My Mistake
Chapter 19
By Samantha Jenkins
In Which we return to school, with better results....

---

 
I woke up to the alarm clock going off. I reached over to hit the snooze button, but realized that someone was standing there.

“Morning, Sleepyhead.” I heard Katie’s voice. I picked up the pillow and tried to swat her with it.

“What time is it?” I asked.

“6 am. You should probably get up and go get a shower.” Katie said. I heard a smile in her voice, and I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. “I’ll have your clothes out on the bed for you when you get back.” She offered a hand and I used it to help me sit up. The sun was starting to shine through the window as I stood up, causing my night gown to fall back to my knees. I shuffled off to the bathroom, leaving Katie to get out my clothes. I walked into the bathroom and got in the shower. Ten minutes later I was standing back in my bedroom looking at what Katie had laid on the bed. Katie had laid a simple white blouse and a short pleated denim skirt. On the floor was a pair of white ballet flats. Laying next to the skirt was a pair of white panties with red and pink hearts and a matching bra. I saw Katie appear in the doorway.

“Do you know how cold it’s going to be today?” I asked her. She gave me a smile.

“Yeah, and I’m going to be wearing the same thing, but mine is going to be pink.” She replied. I shrugged and tossed a teddy bear at her. She caught it and grinned.

“Go so I can get dressed.” I said, with a smile in my voice. “How are we doing our hair?”

“I’m wearing mine down, I’m not sure about Jen. Your mom is working on cooking breakfast; something about eggs, sausage and bacon...” I spun so fast that my towel just about fell down.

“Mom is making breakfast?” I asked. Katie smiled and turned and left the doorway, closing the door. I shrugged and got dressed. After I had slipped the shoes on, I brushed my hair and went downstairs. Katie was sitting the forks on the table, dressed just like I was but in pink. She looked at me, and winked.

“Morning Sweetheart.” Mom said. “Would you like some breakfast.” Jen shuffled into the kitchen wearing an ankle length red skirt and a black sweater.

“Morning,” Jen mumbled, her shoes clunking on the floor. Katie and I looked at each other and smiled.

“Did you sleep, Jen?” Katie asked. We had all gotten our assignments from our ‘absence’ the day before and had worked through the night to get them done so that we wouldn’t be too far behind in our studies.

“I think I got four hours.” Jen said groggily. Mom knew that we had been up kind of late studying. Our homework was probably harder than the rest of our classmates because we had missed the lectures on the subjects. Mom got down some coffee cups, and sat them at the table. Jen looked at mom, and then stood and got the coffee pot and poured all of us some coffee. I rubbed my eyes right as mom sat a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, , toast and something that caught me by surprise, baked beans on the table in front of Katie and I. Katie and I looked at each other, not knowing what to make of the baked beans.

“Baked beans?” I asked, looking at the back of Mom’s head as she prepared Jennifer and her own plates. Mom sat the plates down and then sat at the table, her coffee cup still steaming.

“Yes, baked beans,” Mom said with a smile. “This is what you would call an English breakfast, without the mushrooms, which none of us like.” Mom picked up her fork and made short work of a piece of sausage. I glanced at Katie as she started to eat. Twenty minutes later, we finished putting the dishes in the dishwasher and mom started it.

“Girls, go get your shoes on, we are going to try this school thing again.” Mom said. Katie and I looked at each other and picked up our backpacks. I wasn’t as nervous today, going out and getting into Mom’s dark blue Toyota Avalon as I was the day before. I got in the back with Katie, who reached over and patted my leg. Jen sat up front with mom. Dr. Franklin had given mom a stack of papers that she would need when she had the school change my file to indicate that I was no longer Josh, but was now Morgan. Even though the school had to let me attend as Morgan, they could still give mom a hard time with changing the paperwork. Mom turned left into the parking lot of the school and parked the car in the visitors spot, next to Katie’s mom’s car. Apparently Susan wasn’t taking any chances this morning with the folks in the school being stupid. As soon as we walked into the school, we were met by Officer Mullin who must have watched us pull in.

“Good Morning ladies.” He said, opening the door to the main office for us. “Morgan, I was told by Lieutenant Chang to keep an eye on you and take care of you. So if it seems like I’m around an awful lot today it is probably because I am. If you have any problems today come to me first.” We stopped in front of my guidance counselor's office.

“Yes, sir.” I said, flashing a smile. This was going to be an interesting day, I could tell. Officer Mullin nodded and left to go back to his office.

#

“Good Morning” Mr. Thompson said, sitting behind his grey government issued desk. All of teh desks that the staff sit behind were the same color. I think the school district got a deal on the desks. “What can I do for you girls?” He asked. Mom looked at him and then started talking.

“We need to change my daughters information in her file.” Mom said with a smile.

“And who would your daughter be so I can pull her file and we can make the changes.”

“My daughters name was Joshua Allen Smith.” Mr. Thompson did a double take, and then looked at me.

“What’s your new name, sweetheart, calling you Josh doesn’t seem to be conducive to how you are dressed.”

“My name is Morgan.” I said, flashing a smile. I had almost expected a response similar to what we had gotten out of Mrs. Paskly the day before.