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Jul. 25th, 2015 11:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fry_sandhuJust before the end of term, Fry's class file into Juniors 1, while the year above are out at the local field they use for sports.
"I heard Mr Irons is the strictest teacher in the whole school." Tommy says loudly as they go in. "And he makes you sit alphabetical."
Fry looks around in some alarm. He hopes that Tommy is wrong; having Noah Parsons on one side might not be too bad, but he doesn't look forward to having Bethany Sharpe on his other side. He and Bethany do not get on.
Bethany doesn't look thrilled by the prospect either, but as they move in to explore the classroom, they see that their names are all on the tables, with the As starting at the back, snaking round, and the end of the alphabet around the front. Fry is relieved to see that he is on the end of the row, so Bethany Sharpe is directly in front of him instead.
He looks at the next desk in the hope that it reads 'N Parsons', but instead it reads 'G Runt'.
"Grunt." he reads out.
Bethany snorts a laugh. "Grunt? Who's Grunt?"
"Must be a new kid." Noah says. "I don't think we should call them grunt though, they probably won't like that."
"I was just reading." Fry says quickly.
"I know." Noah smiles gently at him. "He or she isn't here yet anyway."
"Poor thing having to sit next to you all year." Bethany says.
She tails off, and Fry looks around to see Mr Irons, their next year's class teacher and also his special education tutor.
"Nobody is moving seats and nobody is going to be nasty to each other about it." Mr Irons says, in his low firm voice. "You are all going to be working together for several years to come and you can hang out with your chosen friends at break."
"Mr Irons!" Tommy puts his hand up. "Why is this classroom all facing forwards?"
"Because it's easier for you all to see and hear me." Mr Irons says. "Without you having to turn around. In big school, all the classrooms are like this."
There's a knock on the door, and another teacher shows in a kid without the school uniform on. Mr Irons gestures to them to join the seat next to Fry. Fry watches the newcomer.
"Is that a boy or a girl?" Bethany whispers to him from the row in front.
"How should I know?" Fry whispers back. "You ask them."
As G Runt takes a seat, he tries to work out whether they are a boy with quite long hair or a girl with quite short hair.
"What's your name?" he asks, hoping this will provide a clue.
"George. What's yours?"
"My name is Alexander Jefry Sandhu but I like to be called Fry." Fry says, realising he's still none the wiser, since George could easily be short for Georgina.
Mr Irons takes a register, to check what each child likes to be called. George appears to be listening intently, and at the end turns back to Fry.
"I think I got all of those except the girl behind us. What's her name?"
Fry looks around at the girl behind. Oh. Er.
"What is your name?" he asks, helplessly.
"Fry, we've been in the same class for three years." the girl says. Beat. "It's Sophie."
"Yeah, but we never really talked." Fry says, before turning back to the bemused George. "Sophie. Did you really learn everyone's name in one go? How did you do that?"
"Oh I just used a memory technique." George says. "You just attach something memorable to the name to the numbers one to twenty four using a link and peg system."
Fry is about to ask more when Bethany butts in.
"Are you a boy or a girl?"
George gives her a stare. "I'm a girl."
"You don't look much like a girl." Bethany says.
"Nobody cares." Fry tells Bethany, turning to ignore her and talk to George. "Can you teach me the link and peg system? I'll teach you how to make a dodecahedron in minecraft."
"Sure." George grins.
Fry is reassured by the end of the afternoon that sitting next to George is probably going to be okay. But as they leave, Bethany pokes him and he turns around to glare at her.
"I don't know what you're so happy about." Bethany says quietly. "You realise George is smarter than you, don't you?"
"So?" Fry says. "I'm younger than her."
"So you won't be top of the class any more." Bethany says smugly. "And she'll manage to annoy you even more than I could."
"Oh yes, you can't annoy Fry in class now." Noah says, coming to Fry's rescue. "Because you're right in the front row under Mr Irons' nose. And he doesn't like people being meanies, so you'll have to leave Fry alone next year."
He separates Fry from Bethany before she can wind him up any further, and looks at his worried face.
"Noah, do you think George is going to beat me at everything?" he asks anxiously.
"I don't think so." Noah says. "You're probably best at different things. Anyway, you'll both always beat me, so don't worry!"
"I heard Mr Irons is the strictest teacher in the whole school." Tommy says loudly as they go in. "And he makes you sit alphabetical."
Fry looks around in some alarm. He hopes that Tommy is wrong; having Noah Parsons on one side might not be too bad, but he doesn't look forward to having Bethany Sharpe on his other side. He and Bethany do not get on.
Bethany doesn't look thrilled by the prospect either, but as they move in to explore the classroom, they see that their names are all on the tables, with the As starting at the back, snaking round, and the end of the alphabet around the front. Fry is relieved to see that he is on the end of the row, so Bethany Sharpe is directly in front of him instead.
He looks at the next desk in the hope that it reads 'N Parsons', but instead it reads 'G Runt'.
"Grunt." he reads out.
Bethany snorts a laugh. "Grunt? Who's Grunt?"
"Must be a new kid." Noah says. "I don't think we should call them grunt though, they probably won't like that."
"I was just reading." Fry says quickly.
"I know." Noah smiles gently at him. "He or she isn't here yet anyway."
"Poor thing having to sit next to you all year." Bethany says.
She tails off, and Fry looks around to see Mr Irons, their next year's class teacher and also his special education tutor.
"Nobody is moving seats and nobody is going to be nasty to each other about it." Mr Irons says, in his low firm voice. "You are all going to be working together for several years to come and you can hang out with your chosen friends at break."
"Mr Irons!" Tommy puts his hand up. "Why is this classroom all facing forwards?"
"Because it's easier for you all to see and hear me." Mr Irons says. "Without you having to turn around. In big school, all the classrooms are like this."
There's a knock on the door, and another teacher shows in a kid without the school uniform on. Mr Irons gestures to them to join the seat next to Fry. Fry watches the newcomer.
"Is that a boy or a girl?" Bethany whispers to him from the row in front.
"How should I know?" Fry whispers back. "You ask them."
As G Runt takes a seat, he tries to work out whether they are a boy with quite long hair or a girl with quite short hair.
"What's your name?" he asks, hoping this will provide a clue.
"George. What's yours?"
"My name is Alexander Jefry Sandhu but I like to be called Fry." Fry says, realising he's still none the wiser, since George could easily be short for Georgina.
Mr Irons takes a register, to check what each child likes to be called. George appears to be listening intently, and at the end turns back to Fry.
"I think I got all of those except the girl behind us. What's her name?"
Fry looks around at the girl behind. Oh. Er.
"What is your name?" he asks, helplessly.
"Fry, we've been in the same class for three years." the girl says. Beat. "It's Sophie."
"Yeah, but we never really talked." Fry says, before turning back to the bemused George. "Sophie. Did you really learn everyone's name in one go? How did you do that?"
"Oh I just used a memory technique." George says. "You just attach something memorable to the name to the numbers one to twenty four using a link and peg system."
Fry is about to ask more when Bethany butts in.
"Are you a boy or a girl?"
George gives her a stare. "I'm a girl."
"You don't look much like a girl." Bethany says.
"Nobody cares." Fry tells Bethany, turning to ignore her and talk to George. "Can you teach me the link and peg system? I'll teach you how to make a dodecahedron in minecraft."
"Sure." George grins.
Fry is reassured by the end of the afternoon that sitting next to George is probably going to be okay. But as they leave, Bethany pokes him and he turns around to glare at her.
"I don't know what you're so happy about." Bethany says quietly. "You realise George is smarter than you, don't you?"
"So?" Fry says. "I'm younger than her."
"So you won't be top of the class any more." Bethany says smugly. "And she'll manage to annoy you even more than I could."
"Oh yes, you can't annoy Fry in class now." Noah says, coming to Fry's rescue. "Because you're right in the front row under Mr Irons' nose. And he doesn't like people being meanies, so you'll have to leave Fry alone next year."
He separates Fry from Bethany before she can wind him up any further, and looks at his worried face.
"Noah, do you think George is going to beat me at everything?" he asks anxiously.
"I don't think so." Noah says. "You're probably best at different things. Anyway, you'll both always beat me, so don't worry!"
