Bates - Priorities

"Why does it matter if I don't get As?!" Hersilia growled as she took a peak at her report card once she stepped off the bus. Her grandfather made it clear, he was expecting exceptional grades. She didn't know why it was so important to him. Grades weren't everything. Hersilia had better things to do with her time. She couldn't constantly be studying. That was just boring. Life was supposed to be much more.

She stuffed the report card under a pile of bills. She'd worry about them later. Right now, her duties were to her friend Sophie. The poor girl was distraught over her appearance. Hersilia couldn't blame her. Her hair was styled in strange cups and it just looked weird. So Hersilia led her into her bedroom and sat her in front of the vanity. There, she worked hard to straighten Sophie's hair out until she was able to form a chic new style. "There!" She said triumphantly, "Now you look perfect! ...Well...not quite. Consider wearing something less...nausea-inducing."

She had to send Sophie home when her grandfather returned from work, though. He found her report card and needless to say, he was not happy. "Why can't you be more like your sister?" He asked, exhausted. Hersilia crossed her arms and shrugged. "No answer? Fine. Why don't you go do your homework? Better yet, do it in front of Melitta. That way, I know you are actually doing it." Hersilia was going to protest but clamped her mouth shut when she realized it was useless. Then she took her homework and wandered into her sister's room.

She really hated her sister. Melitta was the golden child. She always got good grades. Orion was so proud of her. He told everyone he could about her. "That's right, she got all As. Melitta is just like her mother, a smart little cookie!"
"How wonderful! Hayate got all As too. Perhaps we should introduce them?"
"Oh, that sounds good. Melitta would want friends of her own intelligence, right, dear?"
"Uh...sure, Grandpa."

And she would. While Melitta was the top of her class, she envied Hersilia for her ability to make friends. Since moving to New Lanshire, Melitta hadn't made any friends at all. She didn't know why. She was a nice enough person, right? Her only friends exsisted on the internet, so that's where she spent most of her time. It was a bit sad but it was all she had.

"Cheer up!" Hersilia would tell Melitta when she got too depressed, "You'll make friends! We just moved here. Don't worry so much." Despite having differences, the sisters really did love each other. Hersilia didn't enjoy seeing her sister so down in the dumps. So she promised to help her find friends.

Of course, most of the potential friends didn't work out. She introduced guys to Melitta, only to have them making the moves on her. She was a young girl who was just beginning to explore, so she didn't resist it. So this one guy wasn't into Melitta. Big deal. Hersilia would still find her someone...after her date.

Orion wanted to help Melitta as well. But he had other priorities. His job often had him out late. He worked very hard, though Melitta's part time job as a waterperson helped out greatly. He still had to bring in the money to pay the bills. But he missed his granddaughters. He wasn't sure they were ready to be left on their own.

They felt differently. Hersilia and Melitta proved themselves worthy by inviting the headmaster of the private school over for dinner, in hopes of entering his prestigious school. They couldn't afford the tuition but they heard that if the headmaster grew to like a family, he made exceptions. Melitta prepared a salmon dinner while Hersilia put her charismatic ability to good use. Despite their humble home, the headmaster was impressed and accepted the girls. From today on, their lives would change. They just knew it.