true she’s not the best student. I’m going to help her a bit over the summer, because if she gets a C again, she’ll have the school to answer to. Happy summer!


Lily