Diane sat quietly in the passenger seat staring out the window as her older brother, Frank Tucker, drove from the Tucker's ranch into town. Typically she would take the bus, as Moon Lake DID have busses that would take students too and from school, and this ranged from shuttle routes that went within Moon Lake's wagon wheel layout and into some of the more "rural" areas that were outside the exact city limits, which included the Tucker ranch. However, in Diane's present case, going alone on the bus wasn't going to work.
While there had been the threat of her being formally accused of violating Statute 1A and adding in a fair number of tardies and absences from school, she'd been facing a full expulsion from school. Thankfully that situation was ultimately resolved with Frank providing some confirmation that when Diane had jumped the then human Rick Plunkett, she had done so with the fear that Rick had been preparing to expose Moon Lake's secrets, and Rick, after becoming Rikki, refused to press charges. That saved Diane from legal trouble, but it didn't change her situation with the school and essentially meant that she'd have to repeat her Freshman year.
"I do hope you're aware of how lucky you are in all this, Diane," Frank spoke as they drove along, "You may not have had bad intentions... but that doesn't change what you did..."
"Yeah," Diane sighed and looked out the window, "Sucks that I gotta be a Freshman... again... but... I suppose I can't say I didn't deserve it."
Frank nodded as he drove along. He took Diane's recognition that she was the one responsible for her predicament as a sign of progress. He knew that she had had it rough when their parents were killed in a car crash in Montana, as he had to go through a fairly extensive process to sell off the ranch and animals that his parents raised while collecting the keepsakes and memories that he wanted to save of his folks as well as Diane's things to handle the move to bring Diane to Moon Lake. That had been a great adventure in itself, and a part of him had defended some of Diane's rebelliousness for that reason, but that rebelliousness did irritate Kathy and had at times even frustrated him. He didn't want his parents to die, but that wasn't an excuse for a lot of what Diane did. In that, there was some private figuring on his part that the legal scare regarding potential Statute 1A charges was finally enough for Diane to actually get her head on straight.
"Possibly," Frank spoke after a few moments as they made it into town a road that went around the south end of the lake for which the town was named and then turned past the middle school building and then headed for the first intersection. His plan was to turn left there and go along the road until they came to the High School building. "But new starts aren't necessarily bad things. You were lucky to avoid the worst punishments... make good use of that and do well. Yes, it'll mean repeating a grade, BUT there are worse things in life... and you WILL have other responsibilities in time..."
"Rikki," Diane said slowly, thinking of the young werecheetah presently at the hospital.
"Yes," Frank nodded, "Kathy and the doctors say that they've saved her life... but because of how complicated and traumatic her transformation was... there is a lot that SHE will have to repeat as well. She can't really lay claim to anything that Rick Plunkett earned, as HE was obviously male and Rikki is not only female but physically younger than Rick was. So it isn't like she could claim to have had a sex change operation."
Diane nodded.
"There will also be some things that will relate to how the transformation affected her brain and psyche," Frank continued, "this could range from fears to literally having some level of amnesia that's cost her the general knowledge that she had as Rick Plunkett. It'll mean that when she's cleared from the hospital, SHE may need to go through school again and will need her big sister to look out for her."
Diane looked up and over to her brother as they rode along, now with the High School building coming into view. She knew that she'd messed up and did want to "right" the wrongs she'd made, but she didn't expect any real responsibility with regard to helping Rikki. In this, she was surprised by what Frank had just said, but as he pulled into a "visitor's" parking space he gave her a small smile.
"I know at heart you're a good person, Diane," Frank spoke, "Mom and Dad wouldn't just let you be some troublemaker... and a lot of your rebelliousness has come from losing them. In this... I KNOW you can do better than you've done... that you can BE better."
"You really believe in me?" Diane asked, surprise still evident in her voice.
"I can... as I am your brother and I love you as any brother would," Frank answered, "and in this, I know you'll have the chance to make up for your mistakes, and Rikki probably will be counting on you to be there for her."
"I'll do my best," Diane promised honestly as they walked up the steps and made their way into the building.
The building was a bustle of activity that was pretty common for any high school at the start of the day. Frank looked down at his watch and noted that it wouldn't be too long before classes started for the day, and that would leave many of the students who were just arriving in a hustle to get to their classes. He, however, was there to essentially re-enroll Diane as a Freshman and thus ushered her to the right and toward the main office. They entered the office to find their front staff fairly busy with their own work to start the school day. He lead Diane up to the front desk where the main secretary worked and addressed that secretary.
"Hello... I'm here to re-enroll Diane Tucker," Frank spoke to the secretary, who was quick to look up.
The secretary looked between Frank to Diane and then back to Frank again. Eventually she looked down and to a side on her desk and then nodded.
"Ah... Mr. Tucker... yes, we'd had that sort of policy issue to handle," the secretary spoke and reached over to pick up some papers, "Things from yesterday put us all jumping through a lot of proverbial hoops."
"I can imagine," Frank answered.
"I'm... I'm sorry," Diane spoke up, "for everything."
The secretary raised an eyebrow, but said nothing in response to that. Instead she placed a series of papers out on the counter in front of Frank, which had various spots in which he would be expected to sign his name, as he was Diane's registered legal guardian. Once they were placed the secretary turned to Diane again.
"Why don't you go and collect your books from your locker," the secretary instructed, "bring them here and we'll see to as what sort of state they are in and get them back to their respective teachers. You'll get new books for your Freshman classes when you arrive."
Diane nodded and headed out while Frank read through the forms and signed on the appropriate lines that required him to. Some of them had already been signed by the principal, Ian Andrews.
"She is incredibly lucky to even get this second chance," the secretary said to Frank as he went through the registration documents.
"I know," Frank answered, "and so does she... It's also at a point where what's done is done. She will do better."
"We'd hope so," the secretary answered as Diane returned to the office carrying a stack of textbooks with her. Diane set them on the counter and the secretary was quick to go through them. Things were rather quiet as they looked over things with the only voice being heard at the moment was the other secretary going through the morning announcements. As the secretary looking over the books got to the last one she then looked to Diane. "Well, these look to be in astonishingly good condition. Your brother has signed the appropriate admission forms, and we will need your signature on the final one."
The secretary then paused to pull out a note card and then hand it over the counter to Diane. Diane looked at it to see that it was a fairly generic Freshman schedule, something she expected. She looked at it while she could hear the secretary writing something on her end of the desk. When she finished the secretary then handed another slip of paper over to Diane.
"This slip will let your new first period teacher know that your tardy is excused as you were here in the office," the secretary spoke, "the teachers will handle giving you your books for your classes and will handle what sort of homework and "catch up" work you may need to do."
"Yes, ma'am," Diane answered then took the pen from Frank and signed the paper she was supposed to sign, completing the process.
The secretary nodded and then collected the papers together and tapped them down so that they were in order.
"Okay, these will go with your file," the secretary spoke, "you are clear to go, Ms. Tucker. I trust you will make good on this chance you've been given."
"I will," Diane promised, "thank you."
With that, she headed out to head toward what would be her first period class. She might have start over, but she did understand that it was better than losing everything. And with the likelihood that Rikki would be counting on her when she was out of the hospital, Diane didn't want to let Rikki down.