Identity+-+Trouble's+Luck

=Trouble’s Luck = = =  “Wake up and sit straight!” Mr. Grimm shouted. I must have fallen asleep. My name is James but everybody calls me trouble. I’m infamous for causing problem. Mr. Grimm’s face was burning like a sun because someone poured orange juice on his desk. Nobody except my buddy Bob knows who did it. Bob is my best friend in the entire world and he knows that I poured it during break time to trick Mr. Grimm.

My friends and my neighbors call me and Bob twins, because we look almost identical and act similar. We both have dark brown hair and freckled faces, and we are short and ugly. We’re both trouble makers. Last time when we had a science test Bob and I got C-. My grades are as bad as a tornado. But today was totally different. While I was sleeping during class Bob was actually studying. Usually when I’m sleeping he does the same with me. The bell rang and I went toward him. “Hey Bob what’s up?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” he replied.

“I mean why weren’t you sleeping during class like me?”

“I have a parent-teacher conference the day after tomorrow and I DON’T want to be punished by my parents. If they realize I’m doing terribly at school, they won’t let me live.” He commented in a nervous looking. “And we have math test after lunch, don’t you remember?”

“Geese, you’re totally changed today!” I exclaimed. “I have never seen you study.”

"Well I guess I’m changed now and you know what? Your conference is on the same date as me and you had better be preparing for it.” Just then my impish smile disappeared and my face turned pale. “What! It’s this week? Why didn’t you tell me that?”

“Didn’t you hear what Mr. Tim said last week?” Bob declared. Now the bell rang and we went to the cafeteria. I sat next to Bob and ate peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

“So Bob you are changed now and are you going to tell Mr. Grimm that I poured the juice?” I whispered.

“No, I’m not going to spill it.”

“So you aren’t totally changed. Then why are you acting so strange today? I thought you were someone else.”

“I planned to fix myself and concentrate on studying so that Mr. Grimm won’t tell my parents that I’m a bad student. And I think it is also good for my future, I am changed- my friend trouble. Also I won’t have time to play with you after school today.”

“Oh….” My eyes opened like an owl’s eyes. Bob is a stranger today. Should I also be changed like him? No, I’m not a person for studying. Then what am I suppose to do on my conference? I stopped eating my lunch and throw it into the trashcan; I’m not feeling to eat it anymore. I went to my desk and sat there for a long time. Few minutes later, Bob came to comfort me.

“James I’m sorry I acted differently today. But I know you will understand me. And I’m not that changed. I’m just trying not to be a trouble maker like before and I’m still your best friend after all. Don’t be so stubborn, you can also be changed like me. It’s not that hard.”

“You never apologized to someone before and I like being a trouble maker. Leave me alone.”

“But……”

“Just go away!” I shouted. So Bob went to his desk and started studying. It’s so confusing, I liked the way how Bob acted but he’s totally different today. It’s the worst day ever. I feel like I’m going to have a headache. Time passed and I didn’t notice but Mr. Grimm came in and passed out the papers that we are going to have a test today. I looked at Bob, he was already writing his answers. I didn’t want to cheat today but I guess I had to. Because I usually don’t study and it was what I always did but nobody seemed to notice it. Also I’m good at cheating. Today I decided to look at the girl’s paper who sat in front of me. My eyes’ optic is very good so I can see like a rabbit. I started to copy it down just then the teacher called my name out loud and said “Stop cheating trouble!” I didn’t notice that he was watching over me. I felt like my heart stopped to freeze. He said that he had to talk with me after school before the parent- teacher conferences.

Time went very fast and I followed him to his office. He asked why I cheated and tells me about my grades. Finally, he let me go home and said, “I’ll have to talk to your parents when they come to school the day after tomorrow.” And this made me really scary. How am I supposed to tell my attitude in school to my parents?

Now the talking was over and it was time to go home. How eagerly I wished to go home! The school felt like a week past, I didn’t even say goodbye to Bob. “He’s a stranger now,” I added to myself. My house is near the school so I rode a bike to home. When I arrived at home I opened the door and went upstairs to my room. I didn’t eat snacks today. I wanted to be alone. My inside was full of worries and stress. Just then I remembered the paper that Mr. Tim gave to our class last week. It was about the conference that we had to hand it back until tomorrow. I kept thinking and thinking……. My grandpa can hardly hear anything so he won’t know what I’m doing. Should I bring my grandfather to the conference or should I tell the truth? If I bring my grandfather to school, Mr. Grimm would notice that he’s not my parent. But if I bring my parents they’ll punish me and they could even let me go out of this house! It’s so frustrating. What should I do?

“Trouble, come down and eat dinner!” I woke up to the mom’s calling me to eat dinner. I think I fell asleep while I was thinking of the conference.

“I’m coming!” I shouted. Now what should I do? I’ll be a nice student next year and I’ll also change myself like Bob. But right now…… I think I’ll have to take my grandpa. Only for tomorrow, so I went down stairs and sat on the table. Mom and dad’s condition aren’t so good. Better not to tell them about the conference. After I finished the dinner, I went straight up to my room and got out my conference paper. Then I went to the living room where my grandfather was watching TV. I checked what my family was doing.

My sister was only two years old and she is always sleeping in her bed and mom was doing the dishes. But dad was walking toward me! “Trouble what is that paper?” He asked.

Suddenly my heart began to beat fast. My face is red. “Uh….uh… It’s just my… letter from my friend. It’s a secret.” I declared. //Whew, I thought he would notice my conference paper//, I thought as I walked towards my grandfather.

“Grandpa, are you sleeping?” I whispered.

“Wh…..what?” he murmured. He couldn’t hear me.

“Can you sign this paper and come to school the day after tomorrow?” I shouted.

“Oh, yes little James. But don’t you have to go with your daddy and your mama?” Grandpa is the only person who calls my real name.

“No, grandpa this conference is going with their grandparents and it’s just having a fun to talk with my teacher. So can you come? I’m sure you will.” I said with a cutest looking face. “Just sign here grandpa.” I stated.

“Okay, but I’m not sure the teacher would like to see me because… you know. I can’t hear well.” He frowned.

“It’s fine. There’s nothing to worry about. You just have to do a little nod and that’s all.” Then I gave him the paper and he signed it.

 Everything was going just fine now. But when I woke in the morning my heart started to beat fast. Today is the conference day and I wished a good luck for me. Yesterday when I handed the signed sheet to Mr. Grimm my hand was kind of shaking. He thought I ate something wrong today. I got on to my neat school uniform and went down stairs to eat lunch. I told mom and dad that I had a choir practice to do and I wanted to bring grandpa with me. They didn’t seem to notice that today was the conference day. I felt like I completed a hard mission. Everything seemed easy now. So when I finished breakfast I went to school with my grandpa. His white hair like a snow was fluttering by wind. His walking is like a turtle.
 * * *

“Grandpa, don’t worry. You just need to nod when someone says something. When the conversation finishes, you just say thank you and leave the classroom. That’s all~ nothing to worry about.” I giggled. But actually I felt like I was comforting to myself. It was ten o’clock when we arrived at school. I saw Bob coming out of our classroom because his conference was right before mine, so I asked how it went.

“Hey Bob how'd it go?”

“Hi, trouble. Is your turn next?”

“Uh-huh. How did it go? Did your parents get upset because of you?”

“Nah, it went fine just as I thought. Mr. Grimm said at first I was doing terrible but now I’m doing fine.” He answered. “But my parents don’t really mind about these.”

“Wow, your parents are cool. Okay then see you at school tomorrow. I have lot to do now.”

“Yeah, see ya.” He is so lucky. I wish I had some kind of parents like him. But I’m going to be a good student next year. Then I could bring my real parents.

And I went to my classroom with my grandpa. I shook a little in front of Mr. Grimm. He looked so handsome today. His hair was combed and he was wearing a new clothes.

“Come in and sit down James. And are you James father? Nice to meet you, I’m his teacher Mr. Grimm.” My grandpa nodded his head just as I told him to. Oh, Mr. Grimm wasn’t wearing his glasses today. He didn’t notice it was my grandfather. How lucky I am. Then Mr. Grimm started to tell about my attitude in school and my grades.

“He always gets D’s on every test.” Grandpa was just nodding. He was doing fine. I think I’m going to like my grandfather more than Bob.

Finally, Mr. Grimm’s speech was over and grandpa said “Thank you…” I think Mr. Grimm got little shocked but I didn’t care. So we left the classroom and went home.

“How was it grandpa?” I asked.

“Um…. I think it was good. But I couldn’t hear anything he said.”

“You don’t have to listen; it was just about funny jokes to make you laugh. But I think he got little shocked because you didn’t laugh at it……..”

Today was my luckiest day ever.

And my parents will never know what I did.