• Tonight was the night of the ball. We were supposed to be the hosts there, so all we had to do was talk. It was going to be boring. Boring until my grandmother came. Then everything was going to be horrible.
    Horrible for me, at least
    At least I had Rochi to count on. I loved him so much, and he would stand by me through anything. The guests started arriving. We were in the other room, going over who was serving whom.

    “Okay, Amy, you’re serving your parents table and the table across from there. Amirochi, you’re serving tables twelve, sixteen, and one, Tasin, Chasmin, you’re both serving tables two, six, seven, eight, and eleven, Mayumichi, tables fifteen, ten, and nine, Sochi, three, four, thirteen, and five, and I’m serving the rest, ‘mkay?” Itachima told us.

    “That’s too many tables, jeez,” I said, exasperated.

    “I know,” Itachima said, sighing.

    “Time for us to go out, right?” Amirochi asked. We all nodded and headed to the doors, pushing them open and stepping onto the indoor balcony. The noise immediately quieted. Amirochi made it to the microphone.

    “Welcome to Ayeboshi High. We are the students who made it into the high social group class. We welcome you to this wonderful school, and we hope you have a good time,” Amirochi said into the microphone, his voice echoing around the room. After he said those words, twenty waiters came bursting out of the door below us, dressed in a white tailcoat, red tie, red top hat, and perfectly cleaned white shoes. The only difference between them and us is that us seven had white top hats, red shoes. They came in, bringing the platters of appetizers, setting them down perfectly in the middle of the twenty round tables, and pulling off the tops to show their selected meals.

    We all went back inside to read the menus and get the food outside. After about thirty minutes, we went outside with the trays of food. Turkey, ham, chicken, salads, ice creams, pies, and much much more were put on the tables.

    I went over to visit my family. Surprisingly, I saw my grandfather sitting there. I went over to hug him.

    “Hello grandpa,” I said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

    “Hello Amy, you look so wonderful! Having fun?” he asked, hugging me back.

    “Not really, anticipating eight o’clock,” I said.

    “Really? What’s happening then?” he asked.

    “Oh, my parents didn’t tell you, eh?” I asked, raising my eyebrows at my mother and father, “Well, grandmother is coming at eight.”

    “In five minutes? That’s too fast, I don’t even like that wretched woman, and she is so rude.”

    I choked. Five minutes? That was too fast. I sighed and said,

    “Great. Just great.”

    I went over to talk to some of the girls from our school.

    “Hello ladies, enjoying the ball?” I said, smiling at them. One of them giggled and the other said,

    “Well..Um.. It would’ve been better if you didn’t have to work, because I would’ve really liked it if you sat with us,” she said, blushing. I smiled again.

    “Well, once I get the time, I’ll come sit with you guys. How about that?” I asked kindly.

    “Sure,” she said, blushing even more.

    I started to walk away to talk to some more people at the tables when I saw the doors to the outside open. I stared as a little old woman walked slowly inside, her eyes looking around the place. She made a disgusted face.

    My grandmother had arrived.