Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Poem by Kaelah
Hoping one day he will
Take me
With him.
Love me
Not like a friend
But more
I realize
I am too
Crazy
Silly
Young
Falling into the deep abyss
Of one sided
Love
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Wings by Jill
Terrific story by Jill. My favorite line is when she says something has happened zero times and then she says, Look at the big lonely 0, all alone. Clever writing, there!
Wings
by Jill Zerkowski
Prologue
As Alyssa and I just finished our best prank of all time, we needed to decide when and what elevator…
Hi, my name is Megan Peter, the all-time trouble maker of Brookside’s history. I’ve pulled 632 pranks at my time at Brookside, 6 years of evil mean hurtful pranks; some of which I regretted a lot!
I could have done them without my best friend of all time Alyssa Anderson, I would have done 0. I say 0. Look at the big lonely 0, all alone.
Chapter 2
Abigail’s meanest prank
This is why we hate Abigail Peterson. And this is how my best prank was created… You know how my name is Megan Peter? Everyone makes fun of me because I have two first names. Alyssa hates it more than me when anyone teases me when she is around. She says, “If you say that again, the fist will visit you soon.” Then she walks away. People never mess with her.
Okay, so when our nemesis, Abigail Peterson - I hate she almost has the same last name
as I do and then she thinks her last name is so awesome even thou they are almost identical!! –So Abigail said it but then ran off and the principal was there!
Chapter 4
The Plot
This is why Alyssa wanted to do this one. Don’t ask me why but after she does something wrong, she wants to hurt the same person. Precisely, at 2:30, this prank will be pulled. Alyssa and I were put in different classes this year, so at 2:36, we both said, “Ah, I think I might puke and bent down.”
As expected the teacher will came running over and said go down to the nurse now. Our plan worked perfectly and we met in the hall for a consult and to go down to the elevator.
Our plan worked almost perfectly.
Chapter 5
MRS HAGG
I was hoping to get from the spacey secretary, but as I found out, she is not spacey. Actually, she is the complete opposite as spacey. When I tried to steal the key, she said, “I knew you were planning a prank with that Alyssa Anderson!”
Then she said that she should have suspended us the last time we pranked someone.
“So tell me the truth. Were you planning a prank?? I will find out the real answer!” While that was happening, guess what Alyssa said she needed to finish up a test! So much for being best friends, she was the creator of this prank and if I got in trouble for it, oh I would be mad!
“The truth please!" Mrs. Hagg hollered.
I ran and as soon as I did the principal saw me!
Ding! It was the sound of when the key hits the emergency stop, and traps whoever is in there down there! The plan sort of worked; at least he was in there.
Wings
by Jill Zerkowski
Prologue
As Alyssa and I just finished our best prank of all time, we needed to decide when and what elevator…
I could have done them without my best friend of all time Alyssa Anderson, I would have done 0. I say 0. Look at the big lonely 0, all alone.
Chapter 2
Abigail’s meanest prank
This is why we hate Abigail Peterson. And this is how my best prank was created… You know how my name is Megan Peter? Everyone makes fun of me because I have two first names. Alyssa hates it more than me when anyone teases me when she is around. She says, “If you say that again, the fist will visit you soon.” Then she walks away. People never mess with her.
Okay, so when our nemesis, Abigail Peterson - I hate she almost has the same last name
as I do and then she thinks her last name is so awesome even thou they are almost identical!! –So Abigail said it but then ran off and the principal was there!
Chapter 4
The Plot
This is why Alyssa wanted to do this one. Don’t ask me why but after she does something wrong, she wants to hurt the same person. Precisely, at 2:30, this prank will be pulled. Alyssa and I were put in different classes this year, so at 2:36, we both said, “Ah, I think I might puke and bent down.”
As expected the teacher will came running over and said go down to the nurse now. Our plan worked perfectly and we met in the hall for a consult and to go down to the elevator.
Our plan worked almost perfectly.
Chapter 5
MRS HAGG
I was hoping to get from the spacey secretary, but as I found out, she is not spacey. Actually, she is the complete opposite as spacey. When I tried to steal the key, she said, “I knew you were planning a prank with that Alyssa Anderson!”
Then she said that she should have suspended us the last time we pranked someone.
“So tell me the truth. Were you planning a prank?? I will find out the real answer!” While that was happening, guess what Alyssa said she needed to finish up a test! So much for being best friends, she was the creator of this prank and if I got in trouble for it, oh I would be mad!
“The truth please!" Mrs. Hagg hollered.
I ran and as soon as I did the principal saw me!
Ding! It was the sound of when the key hits the emergency stop, and traps whoever is in there down there! The plan sort of worked; at least he was in there.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Daisy Pearl's Poem
Note: Daisy Pearl, 13, says she's new to the Pink Locker Society blogs. Welcome! And thanks for your poem, which shows some deep thinking about what girls' lives are like.
THE GIRLS
by DAISY PEARL
THE THINGS A GIRL NEEDS
AND TO PLANT THE SEED
TO HELP MOTHER
TO MAKE SMILE OF EVERYONE
AND TO FINISH WORK AND SAY IT'S DONE
SOME PEOPLE THINK THERE IS NOTHING TO DO FOR GIRLS
THAT'S WRONG
THE WORK OF GIRLS IS LONG
THE GIRLS ARE LIKE PEARLS
B/C THEY ARE LIKE A BIRD
THEY MAKE NEST FOR FAMILY AND THE REST
THAT'S WHY
Monday, March 11, 2013
Dahhhhling, read this!
Note: This story has nothing to do with pigs, but Posey likes pigs. Hence her logo. Great story, too!
The Two Vicious "V"s
by Posey
It was two weeks before the pet contest, and Veronica and Venessa were bragging … as usual.
“Veronica, did you finish the five spelling pages?” Venessa asked.
“Of course, I did. Who do you think I am – that weird girl?” Veronica said, a little too loudly.
Emily marched right up to them and said, “That weird girl has a name, you know. Or are you two too buried in your studies?”
(V and V were mean girls, but they got all “A”s.)
“How dare you, weird girl!” Veronica shot back at Emily.
RING, RING, BANANA PHONE!
It was time to switch classes and that was their middle school’s very unusual bell. Some schools have a ding-a-ling-sounding bell. Other schools have an electronic sounding BEEP, like on an alarm clock. But they had something altogether different - RING, RING, BANANA PHONE!
“There’s the bell. Got to go!” the two “V”s said in unison.
And just like that, they sashayed off to home room.
“Where were you during study hall?” Emily’s best friend, Kat, asked.
“Oh, nowhere. I was just…” Emily said, her voice trailing off.
“You couldn’t be nowhere,” Kat said, “because all the time you’re somewhere. And-”
“OK, thank you, Kat,” Emily said.
“OK, claaahhhs, settle down,” their teacher, Mrs. Martin, said in her crisp British accent. “Please haaaahhnd in your book reports.”
Before anyone else could react, Veronica and Venessa rushed to the front of the room with their reports in their hands.
“Here you are Mrs. Martin,” the two girls chorused.
Then everyone else handed in their book reports. Everyone except Emily.
“Did everyone haaaahhnd in their reports?” Mrs. Martin asked.
“Yes,” said the entire class, even Emily.
The rest of the day went by in a flash with the double “V”s taking every opportunity to tease and bully Emily. In other words, like every other day at school – except at the very end of the day. That’s when Mrs. Martin asked Emily to stay behind as everyone else ran out to the buses.
“Sh-sh sure,” Emily said.
Once the class cleared out, Mrs. Martin said, “Emily, I noticed that you didn’t hand in your book report. Do you have anything to say?”
“Mrs. Martin, I am very sorry. I just tend to fall behind and I promise it will never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, NEVER happen again.”
“Thaaahhht’s fine, but I know a couple of tutors who would be available three times a week. Whaaaahhht do you say?”
Emily said nothing.
“I’ll ask for only one day a week and I’ll let you sleep on it,” Mrs. Martin said.
“I’ll talk about it with my parents,” Emily said.
When Emily came home, her mother asked, “How was school today?”
“Good,” Emily said, a typical answer for hiding your feelings.
At dinner, Emily only poked at her food and went upstairs early before watching TV.
Emily’s mom was worried about her because earlier that day she had received a phone call from Mrs. Martin.
Emily’s mom knocked on her bedroom door.
She heard a muffled voice said “OK, come in.”
Emily’s mom saw Emily lying on her back facing the ceiling.
“Honey, I just want to talk about school.”
“I already said it was fine, OK?”
“Well, I got an phone call from Mrs. Mar-“
Emily’s tears interrupted her.
“Mom, I really don’t want to get a tutor,” Emily sobbed.
“Honey, Mrs. Martin said you admitted that you tend to fall behind. I think it might be best.”
“Maaaaahhhm,” Emily whined.
“Honey, I just want you to understand that I’ll be right down the hall if you want to talk. Now, get some sleep. See you in the morning and don’t let the bedbugs bite.”
Emily’s mom left and Emily fell fast asleep.
In the morning, Emily asked her mom if she was getting a tutor.
“You can tell Mrs. Martin to call us and I’ll talk to her about it, all right?” Emily’s mom said.
Emily walked to study hall that morning and found her place next to Kat.
“I called you after school and your mom said you weren’t home yet. What’s going on?” Kat said. “Be straight with me. No more “I’ll tell you laters.”
“Kat, this is really embarrassing and well-“
Kat cut her off, saying “We’re best friends, right? We’ve known each other for 12 years. I tell you everything, and you’ve told me everything, up until now. If you don’t tell me, there will be a chance of breaking up even if it’s something super, duper, luper, kuper, tuper, nuper embarrassing. Really, tell me please!”
“OK,” Emily said, “But can we go somewhere, um, you know, well … more private?”
Kat and Emily went to the girls’ restroom and Emily started, “Ever since I entered the pet contest, Veronica and Venessa have been bullying me sooooooo much. Also, since my new baby brother was born, I feel like there’s no one I can talk to at home. On top of that, I haven’t finished my book report and Mrs. Martin thinks I need a tutor but I signed up for soccer on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. So is there anything I missed … um, oh yeah, Mr. Lyn is being so mean to me in math. He said I was a slow poke. I thought teachers were supposed to help you!
“Wow,” Kat said, “I-I-I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize how much you were dealing with. I mean-”
“Thanks” Emily said.
“Thanks for what?” Kat asked.
“That felt really good to be able to tell all about my worries, troubles, and burdens. Just to get it out.”
RING, RING, BANANA PHONE!
“Let’s go,” Kat said, and they walked together to Mrs. Martin’s class
“Emily, did you talk about it with your parents?” Mrs. Martin asked.
“They said for you to call them and talk about it,” Emily said.
The class was abuzz. People were getting up for all different reasons: to feed the fish, to feed the hamster, to do the attendance sheet, or answer the phone.
“Settle down, settle down, settle down,” Mrs. Martin told the noisy class.
“Let’s get started. First, get out your homework so that I can check it. This time, I’ll start with Veronica and Venessa’s table.”
CLAP!
It was the sound that no one didn’t know: the sound of the two girls’ hands high-fiveing.
DID EMILY HAVE HER HOMEWORK OR NOT – ANOTHER SIGN SHE’S FALLING BEHIND?
Next up was Math. “Good morning, slow poke,” was what she expected, but Mr. Lyn was calmly sitting on his desk with his blue folder out on his lap.
Now, everyone knows Mr. Lyn color codes his folders and everyone knows that his blue folder means test.
GULP!
“Take your seats, everyone,” Mr. Lyn said. “Quickly, quickly, I want to get started.”
Mr. Lyn started handing out papers.
“This test is a 30-minute timed test. You may write “DK” for “don’t know” if you’re not sure. Your test begins … right now!”
A couple of days later Mr. Lyn handed the tests back and Emily almost burst out crying when she saw that she got none right. Ten days before the pet contest Emily talked to Kat, “Kat I really need you help today. I want my husky to win first place in the contest. All I need you to do is bring over everything you have- wigs, dresses, ties, tuxedos- everything!”
“Kay, I’ll be right over, but when you say everything, do you mean like even my couch?”
“What do you think, Kat? Stop being a smart aleck.”
You see, Kat’s mom makes clothes for animals and she had some old husky mannequins and really good cloth.When Kat arrived they got right to work and didn’t waste a minute. Snip, snip, cut, cut, trim, trim- that’s all you could hear behind Emily’s closed bedroom door.
“Knock, Knock!”
“Come in- what is it?” Emily said with agitation in her voice.
“It’s just me,” her mom defended as she stepped into the room. “Mrs. Martin called and we just confirmed it every Thursday afternoon for one hour after school.”
“Whatevs. I don’t care,” mumbled Emily as her mom retreated.
“You’re really getting a tutor?” Kat asked.
“Yeah- it’s arranged, so there is no way I am getting out of it.”
By the end of the afternoon, Emily and Kat had made a super cute outfit that looked fabulous on Coco, Emily’s husky. But the costuming had to wait- for the rest of the week, Emily met four different tutors. On the first day, a boy came and obviously never had grammar lessons walked in and said “Okay like lets like get like to like work like do like you like know like what like two like plus like one like is like? Because like I’ve like heard like that like you like are like stupid.” On day two, it was a tall blond girl with a stack of math worksheets who strode in with a sour look on her face, she dumped the worksheets in front of Emily and said “GET TO WORK!!!!!!!!!!!” Day three turned up an all-black clad kid playing a weepy violin. Finally, on the fourth day, a really nice girl arrived.
“OK, so let’s get started,” she said as she tossed an overflowing book bag onto the library table. “What do you think is the hardest subject for you?”
“Probably math,” Emily replied.
“Oh, I love math…”
“How can you love math when Mr. Lyn is constantly calling you a slow poke?”
“You have Mr. Lyn? He’s my favorite teacher. Plus, here’s a tip: the best way to do something is to do it when you love it.”
BUZZ!! It was the library door, and who walked in? None other than V and V. Emily ran behind a bookshelf quickly dodging the two Vs. Emily spent much of their time hiding, getting nothing done, and forcing her new tutor Jane to follow her into the fiction section.
“Come on; I promise there is nothing to be afraid of.” But just as she uttered these reassuring words to Emily, the two Vs rounded the corner into their aisle.
“OMG! Venessa, come over here! It’s book buddy time. Or even better,” she went on, “it’s tutor time!”
“HA HA HA. Very funny. Be mean and sassy again, and I’ll report you and you’ll get into big trouble!” Jane was a small girl, but at that moment she sounded big.
“You’re too little to report us.” Veronica tried to sound like she wasn’t worried, but there was doubt in her voice.
“Oh yeah? Well guess what: I’m in eighth grade. You are only in sixth - there’s a big difference.”
The two girls backed up slowly and ran out of the library. “See, I told you there was nothing to be afraid of.”
After long days of people picking on her, Emily was so glad when the day of the pet contest finally arrived.
She wore a new outfit that matched Coco’s: a neon green dress and a neon blue shrug and platform heels. Kat wore a blue dress, a green shrug, and green platform heels. Her outfit matched her Doberman Marshmallow’s costume.
The auditorium was packed. Every group did their dance and everyone did a great job.
“Now for the prizes!” One judge boomed out after everyone had performed. He handed out prizes one by one: cutest, smallest, biggest, craziest and on and on until he was ready to announce the grand prize.
“And Top Dog goes to… no one!” the shocked audience listened as he went on to explain, “no one really knocked our socks off, but to make up for that, we’ve come up with a new prize: The Best Loved Animal! And this goes to Emily and Kat with their loving animals Coco and Marshmallow.” One lone sound echoed through the auditorium: CLAP it was the sound that no one didn’t know: the sound of two girl’s hands high-fiving. And at that very moment, in a land far away, some high-tech technology made a pig fly. (And that’s the truth.)
EPILOGUE
Everyone lived beter than ever . Emily mastered math, Kat turned out to be a great violinist, and Veronica and Vanessa never bullied again!
Sorry to say but it’s …
THE END
Hope you enjoyed the story
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Sarah's beautiful story!
Note: Wow-this story is not only well written. It comes at the perfect moment. Thousands of people this week pledged to end use of the "r" word. More info HERE: R Word
“Where are we going to sit for lunch, Ellie?” Heather’s shoulder bumped mine as we entered the overwhelmingly crowded cafeteria.
“I don’t know yet, just give me a second. I’ll figure something out,” I sighed. Another new school, the second time in three years. My twin sister and I stood at the entrance to the cafeteria and looked for empty seats. I spotted a table that looked like it had all the popular girls sitting at it, and there were two empty seats. This was our chance to actually make some friends, unlike at all the other schools. I started walking up to the table before I freaked and changed my mind. I recognized a girl at the end from my English class. She had on a green skirt and a tank top, and her sleek black hair was perfectly straightened. “Hey,” I started. She turned around.
“Aren’t you the new girl?”
“Um, yeah. And you’re Jennifer, right?” I asked, while I twirled the bottom of my shirt around my thumb. “Hey, can we sit here with you guys?”
“You can... but not her!” She pointed distastefully at Heather who was half hidden behind me, clutching her lunch bag. This was just like last year. I had to choose. I glanced back and forth between Jennifer, who was looking at me with her startling green eyes, and Heather, who was staring at the ground. I took a deep breath and twisted my blond hair around my finger.
“Heather, can I talk to you for a sec?” I pulled her over, just out of earshot of Jennifer and her posse. “Do you remember Amanda? And how she didn’t want to be friends with you?” I winced. That didn’t come out right.
“Yes,” Heather looked at me with expectant blue eyes.
“Well, Jennifer is like that too. She doesn’t want to sit with you.”
“So are we going to sit somewhere else today?”
“Um, well, I am going to sit with Jennifer, but you can go sit at that table over there.” I pointed to the table in the corner where a few other girls I didn’t know sat.
“But why? We always sit together. And Jennifer is mean!” Heather’s eyes filled with tears, and my heart filled with guilt.
“B-because I wanted to tell Jennifer that she should let you sit with us. Plus, there isn’t enough room for me at the other table,” I Iied. Heather started walking over to the table after I reassured her that I would sit with her tomorrow. Another lie. I watched her sit down at the other table, until I was interrupted.
“Hey, are you gonna just stand there? Or are you gonna actually sit down?” Jennifer asked, with a hint of annoyance. I sat down.
“Who was that girl? She’s so weird! Is she new too?”
“You mean Heather?” I couldn’t believe how rude they were being.
“Is that her name? How do you know her, anyway?” I stared at her, confused. Then I realized that she didn’t know we were sisters.
“She’s my sister,” I muttered quietly, sure they would kick me out of the group now.
“So you two are like, twins?” I nodded in response.
“What’s wrong with her? She looks so weird. And I heard she’s retarded.” My face flushed with anger, but I quickly regained composure. I wasn’t going to blow it this time. I was going to make friends.
“She has Down’s Syndrome. But it’s not a big deal. Compared to other people, her’s is actually pretty mild. And she isn’t retarded, she just learns differently.” I repeated what had been drilled into my head since the moment I could understand what it meant. I could hear my mother saying, Stand up for your sister, She just learns differently, blah, blah, blah. Even though I loved Heather, I’ve started to get sick of always making sure she’s comfortable, making sure everyone was nice to her. I was basically her stand-in mother whenever we left the house. I always sacrificed my social life for her. This time, that wasn’t going to happen.
I was jerked from my thoughts by Jennifer’s laughter. The girl to my left said, “She certainly seems retarded.”
“Well she’s not!” I snapped.
“Woah, calm down, we were just joking. Geez, don’t be so sensitive.” She rolled her eyes. I needed to stop jumping to her every defense.
“Let’s just drop it, okay?”
“Whatever,” Jennifer changed the subject to the new magnetic nail polish she got.
The rest of the day, I pretended not to see Heather whenever we passed in the hallways. This wasn’t difficult, considering how crowded the hallways were between classes.
I threw my math binder into my already full backpack, when I looked up and saw Jennifer leaning against my locker. “I’m having a party on Friday. Wanna come?”
I couldn’t believe my luck! Friday was just two days away! “Sure,” I replied, trying to sound indifferent.
“Here’s my number. I’ll text you more info later. Oh, and don’t bring Heather.” I didn’t respond, and she walked away.
I always do my best thinking while I lay in bed, so thats exactly what I did. I tried to sort out my feelings, but to no avail. I couldn’t decide whether I should stay true to my sister, or to go to Jennifer’s party. I really, really wanted friends, and I really, really wanted to act like a normal thirteen year old girl. Heather always stopped me from this. I remembered last time, when I stood up for Heather and basically ended up with no friends. That would mean that Heather owes me one... but is that really fair? I flipped my pillow over to the cold side and rolled over. My tired eyes told me that I should just go to sleep and figure things out in the morning. “Ellie?” Heather called out from the bottom bunk in our shared room.
“Yeah?”
“Can I sit with Jennifer now?”
“I didn’t ask yet,” I replied, knowing that it would never ever happen, even if I asked a million times.
“But you said you were going to!”
“I know, I just didn’t get to it. Go to sleep now.”
I woke up at five thirty the next morning, even though I didn’t need to get up for another hour. I needed to have a talk with Mom.
I found her getting her papers ready for work on the kitchen counter. Everyone else in the house was still asleep.
“Hey, kiddo. Why are you up so early? Is everything okay?
“Yeah, everythings okay,” I decided that maybe I shouldn’t tell her what’s going on. She’d probably be disappointed. “I got up because it’s so hot in my room.”
“We need to finish unpacking and find your air conditioner. Sorry I couldn’t get it out sooner. There’s a lot going on. Hey, how’s Heather adjusting? Are people being nice to her? Is she making friends?”
I sighed. Its always about Heather. My whole life revolves around Heather. What about me?
Does anyone care if I’m making friends? Just because I don’t have Down’s syndrome doesn’t make my life automatically perfect. It doesn’t mean people flock to me, wanting to be friends.
I would never dare say these things out loud, though. “She’s doing great. I think she’s made a few friends.”
“That’s good. Make sure you keep an eye out for her, okay?” I nodded, and went to get a bowl of Rice Krispies.
After my mom left, but before the rest of my family woke up, I snuck into the bathroom. I wanted to try straightening my hair, like Jennifer.
The next day was pretty tough. Again, I avoided Heather and hung out with Jennifer and her friends. They liked my hair. It was nice to be part of a group.
At lunch, they talked about Heather. The more they made fun of her, the more I realized that she was kind of weird. I was even a little embarrassed to be related to her. The way Jennifer and her friends talked about Heather changed my whole view of Heather. I knew that I couldn’t be seen with her at the party, or anywhere else. My decision was made. I would go to the party- without her.
Another school day of looking away whenever I passed my sister came and went. All the talk at lunch was about the party. What were we going to wear, who was going, and other stuff. I was getting excited, but a little nervous at the same time. I hadn’t told my mom yet. Would she let me go?
As soon as Mom walked through the door, I asked.
“Of course! I’m glad you two are making friends. What time do I need to drive you and
Heather?”
“Mom, Heather isn’t going.”
“Why wouldn’t she?”
“Well, she wasn’t invited. See, the girl who invited me is in my English class, and Heather isn’t in the same class. She and Heather haven’t really met.”
“Are you sure? Why doesn’t Heather go anyway? You can introduce her!”
I twisted my shirt.
“What’s wrong?” My mom knew that was my nervous habit.
“Uh, it doesn’t really work like that. I just don’t think Heather should go. She might feel uncomfortable.” It wasn’t a total lie. If Heather came, Jennifer would probably do her best to make her feel more than uncomfortable.
“Okay, if thats what you really think would be best for Heather. I’m so proud of you for looking out for her all the time. I don’t know what she would do without you.” A knot formed in my stomach. My mom’s answer had made me question my decision. I pushed the thought aside.
My phone buzzed against my thigh. I pulled it out of my pocket. It was a text from Jennifer:
Hey, R u cuming?
I glanced at the clock. 6:00. I was late!
On my way. B there in 5 min
I explained to my mom that we had to go, and she put her shoes back on. I did the same.
Heather watched us from the top of the stairs. “Where are you going?” she asked.
“To a party.” I saw the hurt in her eyes. Now or never, I thought. “You wanna come?”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Go get ready.” What was I thinking? Jennifer would kill me! It doesn’t matter. A voice in my head whispered. Heather is family. I can’t avoid her forever. Jennifer was just an annoying girl. When I grew up, she wouldn’t be in my life anymore. Heather would. That is, if I didn’t let her slip through my grasp.
We pulled up in front of Jennifer’s house, and walked up towards the door. Heather tried to rush up the steps, but I held her back. We went up the steps together, out shoulders bumping just like on the first day of school. Heather rang the doorbell. Jennifer opened the door, and stared at Heather in shock. “I thought I told you not to bring her!”
“She’s my sister, and my best friend. I wouldn’t go without her.”
“But she’ll totally ruin my party!” She complained, hands on her hips.
“Heather is standing right next to me. Don’t talk like she isn’t. She can understand you too, even though you might think otherwise. Heather will not ruin the party, she’ll do the exact opposite. I’ve done some of my most memorable things with her!” I shouted, my face red with anger. Who did she think she was, talking about my sister like that? “I’m sick of you being a total jerk and making fun of Heather. She’s a real person, just like you. She might even be more real than you. You try to fit in, hide behind make-up and pretty clothes. It doesn’t work. Anyone can see that behind your mask, you aren’t so perfect. Heather is herself, and I like her better that way!”
Jennifer turned red, then pale, then muttered, “Fine, j-just go away.” She seemed ashamed.
Serves her right.
Right then and there, Heather, who at been stand silently, turned and hugged me. I would have been embarrassed a few days earlier, but now I didn’t care. All I cared about was that Heather and I were together, without anybody standing between us.
“Where are we going to sit for lunch, Ellie?” Heather’s shoulder bumped mine as we entered the overwhelmingly crowded cafeteria.
“Aren’t you the new girl?”
“Um, yeah. And you’re Jennifer, right?” I asked, while I twirled the bottom of my shirt around my thumb. “Hey, can we sit here with you guys?”
“You can... but not her!” She pointed distastefully at Heather who was half hidden behind me, clutching her lunch bag. This was just like last year. I had to choose. I glanced back and forth between Jennifer, who was looking at me with her startling green eyes, and Heather, who was staring at the ground. I took a deep breath and twisted my blond hair around my finger.
“Heather, can I talk to you for a sec?” I pulled her over, just out of earshot of Jennifer and her posse. “Do you remember Amanda? And how she didn’t want to be friends with you?” I winced. That didn’t come out right.
“Yes,” Heather looked at me with expectant blue eyes.
“Well, Jennifer is like that too. She doesn’t want to sit with you.”
“So are we going to sit somewhere else today?”
“Um, well, I am going to sit with Jennifer, but you can go sit at that table over there.” I pointed to the table in the corner where a few other girls I didn’t know sat.
“But why? We always sit together. And Jennifer is mean!” Heather’s eyes filled with tears, and my heart filled with guilt.
“B-because I wanted to tell Jennifer that she should let you sit with us. Plus, there isn’t enough room for me at the other table,” I Iied. Heather started walking over to the table after I reassured her that I would sit with her tomorrow. Another lie. I watched her sit down at the other table, until I was interrupted.
“Hey, are you gonna just stand there? Or are you gonna actually sit down?” Jennifer asked, with a hint of annoyance. I sat down.
“Who was that girl? She’s so weird! Is she new too?”
“You mean Heather?” I couldn’t believe how rude they were being.
“Is that her name? How do you know her, anyway?” I stared at her, confused. Then I realized that she didn’t know we were sisters.
“She’s my sister,” I muttered quietly, sure they would kick me out of the group now.
“So you two are like, twins?” I nodded in response.
“What’s wrong with her? She looks so weird. And I heard she’s retarded.” My face flushed with anger, but I quickly regained composure. I wasn’t going to blow it this time. I was going to make friends.
“She has Down’s Syndrome. But it’s not a big deal. Compared to other people, her’s is actually pretty mild. And she isn’t retarded, she just learns differently.” I repeated what had been drilled into my head since the moment I could understand what it meant. I could hear my mother saying, Stand up for your sister, She just learns differently, blah, blah, blah. Even though I loved Heather, I’ve started to get sick of always making sure she’s comfortable, making sure everyone was nice to her. I was basically her stand-in mother whenever we left the house. I always sacrificed my social life for her. This time, that wasn’t going to happen.
I was jerked from my thoughts by Jennifer’s laughter. The girl to my left said, “She certainly seems retarded.”
“Well she’s not!” I snapped.
“Woah, calm down, we were just joking. Geez, don’t be so sensitive.” She rolled her eyes. I needed to stop jumping to her every defense.
“Let’s just drop it, okay?”
“Whatever,” Jennifer changed the subject to the new magnetic nail polish she got.
The rest of the day, I pretended not to see Heather whenever we passed in the hallways. This wasn’t difficult, considering how crowded the hallways were between classes.
I threw my math binder into my already full backpack, when I looked up and saw Jennifer leaning against my locker. “I’m having a party on Friday. Wanna come?”
I couldn’t believe my luck! Friday was just two days away! “Sure,” I replied, trying to sound indifferent.
“Here’s my number. I’ll text you more info later. Oh, and don’t bring Heather.” I didn’t respond, and she walked away.
I always do my best thinking while I lay in bed, so thats exactly what I did. I tried to sort out my feelings, but to no avail. I couldn’t decide whether I should stay true to my sister, or to go to Jennifer’s party. I really, really wanted friends, and I really, really wanted to act like a normal thirteen year old girl. Heather always stopped me from this. I remembered last time, when I stood up for Heather and basically ended up with no friends. That would mean that Heather owes me one... but is that really fair? I flipped my pillow over to the cold side and rolled over. My tired eyes told me that I should just go to sleep and figure things out in the morning. “Ellie?” Heather called out from the bottom bunk in our shared room.
“Yeah?”
“Can I sit with Jennifer now?”
“I didn’t ask yet,” I replied, knowing that it would never ever happen, even if I asked a million times.
“But you said you were going to!”
“I know, I just didn’t get to it. Go to sleep now.”
I woke up at five thirty the next morning, even though I didn’t need to get up for another hour. I needed to have a talk with Mom.
I found her getting her papers ready for work on the kitchen counter. Everyone else in the house was still asleep.
“Hey, kiddo. Why are you up so early? Is everything okay?
“Yeah, everythings okay,” I decided that maybe I shouldn’t tell her what’s going on. She’d probably be disappointed. “I got up because it’s so hot in my room.”
“We need to finish unpacking and find your air conditioner. Sorry I couldn’t get it out sooner. There’s a lot going on. Hey, how’s Heather adjusting? Are people being nice to her? Is she making friends?”
I sighed. Its always about Heather. My whole life revolves around Heather. What about me?
Does anyone care if I’m making friends? Just because I don’t have Down’s syndrome doesn’t make my life automatically perfect. It doesn’t mean people flock to me, wanting to be friends.
I would never dare say these things out loud, though. “She’s doing great. I think she’s made a few friends.”
“That’s good. Make sure you keep an eye out for her, okay?” I nodded, and went to get a bowl of Rice Krispies.
After my mom left, but before the rest of my family woke up, I snuck into the bathroom. I wanted to try straightening my hair, like Jennifer.
The next day was pretty tough. Again, I avoided Heather and hung out with Jennifer and her friends. They liked my hair. It was nice to be part of a group.
At lunch, they talked about Heather. The more they made fun of her, the more I realized that she was kind of weird. I was even a little embarrassed to be related to her. The way Jennifer and her friends talked about Heather changed my whole view of Heather. I knew that I couldn’t be seen with her at the party, or anywhere else. My decision was made. I would go to the party- without her.
Another school day of looking away whenever I passed my sister came and went. All the talk at lunch was about the party. What were we going to wear, who was going, and other stuff. I was getting excited, but a little nervous at the same time. I hadn’t told my mom yet. Would she let me go?
As soon as Mom walked through the door, I asked.
“Of course! I’m glad you two are making friends. What time do I need to drive you and
Heather?”
“Mom, Heather isn’t going.”
“Why wouldn’t she?”
“Well, she wasn’t invited. See, the girl who invited me is in my English class, and Heather isn’t in the same class. She and Heather haven’t really met.”
“Are you sure? Why doesn’t Heather go anyway? You can introduce her!”
I twisted my shirt.
“What’s wrong?” My mom knew that was my nervous habit.
“Uh, it doesn’t really work like that. I just don’t think Heather should go. She might feel uncomfortable.” It wasn’t a total lie. If Heather came, Jennifer would probably do her best to make her feel more than uncomfortable.
“Okay, if thats what you really think would be best for Heather. I’m so proud of you for looking out for her all the time. I don’t know what she would do without you.” A knot formed in my stomach. My mom’s answer had made me question my decision. I pushed the thought aside.
My phone buzzed against my thigh. I pulled it out of my pocket. It was a text from Jennifer:
Hey, R u cuming?
I glanced at the clock. 6:00. I was late!
On my way. B there in 5 min
I explained to my mom that we had to go, and she put her shoes back on. I did the same.
Heather watched us from the top of the stairs. “Where are you going?” she asked.
“To a party.” I saw the hurt in her eyes. Now or never, I thought. “You wanna come?”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Go get ready.” What was I thinking? Jennifer would kill me! It doesn’t matter. A voice in my head whispered. Heather is family. I can’t avoid her forever. Jennifer was just an annoying girl. When I grew up, she wouldn’t be in my life anymore. Heather would. That is, if I didn’t let her slip through my grasp.
We pulled up in front of Jennifer’s house, and walked up towards the door. Heather tried to rush up the steps, but I held her back. We went up the steps together, out shoulders bumping just like on the first day of school. Heather rang the doorbell. Jennifer opened the door, and stared at Heather in shock. “I thought I told you not to bring her!”
“She’s my sister, and my best friend. I wouldn’t go without her.”
“But she’ll totally ruin my party!” She complained, hands on her hips.
“Heather is standing right next to me. Don’t talk like she isn’t. She can understand you too, even though you might think otherwise. Heather will not ruin the party, she’ll do the exact opposite. I’ve done some of my most memorable things with her!” I shouted, my face red with anger. Who did she think she was, talking about my sister like that? “I’m sick of you being a total jerk and making fun of Heather. She’s a real person, just like you. She might even be more real than you. You try to fit in, hide behind make-up and pretty clothes. It doesn’t work. Anyone can see that behind your mask, you aren’t so perfect. Heather is herself, and I like her better that way!”
Jennifer turned red, then pale, then muttered, “Fine, j-just go away.” She seemed ashamed.
Serves her right.
Right then and there, Heather, who at been stand silently, turned and hugged me. I would have been embarrassed a few days earlier, but now I didn’t care. All I cared about was that Heather and I were together, without anybody standing between us.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Angel's Miracle by Maia
Note: Maia wrote a moving story about a baby girl. She also was brave and was the first girl to read her work at the workshop reading for parents!
Angel’s Miracle
by Maia
“Henry, wake up we got to run to the hospital your mom’s having the baby,” shouted my dad
I looked at the clock it was 4:53 am. I dragged myself out of my bed.
“Dad…is it a boy tell me please!”
“Henry, that is a question that cannot be answered until we see the baby - it’s a surprise. Go grab something to eat out of the pantry. We have got to hurry. Now.”
When we were in the car going to the hospital, there was dead silence. Finally, when we got to the front doors of the hospital, Mom quickly waddled to the front desk while my dad was sprinting behind.
“We need to get to the ER my wife’s having her baby!” he yelled.
My mom and dad were in the ER while some nurse started asking me a load of questions. How in the world would you be able to answer about 13 questions at 5:16 am?!!!
3 hours later
My dad shook me awake.
“Henry. Wake up Henry……
“What” I said sleepily. I got up and started running toward room 206.
“Is it a boy?!!!”
“Henry, wait. It’s a surprise.”
A Month Later
“Valerie” shouted my dad
“What Michael, I am burping baby Angel.”
“Mom, why is Angel a girl? Why can’t she just be a boy? It’s so annoying why is she so sick.”
“Henry, she is 6 weeks too early and she hasn’t fully developed.”
“Mom, you say that every time.”
I ran outside to my new neighbor Amy.
“Hi, Amy” I said, “Angel is so sick and…”
“Can I see her, can I see her?” asked Amy”
“She’s uh, yeah sure, one second.”
I went into the house and heard my dad screaming “Valerie… she stopped breathing Val!” My mom was running up the stairs.
“Get In the car, Michael!”
“Henry! We need you to go to Amy’s now! We’ll call you in a bit!!” Mom yelled to me as they were driving away.
“Amy” I yelled
“Yeah” she said.
“Uh, can I stay with you for a while my mom and dad run to the hospital? Angel stopped breathing.” I said, with a sigh.
“Oh my gosh, Will she be OK?” Amy asked.
“Yeah, I think so…they said they’d call me in a bit” I said.
“Henry, uh, you can stay as long as you need. I hope Angel’s OK.”
We walked into Amy’s house. It was very modern and weird looking. All different shapes, but only black and white, with a lot of pictures of a man.
“Amy, who is this?” I pointed to the picture of her and the man with three other kids.
“He’s my Dad. He died three years ago, and those kids are my brothers and sisters. They’re at their friends’ house. Maybe you can meet them tomorrow.”
“And you can meet my sister, Angel, as soon as she’s OK,” I said with worry in my voice.
Amy’s Mom was at the kitchen counter. Her house was so big.
“Hi Henry. How are you?”
“I’m OK. I guess.”
“What happened?” she answered. Amy whispered something in her ear, probably about my sister.
“Henry,” she said. “I hope Angel is OK and you definitely can stay as long as you need.”
“Thanks,” I said.
We walked around Amy’s house.
“And this is my room.” Amy said.
It was big with a wall full of windows. There was one mirror on the other wall. She had a really big room: a lot nicer than mine.
“Your Mom’s pretty nice,” I said.
“Thanks.”
The Next Day
I woke up to the phone ringing. I realized where I was. I was at Amy’s house, hoping it was my Dad, but of course it wasn’t. It was a phone company. But five minutes later, the phone rang again. This time it was actually my Dad. He said that Angel was fine, but she would need surgery the next day.
My Dad and I were heading to the hospital to see Angel. She had a lot of tubes and wires stuck to her chest. She wasn’t OK. She wasn’t doing fine. I tried to go in the room where she was, but my Mom told me I wasn’t allowed to. My Dad and I stayed a couple of hours more.
Finally, we went home, ordered out Chinese. Me and my Dad didn’t go to sleep until 1. The entire night we watched movies and just laughed since we hadn’t had a laugh since Angel was born.
That morning we went to the hospital again. My Mom said that she had a dream that some sort of invisible person was trying to pick the baby and just hold her. She said she tried to get out of bed, but she couldn’t. Angel was just looking at the person, laughing and smiling.
A little later on, I was wandering around the hospital, seeing all different patients. Doctors were running in the opposite direction, saying “Hurry! Go to room 206! Code red!”
Angel had stopped breathing again. When I got to the room, they were wheeling out Angel in her incubator.
“Dad! Mom! What happened?” I yelled.
“Henry, the doctors decided that Angel will have to have an open-heart surgery,” Mom sobbed. Her face was full of tears.
That afternoon, we all waited for hours during the surgery. My Mom said that I should call Amy, since she and her mom were probably worried.
I called Amy and told her everything. And she told me everything would be OK. Then she put her mom on. It was kind of awkward, but eventually my Mom started to talk to her while we were discussing hospital food.
When we came back up, Mom was off the phone, laying in bed. We ate dinner, went to sleep and were woken up in the middle of the night by a nurse coming in to bring Angel back to us. Her heart was beating normally. We heard the monitor going up and down. Up and down.
But later we woke up to the sound of no monitor. It had stopped! She was gone! We were all hysterically crying and hugging. About three minutes later, we were still crying.
Suddenly, we heard the monitor wildly beeping.
Mountains were appearing on the screen. She was OK!
We were all still crying, but happy crying! She was OK! Maybe my Mom’s dream was real! Later that day we took Angel home, and finally Amy got to see her everything had turned out OK.
Thank you invisible person you are an Angel who saved our Angel!
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Red Blood Cells to the Rescue! by Anya
Note: Another fine story from the Winter Writers Workshop. Excellent, Anya!
Red Blood Cells to the Rescue
by Anya Chan
by Anya Chan
There was a 9-year-old girl named Molly. She was a very humorous girl and she loved to study the body. Unfortunately, one day she was riding on her bike and she was on a hill. She tried to slow down but her brakes just wouldn’t cooperate! The next day, she ended up in the HOSPITAL! (I put “hospital” in all caps because even though Molly loved the human body…she HATED HOSPITALS!
She saw her mom talking to her doctor and soon she wished she hadn’t opened her eyes at all! Because as soon as her mom saw that she was awake, she ran over and hugged her until she passed OUT!
She woke up in a big confuzzle! (A word which here means puzzled and confused all mixed or morfed together!) At first, she didn’t know where she was but very soon she found out and the answer was intimidating! She was in someone’s own BODY! She realized that she had shrunk immensely. Everything around her was gigantic!
She woke up in a big confuzzle! (A word which here means puzzled and confused all mixed or morfed together!) At first, she didn’t know where she was but very soon she found out and the answer was intimidating! She was in someone’s own BODY! She realized that she had shrunk immensely. Everything around her was gigantic!
Her mom was probably freaking out at this point! She walked around and then remembered that her health teacher said that whenever you are in a bad situation you should NOT panic! So she didn’t panic. She stayed completely CALM. (Although she DID think she would DIE!) She saw a little elevator just the right size for her. Even though she thought that it was very unusual to have a small elevator in someone’s body. But since she was adventurous, she went in it.
Once she got in, she pressed the button that said “Brain.” The elevator zoomed up, she looked out of its little window, and Molly got an amazing view of all the body parts. It was like a roller coaster!
Finally, she saw where she was. She was traveling in between the left and right side of the brain! Molly looked around and saw different thoughts going by like “3X21=63” and intricate words.
Molly took a walk in the brain and saw all the nerves and nervous system. She saw something that was very surprising. It was another person in this weird body! She was so happy she thought she would faint! She walked closer and realized it was her teacher Mrs. Collen.
“Mrs. Collen!” Molly cried.
“Yes,” she said. “It’s me.”
“How did you get in here?” Molly asked.
“Just the way you did, with the elevator!” Mrs. Collen said.
“I mean, how did you get into this person’s body?”
“Oh, I can’t answer THAT. I don’t know how I got into this body,” Mrs. Collen said. “Now it’s time to learn about the brain.”
“OK,” Molly said. “I’ve always been interested in the brain.”
“Ask any question you like,” Mrs. Collen said.
“Why are we so tiny?” Molly asked.
“Not those kinds of questions,” she said.
“Oh, fine. What is this sponge next to us?”
“That, my dear is the brain, which you should have known. It helps you blink, do your math, and do all kinds of other stuff.”
Molly looked ahead of her and saw a TANGLE of nerves and it looked like they were fighting each other. She heard something crunch beneath her feet. There was a BIG hole. And she saw a nerve. He foot got stuck and she started SCREAMING! Instead, of panicking, Mrs. Collen said, “Oh, goody. Another adventure!”
With that, Mrs. Collen pushed Molly in and jumped in after herself! Molly closed her eyes and felt curves and turns. She opened her eyes and saw little things that looked like Life Savers, the candy. Mrs. Collen saw what she was looking at and said the Life Savers were actually brain cells.
“They’re also called neurons and they transmit signals to and from the brain,” Mrs. Collen said.
Molly felt a little tingle behind her and screamed because she saw a dendritic cell wrapping its tentacles around her. Mrs. Collen tried to save her, but another dendritic cell came and attacked Mrs. Collen, too!
Now what have we gotten into, Molly thought to herself. The dendritic cell was drowning her in the brain’s blood, but also asking her, “Who are you?”
But Molly knew dendritic cells can’t talk. As she fought to keep from going under, she felt some kind of smooth material. She grabbed onto it and it kept her afloat. A red blood cell
was acting like a life preserver! It was saving her life! Mrs. Collen had one, too. They floated along together to the cerebellum. They hopped off there. Molly wiped the sweat off her forehead and Mrs. Collen said, “What a trip!”
You might think Molly was crazy, but she was beginning to like this trip!
“Where are we again?” Molly asked.
“The cerebellum. It helps you think, eat, sleep, and many other simple things,” Mrs. Collen said.
We walked around the cerebellum at the back of the brain. Molly thought about all the things she could tell her friends when she got out of the brain. If she ever got out.
Dream or Dare by Sashi
Note: 4th grader, Sashi, completed this story in the Winter Writers Workshop. Great job, Sashi!
Dream or Dare
by Sashi
by Sashi
Serena fell to her knees and kissed the ground. She remained there for a while, soaking up the win she worked so hard to achieve. The atmosphere was electric. She was euphoric. Moments like this had to be savoured. The trophy presentation was what she had been waiting for, years of practice had finally paid off.
Nine-year-old Mia worked her way through the crowds onto the tennis courts. It was her lucky moment to be photographed with Serena, her idol, a prize she had won through the local paper. The first thing that came to her mind was immediately to ask her how did she do it? And how could Mia do it?
Mia loved tennis and had found comfort in the game. It was her second home and the familiarity of the courts gave her the confidence to improve and dedicate her spare time to tennis. But right now she wanted to know: How do you become a real champion? Her idol was standing in front of her.
Mia loved tennis and had found comfort in the game. It was her second home and the familiarity of the courts gave her the confidence to improve and dedicate her spare time to tennis. But right now she wanted to know: How do you become a real champion? Her idol was standing in front of her.
Serena smiled knowingly, she recognised the passion and hunger in Mia’s eyes.
She began talking to Mia. Serena was physically there, but her mind was back on the warm southern coast of Portugal, where she had spent her first ten years.
Times were tough, she said. There were few luxuries but there was always good, wholesome food on the table and a small TV was the only modern technology the family shared. Dad wanted the best for us and he was an avid follower of sports. One day, he showed up with a tennis racket he had bought through the village auction.
Serena, look what I have for you! He exclaimed excitedly whilst holding the surprise behind his back. Serena raced to see him and pulled the racket from behind him. She laughed, what do I know about tennis? What I know, said dad, is that tennis opens up opportunities. There are trophies and lots of crowds involved. Sounds good doesn’t it?
Well I guess there is no harm in trying, I said, and it sounds like fun. That afternoon we headed to the local courts and that was the day I never looked back. It felt good. I felt free running around that court, tripped up a few times, missed most of the balls my dad threw at me, but it always felt good.
We continued this routine, day after day. After my dad came home from work, we would head straight to the court and spent hours together until the sun went down and we could barely see the ball anymore. I improved and kept improving. My dad said I was a natural but that’s typical of dads. They love to encourage so I didn’t think much of his comments. We kept on hitting together.
I missed playdates and parties to go and hit with my dad, I felt a magnetic pull to the courts and did not feel complete without spending some time each day playing.
Lessons were still an extravagance but we both knew that it was the next step if I was to move forward.
I came home from school one day and called out to my parents that we needed to talk. My sports teacher at school had told me there were grants for people in my situation and we need to apply now. This is what I want to dedicate my life to so let’s make it work, I said. My parents grinned, they could see my passion and soon we were filling in the paperwork.
I came home from school one day and called out to my parents that we needed to talk. My sports teacher at school had told me there were grants for people in my situation and we need to apply now. This is what I want to dedicate my life to so let’s make it work, I said. My parents grinned, they could see my passion and soon we were filling in the paperwork.
It must have been the longest week of my life waiting for the reply to come back but finally the letter arrived. I was on the courts the next day with my first coach who was tough on me. It was different to playing with my dad. I didn’t expect it to be this tough but I knew that this was going to be expected of me. My intention was one way – all the way to the top.
A month later my coach pulled my dad to the side, Serena is moving quickly, but she needs to move quicker. My advice is home schooling if she is to start entering major tournaments. Shocked at first, my dad did not know how to react but deep down this is what he already knew. Serena, are you ready for this? he asked me. This requires even more discipline and strength. Are you ready?
Mia heard her own Dad calling her name amongst the crowd and Serena’s excited voice. She wanted to ignore him but knew they had to rush. There was a tennis lesson booked for 5pm. She thanked Serena quickly, but was not sure if she had heard her. Serena was still lost in her memorable thoughts.
This is what it takes to be a champion Mia thought and satisfied walked away to find her dad.
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