A Good Life to Live

A Good Life to Live

By Michelle Shen

            I am Jane, a girl who has failed school.  Ever since then, life was so complicated.  It was horrible to be me.  I was actually kicked out of school fourteen times before my parents realized, or thought they realized, what the problem was.  They quit school for me.  The true reason for my bad grades was the fact that all my schools started 100 Book Challenge, a program where you have to read books and then get a free book if you read the required amount of books.  I love books.  So, these days, I was rushing through my work to get to some new books in the bins that we are supposed to choose from to read.  It was amazing how fast my grades went down.  I went from a straight A student to, well, a kid with bad grades.  I’ve been trying to stop myself, but it just wasn’t working.  I was trying to tell by situation to my parents, but I just don’t have to courage to do it.  Then came the day when my mom told me something that nearly gave me a heart attack.

          It started with a knock on the door just before lights out.  It was my mom, “We have decided to send you off to private school.  You can start a new life, make new friends and put the past behind you.  Wouldn’t that be great?”

          I wanted dearly to say no, but I tried instead to be as happy as she was, “That is great.  Thanks!”

          I was in trouble.  If I went to private school, I would probably fail and get sent right back home, wasting tons of money.  I needed to tell my parents, but I just couldn’t do it.  “I swear to myself that I will tell my mom and dad about the book situation,” I whispered, without thinking.  Thankfully, my mom was gone, but I would have to do it.  “Right now,” I told myself as a hauled myself out of bed.  I went.

          ‘Mom?” I asked, and it was my turn to knock, “Dad?”

          “Yes?” they said, in unison.

          “I wanted to talk to you,” I said, trying not to make the words sound too forced.

          “I’m listening,” they said again in unison.

          “About me flunking school, it actually isn’t what you think the case is,” I said, getting more comfortable with every word, “It is actually the new reading program.  I really like it, so I wasn’t able to control myself and got really bad grades.”

          “I already knew that.  That is why I am sending you to private school, but now, I have a better idea,” she said.

 

          It has been a year since our talk and now I am attending regular public school.  It was really amazing.  My mom wrote a slip to my teacher saying that I was not allowed to read any books, so my grades were backing to the usual.  Now, I am at the top of our class and I have a new best friend, Alice.  We are really a pair.  I love being me and I love my new life, but most of all, I love my mom and dad.

The End