End-of-year testing is nothing new for me at school, and
I’ve unofficially written a lot of high school and college exams; but this was
still my first ‘real’ experience with writing the exams that Grade Seven and
Eight students are given here to help us get ready for High School.
The actual exams weren’t a problem, but the social aspect
and pressures are definitely new and surprisingly wide-ranging. Michael, Rowen, and I had classmates who were
annoyed with us for making it look too easy and being too happy. We also had some of our study buddies glad
that they’d decided to get ready for their exams with us after doing better
than they’d expected. Vanessa was
particularly happy with how she did on the Math exam, while also being annoyed
when Michael deflected her energetic attempts to properly thank him for helping
her study.
Most of us had a couple of hours off between the Math and
written half of our Music exam, but Michael, Rowen, and I were among the
handful of students who opted to get the playing part of our Music exam over
with early instead of after the written exam; while everyone else opted to take
the time off to either goof around or cram for the exam. Since we were playing the same instrument and
music, Mrs. Robinson had Michael and I do our test together. We aced it; were complimented on how great we
sounded together; and she invited us to join the school band in September.
That was cool, and for the Magi reading this who might have
gone to school before or after Mrs. Robinson’s tenure as music teacher; Grade
Eight students can only play in her school band if she thinks they’re ready and
invites them to join. I was even happier
about that when we found out that Rowen earned an invitation too; and we’d all
be getting to do that earlier than most of our classmates would – though not
all of them would even be interested in joining.
What we liked about taking the early option for the playing
exams was that we were done for the day as soon as we finished the written part
of the music exam. That gave us enough
time for Rowen and I to go to the computer store for a visit with her parents;
make a stop at her house to drop off her flute and so she could get changed; go
to my house for a snack and recap break with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana; and be at
Michael’s house before anyone else in our study group got there.
Getting to spend a little time with Miranda and Jacob before
the rest of our friends joined us was fun, but had me back in the tweeird zone
when Tim, Nora, and Vanessa got there and saw us having fun together. I’m sure that Miranda likes nearly every kid
she’s ever met, but she loves me; I love her right back; and that has
absolutely nothing at all to do with Michael.
Vanessa doesn’t see it that way, and it didn’t matter that Michael and I
weren’t doing anything together that could even remotely be threatening to her
own matchmaking plans; I was bugging her just for being too close to his
parents, sister, and brother.
That gave me more than enough incentive to focus on our
studies. We have History and Computers
tomorrow, and I’m sure you won’t be surprised to find out that I was the
History tutor while Rowen fielded most of the computer-related questions. Okay, my photographic memory annoyed Vanessa,
Nora, and a couple of other members of our group too, but I wasn’t trying to
show off; and not having to spend ages looking up facts and figures did make it
easier for everyone else – especially since I only answered the questions that
nobody else could get first.
We studied out on the back porch, and Michael’s parents fed
all of us again, though we ate early so that Michael and Tim could get to their
baseball practice at six. The rest of
our study group left when Michael and Tim headed to the park, but Rowen and I
stayed to help Jake, Stephanie, and Rebecca with the cleanup, and then we went
to get Ethan and Ehlana so we could take them to the park for some play time
while we waited for Michael and Tim to be finished their practice so we could
get back to studying.
Vanessa and Nora really wanted to put me firmly back in the
tweeird zone – or more likely somewhere else even more uncomfortable – but
Rowen and I took the twins to the playground and stayed away from the ball
diamond. Since they kept looking over at
us, I didn’t need to guess that they had come to the park specifically because
Rowen and I had talked about bringing Ethan and Ehlana over while we’d had
dinner.
I’d like to say that I don’t feel quite as bad for Vanessa
as I did for Lisa; partly because my empathic abilities let me know how each
girl really feels about Michael. That’s
probably why my patience with another round of this tween goofiness is wearing
thin, but I’m going to try even harder this time to keep my mouth shut and not
make things worse for any of us.
The post-baseball study session was definitely uncomfortable
for me. Ethan needed some play time with
Michael and Tim before he was ready to go home, and then they needed to stop in
to see Jacob and Miranda too. Vanessa
and Nora were annoyed about both of those things, and I didn’t get any help
digging out of that hole when Ethan and Ehlana had Michael’s parents take them
the rest of the way home so they could visit with Mom and Dad while we got back
to studying. The rest of our group
didn’t come back, so it was just the six of us; and we only ended up working
for an hour or so before Nora decided that she was ready to have Tim walk her
home. It was then Michael’s turn to be
fed up with the tween drama, but that info came from empathic vibes; since he
hid it well-enough from everyone else.
He also went along for the walk after Tim and Nora badgered him into
going along.
My plan to keep my mouth shut didn’t last long. When Michael agreed to go along with them,
Vanessa shot me a victorious, smug look which lasted right up until I couldn’t
keep from laughing. Since that appeared
to come out of nowhere to everyone else; Tim asked me what was so funny. ‘Oh, nothing’ is a bad answer to that
particular question, and I’m sure Vanessa and Nora interpreted it correctly,
but Tim just shrugged; and it was better than being totally honest – even if
that might actually be what Vanessa needs to hear sometime soon.
Right – I’m supposed to keep my mouth shut. You’d think that a girl with a photographic
memory wouldn’t have a problem remembering something simple like that!
Moving along, but not really; Miranda and Jacob were just
getting back from my house when we were all leaving. Selective goodnight hugs and kisses had
Vanessa and Nora even more irritated with me.
Miranda’s laugh and bonus hug after I whispered a plea for her not to
tease me about goodnight hugs and kisses with Michael was greeted with
suspicion too. Miranda didn’t do that,
but she had me laughing again too when she whispered back a promise to pass the
second hug and kiss on to Michael after he got home.
I don’t really have much else to report for the rest of the
night. After getting home, I helped Mom
with Ethan and Ehlana until they were tucked in for the night; did a Healing
lesson with her; and then came up to my room to end my night with a combination
Jacuzzi and nightly computing session. No
extra studying was involved, and it’s time for me to get out of the tub and
ready for bed, so I’m going to wrap this up; do that; and go get some sleep.
Until next time, this is Magi Master Cassie Proctor; logging
out!
