Point of view: realistic fiction 4

A New Roommate

1. “I can’t believe this," said Sai, dropping her backpack on the floor and stomping to her room.
2. “Sai," called her dad, “you haven’t even given me a chance to explain."
3. “What’s to explain?” asked Sai. “You’ve already said that Akahana is moving in next Saturday. Am I supposed to be excited about giving up half my room to a stranger?”
4. “She’s not a stranger, Sai, she’s your cousin," said Sai’s dad.
5. “Who I’ve never met!” snapped Sai. “She’s from a whole different country! I don’t know anything about her, so, to me, yeah—she’s a stranger.”
6. Her dad sighed as Sai closed her door. He had hoped that she would take the news a little better. He waited a minute, then gently rapped on Sai’s door. “There’s a good chance you’ll enjoy Akahana’s company. Just like you, she loves to paint. She’s coming here because she was awarded a scholarship to the Arts High School.”
7. The door opened a fraction of an inch. “Really?” asked Sai.
8. Sai’s dad nodded and peeked behind Sai’s shoulder into her messy room. “This is a great opportunity for us to help her," he said. “And just think, now you’ll have someone else to share the blame for your messy room.”
9. “Good point," said Sai grinning.

The Unusual Lesson

1. I looked up from my scrambled eggs and glared at my little brother.
2. “Julia," I begged my stepmom. “Will you please make him stop?”
3. I was trying to prepare for a major exam. Meanwhile, my little brother was babbling about sharks—as usual.
4. Hector is totally obsessed with sharks. It started with that ridiculous video online—you know, the one with the baby shark? I swear I hear that tune playing in my sleep.
5. “Did you know that sharks can hear frequencies lower than humans can hear?” Hector said. “Scientists say they can hear really low vibrations in the sound waves—even in the water!”
6. “Yeah, that’s amazing," I said, “but I need to study”.
7. “Here’s your bus, Yasmin," called Julia.
8. I shook my head and sighed before grabbing my backpack; study time was over.
9. “Have a fin-tastic day!” said Hector.
10. I cringed inside as I closed the door behind me.

11. At school, I clicked ‘Begin Test’ and read the first question:
12. Scientists measure sound waves using ______.
13. I laughed to myself. I guess Hector had been helping me prepare for my exam after all!