arrived, I was polite. I thanked the girls for the birthday present and said good-bye. But in my heart I was crushed.
Passing through the dining room, I saw it: a huge black spider hidden in the crevice of a chair. I froze. I’d sat in that very spot tonight!
Inching my way past it, I gulped. Then I ran to the kitchen to get a broom.
“What’s that for?” Joy asked, eyeing me suspiciously.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “Stay right where you are.”
That brought all the girls running.
“Don’t anybody move,” I said as they huddled behind me, squealing. Bam! I came down hard on the monstrous insect. The girls leaned in, staring—holding their mouths.
“It’s not dead!” Amy-Liz cried.
“Whack it again,” Shauna screamed.
I raised the broom over my head, preparing for the kill.
“What kind of spider is it?” Joy asked.
“Indestructible,” Amy-Liz said.
With broom poised, I inched closer, poking the spider with the wooden handle. The ugly creature didn’t move.
“It’s fake,” I said.
That rotten girl, I thought of Christiana.
“Hey, good joke,” Amy-Liz said. Joy and Shauna agreed.
I snatched up the lifelike critter and flung it at them. Screams filled the house, and Mom came running.
“It’s nothing,” I said. But it was. Christiana had arrived only a few hours ago, and already she was messing up my life. Stealing the show at my party. Stealing my best friend…
Back in the kitchen, I checked my facial mask in one of the hand mirrors lying on the counter. An alien-green tint covered my face. Cucumber facial masks are supposed to look like that. But I got carried away and imagined that my eyes were green as emeralds, too. Green with envy, I thought. Look at me! I’m just a green-eyed monster. But I didn’t care.
Amy-Liz got brave and had her curly blond hair cut and styled. Joy and Shauna liked it so much they experimented with a new look, too.
Even without Andie, the make-over went pretty well. We made shy, sweet Joy look like a flirt with bright red, wet lipstick and tons of mascara. Shauna was grotesque with pale lips, dark eye shadow, and dark eyebrows. Amy-Liz went for the clown look with round circles of rouge on each cheek and on the tip of her nose. I wasn’t much of a sport and opted for a more natural look.
When the girls left for home, I helped Mom clean up.
“You didn’t have much fun tonight,” she said, wiping the kitchen counters.
“It was fun, I just…” What could I say? Turning fourteen wasn’t what it was cracked up to be. “I don’t know,” I said, twisting the lids on the foundation and cream blush. “Maybe it’s just when you look forward to something so long, you have a mental image of how it’ll turn out. Then when Christiana started telling her boring stories, I felt icky inside.”
“I understand, honey.” She gathered up the dirty napkins.
“Then Christiana said she was sick, which I seriously doubt, and Andie left, too.” It was hard recounting the miserable evening. I didn’t want to think about it. Writing my feelings secretly in my journal was much easier.
So I kissed Mom on the cheek and wiped my tears. “I’ll be upstairs for a while,” I said. “Thanks for everything.”
February 11 continued: The party was weird. It was mostly a welcoming party for Christiana! Ick!
Goofey goes in the kennel tomorrow. Poor thing. I’ll be broke by the end of the week. But I’ll use all my allowance next month for my missionary project and the sponsor child for sure.
A strange sensation rippled through my scalp, down my shoulders, and into my spine. I shivered and stopped writing. It felt like someone was reading over my shoulder.
Slowly looking up, I half expected to see an angel, or…maybe God himself. But then, why would God need to read my words when He already knew them?
At that moment, Bearie-O fell off the shelf, landing in my lap.
I stroked the top of his bald teddy head. The loving had worn it thin.
Bearie-O was
Passing through the dining room, I saw it: a huge black spider hidden in the crevice of a chair. I froze. I’d sat in that very spot tonight!
Inching my way past it, I gulped. Then I ran to the kitchen to get a broom.
“What’s that for?” Joy asked, eyeing me suspiciously.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “Stay right where you are.”
That brought all the girls running.
“Don’t anybody move,” I said as they huddled behind me, squealing. Bam! I came down hard on the monstrous insect. The girls leaned in, staring—holding their mouths.
“It’s not dead!” Amy-Liz cried.
“Whack it again,” Shauna screamed.
I raised the broom over my head, preparing for the kill.
“What kind of spider is it?” Joy asked.
“Indestructible,” Amy-Liz said.
With broom poised, I inched closer, poking the spider with the wooden handle. The ugly creature didn’t move.
“It’s fake,” I said.
That rotten girl, I thought of Christiana.
“Hey, good joke,” Amy-Liz said. Joy and Shauna agreed.
I snatched up the lifelike critter and flung it at them. Screams filled the house, and Mom came running.
“It’s nothing,” I said. But it was. Christiana had arrived only a few hours ago, and already she was messing up my life. Stealing the show at my party. Stealing my best friend…
Back in the kitchen, I checked my facial mask in one of the hand mirrors lying on the counter. An alien-green tint covered my face. Cucumber facial masks are supposed to look like that. But I got carried away and imagined that my eyes were green as emeralds, too. Green with envy, I thought. Look at me! I’m just a green-eyed monster. But I didn’t care.
Amy-Liz got brave and had her curly blond hair cut and styled. Joy and Shauna liked it so much they experimented with a new look, too.
Even without Andie, the make-over went pretty well. We made shy, sweet Joy look like a flirt with bright red, wet lipstick and tons of mascara. Shauna was grotesque with pale lips, dark eye shadow, and dark eyebrows. Amy-Liz went for the clown look with round circles of rouge on each cheek and on the tip of her nose. I wasn’t much of a sport and opted for a more natural look.
When the girls left for home, I helped Mom clean up.
“You didn’t have much fun tonight,” she said, wiping the kitchen counters.
“It was fun, I just…” What could I say? Turning fourteen wasn’t what it was cracked up to be. “I don’t know,” I said, twisting the lids on the foundation and cream blush. “Maybe it’s just when you look forward to something so long, you have a mental image of how it’ll turn out. Then when Christiana started telling her boring stories, I felt icky inside.”
“I understand, honey.” She gathered up the dirty napkins.
“Then Christiana said she was sick, which I seriously doubt, and Andie left, too.” It was hard recounting the miserable evening. I didn’t want to think about it. Writing my feelings secretly in my journal was much easier.
So I kissed Mom on the cheek and wiped my tears. “I’ll be upstairs for a while,” I said. “Thanks for everything.”
February 11 continued: The party was weird. It was mostly a welcoming party for Christiana! Ick!
Goofey goes in the kennel tomorrow. Poor thing. I’ll be broke by the end of the week. But I’ll use all my allowance next month for my missionary project and the sponsor child for sure.
A strange sensation rippled through my scalp, down my shoulders, and into my spine. I shivered and stopped writing. It felt like someone was reading over my shoulder.
Slowly looking up, I half expected to see an angel, or…maybe God himself. But then, why would God need to read my words when He already knew them?
At that moment, Bearie-O fell off the shelf, landing in my lap.
I stroked the top of his bald teddy head. The loving had worn it thin.
Bearie-O was
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