Adrian woke up feeling strangely excited. For a few seconds, he lay in bed staring at the ceiling, wondering what happened next in the book. Then reality struck. It was Monday. His excitement vanished almost immediately.
The library only welcomed visitors on Sundays. That meant he couldn't return today. Or tomorrow.
Or the day after that. Adrian sat up and counted the days anyway.
Monday.
Tuesday.
Wednesday.
Thursday.
Friday.
Saturday.
Sunday.
Six days.
Six whole days before he could continue reading The Tale of Queendom Eliz.
"Adrian!" his mother shouted from downstairs.
"You'll be late for school!"
"I'm coming!"
He dragged himself out of bed and began preparing for the day. Normally Mondays were annoying enough on their own. Now they felt even worse. As he brushed his teeth, packed his bag, and searched for the other sock that had somehow disappeared overnight, his mind kept drifting back to the book. By the time he finished breakfast, his father was already preparing for work.
"You look like someone stole your lunch money."
Adrian shrugged.
"I'm fine."
His father laughed.
"That's exactly what someone whose lunch money was stolen would say."
A faint smile appeared on Adrian's face. Soon he was out the door and heading to school.The morning passed without incident. Students copied notes. Teachers gave instructions. A few people got punished for talking too much. The usual.
Before long, the final lesson of the day arrived. The teacher entered carrying a stack of notebooks. Immediately, several students groaned. Assignments.
"Bring out your homework," the teacher ordered.
Pages flipped. Bags opened. Books landed on desks. The teacher began moving through the rows, collecting them one by one. Everything went smoothly until he reached Kelvin.
Kelvin froze.
The teacher narrowed his eyes.
"Where is your assignment?"
Kelvin scratched the back of his head.
"Sir... I forgot."
The classroom erupted in laughter. The teacher wasn't amused.
"You forgot?"
"Yes, sir."
"Again?"
The laughter grew louder. Kelvin forced an awkward smile. Unfortunately, that only made things worse. The teacher slammed a notebook onto a nearby desk. The sound echoed across the classroom. Silence immediately followed.
"Stand up."
Kelvin obeyed.
The teacher folded his arms.
"Tell me, Kelvin, do you ever take anything seriously?"
Kelvin remained quiet.
"Every week it is the same story."
Still no answer.
"You don't do your assignments."
Silence.
"You don't pay attention."
Silence.
"You waste your parents' money."
Several students lowered their heads.
The teacher continued.
"If laziness were a subject, you would be first in the entire school."
A few students laughed nervously.
Kelvin stared at the floor.
The teacher wasn't finished.
"Look at your classmates."
Nobody moved.
"Do you think any of them want to end up like you?"
The room became painfully quiet.
Even the students who usually enjoyed Kelvin's misfortune stopped smiling.
"You have talent," the teacher said. "But talent means nothing when it is buried beneath laziness."
Kelvin's ears had turned bright red.
His hands clenched at his sides.
Yet he said nothing.
For several more minutes the teacher continued speaking. Nobody interrupted. Nobody laughed. Nobody looked comfortable.
Eventually, the teacher pointed toward Kelvin's seat.
"Sit down."
Kelvin sat.
The lesson resumed.
A few minutes later, the final bell rang.