“How much longer do you think it will be before he gets here?” Ava tugged absentmindedly at the hem of her skirt as she leaned forward to answer Stacy.
“It’s not even ten yet — and you know he’s never late for these. Don’t be so impatient – I don’t know how you made it to grad school without being able to sit for more than five minutes. I still can’t believe we got here early enough to be in the front row. I wonder if we’ll get to play at all.”
Stacy snorted. “Ha — with my grades? No way. Did you see how upset Ms. Bancs was with me last week when I failed the quiz? If she had her way, I’d be in the last row. Or literally out of the courtyard and back in the building.”
Ava gazed around, enjoying the warm breeze that lifted the drooping boughs of the willow trees and ruffled her hair. The courtyard was her favorite place at Mason’s Academy, and she spent as much time in it as possible. The trees, the koi pond, the gorgeous mahogany stocks set up on the center platform.