The two boys laughed together and chatted happily as they entered the school hall

JAMES WONG HURRIED to school in a rather unusual manner. That hot morning sun and the heavy traffic did not draw his attention as they  normally would have done. All he had in mind was to get to school  as quickly as he possibly could, and this was rather abnormal for James, who was always a very careful boy.

        It was the last day of the third term, and James was going to receive his report card this very day. he was a bright and intelligent boy, and he knew he had done reasonably well in the examination.

        Thinking of the report card and the coming Christmas holidays, James bumped into Ahmad, his classmate , at the one corner of the school's building.

        "Hey, James!" shouted Ahmad, angrily. "Why don't you look at where you're going?"

        "Oh, it's you, Ahmad," replied James, "I'm really awfully sorry for bumping into you. I was thinking."

        "I know you are thinking about the holidays. Well, so am I, but at lease I watch my step!" retorted Ahmad.

        The two boys laughed together and chatted happily as they entered the school hall. A large crowd of students assembled there. Then a voice from behind them said: "It's just too bad. We have to do the cleaning first before we can get our report cards."

        They turned round and saw that the speaker was May Ling. She was their classmate. They were all Form Two pupils of the Kuching Goverment Secondary School.

        "How disappointing!" said James. "I expected to get it first thing in the morning."

        "Are you sure, May Ling?" asked Ahmad, with a frown on his forehead.

        "As sure as my name is May Ling," came the convincing reply. "I saw the notice a while ago."

        At the very moment the bell rang and all the pupils trooped to their respective classrooms. As it was the last day of the term, there was no assembly.

        James's class was one of the noisiest that day. The girls cleaned the desks and chairs and swept and mopped the floor. The boys cleaned the window panes and ceiling. Above the din of washing and scrubbing came a roar of laughter as hearty jokes were exchanged. Everybody was in a pleasant mood. However, the sound of laughter died away as footsteps were heard in the nearby corridor.

        One girls put her finger to her lips, "Ssh! Ssh! Here she comes! Quick, let's behave as thought we have been working extremely hard!"

        Miss Chee walked into the classroom and gave a smile of satisfication.

        "Hurry up, boys and girls," she said. you'll be receiving your report cards in ten minutes' time."

        "Quick! Quick!" yelled James, anxiously, "we've only got ten minutes to spare!"

        Very soon, the classroom was spick and span, and the pupils - thirty-seven in number - sat and waited for their report cards. May Ling's palms were covered with sweat, and some of the boys were clasping and unclasping their hands.

        Miss Chee, with the cards in her hands, gave a short speech before distributing them. This made the students all the more anxious and nervous. May Ling, Ahmad and James were wondering what position they would obtain and did not pay much attention to what Miss Chee was saying. Very soon, her talk ended and the big moment came. Everybody held their breath.

        Then: "First, James Wong. James, will you come forward to get your report card?"

        The class cheered and clapped as James, with a beaming face, got up his seat to claim that precious card. He had been top boy for three terms running. How pleased his parents would be, James thought, as he walked back to his desk after saying "Thank you" to Miss Chee.

        Finally, all the report cards were distributed. James was pleased to learn that some of his close friends did well, too. May Ling obtained third, while Ahmad, fifth. When class was dismissed, they rushed out of the room to the school's compound.

        James exclaimed, happilly, "Well, that's that. How about a bit of celebration?"

        "Good idea!" replied Ahmad. "Let's go over my place for drinks and some cakes. My mother promised she'd make some today. Coming, May Ling?"

        "Oh, I'm sorry, I just can't "replied May Ling. "I promised my younger sister a treat immediately after this. Let's make it this afternoon."

        "All right, let it be this afternoon, then, Ahmad," said James. "We'll meet in front of Ahmad's house, May Ling."

        "Agreed," replied the girl.

        Later, James, Ahmad and May Ling went off in different directions and felt pleased with themselves. Six glorious weeks of enjoyment laid ahead of them. All the studies and hard work each of them underwent during the past year was well worth the effort.