In the office, a middle-aged lady with long wavy hair was sitting at her desk, flipping through a report.
"...Very good report card, Mr. Annoon.
Previously attended Hopkins High School in Connecticut...Winner of Connecticut Merit Scholarship...
Ah, I noticed that you received an invitation from the WGA (Writers Guild of America), but did not join."
She took off her gold-rimmed glasses and looked at the male student sitting at the desk, with curiosity in her tone.
"Can I ask why this is? Of course, if it is not convenient to answer, please ignore this question."
"There is nothing inconvenient, Principal Sisley. That happened in December last year. At that time, my parents died in a car accident. I was immersed in grief and had no time to take care of other affairs, so I declined the WGA's invitation."
The black-haired student wearing a pair of glasses answered calmly.
The woman named Sisley was startled for a moment, then apologized: "I'm very sorry. Your parents raised you very well."
Then, she turned her attention to the middle-aged woman next to the student: "Then you are his..."
"Susan. I am Heather's aunt, distant aunt. You know, Heather's mother is my distant cousin."
The middle-aged woman hurriedly said,
"Heather needed someone to take care of him, so my husband and I invited him to move to New York to live with us. Oh, and Heather's ability to live independently is great. Although he is only 17 years old, he is already an adult. Report folder
There should be one in there...ah, yes, that's the one."
"Thanks for the reminder, I'll take a look... Well, this document explains that in February this year, the Federal District Court of Connecticut declared that Heather Annoon became an 'adult' early at the age of 17, on the basis of independence.
Living ability, relatively stable financial resources and the strong demands of the parties.”
The principal picked up a copy of the court judgment from the folder and read it twice before nodding:
"... Impeccable in every aspect, Mr. Annoon. Midtown High School is lucky to have a student like you."
She put down the folder, stood up and stretched out her hand to the students:
"Welcome."
"Thank you very much, principal."
The students hold the principal's hand.
Then the principal shook hands with Aunt Susan: "Thank you for bringing an outstanding student to Zhongcheng Middle School."
After a few words of greeting, the male student and his distant aunt left the principal's office. Only Principal Sisley was left in the office, continuing to look through the transfer student's transcript.
It is still class time and there are no students walking in the corridor.
Aunt Susan kept mumbling as she and Heather walked outside the school:
"Heather, Midtown High School is one of the best high schools in Queens. You will definitely be able to make a big difference here. In this case, Jeff and Maria will also be happy in Heavenly Spirit.
Auntie’s biggest wish is to see you successfully go to college, get a decent job, find a beautiful and considerate wife, and, oh, have two children. What do you think of the name Benjamin?"
"Aunt Susan, you are thinking too far."
Heather smiled. She was a distant aunt who was gentle and kind. Her only shortcoming might be that she was prone to divergent thinking. She would always start a conversation 800 kilometers away in just three sentences.
Getting in the car, my aunt kept talking while driving: "You will enter school tomorrow, and we must celebrate tonight. I will send you home first, and then go to the supermarket to buy prosciutto and steak. Do you know, you
Mom used to like eating ham tarts, and she would do it every family gathering..."
Heather rolled down the car window and leaned against the window with her cheeks in her hands. The cool wind blew his slightly curly black hair, and her aunt's voice seemed to be far away in the horizon.
He didn't resent his aunt's enthusiasm, but he didn't want to get too close either.
In fact, if it weren't for the fact that he was under the age of 18 and had to have a suitable guardian and Heather really didn't want to stay in that sad place in Connecticut, he could actually live a good life on his own.
It doesn't matter to Heather now whether it's New York, Connecticut or Florida. After struggling through that period of heartbreak, Heather's emotions have become colder now, and nothing can touch him too much.
Even if Uncle Marty levied $400 per month for room and board from Heather without telling Aunt Susan, Heather would just smile and hand over a year's worth of money to this unreliable uncle.
The old house in Connecticut was neither sold nor rented because Heather felt that it was the only remaining connection between him and his parents. Most of his royalties, which the court judged to be a "relatively stable source of income," were used for
Pay fees including property taxes.
Even though Heather now has little savings, is living under someone else’s roof, and is still facing the harsh study environment and pressure of entering a higher school in the senior year of high school, he doesn’t have any emotional ups and downs.
Outside the car window, a bird spread its wings and flew between the buildings. Heather squinted at the sky through thick lenses, but could not identify the bird's appearance.
Flying is so exciting.
"...Maria and Jeff have been together since then. It's a wonderful love story like a fairy tale. Huh? What was I going to tell you just now?"
Aunt Susan's voice was like clouds in the sky, drifting back to Heather's ears.
"Ham Tower, Aunt Susan." Heather still held her chin and looked out the car window. The bird had already flown away.
"Oh yes, ham tart. Speaking of ham tart, do you know where this dish was first invented? I remember that my uncle, your grandfather, used to be a sailor. He went..."
Aunt Susan's voice drifted away again, and the surrounding scenery quickly disappeared to the rear. You didn't need to look at the dashboard to know that the current speed of the car was 52 yards, the temperature outside the car was 16 degrees, and judging from the slope of the sun, it should be 15:31 at this time.
.
These useless messages just flashed through Heather's mind.
Heather never thought that he was anything special compared to other people of his age. At most, he was a little smarter and more realistic than those naive kids who were only addicted to pornographic movies and football.
Well, relatively speaking, his physique is a little weaker than those of the famous figures on the football and basketball teams.
In other words, what American students call a typical nerd.
But Heather is not like those permanent tenants of trash cans in school corridors who have been bullied all year round. She has no confidence in life and no extravagant hopes for the future. Heather has her own way of dealing with campus figures with strong limbs and simple minds.
If Heather has any expectations for the upcoming high school life in Midtown, it is that she hopes that there will be no short-sighted and brainless athletes to cause trouble for her.
This is not Kangzhou, and the aftermath is much more troublesome.
Just when Heather was thinking wildly and dealing with Aunt Susan's topic of "How deep is the Mariana Trench?", she was suddenly startled, and then she leaned in front of the car window and stuck her head out of the window.
He seemed to see a figure... flying between the tall buildings?