Summer School Zone: A fairytale ending in Paris

By Khloe Ehrhard, Windermere Prep 

“Ring!” 

The bell rang as I walked into French class and took a seat. My teacher came in yelling at the top of her lungs. 

“Guess what?” she said in her subtle accent. 

Honestly, no one really cared, because last time she was like this, it was because we were getting an extra hour of class. 

“What?” everyone said, sounding annoyed. 

“Somebody in this school gets to go to Paris!” she said.

“Really?!!” the whole class yelled (suddenly being very interested). 

“Yes, and whoever gets the highest score on our next test wins!” she said.

“Ughhhh, does it have to be a test?” we said.

“Yes, you all just have to work hard and study,” she said. “The test is in a week. You’ll have plenty of time, and this time, you will take it by yourself so you can focus. Some of you don’t even have to study because you’re so smart.” She smiled at me and winked. 

I didn’t know what she was talking about. The smartest person in the class was Albert. When I looked over to see if he was doing that smirk, as if he was better than everybody else, he wasn’t; in fact, he looked like a tractor just ran over his dog. Albert’s hand shot up in the air as if it was the most important thing in the world. 

“Yes, Albert?” the teacher said. 

“Can I see the nurse?” he said. BLAHHH! Albert vomited all over my shoes. “Ewwww!” 

I told my parents about the test as I sat down at the table. 

“And the school will pay for everything!” I said. 

“That’s awesome, sweetheart,” my dad said with an excited look on his face. 

“You better study,” my mom said with a demanding voice. 

“There’s no way she’s going to get in. The whole school is taking the test — that’s like 400 people,” my brother Evan said with an obnoxious voice. 

“Evan, don’t say that: Claire doesn’t have the smarts to win,” my dad said in an offended voice.  

“I’m gonna go upstairs and start studying,” I said with a mouthful of mashed potatoes. I sat on my bed and took out my French book and copied it word for word every night. 

The day of the test, I put on my best outfit, pulled my hair back and stuffed as much breakfast as I could in my mouth before dashing out to the bus as it was leaving. 

I grabbed onto the side of the bus, the wind blowing in my hair as I reached for the door. Slam! The door opened with a big bang. 

“Thanks, Frank,” I said. 

“I’m assuming you have a test,” Frank said. 

“Yep,” I said.

“Whoooo!” the whole bus hooted and hollered as I sat down. 

“Thank you,” I said as I bowed. I sank into my chair as Eian walked in. His bright blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight. He brushed back his blonde hair with his fingers. I sank even lower as he sat across from me. 

“Are you OK?” he asked, looking me dead straight in the eyes. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks,” I said.

“I’m Eian,” he said.

“Trust me, I know,” I said.

“Claire, right?” he asked.

“That’s my name,” I said. 

“Cool. I’ll see you ’round, Claire.” 

I walked to class and sat down to take the test. She gave me the test, and my pencil started moving like the wind whipping around so fast you couldn’t even see it. 

“Done,” I told her. 

“Already, Miss Mason?” she said. “That was five minutes with 50 questions. You must have really studied. You’re free to go.” 

“OK everyone, the winners are … EIAN and … CLAIRE!!!” she said later. 

Everybody clapped as we stood up from our seats. Eian and I were both shocked. When I went home that night, I packed my bags and made a list of everything I needed. The next morning, the school picked me up. We drove to the airport, and Eian had to go through extra security. We got on the plane and took off. We landed right next to the Eiffel Tower. 

“Woooow,” Eian and I both said at the same time. 

“We only have one day, so we better use it wisely,” Mrs. Smith exclaimed. 

We got off the plane and went to the hotel. We unpacked our bags and went down to eat some food. “Mmmmmm.” The buttery goodness of the croissant filled my mouth with joy. 

“Bonjour, comment allez-vous,” the waiter said in a bubbly way. 

“Bien. Nous aurons un soufflé et deux crêpes s’il vous plaît,” we said.

“Bien sûr tout de suite.”

When the food came back, it was warm and crispy. It was like eating a slice of heaven. When we left, we went to visit all the amazing landmarks: the Louvre Museum, the Palace of Versailles, Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey, Sainte-Chapelle, the Loire Valley Castles and, finally, the Eiffel Tower for dinner. It sparkled in the moonlight. 

We had so much fun that I wanted to tell Eian that I liked him. 

“Eian?” I asked.

“Yeah?” he said. 

“I like you,” I told him. 

“Really? I like you too,” he said.

As I leaned in, we kissed. There were sparks everywhere, and I felt so safe and alive. This was the best trip ever. I guess this is why Paris is known as the most romantic city ever.