Strange Social Rules

I spy a slight smile on Alice’s face as she boards the school bus the next morning. It seems making a friend has really brightened her mood, and possibly given her hope for the future.

She tries to keep her mood high by taking a day off from working hard at school, and she slacks off for the first time in her life. It gets her put in after-school detention. By the time she gets out, her mood is rotten again, and she’s exhausted.

She needs somewhere to lie down immediately, or she’s going to collapse in the road. She staggers over to the house across from the school, which she’s noticed is occupied.

It clearly takes her a lot of effort to remain standing while she waits for someone to answer the door.

The family lets her in. Not wanting to cause trouble with a new household, she tries to nap on their couch instead of going for their bed. But even this is considered inappropriate behaviour. These strange social rules don’t make sense to Alice. She just can’t win with these people.

Family life goes on around her as she naps through the afternoon.

Next: Optimism