Mr. John Snyder is at the high school . . . waiting for the Barclay students to arrive. He is standing in the classroom in which the test will be administered, looking out the window and talking to a reporter from “The Courier” who is there at his “behest.”
Mr. Snyder: And it’s not fair . . . not to the public school and not to the Barclay students.
Reporter: How
Mr. Snyder: The public school is made to look inferior, and the Barclay students are deprived of a quality education.
Reporter: Heh. It sounds like you’ve got an axe to grind.
Mr. Snyder: (frowns) I just want the playing field to be level. Let the Barclay students face the same academic standards as the public school students . . . then I’ll be happy.
Reporter: Well, maybe you’re right, maybe you’re wrong.
Mr. Snyder: They’re here.
The Barclay bus, with Mr. Hendersen driving, pulls up in front of the high school and parks along the curb in front of the main entrance. The bus doors open and the girls step down and file off the bus. “Don’t worry Jimmy. We’ll be OK.”
They enter the school building and walk down the hall toward the classroom. As they enter the classroom the girls are “chatting.”
Penny: What did you do last night?
Laurie: Oh, just stuff my face and watch the tube.
Missy: That reminds me! I’m missing “All My Children!”
Penny: No no. It’s Saturday. Today is Saturday.
Missy: Oh . . . duh!
Mr. Snyder witnesses this little exchange with . . . indulging patience.
Celeste strolls up to him and asks:
Celeste: Are we allowed to, you know, chat?
Mr. Snyder: No.
Celeste: No no. Not about the test, about, you know, other things.
Mr. Snyder: No
Celeste: Hrrumph.
The girls sit down at the desks and Mr. Snyder begins to place the test papers on each desk . . . face down.
Mr. Snyder:
Please leave your test papers upside down until I tell you to begin. You will have exactly two hours to complete the exam. At the end of that time period . . . whether you are finished or not . . . your test paper will be taken from you.
And when the “chime” on his wristwatch sounds the hour of two o’clock . . .
Mr. Snyder: You may now begin.
The girls “dig in.” The time passes, and no one . . . to Mr. Snyder’s surprise . . . appears to be panicking. They struggle, they puzzle . . . but they don’t panic. The two hours comes to an end . . . and no one needs to have their test paper taken away from them.
Once they are out of the classroom . . . and out of earshot of Mr. Snyder . . . the girls “compare notes” and ask each other about the test questions they were least certain of. And, as they board the bus, it appears, to Mr. Hendersen, that they think they did all right.
As the Barclay bus pulls out of the high school parking lot, Mr. Hendersen announces, “Girls. We will be making a slight detour before heading back to the school.” And the girls all smile. Something fun is in the works . . . and they know it.