Through Everything

Chapter 11

A fortnight later, the long-awaited week had finally arrived. Today, was the first day of not only the school fete; but winter as well. The early winter caught many by surprise, leading to an early morning rush at the school's lost and found room-or rather, lost and found attic.

The lost and found wasn't the only place that was crowded; the assembly ground and the football pitch were twice as jam packed. High schoolers shuttled to and from their stalls to various parts of the school in a frenzy, trying to get everything ready for the fete that was set to start in less than two hours.

"Jia!" called Luna. "Some boys want to see you!"

"Coming!" She let out a sneeze as she climbed down the ladder.

The boys-who looked about the girls' age-explained that middle schoolers were jumping over the makeshift cardboard box barricades around the assembly ground.

"And the same thing's happening at the pitch." they added.

"Oh, those cardboard boxes all around the ground are barricades?" asked Luna.

"Yeah." said Jia. "Those cardboard boxes were supposed to act as a temporary barricade to keep the other kids out of the fete until nine."

"But clearly-they're not working." said the boys with a scoff.

She turned back and looked at their stall-it was nowhere near done. She couldn't leave her stall. But she had to do something. She turned to the boys. "You all get back to setting up your stalls-I'll try my best to sort this out."

The boys nodded with scepticism and left. Luna watched as Jia climbed up the ladder and began to stack the shelves.

"So, you're not gonna do anything?" she asked. "About the barricades?"

"I don't really have time to fix that-so I'm gonna delegate."

She placed her phone on the topmost step of the ladder as she stacked the shelves.

"Hey Mindy!"

"Jia, I'm staring at the ceiling." replied the Head Girl of Eighth Grade.

"Give me a minute." Jia took her phone and got down the ladder. "The barricades for the fete aren't working out."

Mindy rolled her eyes. "Shocker."

"I know. Middle schoolers are jumping the boxes, and the scattered boxes mean that fete kids can't run to and from the ground easily. So, here's the plan. Get the karate team down here. They're gonna be our new barricade. They should only allow the fete kids to pass through and everyone else stays outside."

Mindy nodded. "Got it. One karate team coming right up."

"Actually, we need two teams-one on the football pitch and the other one here, on the assembly ground."

"Wow!" Mindy smirked. "See, I told you that meeting last Friday was just a waste of time. We accomplished nothing in that meeting. And now, the thing we were supposed to accomplish during last Friday's two-hour meeting has to now be done within-"

"A half hour."

"What the-"

"Mindy, I'm freaking out as it is, so don't freak me out more. So, keep the freaks in and handle it." Jia cut the call and climbed back up the ladder to stack the shelves.

Luna wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Jia, I'm done. Want some help stacking those shelves?"

"No thanks, but there's one thing you can help me with. Take my phone and send a text to Headmistress Aadya telling her to email a fete pass to Mindy Mackrel of 8-H."