Free Charlotte in Paris by Annie Bryant

too dark on this foggy day. I used up all but three of the pictures on Katani’s camera, just in case I saw some other fashions later in the week.
    Madame Morel stopped in one of the smaller boutiques and bought a silky scarf. “One more gift for you,” she said as she handed it to me. My scarf had a brown, lavender, and white pattern. I bought a similar one for Katani with lots of yellow—her favorite color—in it. She would love it.
    When we finished our shopping, Madame hurried me over to Collège St-Louis, where I would spend the afternoon visiting my former classmates.
    6
La Rentrée
    BACK TO SCHOOL
    F or a moment I felt like I was in a time warp…as if I were still a student at Collège St-Louis and would be punished for arriving late to class. The school day in Paris was longer than in the United States, lasting from eight in the morning until five in the afternoon, including a long break for lunch. French students had Wednesdays off, but they went to school for a half-day on Saturday. Despite the longer hours, I loved the schedule in France. We worked very hard in school, but there was built-in time to relax. Maybe I could propose the French school schedule to Mrs. Fields, the principal at Abigail Adams Junior High.
    Madame explained that she was allowing Sophie to take Tuesday off and because there were teacher meetings on Thursday and Friday, Sophie would not have to return to school until Saturday morning—the day I was leaving. I couldn’t believe it—we would have four full days to find Orangina and to explore our old haunts.
    Madame stopped to check in at the office first, and then walked me to the third floor English class, leaving me at the door.
    Sophie’s eyes brightened when she spotted my new coat and shoes. She gave me a thumbs up and a big smile from across the room.
    After spending half a day with Madame, I felt like a completely different person. I definitely felt more “confident,” that word she kept repeating, and even less klutzy. Fashion had always seemed like a puzzle that I was too busy to figure out, but Madame had made it seem easy and fun. Both Katani and Madame gave the same advice…true fashion isn’t about wearing the trendiest clothes, but about figuring out who you are and what makes you happy inside…and letting that shine through.
    The English teacher, Madame de Robein, welcomed me to her class and gestured to an empty seat.
    “Hello, Charlotte,” Philippe said as I sat down at the empty desk next to him. The French students used to love practicing their English on me.
    I smiled. “ Bonjour , Philippe. Ça va? How are you?” Although we hadn’t kept in touch during the past months, Philippe and I had been pretty good friends when I lived in Paris. It was good to see him again. He was definitely cute, though in my opinion, not as cute as Nick Montoya back home. Nevertheless, I knew Maeve would approve.
    “We will have a conversation in English,” Madame de Robein announced. “Although Charlotte speaks French very well, I want you to ask questions in English and Charlotte toanswer in English. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to practice your English-speaking skills. Charlotte, would you mind coming to the front of the room so the class can see you?”
    I looked at Sophie. She shrugged. I had no idea I was going to be part of today’s lesson…I was glad the class would only last about an hour. It made me nervous to be the center of attention. But I was flattered that Madame de Robein thought my French was good.
    “Do you live in New York City?” a tall girl in the front row asked.
    “No, I live near Boston, in Massachusetts.”
    “Have you ever been to New York?”
    “Yes.”
    “Have you met Beyoncé?”
    “No.”
    And so it went…about forty-five minutes of somewhat silly, but not too embarrassing questions. The only time I didn’t know what to answer was when a girl asked a rude question about our president. I just glared.
    “Charlotte has