Have you ever wondered what it was like when you were born, or when you felt the first breath of cold air rush through your body, or your first time learning how to ride a bike, feeling grown up? This is the story that goes back to the beginning of a 12 year old girl’s life.

On August 7^th, 1998, there was a girl about to be born. That girl is me. I am Adrian Johnson and I was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I have two brothers named Simon and Evan. I also have a dog named Sadie. I moved to South Carolina when I was 2 ½ years old, so I don’t remember much about Canada during the time before we moved.

From my first time learning how to ride a bike ‘til now, there have been any happy, sad, funny, yet embarrassing times in my life…and this is only the beginning of several stories built into one.

Chapter 2

Every year my family goes to Canada. It is a fun trip because I drive up with my mom, dad, two brothers, and my dog and we stay up there for six weeks. We start off by going to my mom’s cottage, then we go to my dad’s for a week, and then back to my mom’s. When I am up there, I do miss my friends here but then I realize I am in South Carolina most of the year and in Canada for a few weeks so I should enjoy it while I am here. It is a painful car ride but an eye opening experience!

Imagine, you have been sitting in a car for hours and all of a sudden the car comes to a stop. You look out the window and see a river and cottages everywhere. Once you step out of the car you breathe in and it is the smell of pine and fresh air. That is what it is like at my mom’s cottage. Her cottage is in a small community surrounded by a lot of other cottages. It is called Norway Bay. It is located on the Ottawa River. There are many things to do up there. There is a park, a small convenience store, an ice-cream shack, a golf course, and a pier where we swim and take swimming course. One of the first things we do up there is celebrate Canada Day on July 1^st. We celebrate by having a party sometimes and fireworks. During the swimming courses every morning, we learn how to save people if they are drowning, save them if they are having a stroke or heart attack in the water and out, how to remove someone from the water, how to treat a spinal victim, and A LOT more. This summer I will be taking my last course and then becoming a licensed lifeguard. After the swimming course my friends and I either go tubing or go swimming at the pier and jump off a black wall into the water and it is really fun. Everything there is a blast and I can’t wait to go next year!

After we stay in Norway Bay for a couple weeks, we leave and go to my dad’s cottage for a week. His is the opposite of my mom’s. His is in a quiet area called Fifth Depot, located on Lake Ontario. The cottages are far apart and separated so it isn’t as social with friends but it is a good time to spend time with family. When we are there we rent a boat for a week and we attached a surf board to the back and sit on it while we r getting pulled by the boat. It is a really fun thing to do. Also you can canoe, kayak, swim around, fish, and look around in the woods, but my favorite thing to do is go cliff diving. If the weather is right, we will take the boat, kayaks, and canoe over to the cliffs and jump off. It is really fun! When the week is over I am sad to leave because there are so many childhood memories there but I just get ready to go back to my mom’s cottage for the last few weeks.

Childhood is a promise that is never kept.

~Ken Hill~

Chapter 3

It is 6:30 in the morning; everyone is running to get out the door into the car. We all get in and are on our way to the airport. Once we got there our family went through security and customs then we boarded the plane. After an hour or so all of us got off and we were in Atlanta, Georgia. After rushing through the whole airport, we found our next plane and waited a few minutes then all of us boarded. We were on the plane for about three hours. I listened to my i-pod and slept the whole way, and then I felt someone pushing on my arm. They told me to look out the window. All I saw was light blue water that reminded me of a paintbrush with a sparkly blue on it, and a bit of white softly moving against a silky piece of paper. I turned to my aunt and asked “Are we here?” She responded “Yes, we have arrived.” Finally we were here, after all the hustling and non-stop planning we got here. We were now in Cancun, Mexico.

Last Christmas my family and everyone on my dad’s side of the family left their homes to enjoy the hot weather of Cancun, Mexico. It was a smart idea to go there because most of my family lives in the north. People in the family were flying in from Belgium, Europe and mostly Canada. My family was the first family to arrive at the resort. We went to the front desk and the nice lady said to us “Hola, welcome to the Moon Palace golf & spa resort. May I offer you some drinks?” We said yes and thanked her then asked if we could have our room keys so we could get organized and relax, but the women there said we weren’t allowed in until 3:30. Right then it was 11:30 and we were tired from rushing everywhere. She told us if we wanted, we were allowed to sit by the pools and beach. We liked that idea so we got our bags and went in the bathrooms and changed into our bathing suits. Then all of us left our bags with the front desk and went to the pool. I thought it was going to be just a normal size pool, but I was wrong. When I got outside, my mouth dropped and I was speechless. This pool was no regular pool, there were multiple pools connected making one. It was probably the size of four football fields and also it was shaped differently. It wasn’t straight, it was curving and in circles. It was known as the largest pool in Mexico. It had bridges going across it and swim-up bars. This was only one of the pools at the resort! The resort was separated into four sections. The first section was the calm, relaxing and quiet spot. The fourth was the loud partying section, which we stayed at. We walked around to try to find a spot. As we were walking, I look over the edge and see a beautiful sandy beach. I walked down and felt the sand and it was soft and hot. I looked over my shoulder and saw two beach volleyball courts. (That is where we spent most of our time) I walked back towards the pool and we went to the bar. It was in the shape if a hut. There were swings as the seats! I got a virgin pina colada, which tasted amazing. Finally we were allowed into our rooms and my parents stayed in a room, my brothers stayed in a room with my cousin Charles, and I stayed in a room with my cousin Grace. Every day we did something new and exciting. We played mini golf, beach volleyball; we went on a crazy boat ride called the twister, and much more. My ultimate favorite thing there was going jet skiing. I went with my cousin Eric. He is 21 and he is a pro wrestler, also he loves crazy rides. I got thrown off the Jet Ski ore then six times. After that I had a terrible headache. I had so much fun at that resort and hopefully all the families will go again soon. It was an amazing adventure and we learned many Spanish words and made many friends. I will never forget that trip ever.

Kate Cornely - Disaster Strikes

Chapter 1

It all started on a normal day in Charleston, South Carolina. I woke up thinking it was just going to be another day, but I didn’t know that the events of that day would change my life forever. I woke up and did everything like I normally would. Around 11:30 in the morning I headed over to my friend Ashley’s house in Snee Farm. I was over at Ashley’s house with Morgan my other friend. We hung out with some other people from our school. We got back to Ashley’s house around 8 at night. We were all staying there that night. We ate dinner and had some dessert too. Until we fell asleep we watched TV and played a lot of games like Wii, board games, and lots of others. We got in bed around 1 in the morning, but did not fall asleep until around 2. As usual I fell asleep last. No one expected to just get 2 hours of sleep, but we didn’t know what was ahead of us. After I had been asleep for about 2 hours Ashley woke up and told me she felt a shake. I then turned over and woke up Morgan and told her what Ashley said. We all thought Ashley was joking, but little did we know that she was telling the truth. We were all trying to fall back asleep when all of the sudden the whole house started to shake. Suddenly we realized that an earthquake was happening. We all were running and screaming trying to get to safety. We were getting knocked off are feet every second. When we got to safety Ashley’s whole family was in there and so we all got close together and tried to stay safe.

Chapter 2

We all sat and waited until we heard the last shake. It seemed like the earthquake was never going to end, but eventually it ended and we asked to go look at the damage. Ashley’s mom went to check and make sure it was safe to come out. She came back and told us it was safe, but to be careful. The first thing I did was look at all the damage done. I then thought about my family and how worried they must be so I called them and my mom said everybody was safe and not to worry. Then everybody started to clean up anything broken or anything that has fallen over. There was so much damage we knew it would take weeks even months for the town to be running again. It was only a couple hours later when we heard that a tsunami had hit the town and was on its way to Snee Farm. We all frantically ran and got everything we would need to stay safe, but we didn’t have enough time to get everything. I was first to see the water coming and I ran and screamed to warn the others. We all went into safety and waited anxiously. Everybody knew it was going to be terrible. All I could think about was my family’s safety. I thought what if they died, what if our house was ruined, and what if I loose contact with them forever. I knew thinking about everything that could happen to my family would only make it worse. I finally turned to Ashley and said what’s going to happen to my family? She told me not to worry and that everything would be okay, but how could I not worry my family was in danger. When the waves would hit the house it felt like the house was being carried away. I suddenly started to cry which only made it worse because it made everyone start to cry.

Chapter 3

I thought the tsunami would never end. The worse thing about it was that I knew when it was over that we couldn’t just call our moms and they would come pick us up I knew my life would never be the same again. When we knew the last wave had hit Mrs. Brazell went out first to see if it was safe. Once she told us we could come out I was scared at first because I knew I wouldn’t be able to stand the damage. At first when I walked out I was shocked and speech less. Immediately after I saw just the littlest part of damage I fell to the ground, sat against the wall, and cried. Ashley and Morgan started to cry after they knew how bad this really was. All I wanted was to see my family again. I started to blame everything on myself because I knew if I had stayed home then I would have known if my family was safe or not. I soon started thinking of all the good times with my family. I thought about all the times I had talked back to my parents and been mean to my brothers and sister. Then all I wanted was to go back in time and change everything the tsunami and earthquake, every time I talked back to my parents, and every time I was mean to my brothers and sister. I decided that sitting here and crying wasn’t going to help so I stood up and tried to pick up broken glass and other stuff. I then saw that almost all the windows were broken. Then I went to one of the windows and looked outside. I couldn’t believe my eyes all around there were: collapsed houses, floating and badly damaged cars, but worst of all dead and terribly hurt people. I felt so lucky to be alive and not that badly hurt.

Chapter 6

It had been a week since the tsunami and earthquake, but nothing ad changed. The damage was still bad, the death toll was going up and up and up, and we still had little food. The little girl named lily was in good health, but still always cried. Ashley’s leg was much better and all we were trying to do is help those who need the most help. Morgan was sick and couldn’t do much to help. Ashley and I still took a wagon around and gave out water. Now the little girl also came around to pass out water with us. A lot of people we went to one day weren’t there the next day. One day when we were giving out water we saw Montana and Tolly our friends and both of them wanted to help so now all of us were helping. Montana had a broken arm, but it had healed so she was ready to help. Tolly had been sick, but she regained her strength and also thought she should help. One day we were passing out water and I wanted to head to my neighborhood. When we got there we walked down the street to my house. When we got there I was so happy to see that my family was ok. I told my mom I would come to visit, but I needed to stay at Ashley’s because it was closest to all the neighborhoods. She understood, but was still upset. We all headed homes and I told Mrs. Brazell what had happened and she was very happy.

Chapter 7

I guess you could say that in the end it started to get some what better. The death toll wasn’t rising that much anymore and more people were helping out. Even if all people could do was comfort others, we still needed the help. My parents came to help a lot because we had so much work to be done. We now had found more food and water so we were helping a lot more people. My family was such a big help along with the Brazells. Everybody I helped always said that I was making such a big difference. I had never really thought about me being such a big help. All I was thinking about was helping others; I wasn’t really worried about what I would get in return or what they would think of me. I just wanted to make a difference. I was surprised at how grateful people were when Ashley, Tolly, Montana, and I brought them water and sometimes food. It seemed like the tsunami and earthquake were just a few days ago, but really it had been 2 months since the disaster had hit. Next thing I knew it had been 4 months, then 7, then 8, then 9, and then soon it had been 11 months. It was so shocking to think that it had almost been a year since the tragedy. Tolly, Ashley, Montana, and I were still bringing water to people and occasionally food. Lily, the little girl we found, was now 3 years old and was very funny. My family had now moved into the house next to Ashley’s house because it was closer to me and it had been abandoned. Morgan’s whole family had died except surprisingly when we went there her dogs were still alive. Morgan’s family died because their house is right on the beach where the tsunami hit. Everybody in my family had survived even my dogs. I may have helped many people, but I didn’t want anything in return. I guess you could say that in this story it really shows that “The littlest Things can make a big difference,” is true no matter who is making the difference. Young or old, it doesn’t matter what age you are the only thing that matters is the difference you make.

Alex Howard – If the Shoe Fits, Wear It

Chapter 1

It was summer of 1994, and the girls were shopping together. Mia, the smart one of the group, was 18 years old, had dark black hair that was long and extra shiny. Her eyes were as blue as sapphires, and her skin had a beautiful tan that gave her a special glow every time she was in the sunlight. She happened to be excited to be shopping and catching up with her friends. “I heard there’s a new clothing store nearby. Is anyone interested in stopping by, and looking around?” Scarlett was a very petit 18 year old girl, and had thin blonde hair that wasn’t too long and wasn’t too short. Scarlett was the most fullest of herself and tallest of the group, she replied,” I have to be at my dad’s house at 5 o’clock, but I guess we can look around for a little bit. I hope this store has some shoes because I need some shoes that won’t hurt my feet and look good with almost everything. I mean- they have to be perfect.” “Oh gosh,” says Mia, “I hate to break it to you, but that’s going to be kind of hard to find the perfect shoes.” “Yeah Scarlett, I’m sure you don’t need the most perfect shoes ever. In fact, why do you even need more shoes? You have a shoe closet the size of my room!” Mia and Scarlett look over to see their friend, Gemma, talking a lot for the first time that day. Gemma was gorgeous. She looked different compared to Scarlett and Mia. Gemma had long, curly dirty-blonde hair and big brown eyes. She was shortest of them all, and she certainly wasn’t plump. She wasn’t the oldest or brightest one of the group, but she was the funniest. Though Mia and Gemma said they were not going to let Scarlett get another pair of shoes, they just might give in for a special reason.

Ch. 2

Mia, Gemma, and Scarlett arrive at the store and immediately go to the shoe section. Mia looks around the store with a disappointed look on her face. “I really thought this store was going to be a lot fancier, and prettier looking, but to be honest it isn’t all that great. Well we might as well just look around since we’re here.” The girls all turned their heads at the same time to find a pair of black converse lying on the ground. “I WANT THOSE SHOES!” They all say. “Okay I have to admit those are the coolest shoes I’ve ever seen. Too bad they’re a six, and I wear a seven. I’m pretty sure they’ll be too small for me,” says Martha. “Yeah,” says Scarlett, “I’m an eight, there is no way those are going to fit onto my foot.” Gemma said with lots of encouragement, “Well it never hurts to try. I’m a five but you never know, maybe it’ll fit once I put it on.” Gemma tried the shoes on. “Hey!” Gemma shouted. “They fit! The shoes fit me!” “I’m happy they fit you Gemma, but just because they fit you doesn’t mean Scarlett and I can squeeze our feet into them. But like you said, it never hurts to try.” Because the shoes were so comfortable, Mia didn’t even notice that she had gotten the small converse on! “Hehe,” Mia let out a little giggle. “Oh gosh, it’s my turn.” Scarlett said nervously. “Guys, don’t be too upset if the shoes won’t go on my foot.” Gemma spoke in a reassuring voice, “Don’t worry they’re just a pair of converse. It really doesn’t matter if they fit or not.” Scarlett closed her eyes as she was putting the first shoe on. Then when she opened her eyes, there it was the shoe had fit perfectly onto her foot.

Ch. 3

They realized something very important that day. The converse were special. It was like it was truly meant to be. “You guys know what this means right?” said Mia. “We have to get these shoes. This is a sign that we cannot ignore.” “Well…” says Scarlett with some hesitation. “I guess I’m in.” “Me too!” Gemma’s face lit up with excitement but then slowly faded to a frown. “But wait, we can’t all wear the shoes at the same time. So what are we supposed to do?” The girls thought hardly until Mia came up with a solution. “I’ve got it! We can trade each week. I will keep them this week, Scarlett the next week, and Gemma the week after that.” “Sounds like a plan to me.” said Scarlett. “Oh no. We have another problem. Gemma and I are going out of town for a couple of weeks, so how are we supposed to give them to each other?” “I’m not sure yet,” says Mia, “but I know we will find a way to make it work.” “I say we buy the shoes and tomorrow night we’ll sneak the old dance studio where our sisters used to take ballet. When we get there we can decide what to do.” said Gemma. “That’s a great idea. We just have to be careful, but no one will be there since it’s been closed down for a month now. Plus, it has that ladder we used to play on to get into the second floor.” replied Scarlett. The thought of sneaking in gave Mia a bit of pleasure. “This should be fun.”

Ch. 4

“I’m almost there!” Mia was talking to Gemma on the phone while on her way to the dance studio. “Okay good. You remembered the shoes right?” “Of course I remembered the shoes. How could I forget? Gemma, I have to admit, I’m kind of nervous about this… what if someone sees us and calls the police?” “We’ll be fine.” Gemma was reassuring Mia that everything was going to be okay when all the sudden Scarlett let out a scream. “What was that?” Mia waited for a response but all she heard was the beeping of a disconnected line. “Gemma? Gemma, are you there?” Mia was panicking because she didn’t know what had happened to her friends. As Mia drove onto West Studios Drive she saw her two friends getting into a police car. She pulled up right behind the car and got out to see what was wrong. “Um, hello Sir my name is Mia Santiago and I was just wondering why my friends are in the back of your car?” The cop responded in an angry voice, “Well Mia Santiago, your friends were caught wandering around the dance studio, which has recently become private property. Look, I’m not saying these girls were going to steal anything it’s just that there have been a few robberies in this area, so I’ve been told to watch out for suspicious activity.” “I’m very sorry about this, but I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding.” said Mia in a clam tone of voice. “That might be, but there are still some items that haven’t been taken out of the store yet, if I see some teenagers loitering outside of the store for a good ten to fifteen minutes, I’m going to ask them some questions and we’ll figure thing out from there. So, unless you have a good explanation I’m going to have to take these two ladies down to the station.” “Actually officer, I do have an explanation. See my friends were uh… on their way home from… um… their tutoring session; they called me to ask me if I could come get them because it was too cold and dark for them to walk home. So, I told them to… wait by the nearest store for me.” “Ms. Santiago, that’s a lovely story, and can you also explain why your friend nearly lost her voice from screaming when she saw me?” “Well, no but I’m sure if you ask her she can tell you. So Scarlett, can you tell the nice man why you scream so loudly?” “Well I-I was, um, uh very shocked to see you because it’s dark and the store is on the corner of the street so when I turned onto West Studios, I was frightened because I didn’t know you were standing right there.” “Yeah,” said Gemma, “We were just waiting and I heard her scream, and I was worried and that’s why I dropped my phone and came running around the corner.” “Okay,” said the officer, “but if I see you girls here again your coming with me. Understand?” They all said thank you to the officer for not arresting Gemma and Scarlett. “Well that was a close one!” said Mia, who was relieved that they had gotten away without any punishment. “You two should really be more careful next time, but don’t worry about it let’s just be glad we got out of there fine.” “That was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me.” said Scarlett, who was still shaking from being scared by the cop. “I think we should just head back to our houses now, said Mia, “do you guys need a ride?” “No, Gemma and I rode my car, which is about two blocks away, so I can just drop Gemma off, and then go to my house.” said Scarlett. “Okay, that sounds good. So I guess I will see you guys tomorrow?” “Yep. Meet at my house okay?” replied Gemma. Mia said goodbye as she walked back to her car. She started her car and thought to herself, what a night.

Chapter 5

Mia called Gemma and Scarlett the next morning. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what to with the shoes, and I came up with an idea. Since you guys are going on trips in a couple of days one of you could take the shoes with you for one week then mail them to the next person. Also on the sides of the shoes you can write something special that happened while wearing the converse. So what do you think?” “Mia, I’ve got to say I love the idea of writing a special moment that happened when wearing the shoes onto the converse,” said Scarlett, “it’s brilliant I can’t believe you thought of that yourself!” “Yeah Mia,” said Gemma, “Scarlett is right, it’s such a good idea.” “Well I’m glad you all liked what I came up with.” Said Mia, who was happy her friends liked her suggestion. “Now I know you girls are leaving tomorrow night but because you, Gemma, are going to Greece, and you, Scarlett, are going to Australia you need to take a few naps and get rest because of the time difference.” “Okay bye,” they both said. They all hung up and Mia went to get brunch while Scarlett and Gemma took Mia’s advice and took a nap.

It was the next day and Mia was at the airport with Gemma and Scarlett. They were a tad quite compared to how talkative they normally are. They said their goodbyes and then Gemma headed onto her plane to visit her family in Greece, and Scarlett walked to her plane to go to Australia where she would be looking for a vacation house with her family.

Ch. 7

Three weeks passed when something terrible happened. Gemma was coming back from lunch with her family. She was having fun. Then she was feeling a little bit hot so she took of the converse and went for a swim off her family’s dock. She was having a nice time and she even met a nice boy, who lived right next her and was swimming to their small conversation turned into hours of talking, kayaking, and swimming. Gemma finally got out to go to dinner. She ran to the front of her family’s house to get the shoes, but she couldn’t seem to find them! She called Mia and Scarlett right away. “Gemma! How could you just leave them near the street for people to take? Neither Mia nor I would have ever been that careless.” “I’m sorry okay! It was an accident I swear. I didn’t think someone would just take them like that.” “It’s alright Gemma. But I think that Scarlett and I should come to Greece to help you look for the shoes.”

Ch. 8

The next day, around 5:00PM, Scarlett and Mia arrived in Greece, and Gemma went to go pick them up. They discussed what they should do, and then came up with a solution. They decided that they would get Gemma’s family, and Gemma’s boy friend to help them staple posters, about their missing shoes, up near Gemma’s house. Days past and no one received a phone call, email, or text about the shoes. Scarlett, Mia, and Gemma gathered in Gemma’s room to talk about the situation. “Guys,” Mia said, “maybe this is a sign. Maybe, this happened for a reason… to bring us back together.” There was a long pause and then they all started to smile because they knew in their hearts that they were more than just best friends, they were like sisters. The converse that they bought in some ole store turned out to be what was keeping them together. So, if the shoe fits, wear it.

Andrew Tezza

Chapter 1

It was 2:40.There was still five minutes left until the bell rang and school was over. James was zoning out during another one of his science teacher, Professor Leroy’s lectures. “James, do you know the answer?” Professor Leroy asked. James snapped out of his daydream and said “I’m sorry sir. Could you repeat the question?” James could hear the other kids laughing under their breath. “What, James,” said Professor Leroy, “is the photosynthetic equation?” Before James could answer, the bell cut him off. “Study for the test tomorrow.” Professor Leroy reminded them.

James was the new kid at school. He had ADHD, but he took medicine for it. The medicine helped him pay attention, but it didn’t help him sit still. In every class teachers would tell him to sit still, and they would get mad at him when he couldn’t. Most of the kids felt sorry for him because he got in trouble and was bullied so much. Kids would call him names and steal his books and make fun of him behind his back. James had a rough time, but no one ever physically bullied him. They were afraid to, after what happened when one of the kids who bullied him got in a fight with James. James knew karate, and that’s what people were afraid of.`

Chapter 2

James was on the bus, riding to school the next morning. Everything was normal. He was sitting alone in the same seat that he sat in every day. The bus driver pulled up to a group of kids waiting at the bus stop. James saw all the people he normally saw at this stop, but the last person to get on was new. The kid started walking, looking for a seat. Whenever he started to go towards an open seat, someone would put their feet up or move their backpack on the seat. He finally made it to the back of the bus, where James was sitting. Someone sitting across the aisle started to set their backpack on the open seat next to James, but James just pushed it back. He then said, “You can sit here.” The boy smiled and thanked James and said, “Hi, my name’s Kenny.” “I’m James,” said James. “Did you just move here, or did you switch schools?” “I just moved here,” said Kenny, “I’m from Alabama.” James just nodded and looked out the window. When the bus dropped them off, Kenny asked James where the school office was. James gave him the directions and then went to homeroom.

In James’ first period Spanish class, he noticed that Kenny had the same class. James noticed Kenny during his second period enrichment class, too. In fact, Kenny had the same third, fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth period classes as James. Sixth period was lunch and James didn’t see Kenny. James and Kenny sat together on the bus after school again. “How’d you think did on the science test?” Kenny asked James. “I don’t know.”, said James, “There were a few things I didn’t know.” “Hey, Kenny.” “What?” “You want to come over to my house tomorrow? You know, to study for Religion and Math?” Kenny looked surprised, but he said, “Sure, is five okay?” “Yeah, that’s great!” The bus pulled up to Kenny’s stop. “See you tomorrow, Kenny.” “See you, later.”

When James got home, he told his mom all about what happened that day. For the first time in a while, James didn’t worry about being bullied the next day. He had made a new friend, and nothing else mattered.

Chapter 3

On the bus the next day, James was looking forward to having Kenny over that night. It would be the first time in a while that he had had a friend over. The bus pulled up to Kenny’s stop. Everyone got on, and the bus driver closed the doors. Kenny wasn’t there. James didn’t worry about it. He figured that Kenny would come in late.

Kenny came in towards the end of third period. In the hall, while they were going to their next class, James asked Kenny why he was late. “There was a huge wreck on the highway on the way here.” Kenny told him. “How bad was it?” asked James. “A big semi-trailer flipped over and blocked up all the lanes. Then, like, four or five cars slammed into it because they couldn’t stop fast enough.” That ended the conversation. The rest of the day went on normally. When the final bell rang at 2:45, James and Kenny packed up their books and went home.

James had just finished his homework when the doorbell rang. He checked his watch and saw that it was exactly 5:00. He went and answered the door; it was Kenny standing there with his mom. “Hi, I’m Mrs.Strickler; I’m Kenny’s mom.” Said Mrs.Strickler. James’ mom came down and she and Mrs.Strickler stood outside talking. James invited Kenny inside. They went inside and James helped Kenny with his homework, they studied for math, and they studied for English. They taught each other different ways of doing things and different ways of studying. James realized that things weren’t as bad as he thought they were. That he just needed to lighten up a little bit and everything would be better.

Chapter 4

It was Friday. It was already a good day, but it just kept getting better. James aced the English test. He aced math and got the extra credit right, too. His teachers were surprised. They said that they were proud of his improvement, and that they hoped that he’d keep it up. By lunch, James had no homework. In every class there was either none assigned, or he had finished it. But at the end of seventh period, James heard people talking about a surprise test in science. He heard them say that it was really hard, and that you only had ten minutes to do a hundred questions. Everyone was nervous; especially James. Science wasn’t his strongest subject, and he hadn’t understood the chapter all that well. When he got to class, he knew he wasn’t going to do well.

They had been learning about the muscular system in science. On the test, there were sixty fill in the blank questions about what different muscles did and what they were. The rest of the test was a chart, showing the human body. There were arrows pointing to different muscles, each with a different number on it going from sixty-one to one hundred. Corresponding to each arrow was a blank space. The directions were to label each muscle with its scientific name and to tell whether it was a skeletal, smooth, or cardiac muscle. James raced through and did all the easy questions first. He had just finished those when time was up. He had finished around eighty questions and he was pretty sure that he didn’t get them all right.

He was really nervous on the bus but then Kenny calmed him down and made his day better by saying right before he got out of his seat “Mr. Leroy told me that the test didn’t count for anything.” Then he smiled at James and got off the bus.

Chapter 5

The next day was Saturday. James had his karate and kung fu classes that day. James has been taking karate classes since he was in second grade. It’s been five, almost six years since he started. He’s the highest belt in his karate class. James is a brown belt. He’s only three belts away from getting his black belt. He has all of his karate belts displayed on racks in his room in order from lowest to highest. His belts, in order, are white, white with a yellow stripe, yellow, orange, purple, blue, blue with a green stripe, green, green with a brown stripe, and brown. James doesn’t care what other people think about him doing karate; it’s what he likes doing so he does it.

The Saturday karate classes are sparring classes. James likes the sparring classes, but he looks forward to the kung fu class the most. He’s learning a sword form; thirty-two broadsword. He hasn’t even learned the whole form yet, but it’s already his favorite form out of all the forms he knows. James already knows that he wants a broadsword for his birthday on June 11. Throughout the entire class he drills the form over and over and over again. Wants to make sure he remembers the form perfectly because he only has kung fu once a week. When he finishes the class he knows that he’s got it down.

Sunday goes smoothly and when he goes to sleep that night, for the first time in a while, he’s looking forward to school the next day.

Chapter 6

Monday started off well. James didn’t get made fun of on the bus this time. Kenny didn’t either. No one tried to trip them or steal their books from them today. But even though they weren’t being made fun of, Kenny still looked like something was bothering him. He looked kind of sad. James asked him what was wrong. “There’s a kid in my neighborhood whose been bullying my friends. On Friday I told him to cut it out, and to leave my friends alone.” explained Kenny. “Well, he did. But then he started pickin’ on me twice as bad as he was to my friends.” “What kind of stuff does he do?” asked James. “At first it wasn’t that bad. It started out with him just calling me names, but then on Saturday when I was riding around on my bike, he pushed me off and stole it.” James started to get angry, but then he began to come up with a plan. As it all came together, a smile crept across his face. “Why are you smiling?” asked Kenny. James told him the plan. Kenny started to smile, too.

When they got to school, James and Kenny called their moms to make sure it was okay if James went over to Kenny’s house after school that day. They got permission. After school when they were walking to Kenny’s house from the bus stop, the kid who was bullying Kenny stopped them. The kid was tall, maybe six feet. He looked pretty strong, like he spent a lot of time his benching. He had short, dark hair, and he already had a small beard. He was a lot older than they were. “Where are you going, Kenny?” he asked like he was in control. Kenny looked at the ground nervously. “He’s going home.” James said calmly.

“I didn’t tell you to talk.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“I don’t know who you think you are, but you’re about to get a fist in the face.” said the kid. So he threw a punch at James. Before his arm was even fully extended he felt a sharp pain in his stomach, and what was even more surprising to him was that James wasn’t where he was before. James was a step to the left. So then the kid tried to use his arm like a club and he swung it strait down at James. James blocked his arm and kneed him in the stomach. He doubled over and started coughing. This went on for about a half an hour with James dodging and then hitting the kid, and the kid being hit. Finally, the bully gave up. He gave Kenny his bike back and promised to be nice to the kids in the neighborhood. Then James and Kenny went and did their homework. They didn’t have to worry anymore.

Chapter 7

The next day, James had a Math test, a Religion test, an English test, and a Science test. He knew they would be hard because they were the last major grades before exams, but he wasn’t worried. Those were all his strongest subjects, and he had studied really hard with Kenny the night before. He had a good feeling about the tests and Kenny did, too. Kids were complaining that they didn’t have enough time to study for everything and about how bad they were going to do. They were just nervous, because most of them did really well on everything. For the first time in his life, James got the highest grade in the class for every test.

Things just kept on getting better. The exam reviews were really easy, and both James and Kenny finished each one on the same night it was assigned. They were nominated for the Youth Court by their teachers, and they both got in. James made High Honor Roll along with Kenny and was tied for the highest average in the grade. His teachers all congratulated him on his improvement. Other kids congratulated him, too.

He and Kenny aced all of the exams and were asked to take the SAT that year. The kid who had bullied Kenny had apologized to them and they all became good friends. James had a lot to do over the summer, and even more to do the next year.

The End

Bridgett Hicks

Chapter 1: The audition

The steps ran through my head, “Assemblé, croisé attitude pirouette, tombé, glissade, arabesque (stay 5, 6, 7, 8), fifth position, 16 fouetté turns.” “Selena Rodriguez,” announced the man. It was my turn, I knew all my steps, and I was ready. The music began to play, and I began my dance. Let’s rewind, to the first day my life began its big change. It was the day I tried out for my studios local Nutcracker performance. I was turning 15 soon, and I was hoping for a big role. I was one of the best in my age group, I was the only one who had been dancing since I was little, I think I was four. Two of my dance instructors taught some combinations from the ballet pieces. I felt like I had them down packed and was going to get an awesome role. As I watched the other girls audition, I had a flashback from when I was first on stage. I could hear the parents chuckling, cameras clicking, and kids pointing and laughing. My face turned bright red like a tomato. I wondered if it could be me that had messed up. I looked down the row of dancers, and to my surprise noticed the red head girl on the end twirling in circles. She was on her own rhythm. Finally I realized what the laughter was all about. She twirled so many times that she tripped over her own two clumsy, pink ballet shoes. It was as though she was dancing in front of a mirror in her room and only she could see herself. She had no idea the crowd was laughing at her. I never wanted to be this red headed girl. I couldn’t bear the thought of such embarrassment. Then, as my stomach began to feel like it was tied in a knot, I snapped myself back in to reality. This was my turn. I wasn’t four years old anymore. There was no red headed girl who was going to stand in my way. I was getting the role I dreamed of. The woman called, “Number 68, come to the front stage.” I looked at the paper safety pinned to my leotard. It read-# 68.

Chapter 2: The Phone Call

My audition turned out great that day. I went home feeling like the president of the United States, the Queen of England, the ruler of the world. One week passed and my normal life went on. The usual: get up, go to school, come home, do homework, go to dance, and go to bed. Of course, in between my day’s activities, I would eat; well, at least dinner. This one week was one of the worst weeks of my life. It seemed to go on forever. I had not gotten a phone call or even an email saying the parts would be on a list outside the studio, nothing! Not one word, and I was going insane. I was nervous, scared, and excited all wrapped up in one emotion, if that is possible. Finally, on a dreadful Wednesday, I entered my house from school and the phone rang. A million things ran through my head: Is it the studio? Did I get the part? What part am I? Or is it just mom calling again? I stopped myself for a moment and said out loud, “first things first get the phone!” I ran to the office, and straight to the computer to find the phone, only it wasn’t there. “Where’s the phone?” I shouted in anger. I ran around the house in circles till I found it wedged between two couch cushions. I had spotted it from the kitchen, so I dove over the love seat to catch what could be my call. It was the last ring when I got it, and I answered out of breath, “hello”. “Hi, this is Mia form the Nutcracker audition, is this Selena?” asked the lady on the other end of the phone call. I had to catch my breath. Then I finally got the words out, “yes ma’am”. “Well I would just like to inform you that you did make it into the show. The roles will be posted outside the studio Friday morning. But also Selena, I was told to give you an important message. A member from the American Ballet Theater was at our auditions observing you girls. They asked me about you. They said they would like to speak to you about trying classes in New York with them. I gave them your number and information. Is that ok? ” I was speechless. Did I just hear this woman correctly? American Ballet Theater? New York? I was so overwhelmed I answered very child like with a “thank you and yes ma’am that’s fine.” I think she could tell I was excited so she quickly said, “Congratulations and don’t forget to look at the list on Friday. Let me just go ahead and give you the ABT number. Do you have paper?” I ran to the office desk once more for a paper and pen. “Yes ma’am, I am ready,” I replied. “646-983-2457,” Mia responded. The call ended with a thank you again and good byes. I set down the phone and just stared down at the numbers on the sheet of paper. After a few minutes, I woke up from my daze. I did not know what to do next. To calm myself down I went to get a snack and soda, my favorite. I sat at the kitchen table eating, but also trying to take all this exciting news in. A door opened and then a voice said, “Selena I’m home. Where are you?” It was mom. “I’m in here, the kitchen.” She walked in to see me with a huge grin on my face. The moment she came in, I began to explain my whole after school phone call with Mia. After that, nothing else exciting happened. I went to bed. The next morning I woke up and did everything almost the same, but I was planning to get a ride from one of my friends to the studio to check the list. I got a ride from one of my friends, Sophie, who had just turned 16 and gotten a car. We walked from school to the parking lot and got in her convertible. It was purple with white rims. Her family is very wealthy, if you did not get that. She turned on the radio and she must be a Justin Bieber fan like me because Baby came on she blasted the music. The whole way there we sang along and danced. Although on the outside I was having a great time inside me was nervous. No, I was scared to death. I couldn’t wait to know the part I got. We drove to the studio, parked, and got out. I scanned the list. L…..M…..N….O….P….Q….R “Rodriguez”. Selena Rodriguez,” I said aloud to myself and Sophie. I was scared but excited all in one.

Chapter 3: Maria

It had been a usual Monday morning, tired from all the late hang outs over the weekend. The whole day I was not even “alive”. The day seemed so boring. Even if something interesting had happened, I wouldn’t have known. By eighth period I had to wake myself up, I had rehearsal for Nutcracker right after school till late that night. I had gotten the part of Maria. Maria was the main character in the play. It was always played by one of our professional company dancers, but this year they were giving us a chance. Two Fridays before, I had been at the studio looking at the “who got what part list”, as I say. When I saw my name next to Maria, I was about to faint. I was so excited I began jumping and screaming with Sophie; until an old lady came out of the store next to the studio to tell us to “hush up.” I was not only happy about the amazing part I got, but also that I had gotten a better role than Elaina Greenhow. She, to me, was not considered my enemy, but definitely not my friend. Elaina was very competitive. She was always out to beat me. Thank goodness she didn’t go to my school; I would have to hear, “what’d you get on that quiz, test, and homework?” She had danced with me for about three years. She was good but, we both knew I was better. I had more experience and talent. I think that is why she tried so hard to beat me. Enough about Elaina and her competitive self, let’s get back to the rehearsal. It had been a great rehearsal. I got to learn two of my solos and watch some of my other friends learn theirs. Sophie’s was beautiful. She was just so graceful and had such long legs. I thought she would have gotten the role of Maria. But then again she is very tall, and Maria is only supposed to be around ten years old. It was 8 o’clock, and practice was over. As I took off my Pointe shoes and got my bag, my teacher came up to me with a lovely smile and said, “Selena, great job tonight,” as she patted me on the back. “Thank you, I’m so excited I got the part,” I said grinning from ear to ear. “So, did you get the big news about ABT? They want to know if you want to take classes during spring break,” Mrs. Pam said proudly. “Yes ma’am, I’m very excited about that too,” I replied back, blushing a little. “They said they will call you very soon. So keep me up dated with the news,” she said shoving my arm a bit. “Will do,” I quickly said walking away. She said that they were supposed to call me soon! It had been almost three weeks, did they forget about me? Was someone forgetting to call me? Did Mia give the wrong number or email? Did they suddenly not like me anymore? My head was spinning with all of these questions. What stopped them was a tap on the shoulder. I turned around to fine Elaina Greenhow, this couldn’t be good. She said with a slight attitude in her voice, “I heard the ABT people asked about you. You got an invitation to take classes yet?” “Yes, they asked about me. I haven’t gotten an invite from them, but Mia and Mrs. Pam said they were going to ask me to take beginner classes over spring break,” I shouted with pride. “Oh well, I guess I will see you there. Well that is, of course, if they do call you.” She looked at me with the devil in her dark brown eyes and then turned around. Elaina Greenhow was going to New York too? This question haunted me for hours that night in bed; until I thought of a worse question. Why had ABT called Elaina first and not me?

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