September 17th, 2011

“Beep, beep, beep!” screamed my alarm clock on a rainy Monday in September. “Another day of middle school”, I thought. I slammed my hand down on the cold snooze button, and threw my face into my pillow and screamed.
I don’t have anything against middle school itself, it’s the teachers, they are always comparing me to my award-winning sister, Sophia. She has won the best in class award 4 years in a row and she is in the highest possible level in everything, and I truly mean everything! If it were possible, she probably would be in honors lunch.
As I slump out of bed, I hear a screech from underneath my feet. The sound scared me so much that I fell and landed face first on my hardwood floor. It turns out I tripped over my dog, Alexander Nathaniel Jonathan Lucas III, but we usually call him Alex, he is a chow-chow.

I get up from my “trip” and walk into the bathroom, only to find a giant bruise on my cheek, and a huge scratch going across my nose. GREAT, I think, not only is middle school bad enough, now I’m cursed with a messed up face.

I quickly ran into my closet and was welcomed by my favorite shirt hanging up on top of my dresser paired with my fashion forward super skinny jeans.
While eating breakfast, my younger brother, Trevor comes down.
“Did you do something to your face?” he asked.
“No, Captain Obvious, I like my face like this.” I didn’t want to be rude, but I’m really not in the mood for his sarcasm.
When I finished my breakfast, I grabbed my 2 ton backpack and walked out the door.
“Bye mom!” I yelled up to her from the bottom of the steps.
“Bye honey, oh and Gabby,”
“Yeah.”
“I’m going to need you to be home tonight, I have a meeting.”
“Trevor is ten he can watch himself, I was suppose to go to the mall with Lexi and Joy after school.”
“You know he isn’t good by himself. He almost burnt the house down last time.”
“He was only trying to make cookies.”
“In the microwave, I don’t think so!”
“UGH! Ok fine, I’ll work something out, love you.”
“Thank you, and I love you too.”

I’m too much of a “goodie-goodie.” I need to learn to stand my ground. Next time I don’t want to do something, I’m going to put my foot down. Yeah, it’s time to meet the new Gabriella.

September 20th, 2011

“Gabriella, please come to the board and write your equation to question 5,” said Mrs. Greanpent, my Math teacher.
I wanted to tell her that no one calls me Gabriella, except my mom, but I didn’t want to sound rude.
“Ok,” I say even though the thought of going to the front of the board was every seventh graders nightmare.
I guess I need to practice my new way of life, because right now, I’m sort of… Well, kinda, failing at it.
Have you ever been called on to write on the board, and you sit in the back, and the walk to the front seems like miles because everyone is starring at you. Well that’s how I feel, but I can’t seem to figure out if my classmates are looking at me, or my new friends, Mr. Bruise and Mrs. Scratch.

Walking to the front board is like walking into a dark prison yard with chains attached to your heels, it’s a long and treacherous journey.

I might have been less worried if only Sean wasn’t in my math class. Sean is the captain of the Lincoln Junior High football team. Every time I see his glistening, blue eyes, I get all clumsy and chills run up my spine.

I know that he doesn’t like me, but, a girl can dream right? And for the record my I didn’t wear my favorite outfit to impress him, ok maybe I did.

Just then my day dream was rudely interrupted by the buzz of the 2nd period bell.

“Ok, that’s all for this class, page 157 for homework tonight.” said Mrs. Greanpent.

I quickly gathered my belongings, but my open pencil case crawled off my desk, and across the room landing right at the feet of none other than, Sean.

“Ummmm, I’m sorry, I’ll get that,” I said.

“No it’s fine,” Sean said in his perfect, sly voice, “I’ve got it.” He picked up my pink zebra print pencil case and handed it to me, giving off his heart melting half smile and almost as if out of a movie, our fingertips touched. Here come the chills. And all I could manage to do was smile.

As I walked through the halls still thinking about my encounter with Sean Regal; I noticed that everyone was walking in the other direction.

I felt like I was a feather in the middle of a wind storm when walking to third period.

“Hey, sevy your goin’ the wrong way,” screamed a ninth grade girl, who was wearing an inch of thick black eye liner. It made her look like a dead clown.

Sevy was the latest cool word to call the newbies a.k.a the seventh graders like me.

But no one thought it was cool, or boss, another new word that seemed to be on everyone’s lips.

“Sorry,” was all I could say. I had to be careful around the ninth graders; we were bait and they were the sharks! If I wasn’t careful they would chew me up and spit me out like we weren’t even worth the disgusting gum on their shoes.

“Just another great day at middle school ,” I thought to myself.

September 22nd, 2011


I woke up and immediately looked at my Teen Tip of the Day calendar. “4 more days.” I have been counting down the days anxiously to my 13th birthday. Other then my sweet 16, this is the biggest birthday of my life. No more kids table, or babysitters, I am finally a young adult. This is going to be awesome.

I am hoping for a new cell phone, because my old one is older than Webkinz. If I don’t get a new phone soon, I will be the laughing stock of the century… and that’s never a pleasant experience. Like when I was in 2nd grade, and still obsessed with Barney. What can I say, he was a loving dinosaur, who was a friend to everybody. “Good thing I got over that.”

I look at the clock, laughing at my old memories. “7:30!” I screamed, “I’m gonna miss the bus.”

While I sprint to my bus stop, with only one shoe on, I see the bus turning the corner.

“NO! Stop the bus!” I screamed with breathlessness.

The bus screeches to a stop and I run onto the bus. Everyone was staring at me in my wrinkled clothes, bed head, and one shoe on. “I am so embarrassed!” I thought to myself.

So much for not being the laughing stock. And only to make it worse, Sean was on the bus, staring right is me. “My life is over.”

I try to avoid all eye contact the entire ride, and finally after what seemed to be forever, Joy got on the bus.

“What happened to you?” she said uneasily.

“Thanks for the mortal support.” I say sarcastically while making room for her in the seat, “I was remembering my past, that’s what happened.”

“You don’t look that bad.” She said trying to make me feel better, but she’s not a good liar.

I was trying to stay optimistic, but this day could not get any worse. It’s time to face the facts… middle school stinks.

September 27th, 2011

“Happy Birthday,” my mom whispered.

“What?” I say while Trevor gives my 14 punches, one for good luck, “Thanks Trevor.”

“Your welcome.” He says in his normal, annoying way.

“Do you want to go open your presents?” asked my mom.

“Definitely,” I say hoping that I will have a better day then yesterday, I might even have an amazing day, if I get my cell phone.

We all hustle downstairs into the family room. And sitting on the fireplace are 3 beautifully wrapped presents.

I grab the box covered in purple and silver wrapping paper, and tear the paper open… it was a clothing box. “Great,” I think, another non brand name shirt that a two year old would be embarrassed to wear. “My life is over.”

Boy was I right. In the box was a tickle-me pink, sweater. On it was a poorly made picture of a dog.

“It reminded me of Alex.” smiled my mom.

“Oh, thank you, it’s great.” I lied, trying to hide my fire red cheeks.

“You really like it? I wasn’t sure if it was your style or not, but when I saw it, I just couldn’t put it down.”

“No…it’s….it’s great.” Good thing I’m a better liar then Joy.

“I can’t wait to see the reaction of the kids in your school when they see you in it. They will be so jealous.”

“I was actually planning on wearing my other outfit today, sorry.”

“Other shirt, what could be better than this shirt?”

I couldn’t stand to see her like that. “Oh, fine I’ll wear the shirt.” How bad could it be?

“Honey I almost forgot, you have to open your other presents.”

I rip open my second present, it was a small box, about the size of a credit card. It was a necklace with an angel on it.

“For dad.” whispered Sophia.

“Thanks, I love it.” I stood up and hugged her. My dad had died last year in a car accident. It has been really hard for us. Sofia had always known the perfect gift to get someone, it was another of her many talents.

Trying to change the subject my mom hands me my last present. It was about the size of an index card. I opened it slowly scared of what it might be since it was from Trevor. I closed my eyes in case it was some kind of explosion prank.

It was a pack of coconut flavored gum that looked centuries old, probably from my mom’s time. But it still came from the heart so I decided to give Trevor a hug of gratitude.

This is totally not my day! At least it can’t get any worse.
My day just got even weirder that I could have ever imagined.
I must’ve took a nap on the bus cause I woke up to my best friend Joy poking me awake….how embarrassing.
“Happy Birthday!”, Joy and Lexi said in unison. They were both carrying Delia*s bags. Finally some people with some fashion sense! Turns out they both went shopping on the day that I had to watch Trevor. They got me a purple crop top and a matching cami to go with it. “I love them, thanks so much, love you guys!” I said to them. I was so lucky to have such great friends.

“ I have another surprise…meet my cousin Jean-Pierre, from France” said Joy.
“Hello, Joy has told me about you” said Jean-Pierre in his thick French accent. I could just barely make out the words.


“Oh hi,” I say. Just then I see something moving and wriggling in Pierre’s pink backpack rhinestoned with the letters J and P.
“What’s that” , Joy asks curiously.
“It’s my beautiful pet bunny, Andy, named after my great great grandfather,” says Pierre proudly.
“Awww how cute,” I say, except this time I wasn’t being sarcastic; it was really the cutest most adorable bunny I had ever seen. I must have slowly been creeping towards him, being mesmerized by his bunny, because Jean suddenly backed away and put the sweet innocent little bundle of joy into his backpack.
“I don’t think your allowed to have pets at school and especially in your backpack,” said Lexi, in her matter-of-fact tone. “You could be arrested for animal cruelty, how is the poor rabbit supposed to breath in there.”
Just then the bus pulled up into our school.
I was standing casually standing at my locker grabbing my books, when I had the sudden feeling that someone was standing over me.
I look up and see the one person in the world that I swore never would be voluntarily standing at my locker….Sean.
“Ummmm hi.” I say stumbling on my words.
“Oh sorry, I wanted to say hi since I didn’t get to talk to you the other day.” He said.
“Oh yeah, so….what’s up?” I awkwardly said.
“Haha, ummm not much, I have to ask you something.”
And you wouldn’t believe what happened next…..