Page 31 of Don't Hate the Holidays
Seth sends a text to the group chat with the four of us Wednesday afternoon. I peek at it when I sit down at my desk in English, before the bell rings to start class.
Goodman said 90% chance snow day tomorrow!!!
I slide my phone into my backpack and open my mouth to call over to Jack, but the bell sounds before I can say his name.
“All right,” Ms. Walters says, scanning the room and submitting attendance on the computer. She moves to stand behind her podium, leaning on it with her arms crossed. “How many of you have heard about the snowstorm we’re supposed to get tonight?”
I guess I won’t need to tell Jack. About half the hands in the room go up. Jack sits straighter, energy apparently refueled just by the question.
“I’m not going to waste a lot of class time talking about it, but even if we do have a snow day tomorrow, your reading quiz will still be on Friday. So make sure you’ve finished the book by then.”
Most of the class groans, and Ms. Walters raises one hand. “It’s better to do it before a long break than after. Trust me. I don’t want you thinking a snow day means the quiz is cancelled. Anyway, I’m hoping for a snow day as much as you.” She chuckles. “We didn’t get one last year, after all.”
“You like snow days?” Matt Jones says skeptically.
“Did Shakespeare write sonnets? Yes!” Ms. Walters smiles.
“The school is giving us Monday off to start break early, because they know we would skip a one-day week,” Tia Daniels says. “It's why we stayed in school the day before Thanksgiving, right? To have enough days in session. But if we have a snow day tomorrow, will they take it back, and make us come in on Monday?”
“It’s too late for them to take it back,” Matt says. “It just means we won’t get another snow day later this year.”
“If anything, it would impact Memorial Day weekend,” Ms. Walters says. “But we don’t need to worry about it now. The schedule for the rest of this month is set. We have a lot to do today, so let’s get started. We didn’t quite finish our discussion about how the symbol of the watch has changed since the start of the novel . . .”
Most of the class is gone the second after the bell for dismissal rings. Jack takes his time putting his binder in his backpack. “Did you have a question for me, Jack?” Ms. Walters asks, pausing in erasing the day’s plan from the whiteboard.
“Just trying to think of a specific question I should ask before the quiz.”
Her expression softens. “Don’t worry about the quiz, Jack. Read the chapter and look over the study guide and you’ll be justfine. I may seem mean for giving an assessment the day before break, but it’ll be just like all the other reading quizzes you’ve had. Maybe a bit shorter, but you didn’t hear that from me.”
I adjust the binder in Jack’s backpack and zip it for him, exhaling a laugh at the relief in his expression.
“You two don’t have Mrs. Goodman, do you?” Ms. Walters asks.
“We both have Chemistry,” Jack says.
“Our friend Seth said she’s calling for a 90% chance of a snow day,” I tell them.
“She upped it to 95,” Seth says, swinging around the doorframe. “Hey Ms. Walters! Long time no see!” His gaze shifts to us. “Freddy’s Freeloaders, our driver needs to get home, so we need to go if we want a ride.”
“Not a freeloader,” Jack mumbles, grabbing his backpack. “Bye, Ms. Walters!”
“Bye boys.” She grins. “See you Friday.”
Jack and I follow Seth into the hall and out to the student parking lot, where Fred has his truck started. “Sorry,” I say before Jack can, climbing in and shutting the door. “Had a question in English.”
Jack shoots me an appreciative glance.
Fred’s long brown fingers dance on the wheel for a second while we buckle. “It’s stupid for me to rush, but I’m paranoid I’ll miss it.”
“It’s Christmas with your brother in Germany,” Seth says, voice serious. “We get it.”
“You should have told us to walk,” I tell him.
Fred shakes his head. “Dean won’t be able to open the video chat yet anyway. I can get you guys home.” His dark eyes flit to mine in the mirror. “I told you I didn’twantyou to walk home. Not in the cold.”
“You’re a good mama bird,” Seth says.
I smile and look out the window. I’m glad Fred will get to see Dean, even if it is only on a screen. Fred’s brother couldn’t get leave over Thanksgiving or Christmas. He can’t tell his family what work he does in the Air Force, but he’s busy working with computers all the time. He’ll be busy through the holiday, Fred told us. They planned to celebrate Christmas with Dean tonight, when he knew he could squeeze in an hour or so to video chat after his daily work.
