Backlog: Who am I gonna sit beside now?
Who: Mike and Tina
When: First grade, age 6
Where: Elementary school
What: Mike’s got some news
Mike scuffed his sneaker against the pavement as he waited by the school entrance. He promised he would wait for Tina before going in and he didn’t want to break his promise. His dad said it was bad to do that and he didn’t want to be bad. Also, Tina was his bestest friend in the world. He didn’t want to make her sad. Well, more sad. He knew she would be sad when he tells her the important thing he talked about in the playground. Why was Tina taking so long? His tummy was aching and there were probably a gazillion butterflies inside already. He really didn’t like the feeling.
Tina’s mom pulled the car to a stop in front of the school, glancing in the rear view mirror at her daughter. Tina was looking out the window and singing happily, “this is the song that never ends, it goes on and on my friend, some people started singing it not knowing what is was...”
“We’re here Tina,” Joanna Chang called out, interrupting Tina’s song.
Tina glanced up, grinning at her mother. “Yay.” She was actually excited for school. She unbuckled her seat belt and waited for her mom to come around and open the door. She accepted the kiss her mother planted on her cheek but shook her head at the offer to walk her in, Mike was waiting for her, she didn’t need her mommy.
Tina headed towards the school entrance, grinning immediately as she spotted Mike. “Mike!” She called out, hoping towards him.
He looked up when he heard his name. A smile bloomed on his face as he caught sight of Tina. Eagerly, he released the backpack strap he had been toying with, raised his hand high and waved. “Tina!”
Tina finished her hoping with on extra high bounce, landing just in front of Mike. “Hi hi hi,” she chirped. “You’re here!”
“You’re here!” Mike echoed back, smiling.
“Yep,” Tina smiled. “It’s the first day of first grade,” she giggled because she said first twice.
At the mention of first grade, his smile drooped a bit. He hoped he recovered quickly enough and that Tina didn’t notice. “Yeah! First day! It’s gonna be awesome!”
“Awesome, awesome,” Tina repeated twice, nodding her head rapidly up and down to show her agreement.
“So, uh, we should get inside now!” Mike declared, jumping a little in place.
“Yes,” Tina jumped too. “I hope we get seats beside each other like always.” That was the advantage of having nearly the same last name, though Tina didn’t really know that that was the reason her and Mike had sat beside each other the last two years. She just thought it was because that’s what happened when you were bestest friends.
“Yeah. So! Let’s go!” He took her by the hand and led her inside.
Tina gripped Mike’s hand tightly as they walked together down the hall towards the first grade classroom. When they got to the door, Mike kind of stopped and Tina tilted her head to look at him. “Why’d you stop? This is the classroom.”
He looked down, unable to meet her eyes as he said the words he’d been dreading all morning. “S’not my classroom.”
Tina frowned, confused. “But Mike...I’m six and you’re six and I’m in the first grade...so you’re in the first grade?” The last part came out as a question, as she tried to figure out what was happening.
It confused him too, at first. His parents brought him to school during the summer and they had a talk with his teacher, Miss Appleby. There were some tests and a couple of questions and then there were smiles and his dad was using his I’m proud voice. His mom was smiling and kinda crying at the same time. All he thought about then was missing playtime with Tina.
They sat him down after dinner and talked about how smart he was and how he wasn’t going to be in the first grade come September. At first, Mike thought the school, and Miss Appleby, didn’t like him, that he was too noisy or something and he wouldn’t be allowed to go back. He wanted to cry at that. His mom noticed and immediately gave him a hug. He felt a little better, her hugs were the best. But still! No school!
His dad then explained that he would be skipping first grade and he’d be in the second grade. He made sure to use his this is a good thing voice but Mike didn’t really believe him. He just nodded and asked to be excused. He then spent the entire evening laying on his bed and thinking about his friends and Tina. Second grade meant he won’t be sitting next to her. Actually, it meant not spending the day with her and that thought made him sad.
“My dad said that, um, I’m smart and uh, he used other big words and letters. He mentioned eyes! And the letter Q but I dunno what he meant. He just said I’m a second grader now.”
Tina’s face fell. Mike in second grade meant that they weren’t going to be together. She thought that bestest friends had to be together. If they weren’t together did that mean they weren’t going to be bestest friends anymore? “But...who am I gonna sit beside now?”
Mike frowned. He knew it! He made Tina sad and now he’s sad! And on the first day of school too! “Um, I dunno. You’ll make other friends! Just like how I’ll make other friends! And we’ll still be bestest friends!”
Tina relaxed a bit when he said that they would still be the bestest friends. That made her feel better. “You really think a so Mike? That we can still be bestest friends. Because I want you to be my bestest friend forever.”
“Yeah! Of course we’ll be bestest friends forever! See? I’m gonna pinky swear. You know it’s true cuz pinky swears are super important. And true. And it’s um, a promise!” Mike held out his pinky.
Tina nodded, she knew that pinky swears were super important. She was pretty sure that they couldn’t be broken. Just like magic. So she knew that Mike really meant that they were going to be bestest friends forever and that was super important to her. She leaned forward a bit and linked her pinky easily with his. “I promise to be your bestest friend forever Mike.”
“And I promise to be your bestest friend forever, Tina!”
Tina smiled at him. She was kind of nervous about having to be in the first grade all by herself without Mike but the pinky promise made her feel a whole lot better. The pinky promise meant Mike was going to be her bestest friend forever and that made her even more happy than she felt when mommy let her have a cookie before supper and she really really liked cookies.
Mike unhooked his pinky finger from hers and gave her a gently nudge towards the door. “Tina! You better get in!” It looked like Tina’s teacher was coming and that meant his teacher was also coming. He still had to find go to his classroom and pick a seat and make a friend and hope his seatmate’s as nice as Tina. “I’ll see you at recess?”
“Yep. At recess.” Tina waved before heading into her class.
When: First grade, age 6
Where: Elementary school
What: Mike’s got some news
Mike scuffed his sneaker against the pavement as he waited by the school entrance. He promised he would wait for Tina before going in and he didn’t want to break his promise. His dad said it was bad to do that and he didn’t want to be bad. Also, Tina was his bestest friend in the world. He didn’t want to make her sad. Well, more sad. He knew she would be sad when he tells her the important thing he talked about in the playground. Why was Tina taking so long? His tummy was aching and there were probably a gazillion butterflies inside already. He really didn’t like the feeling.
Tina’s mom pulled the car to a stop in front of the school, glancing in the rear view mirror at her daughter. Tina was looking out the window and singing happily, “this is the song that never ends, it goes on and on my friend, some people started singing it not knowing what is was...”
“We’re here Tina,” Joanna Chang called out, interrupting Tina’s song.
Tina glanced up, grinning at her mother. “Yay.” She was actually excited for school. She unbuckled her seat belt and waited for her mom to come around and open the door. She accepted the kiss her mother planted on her cheek but shook her head at the offer to walk her in, Mike was waiting for her, she didn’t need her mommy.
Tina headed towards the school entrance, grinning immediately as she spotted Mike. “Mike!” She called out, hoping towards him.
He looked up when he heard his name. A smile bloomed on his face as he caught sight of Tina. Eagerly, he released the backpack strap he had been toying with, raised his hand high and waved. “Tina!”
Tina finished her hoping with on extra high bounce, landing just in front of Mike. “Hi hi hi,” she chirped. “You’re here!”
“You’re here!” Mike echoed back, smiling.
“Yep,” Tina smiled. “It’s the first day of first grade,” she giggled because she said first twice.
At the mention of first grade, his smile drooped a bit. He hoped he recovered quickly enough and that Tina didn’t notice. “Yeah! First day! It’s gonna be awesome!”
“Awesome, awesome,” Tina repeated twice, nodding her head rapidly up and down to show her agreement.
“So, uh, we should get inside now!” Mike declared, jumping a little in place.
“Yes,” Tina jumped too. “I hope we get seats beside each other like always.” That was the advantage of having nearly the same last name, though Tina didn’t really know that that was the reason her and Mike had sat beside each other the last two years. She just thought it was because that’s what happened when you were bestest friends.
“Yeah. So! Let’s go!” He took her by the hand and led her inside.
Tina gripped Mike’s hand tightly as they walked together down the hall towards the first grade classroom. When they got to the door, Mike kind of stopped and Tina tilted her head to look at him. “Why’d you stop? This is the classroom.”
He looked down, unable to meet her eyes as he said the words he’d been dreading all morning. “S’not my classroom.”
Tina frowned, confused. “But Mike...I’m six and you’re six and I’m in the first grade...so you’re in the first grade?” The last part came out as a question, as she tried to figure out what was happening.
It confused him too, at first. His parents brought him to school during the summer and they had a talk with his teacher, Miss Appleby. There were some tests and a couple of questions and then there were smiles and his dad was using his I’m proud voice. His mom was smiling and kinda crying at the same time. All he thought about then was missing playtime with Tina.
They sat him down after dinner and talked about how smart he was and how he wasn’t going to be in the first grade come September. At first, Mike thought the school, and Miss Appleby, didn’t like him, that he was too noisy or something and he wouldn’t be allowed to go back. He wanted to cry at that. His mom noticed and immediately gave him a hug. He felt a little better, her hugs were the best. But still! No school!
His dad then explained that he would be skipping first grade and he’d be in the second grade. He made sure to use his this is a good thing voice but Mike didn’t really believe him. He just nodded and asked to be excused. He then spent the entire evening laying on his bed and thinking about his friends and Tina. Second grade meant he won’t be sitting next to her. Actually, it meant not spending the day with her and that thought made him sad.
“My dad said that, um, I’m smart and uh, he used other big words and letters. He mentioned eyes! And the letter Q but I dunno what he meant. He just said I’m a second grader now.”
Tina’s face fell. Mike in second grade meant that they weren’t going to be together. She thought that bestest friends had to be together. If they weren’t together did that mean they weren’t going to be bestest friends anymore? “But...who am I gonna sit beside now?”
Mike frowned. He knew it! He made Tina sad and now he’s sad! And on the first day of school too! “Um, I dunno. You’ll make other friends! Just like how I’ll make other friends! And we’ll still be bestest friends!”
Tina relaxed a bit when he said that they would still be the bestest friends. That made her feel better. “You really think a so Mike? That we can still be bestest friends. Because I want you to be my bestest friend forever.”
“Yeah! Of course we’ll be bestest friends forever! See? I’m gonna pinky swear. You know it’s true cuz pinky swears are super important. And true. And it’s um, a promise!” Mike held out his pinky.
Tina nodded, she knew that pinky swears were super important. She was pretty sure that they couldn’t be broken. Just like magic. So she knew that Mike really meant that they were going to be bestest friends forever and that was super important to her. She leaned forward a bit and linked her pinky easily with his. “I promise to be your bestest friend forever Mike.”
“And I promise to be your bestest friend forever, Tina!”
Tina smiled at him. She was kind of nervous about having to be in the first grade all by herself without Mike but the pinky promise made her feel a whole lot better. The pinky promise meant Mike was going to be her bestest friend forever and that made her even more happy than she felt when mommy let her have a cookie before supper and she really really liked cookies.
Mike unhooked his pinky finger from hers and gave her a gently nudge towards the door. “Tina! You better get in!” It looked like Tina’s teacher was coming and that meant his teacher was also coming. He still had to find go to his classroom and pick a seat and make a friend and hope his seatmate’s as nice as Tina. “I’ll see you at recess?”
“Yep. At recess.” Tina waved before heading into her class.