In my school, there is a system where we earn fake cash for doing good stuff, and when we do something bad, we write checks. It’s all in all a really interesting system, but even someone really dumb could figure out that this is a useless system because there is nothing to gain, only points or “cash”.

That’s why there is a auction every half a year, where students bring in stuff to auction off to other students. In turn, they get to buy stuff from fellow classmates.

Well, today was the last day of school, and incidentally the day before my ski trip at Winter Park, Colorado. The auction was being held on this day. We were required to bring in our checkbook and an empty backpack (to hold all the stuff I thought I would receive).

Yesterday, I had thrown out everything in my backpack to leave room for all the stuff I thought I would get.

Well, today, the teacher asked us to get our checkbooks ready, so I looked in my backpack and tried to grab my checkbook from the place an.

Instead, all I grabbed was air. I looked inside. Nothing, just an old paper shred.

I starred at my backpack while I realized I had taken it out from my backpack yesterday. Bummer!

As I voiced my concerns to my teacher, she told me I was allowed to call my dad. Normally, this wasn’t allowed, but hey, I begged.

I stamped my foot and began to gently tap it.

Buzz.

If I didn’t get my checkbook, I would be so sad. A whole half year of saving wasted. No money to spend. Just left in a desolate corner.

Buzz.

But think positive, I thought to myself. This extra money could be used to buy something ultra next year. Wouldn’t that be awesome?

Buzz.

My teacher started laughing at my expression.

“Please leave your message after the beep.” I quickly thought about what I should say. Thankfully, the phone company gave a few seconds. A few seconds later, the inevitable beep came.

“Hi, Dad. If you haven’t left home yet, there is a pile of stuff on the couch. Look for a white checkbook with my picture on it” (I had made a custom checkbook cover) “, okay? Thanks. Love you.” I put the phone down.

I hung up and desperately hoped that I would be saved. By someone. Anyone. Just someone. Thankfully, my teacher told me that she would supply me with some checks.

Just about now, the gift-opening had come. Students had brought in so many presents and gifts for the teachers that they overflowed into the pile of things to be auctioned off.

“OKAY! I’m going to open this one. Red. Flowers. Pretty.” shouted my reading teacher.

“OKAY! In compliance with her, I’m going to open this one. Also red. Also flowers. And, most amazingly, also pretty,” my math teacher said with a bit of sarcasm.

“On the count of three.” said my reading teacher, “One, two…”

At this moment, my math teacher totally ripped her present’s wrapping in half, but then sealed it up.

“Cheater!” my reading teacher joked.

From somewhere in the crowd, a boy shouted at everyone, “Don’t tell her, it’s chocolate!… oops.”

Everyone laughed. Rocky skeptically said, “Oh, yeah. So should I tell the teachers it just isn’t chocolate?”

My teachers continued opening presents until they came to one person’s present: a friend of mine,

When my teachers were opening presents, a announcement suddenly came over the intercom. When my teacher picked it up, she announced at me, “Your checkbook has arrived.”

I ran down to the office and picked up my checkbook. I also peered out the window to see who had sent it to me, but whoever it was had already left.

The auction started, and it was so much fun. A coupon for a free burrito I brought in sold for more than $2000 (that’s 40 hard-earned coupons given from teachers; they’re worth fifty each).

In the end, I bought less than I would have liked.

The first item a Artemis Fowl and Opal Deception book. I already read it a lot, but I was quite partial to it. It cost $4500, which I didn’t realize until the end because I was tired.

The second was a disk spinner that sold for only $300! It was the cheapest thing sold because everyone else thought she had said $3000.

And that is all.

So in the end, I thought it was fun. And with $3800 left, I can’t wait until the next auction.

Another half year never seemed so long.

Also: As I hinted in the article, I’m going to ski at Winter Park, Colorado over Winter Break from December 19 to December 25th. The trip is code-named Snowdust.