Hearing her mother's voice, Athena was alarmed. She put her book away, back on the shelf, then stood up. A moment later, her mom opened the door. "Athena, why are you here? You aren't sick, are you?"
"No ... I ..." Really, she didn't have a very good explanation.
Her mother sighed, shaking her head. "You can't miss school. Your attendance is just as important as your grades. You still want to join the gymnastics team when you go to high school next year, don't you? You have to show people that you're reliable and a hard-worker."
Wait, what did she say? Go to high school next year? But ... Athena was already in high school, as a freshman. Just like her friends Zelda Whitefield and Trevor Blake. (Her three other friends - Stephanie Wright, Sabrina Johnson, and Jon Gibson - were all juniors, though). Her mom must have been mistaken. She didn't even really catch the part about becoming a gymnast, which she had no interest in.
"Come on. I'll give you a ride to the middle school. It's on my way to work, fortunately."
Not knowing how to get herself out of this, Athena reluctantly went with her mom.
