Dreaming of Cheers (Standing Up to Life Book 3)

Chapter 23:

THE NEXT MORNING seemed really chaotic as I tried to get ready to leave. Mom had left me a 'don't forget,' note on the bathroom mirror. Things like my pillow, stuffed animal, face wash, etc. It was followed up by my dad hovering and making sure I'd already done the twenty things I'd already done. By the time Amy's mom pulled up I was so ready to get my stuff in their car and get out of there I couldn't stand it!

It was then that I realized I'd missed something overnight... Snow! I smiled as soon as I saw the skiff of it sitting outside. There wasn't even enough to cover the rocks in our front yard, but it was still there! That also meant that I had to be more careful as I carried my stuff out to her car that morning. Twice I almost fell when I slipped on a patch of black ice beneath the snow.

"Good morning Tiffany," Amy's mom said to me as she got out of the car and helped me carry some of my load. I kept my school backpack in the seat with me and everything else was put in the back of her car.

"Hey," Amy said to me. "It snowed!" She said excitedly to me as I sat down next to her.

"Uh-huh!" I agreed with her.

"Now if only we could get enough sometime soon to cancel school for a day or two!"

"It's going to have to do more than this though," I said doubtfully. We didn't get a snow day last year. I really wanted to have one though... anytime you could miss school was a good thing.

"At least there should be a lot more than this up at the resort tomorrow!" Amy was excited – I could tell.

I nodded. By the time we got to school the two of us were pretty wound up. As soon as we walked up to the building though, I found myself losing that quickly. Amy grabbed my hand and squeezed it as we walked in to drop off my sax. We were late enough to school that we just came out of the band room as the bell rang to go to first hour. All through the hallway I dreaded a repeat of recent events... but nothing happened.

During first hour we were able to talk as we worked on a crossword puzzle. "I'm so jealous of you two," Kyle said.

"Yeah, you should take us up there sometime," Lindsey said.

"We'll see, my parents might be up for that sometime," Amy said.

"That would be a lot of fun," I agreed.

About five minutes before the bell, I heard the office page Mr. Randolf. "Mr. Randolf, would you please send Tiffany down to the office?"

"She's on her way," he told the voice and he nodded at me to go.

It was a nerve-racking walk to the office. I knew that this was going to be a meeting with my parents, Amy's dad, Mrs. Henry, and me. Even though Mrs. Henry had been a much better principal so far than Mrs. Hinther had been, I still didn't fully trust her. I could understand that it was difficult to figure out who was doing – and prove it, but still...

"Hey sweetie," Mom told me as I walked into the office.

I went up and gave her and my dad a hug before gluing myself in between them. Amy's dad came in a few minutes later. After he came, we were led into the all too familiar conference room. Mrs. Henry was the one who led us in, saying, "If you'll be patient for just a few more minutes I've been asked to have one of the school's attorneys here for this meeting."

Greg answered for us, "That's fine; we can understand the districts' caution."

Mom and Dad took seats on either side of me, with Greg on the other end of mom, closer to Mrs. Henry. We sat for a few minutes before Mom quietly asked me if I'd remembered some things for the trip. I of course had remembered everything; she just was being a mother. When the school's attorney came through the door into the conference room he said, "Hi, sorry I'm late," as he took a seat next to Mrs. Henry. The school resource officer also came in and took a seat next to him.