Remember Forever (Book 9 in Nemi Forever Series)

Chapter 26

Nick

Things got back to normal for me & Demi, once she decided to forgive me. We both got back to work & also started planning the twins birthday party. It was only their eleventh, so we were just doing a simple family gathering at the house. The weekend after their party, though, they could each have some friends spend the night. Jerry & his friends were going to camp outside, while the girls would all stay inside. I'd chaperone the boys, Demi the girls. We also were enlisting the help of Joe & Blanda & my parents were taking some of the other kids that weekend. Riley & Harper were going to go with Demi's parents, so my parents weren't too overwhelmed.

On the Friday, after Demi got home from the clinic, we had a meeting with Mercy & Jerry's teachers. Demi & I had no idea what they wanted to talk about, but it ended up not being anything bad. Actually, it was the complete opposite. Mercy & Jerry both scored really high on the state tests that had been issued to the students a month earlier. They scored, so high, in fact, that their teachers brought up both of them skipping fifth grade all together & going right into sixth grade. All they had to do was take a test & have us sign paperwork that allowed the transition. Their teachers didn't think it was a big deal since they started school late & technically should have been in fifth grade anyway, but Demi & I had to think about it. Demi, more than me.

On the car ride home, I asked Demi what she really thought about the twins skipping fifth grade. She sighed, heavily, then looked at me with a frown. "I don't want them to be bored if we keep them in the grade they're in now. But at the same time, I wanted to keep them at home longer because I don't want them to grow up too fast."

"They're gonna get older, no matter what grade they're in. Demi, they're gonna be older than all the kids in their class during their entire school career. Maybe we should let them take the test. They may not even pass it. Who knows?"

"Let's talk to them about it, first. If they don't want to skip a grade then we won't make them." Demi said, seeming proud of herself.

I nodded. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea.'

That night after dinner, Demi & I sat down with Mercy & Jerry & talked to them about what their teachers talked to us about. Jerry was like whatever. He had friends in a grade above him already & most of the kids in both grades were on his teams or lived in our neighborhood, so he would still see his friends. Mercy wanted to skip & was very adamant about it. She had friends at school, but since Karleigh was going to still live across the street & Gianna was a grade above Mercy, she wanted to move up to be in Gianna's grade. So, it was decided right then & there. The kids would take the test the following week & we'd get the results the week after that.

On Friday, after our meeting with the teachers, Demi & I took Reid to his first session with his counselor, Miss Alyssa. She was really nice & Reid seemed to really like her. Once his intake session was complete, she told us that she wanted to schedule him for more tests, thinking he may have a learning disability or she thought it was possible, he could have ADHD. Demi, of course, asked about mental illnesses & Alyssa didn't seem too concerned about that, but it was something they could look into more, later on down the road. We were both relieved that initially it wasn't anything too serious, but we both had a feeling it was something.

Mercy & Jerry took their tests that following Monday & then a week later, the results came back & we went to the school, so they could let us know the outcome. Mercy nearly aced the damn test & Jerry passed it with room for error. So, it was official. We started the process of them skipping fifth grade. One of the things we insisted on doing was having some of the fifth grade work for them to do over the summer. The teachers were happy to oblige & they actually said it was something they sometimes suggested to parents.