Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Lauren thought she would be rejected, but the little girl actually agreed.
Lauren took the piece of paper and said “thank you” with a smile.
“I’m Lauren. What’s your name?”
The little girl didn’t say anything at first. She seemed to be hesitating whether to tell Lauren her name, but her lips moved for a few seconds before she opened her mouth.
“My name is Ruby Cromwell.”
Ruby’s tone when she spoke was similar to her gaze. It did not sound like the tone that a five-year-old child should have.
Children usually spoke with their last syllables raised, but every word of Ruby’s seemed to drop. This inexplicably reminded Lauren of those big villains in family dramas.
Lauren looked at the pink square origami paper in her hand and shook her head.
What was she thinking? This was a kindergarten.
She took the square origami paper and began to frown.
This was her last chance. What if she still couldn’t fold it properly?
So, she turned to Ruby for help.
“Ruby, can you teach me how to fold it?”
Unexpectedly, Ruby shook her head decisively this time. Then, she lowered her head and reverted back to her usual aloof look.
Lauren felt she was being treated unfairly. She did not do anything. Why was Ruby’s attitude so indifferent?
However, she recalled what Franklin had told her this morning.
Everyone had their own personality, and so did children. Therefore, she did not have to force herself to become friends with everyone.
Lauren consoled herself that it was not her fault, so she went to the classmate on her left for help.
The child on her left was also a little girl. She had a ponytail and it was braided with colorful butterfly clips, making her looked very cute.
According to the little girl, her name was Joie Donahue. She was six years old this year, one and a half years older than Lauren.
Joie was a little surprised when she learned that Lauren was only four and a half years old.
“You’re already in the kindergarten class at four and a half years old. You must be very smart. All the children here are six years old.”
Under Joie’s guidance, Lauren folded the paper. At the same time, she whispered to Joie.
“But isn’t Ruby, who is next to me, also five years old?”
“Yes, Ruby is also five years old. She just came to our class this year, one month earlier than you. I heard from my mother that she skipped a year and joined our class.”
Joie’s voice matched her character, soft and cuddly.
“Lauren, you’re making a mistake. This part should be folded forward instead of backward. Also, you have to fold along this diagonal line. This corner has to be aligned with that corner.”
Lauren quickly amended and followed the steps that Joie instructed.
While folding, she continued her conversation with Joie.
“Ruby has been in this class for so long. Doesn’t she have any friends? I don’t see anyone talking to her and she doesn’t talk to anyone either.”
At this moment, the little boy sitting opposite Lauren and Joie also joined in the conversation. This little boy was Milo Barker, he was the one who asked Miss Bailey a question when Lauren first arrived.
He came forward to talk, as if he didn’t want others to hear him.
“It’s not that no one wants to be friends with her. It’s just that she doesn’t want to be friends with us. We took the initiative to talk to her, but she ignored us.”
So that’s how it is, Lauren thought to herself. Then it’s not her problem anymore.
She folded her origami and turned her head to look at Ruby. Ruby continued to keep her head down and put her hands on her knees. She looked well-behaved, but she was extremely lonely. The green origami crane was placed right in front of her.
Under the careful guidance of Joie and Milo, Lauren finally folded the origami crane. However, because she had folded it too many times, the paper was worn out. Nonetheless, it was still a successful origami crane.
After class, Lauren carefully put the origami crane into her bag. She planned to take it back and give it to Franklin tonight.
The kindergarten classes were all very fun, and everyone was very happy until the last class: math class.
When the bell rang, the children all pouted.
Lauren looked at the simple 10-digit addition and subtraction on the blackboard and thought, ‘Finally, there is something that I know!’
As the kindergarten was affiliated to Thomas Johnson Primary School, Junior High and High School, these children had the opportunity to be directly promoted through these affiliated schools. Therefore, the content of their study was a little more advanced than that of the children of other kindergartens, so that they could lay a good foundation from the beginning..