Jude hesitated outside the door to her new classroom. She was twelve, and she had moved from Virginia, USA, to Toronto, Canada last week, today was the first day her parents had forced her and her older sister, Sadie, to go to school. She knew how things worked in sixth grade, she had been there for four weeks before moving, sure, this was only the sixth week of school, but by now everyone had their own cliques, and lunch seats, and desks, and…everything. She sighed as she adjusted her back pack straps and looked down at her outfit. Her sister, who was two years older, had helped her pick it out. A jean skirt, a black t-shirt with a silver microphone on it, and black boots. Her bright red hair was in a high pony tail and she had "burrowed" some of Sadie's light pink lip gloss. She looked at the alarm clock mounted on the wall, she had one minute before her pass announced she was late. She had no choice. She looked through the window in the door, the teacher was putting away the her copy of the book the class was reading, and the students were putting theirs in their binders. She opened the door and slowly walked inside, and everything went silent.
Teacher: Oh. Class, today we have a new student, Jude Harrison.
Jude had always felt she was born to perform in front of crowds, so even though being new was scary, she was ready for this. She plastered on a smile and looked at the class. Her new neighbor was here, as well as the girl on the corner, and the rest of the kids she had never seen, oh well.
Jude: Hi
Teacher: I'm Ms. McCarty. Jude, you can sit….right there
She pointed to the only empty desk in the room. The desks were in tables of four, and she was about to go sit with three boys who Jude knew were trouble makers just by looking at them from across the room.
Jude: Okay
She shrugged her shoulders and walked across the room, determined not to worry without reason, something Sadie had taught her. She slid into the seat next to a boy with medium length blond hair, across from her sat a boy with medium length dark brown, curly hair, and next to him was a boy with light blond short hair.
Jude: Hey guys
She put her back pack down and started taking stuff out of it. She put the text books the teacher handed her into the desk, then the folders, and her pencil bag. She left the binders and note book in her back pack and slung it over the back of her chair like everyone else had.
Ms, McCarty: Jude, maybe you could tell us a bit about yourself?
Jude: Okay
She got up and walked to the front of the class room. She leaned against the chalk board and crossed her kegs at the ankle, her sister had taught her looking relaxed and calm made her more appealing as a friend.
Jude: Okay…Well, My names Jude Harrison, and I just moved here from the United States. I lived in Fairfax City Virginia. I have a mom and a dad, and an older sister named Sadie, shes fourteen. I have a yellow lab named Dakota, a boy whos a year old. And a horse named Credo, a six year old Appaloosa girl. Sadie has a border collie named Salem, a two year old girl. And a horse, named Whisper whos a quarter horse boy. My parents share a horse named Maxxi, am eight year old appaloosa girl. She has a baby, named Chico, hes six months old now, but today hes getting castrated
Ms. McCarty: sharp in take of breath
Short blond hair: I'm Kyle. What's castrated mean?
Jude: shrugs her shoulders I don't know. But my dad said it meant they were taking his balls away
Brown hair boy: Then what will he play with?
Jude: I don't know, but I've never seen him play with balls actually, he usually just plays with Lexi
Medium length blond hair: Who's Lexi?
Jude: Another baby horse, when her mom died Maxxi adopted her, now she has two babys
Boys: Oh
Jamie: Then what balls are they taking away?
Jude: I-
Ms. McCarty: That's enough. Thank you Jude
Jude: Your welcome
She walked back to her desk and sat down, not anymore aware then any of the other students what she had been talking about just seconds before, funny huh?
Medium blonde: I'm Spied
Jude: Spied?
Ms. McCarty: Vincent no talking when I'm talking!
Jude: Your names not Spied!
Ms. McCarty: Jude…
Jude: Sorry
Ms. McCarty: Now back to our math lesson…
Judes table tuned her out.
Spied: My friends call me Spied. I don't like the name Vincent, and my last names Spiederman. They helped me come up with the nickname Spied
Jude: Oh
Brown hair: My names Wally Robbins
Light blonde: And I'm Kyle Bateman
Jude: Hey guys
Spied: Why do you have a microphone on your shirt?
Jude: My dad taught me how to play guitar, I like to sing, and my sister taught me how to write poetry, which my dad helps me turn into songs
The boys stared in amazement.
Jude: What?
Wally: Your like a real musician or something
Jude blushed. She had never thought of herself as a "musician", just someone who loved music.
Jude: Thanks. I want to learn how to play some other instruments so when I'm older I can be famous
Spied: Me too. My older brother taught me how to play guitar, kind of, but I don't sing or write songs or anything
Kyle: My dad has an old drum set that he's teaching me how to play, but I mostly just play around with it
Wally: I can play a few songs on the acoustic, but nothing special
Jude: Really? You look like a bass player to me
Wally: Wow. I never thought of that, I just like guitar
Ms. McCarty: Jude. Can you please tell me what 12 x 40 is?
Jude: 480, I think
Ms. McCarty: Good
Jude: God I hate math
Kyle: You got the question right
Jude: Only cause if I don't my parents take away the guitar. It's music, or bad grades. It would help if I cared about my grades
Wally: I don't either, but my parents take away my Ipod if I get bad grades
Kyle: My parent's take away computer rights
Spied: Man, my parents take away everything!
Jude: (laughs) That makes me feel a bit better. Soooooo, what's it like around here?
Wally: Depends on what you like to do-
Kyle: Yea. If you ask our parents were too young to be in the city by ourselves, so we like to go ATVing, dirt biking-
Spied: I played soccer once upon time, but I hated it
Jude: I wasn't into soccer either
Wally: We see movies sometimes, go to the mall with brothers, stuff like that
Jude: So almost like my old neighborhood
Kyle: Almost?
Jude: Well, at my old house we WERE trusted to be out alone, well, not alone, but in groups and stuff. It was fun. We went to the mayors ice cream shop, or, we knew most of the firefighters at stations 3 and 33 so we hung out there sometimes, we just went out.
Spied: Lucky you
Jude: I guess
Later that day Jude said good bye to the three boys she sat with and walked out to get on her bus. Her neighbor, Jamie, and the girl on the corner, Kat, were on the same bus, so they met her out there as they waited in line to get on. Jude sat in seat eighteen and pulled out her Ipod, turning it to Ohio(Come back to Texas) and turning up the volume. She looked up when Jamie sat next to her, and paused the music.
Jamie: Hi
Jude: Hey
Jamie: I saw that you have horses
Jude: Really?
Jamie: You talked about it in class
Jude: Right
Jamie: I like your dog, Dakota?
Jude: Yea
Jamie: He came by yesterday, hes a cool dog
Jude: I love him to death. Like Sadie loves Salem.
Jamie: Cool. You like it here?
Jude: I miss Virginia, but Canada isn't bad, just takes getting to used to I guess
Jamie: It's a pretty nice place
Jude: I guess. Do you know the three guys I sit with?
Jamie: Those three? Their pranksters and trouble makers, and, weird. I mean, they can be funny, but its like they just don't care, which is weird
Jude: Yea…
She didn't add that she felt the same way.
The bus pulled to a stop and Kat, who was sitting farther up then them, bounded off the bus and walked towards home, Jude watched her go from the window as some of the other kids filed off the bus.
Jamie: Don't worry about her, she's just stressed right now
Jude: Friend?
Jamie: Kind of…we've known each other forever. It's a "no choice" thing. But she's not as bad as she seem's sometimes
Jude: I guess
She stepped off the bus and crossed the street with Jamie. They turned left and walked up the sidewalk, farther into the culdesac. Jamie came to a stop in front of the walk to his house.
Jamie: Wanna hang out today?
Jude: I can't. If my parents are home I'm going to see Credo, and if not, me and my sister have to clean and unpack, my dad's having a business dinner tomorrow and we're in charge of preparing the house. But some other time would be cool. I'll see you tomorrow
Jamie: Okay. At the bus stop?
JudE: Sounds good
Jamie went into his own house and Jude walked into hers. She put her back pack at the base of the stairs so she could take it up to her room later and walked into the kitchen.
Jude: Oh. Hey Sadie
Sadie: Hey Jude, sorry but no Credo today
Jude: How did you?
Sadie: I know you. So, mom's buying us all new outfit's for tomorrow night and dad's at work
Jude: Working late?
Sadie: Yep.
Jude: Oh
Sadie: Bad first day?
Jude: Not really. Why?
Sadie: Your only in such a hurry to get to Credo after a bad day
Jude: And when I want peace, quiet, relaxed-ness? And music
Sadie: Huh?
Jude: I like to ride her to the river, it's nice. I play the guitar and it relax's me
Sadie: Oh.
Jude: Well, if I cant go see her I guess I have to go to the next best place
Sadie: Fine, but if you still on the roof when mom and dad get home I'm not taking the blame
Jude: Do I want to know how you do?
Sadie: Probabaly not(smiles) I'll be in my room of you need me(grabs chocolate chip cookies and a coke and goes upstairs)
Jude grabbed a bag of Doritis and a coke then went up to her own room. She had the attic bedroom which she loved. She put her back pack by the desk and grabbed her cell phone and Ipod. She got her guitar from it's case and opened the window. Sadie's room was directly below her's, and the roof of her bay window offered the perfect place to escape the world. She crawled out and spread a blanket, then layed down with her guitar, notebook, pen, Ipod, and cell phone. She layed there with her eyes closed for a while before sitting up and grabbed her guitar, but before she could play anything Sadie stuck her head out of the window below her.
Sadie: Jude, quick question. Do you write your own music?
Jude: I've only written one song before. Can I be alone now?
Sadie: Fine, I just wanted to know(closes the window and Jude picks up the guitar again and begins to strum)
Jude:...
Spied, Wally, Kyle, and Jamie had just walked into Jamie's room when they heard the music.
Spied: Wow. That's amazing
Wally: Who is it?
Jamie: I don't know
Kyle: Radio's off-
SpieD: T.V's off-
Wally: Ipod's off
Jamie: It's coming from the window…
Spied leaned his head out the window and it sounded like the music was coming from above, he craned his head but he couldn't see anyone, just the edge of the roof of the bay window, a teenage girl was talking on her cell phone while she painted her nails inside.
Spied: How do you get to your attic?
Jamie: Through the top of the closet of the guest room-
The three boys were off, Jamie followed. Wally flung open the door to the closet in the guest room and smiled, there was the door in the top of the closet, and a dresser to reach it from. Spied and Wally climbed onto the top of the dresser and managed to pry the piece of wood blocking the way into the attick off the support beams. They pushed it to the side and managed to pull themselves;s up and into the attic easily. Spied went first, and started looking for the source of the music, Wally went next, then Kyle. Wally and Kyle pulled Jamie up behind them and they all stood there catching there breath.
Spied: Sounds like the music is coming from over there…
They raced across the attic and Kyle pryed open the window. They looked out and…
Spied: Andrews! You didn't tell us the hew girl lived next door!
Jamie: You didn't ask!
Wally: Whatever! She's good
Kyle: She is. I've never heard this song before, did she write it?
Spied: I don't- No! She's turning this way!
Spied hit the floor beneath the window, and the other three boyhs dove to the side to hide, they pressed their bodys against the wood, out of the way.
Jude sighed before opening her eyes. She put the guitar down and wrote the lyrics to the song. When she was done she picked up her coke and went to take a sip.
Jude: Empty already? I swear they out more soda in these things in the states.
Looks at the open widow leading into Jamie;s attic.
Jude: Hmmmmmm…wonder if I can make it?
She chucked the can across the yards and it sailed into the window, landing on…..
Spieds head. He sat bolt upright and started rubbing the back of his head.
Spied: Ow! Watch where your throwing stuff!
He realized too late what he had done…
(its long, but i didnt feel like breaking it into pieces, call me lazy if you want. anyway, will update soon if you want!)
