one-shots ⇝ jenzie

F 0 R T Y - T H R E E

❝ pen pals ❞
third person's point of view

"alright, class, today we're doing something special!" mrs. ives, mackenzie ziegler's fifth grade teacher, exclaimed enthusiastically.

mackenzie looked up from her notebook. she was doodling a rose with her red ink pen.

mackenzie ziegler was a young ten year old girl. she had hazelnut hair that fell over her face like a curtain when she leaned over her desk. behind the wall of thick brown locks was the lovely face of a child, one with gorgeous brown eyes and long lashes and a smile that was as bright as sunshine on a rainy day.

all her teachers found her adorable, but even that couldn't help the fact that she was always daydreaming and seldom paying attention in class. indeed, she was one of the more artistic students. she didn't listen much during math and science lessons. they always bored her. she, however, was a brilliant student who received good grades despite her lack of attention in class. but when came time to go to art class, her chocolate eyes, seemingly dull, widened with glee, and suddenly, they seemed to sparkle brighter than a thousand stars.

"you are all going to be assigned a pen pal!" the teacher exclaimed.

despite mrs. ives's clear excitement, the students stayed silent and all asked themselves the same question, one that was asked aloud by a blonde girl with freckles all over her face.

"what's a pen pal?"

it was ruby rose turner, one of mackenzie's closest friends, who had asked that question. she was younger than all students due to skipping second grade, and that clearly showed by her childish face and pink-coloured outfits. no one had shown an interest in becoming friends with ruby in third grade, but mackenzie, who could easily count selflessness as one of her qualities, quickly took her under her wing.

ruby had not raised her hand before asking her question, but mrs. ives didn't point it out. instead, she simply explained:

"a pen pal is someone who you write a letter to, and they answer, and it goes on and on and on!"

it barely took two seconds before another question was asked.

"well, who are we gonna talk to too?" another kid, the particularly exuberant carson lueders, questioned as he squirmed in his desk chair.

"well, i arranged you guys to send letters to another fifth grade class at peters elementary school."

this time, it was time for mackenzie to have her word in the discussion.

"isn't that the school across the street, right in front of ours?" she chirped in her high-pitched voice which had yet to become less child-like.

"yes, indeed mackenzie! the fifth grade teacher there — her name is mrs. marsh — and i thought it would be a fun project to celebrate how hard you guys have been working!"

suddenly, julianna leblanc raised her hand, unlike all the previous students who had asked a question. julianna was a tiny girl with brown hair and brown eyes. she was a goodie-two shoes; her family went to church every sunday, at least that was what mackenzie had heard. julianna was often nicknamed as the teacher's pet due to her almost too honeyed behaviour towards mrs. ives.