A spin off type thing of Everything's Magic by Welcome to Maddieland. It's pretty much just my (Massie in EM. I'm nicer in real life, I promise :)) take on some of the 8th grade mentioned in EM and part 9th grade that wasn't included in it.

I present to you a story, set upon northern shores.

The foolish things they did, the foolish things they said.

No one cares about her longing, or the dreams on which she's fed.

-Better Off Dead by Duncan Sheik

Winter

"Yeah, Cam told me Claire was cheating on me with Griffin. And yeah, sure I have Olivia, but I don't know. I just didn't think that Claire would stoop down to that level," Plovert confessed during an 'open circle' at Massie's New Year's Party. Sounds of the drunk adults and sugar-high kids downstairs could be heard, but Massie hated her parent's party and the craziness of it all, so she choose to sit on the ground in her bedroom with her friends, close the door, and have an 'open circle'. The circle though, was more of a horseshoe shape. One person was noticeably missing. One person was visiting his elementary school friend in Georgia. One more person, and the horseshow would have been a perfect circle.

Spring

"Massie, if I tell you this, you can't be mad at him because then he'll get mad at me for telling you."

"Whatever, Layne, just tell me."

"Okay, today in history, Griffin told me…"

"JUST TELL ME!" Massie did hate secrets, after all.

"HesaidyouwereworsethanSarah," Layne blurted.

"Uhm, what?"

"Griffin said that you were 'worse than Sarah." Everyone in the 8th grade at ADD knew that being called 'worse than Sarah' was the harshest, meanest thing anyone could ever say to you. Which is why, at that moment, Massie, for the first time in her life, didn't have a comeback. She didn't say anything. She just walked away.

Summer

Massie, Griffin, Layne and Cam were scattered around the Block's dark green painted pool. They boys liked swimming in their pool because of the fact that it was painted darkly, instead of the light blue color that was standard for swimming pools, which made it more difficult so see people who were underwater, making it perfect for scaring the girls. Massie and Griffin were seated on the boundary between the pool and the hot tub, Layne was sitting on the warm bricks on the side of pool, her feet dangling freely in the slightly still-cold-from-winter water, and Cam was treading water in the deep end, under the diving board, trying to see how long he could trea. So far, fifteen minutes. Massie's younger cousin, Todd, who was staying with the Block's for the summer, came out to the backyard with his air-soft gun, aiming at Cam's head. "I swear if you-." Cam was too late though. Todd had already shot him in the head, causing Cam to go underwater and end his treading. "You little…"

"I didn't mean to hit your head?"

"Yeah sure. Whatever." Cam chased Todd around the pool, Layne screaming at Cam to be nice to Todd. He was three years younger than the foursome, after all. After several minutes of running around the pool, the Block's Golden Retriever, Scooter, chasing after them, Cam pushed Todd into the pool, causing Griffin to crack up. Griffin had a thing against Massie's little cousin; he just wasn't as verbal about it as Cam was. Seeing the younger boy's orange polo soaked, his slightly chubby arms pulling his body out of the water, saying words an eleven year old probably shouldn't say, made Griffin laugh for reasons he couldn't explain. Moments like these were the ones Massie lived for. The ones she would never forget.

Fall

Massie had heard that high school was the best time of your life, and to enjoy it while it lasted. For Miss Block, that wasn't happening. She had broken her tail bone falling off of Wish, her horse she bought after selling Brownie, and her best friend, Layne started dating the guy that she knew Massie liked. That guy just happens to be Griffin.

"Griffin knows a lot."
"Does he know why we were fighting?"

"Yes."

"Ugh, Layne! You weren't supposed to tell him!"

"Once again, Griffin knows a lot."

Winter

She had always been there for him. He was only sometimes there for her. Griffin and Layne had long been broken up from their nonexistent relationship (it was still a mystery who broke up with who), Cam and Dylan had broken up, and Massie had remained single. While she swore on Edward her rabbit that she was over Griffin, she knew she would never be. Which is why, at Dylan's Super Bowl party, she confronted him.

"Griffin. I…uh, my dad is here. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Uhm, okay?"

"Bye then."

"Okay, bye."

So much for confronting him.

One day, Griffin, one day, I swear on Edward I will stop chasing after you, Massie promised herself. If only that day would hurry up.