“Ally, you’re gonna miss the bus!” my Mom hollers up the stairs.
“Mom, I have 10 minutes!” I yell. “I still have to brush my teeth!”
“Do you want me to drive you?”
“No, I’ll be fine, I’m walking with Dad today,” I answer as I come bounding down the stairs.
“Don’t forget your lunch box,” my Mom says.
“Yeah, I know, Mom.”
“Is your bag completely packed?”
I smile. “Mom it’s been packed for about a week now.”
“Oh. Okay. Well did you eat your vitamins?”
“Yes Mom. I’m just waiting for Dad,” and I kiss her on her cheek.
Today was the first day of eighth grade and I was very excited to start a new year. My best friend Riley Fender and I hadn’t seen each other since Kristin Allen’s end of the year pool party at her club. She’d been in Mexico while I was home and when she had the rest of the summer off at home I was between Arizona to Avalon, so we didn’t get to see each other until the first day of eighth grade.
“Alright Ally, are you ready?” my dad asks walking into the kitchen.
“Yup. Ready when you are, Dad.” I grab my backpack and head out the door.
“I’m so excited to see Riley! I haven’t seen her all summer,” I tell my Dad as we wait for the bus.
“I know. You two are gonna have a great time in Eighth Grade.” he pauses, “Hey Ally, you know that whenever you think you’re old enough you can tell me when you don’t want me to walk with you to the bus.”
“Dad,” I smile as the bus pulls up, “I’ll never be too old to walk with you to the bus on the first day of school.” I kiss him on the cheek. “I love you! Bye!”
He waves at me when the bus drives towards the next stop. When I get to my locker number it takes me a few tries to get number 278 to open. I start to put my new backpack on the hook and quickly put the locker shelving in the bottom.
When I get my first period’s folders out, I hear someone calling my name. “Hey Ally! Ally!”
I know that voice. I whip my head around to find Riley struggling to reach me through a sea of fifth graders holding her back.
“Riley!” I yell. I leave my locker and hug Riley as tightly as I can. “I’ve missed you so much!”
“I know! Me too!” She grins, “I’ll tell you all about my summer in science. I’ll see you then! Bye Ally!”
Eighth period science with Mr. Burns was the only period we had together. We both knew because we had compared our schedules as soon as we received them in the mail. I was a little upset but I was glad because we were lucky to have at least one period together.
I waved goodbye as I headed to Social Studies with Ms. Harper. The rest of the day went by so fast--it was a whirlwind of new teachers and old faces from school years’ past. When finally eighth period arrived I scan the room for Riley and she’s flagging me down. I walk over to the last seat at her table but I soon find she’s waving at Emma Darwins, her old best friend. I felt a pang of envy--no, a punch of envy: I thought she had promised to sit next to me. I take a seat at the table across Riley and Emma.
“Hey guys.” I shake the sour feeling off and tell myself she probably just forgot that she had this class with me.
“Oh, hi Ally. The homework’s up on the board. We just have to get a sheet signed. Mr. Burns is passing it out.” Riley smiles at me, and then returns to her conversation with Emma. I sit awkwardly waiting for her apology, but my thoughts scatter as Mr. Burns clears his throat.
“Good afternoon Eighth Period. As you know this year we will be covering biospheres, the water cycle,…” Mr. Burns goes on about curriculum and what he expects of us, but I’m not paying much attention until he announces we will need a partner for the first activity of the year. I beam and turn around expecting to see Riley asking for me to be her partner but instead find her and Emma grinning ridiculously at each other.
“Maybe next time Ally.” Riley says with a snarky smile.
I find myself next to Henry Kenneth, the boy who still picks his nose in class. We have to go on a scavenger hunt to find things in Mr. Burns’s room and John practically made me do all the work, including the bonus.
When I sit next to Riley and Emma at lunch they did not even pay attention to me. Riley bought a snack to share with Emma but didn’t even offer me any. While they were busy having animal grahm wars I was sitting without an appetite picking at my sandwich remains.
The next day I come into science eighth period to find Riley and Emma sitting next to each other. I try not to look to disappointed.
“Hey Riley?” I ask.
“Oh hi Ally. Yeah?” She pauses her conversation with Emma.
“Can I sit next to you tomorrow?”
“Sure, I guess.” She shrugs.
“Cool,” I falter, hoping that she will do as she said.
I act like I don’t see her eyes roll when I walk away. Wednesday I expect to see Riley with an open seat next to her, but she is sitting next to Emma again. She doesn’t even notice me as I take the nearest seat, not even bothering to see who it is.
“Hi Allisha.”
I look up,“Oh hi,”
I see Kelley Jenson looking back at me. I’m pretty sure that she is on my basketball team, but I have never really noticed her.
“I didn’t even know you were in this class.” she tells me.
“Me neither.” I say.
I end up talking with Kelly a lot and she is a really nice person. I actually forget about Riley and Emma and have a good class period with her. Turns out in addition to basketball we have Homeroom and Spanish together.
“Hi Ally. How was your day today?” Mom asks as I walk in the door.
“It was good, how was yours?”
“Just fine. Do you have any homework?”
“No,” I report as I make my way to the stairs, “I think I’m gonna write in my diary.”
Dear Diary,
I was so excited to see Riley over the summer that I didn’t expect her to dump me, but bad things happen in life and some of those things you just have to roll with them. At first I was sad when she started being rude to me, but then I found this awesome girl named Kelly Jenson. She’s on my basketball team as well as some of my classes. I’m going to have her over for lunch on Saturday and I’m sure we’ll have a good time.
     Yours truly,
      Alix