Thirteen Summers

thirty

A seven year old Josephine watched from the window of the classroom door as the other kids enjoyed their designated playtime, the door had been closed shut to refrain from any noise spilling out.

Playtime was always the last class at the end of the day before the parents picked their kids up. It was great for the kids as well as their parents, some of whom did not want to deal with an overly energised child after a long day at work.

She blinked and then returned her gaze to the juice box that had been placed on the table for her, she was yet to drink it.

The hallways of the lower school classrooms were short, they had tables and chairs that were used for small learning groups, one to one reading sessions or simply for activities during holiday periods.

This area was a familiar place for Josie as she was often part of the small group of students that did their learning outside of the classroom.

Her teacher was watching her with a sympathetic smile, she sighed at the sad little girl in front of her.

She was tall and beautiful with dirty blonde hair curled into ringlets.

A moment later, the girl's mother walked in with a stressed and concerned look on her face.

Cecily quickly noticed her daughter sat at the table, her hands cupped over her ears and her feet restless.

Josie's teary eyes lifted up to face her mother's who'd just crouched down in front of her.

"Oh, sweetie." Cecily sighed, she tried tugging one of her hands off but the young girl wouldn't budge. Her mother sighed again and turned her head to face the teacher with a shameful look. "I'm so sorry about this, Ms. Aimbridge."

"We just can't have this behaviour, Miss Sky." The mentioned simply looked at her with a remorseful look. "As you know, this is the second incident we've had this week."

"She doesn't like when it gets too loud, it's just a phase." Cecily told her, standing up to her full height. "It will pass."

"It's the second one this week but that is only this week, now Josie's a quiet, very well behaved girl but when things like this happen, it sets her back and I'm afraid she's not making much progress with friends either."

"She's shy, what more can I do?" Cecily started getting defensive as her eyes narrowed slightly. "She's a kid."

"I..I suppose we could buddy her up with one of the other girls, it'd help her transition into the new school year better." Ms. Aimbridge then got a bit quiet before continuing. "It might be best if she sits out here during playtimes."

"Are you kidding me?" Cecily scoffed, leaning forward slightly. "You can't take away her playtime. What, do you really think that's fair?"

"It- it'd just be for a week or two and if I'm honest, I think it would benefit her because they're clearly quite a stressful time for her as of now."

It was quiet for a moment between the two adults before the mother eventually nodded. "I suppose."

Cecily then closed her eyes, took a deep breath before opening them again and she grinned at her daughter's teacher. "Thank God, I don't have any other kids. One's already more than a handful."

Ms. Aimbridge shared a light laugh with her. "I've got two little devils of my own."

"Thank you for the juice." Cecily picked up the juice box from the table. "Have a good day, Ms. Aimbridge."