Who'd have thought

         Nicole ate her breakfast alone in the kitchen enjoying the fact her mother wasn't there to bother her. Tomorrow is the first day of her junior year. And she was one of the ones chosen to go to the orientation for students who wanted to pursue a career in the arts. She tried to ignore the loud sounds of her mother walking into the room. She jumped when her mother slammed a piece of paper in front of her.
"What the hell is this?" She asked.
"It looks like a piece of paper."
"Don't be a smart ass. The part that says you've been accepted into the arts program? I told you no. No, no no! Art doesn't put food on the table."
"It can if you're good and have the ambition... at least thats what my art teacher said. And she recommended it for me."
"I don't care no!"
"Well I don't care what you say I'm going." She said
"No you can not go!"
"Why not? Why does it matter to you? Whether I become successful in art or business I'm not giving you a hay penny." Nicole said. She felt the sting from her mothers hand. She couldn't deny that she deserved it, but her mother was being irrational. She's always tried to control her life. And if Nicole doesn't agree... there are physical punishments.
"You owe me more than you could possibly give me. You should give me what ever you make. And the only way that is going to happen is if you go into what I think you should go into."
"I don't want to go into what you think I should go into. I want to do what I want for once."
"It's not all about you. Now hurry up and get ready for school."
Nicole was about to say that if you weren't doing the arts program that you didn't have to go to school, but then she thought that not telling her was the better way to go.
"Fine mother." She said as angrily as she could manage, hiding her happiness.
          Nicole and Rachel sat in the middle of the a row in the auditorium.
"I'm so glad you came."
"Me too I'm so excited."
"I'm glad your mom finally came to her senses."
"Right... um this is my mom you're talking about... she has no sense."
"So you lied?"
"Not exactly, she told me to go to school... she just doesn't know that today was only for the art students."
"Nice!" Her friend said proudly. " I have taught you well grass hopper."
"Girl... you watch too much tv."
"Ehem!" A frumpy older man said into the microphone on the stage."
"Welcome, you all to your junior year of high school. I am glad to see that we have so many who are interested in the artistic world. But let's not think that the other academics aren't important. There are four quarters and each semester you have to take one of the major courses, English, math, and social studies. In one semester you will take math and a social study and the other English and a social study. To remain in this program you must maintain a 2.6 gpa. I am excited to see what your junior show case will be. The junior show case is small and opens up for the senior one which is very important. But we'll get to that next year. Before you walk out you will get an envelope and it will tell you your class schedule. Good luck."
"Eeee! I'm so excited." Rachel squealed.
"I'm glad."
"Ooh... who is that?" She asked looking at this tall skinny boy with strangely coloured hair.
"I don't know... what's wrong with him?" Nicole asked
"Um nothing nothing. Let's go, he kid of creeps me out." She said pushing past him. He looked Nicole in the eye as she passed and she quickly looked away.