Chapter 1

We are normally led to believe that good is rewarded and evil in punished, whether told by our parents, seen it in movies, or read it in fairy tales that is how it's supposed to be. But it doesn't always work out that way in some stories, especially mine. My name is Anna. This is my story.

It all started in 7th grade. I had just moved to a town smack in the middle of California called Fresno. It was just me and my dad. He was a construction worker so we moved around a lot. He was always in charge of building hospitals mostly for children and we were close. I didn't think anyone else had a better father than I did. My real mother had gave me up when I was born but back when my dad had a wife I'd loved her as my mother because she loved me like her own. I still think of her as my mother even though they were divorced and I only saw her on birthdays.

We had been living with my great aunt Mara until we found a house. She's been in Fresno for almost fifty years and was almost married that long but her husband had died. She is the wisest person I know and I thought of her as my second grandma.

Anyways when we did find a house it wasn't in Fresno. It was about thirty minutes outside of Fresno, up in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. We couldn't live in town because I had a dog, and cats, and a horse. Yes I had a horse. My dad had bought her for me on my 10th birthday but she was back in Fallbrook in southern California, where we'd moved from. The house was two stories and I thought it was completely awesome. Downstairs was its own apartment where my grandma would be living. She was incapable of living on her own so my dad said she'd be living with us. A live-in babysitter for me since my dad worked most of the time, but I didn't mind. I loved my grandma.

We moved in immediately. My cousin took me to register for school, my first year of middle school. I was excited and nervous. I'd gone to an elementary school that went all the way up to sixth grade in Fresno while we lived with Mara. I'd made some friends but I'd forgotten to give them my number to keep in touch. I hadn't made many guy friends.

I wasn't beautiful. I was tan with wild, frizzy, curly brown hair and a short pug nose and big lips. That combined with the fact I was freakishly tall I didn't expect the buys to swarm around me. The only quality about me I liked was my eyes. They were strangely blue with gold around the pupils in the sun. My eyes were the only truly beautiful thing about me that I took credit for.

"I'm sure you'll love it here," the lady in the front office told me when we registered, "We're not a very big school. Only a couple hundred kids."

I was excited but I had my doubts. The middle school up here started at sixth grade and I would be the outsider, the new kid. I'd been the new kid all my life but kids in small communities like Prather, population around one thousand, all knew each other for years. However I smiled politely and said, "Great."

The day school started I took the bus. I'd always taken the bus since my dad left for work at four in the morning for the past ten years and then got home around four or five in the afternoon. I got to sit by myself but I glanced around at the kids aboard. There were some sixth graders that sat near the front, kids around my age that sat near the middle. Then there were older girls and guys that sat near the back, not just eighth graders, but high school people too. After the bus dropped the middle school kids off it went to the high school, in the afternoon I'd be getting on a bus to the high school then get on another bus there to take me home.

There was one guy that caught my eye, he was big I guessed he was in high school. He had long brown hair like a skater boy (I found that attractive back then) and was pretty good looking. He only glanced at me once and I hoped my hair wasn't frizzy.

When I got off the bus I expected him to stay on and go to the high school but he didn't. He got off with me. He was in middle school! Maybe it wouldn't be so bad here after all.

I checked my schedule. I had math for homeroom, then history, then two periods of language arts, lunch, P.E, and then health. I was super excited but class didn't start for fifteen minutes.

I headed for the big building that I assumed was the library. It wasn't. It was full of familiar long rectangular tables with kids eating breakfast. Some stared at me. I knew why, I was new. I walked back out feeling stupid and walked towards the other big building across from the cafeteria. That had to be the library. Thankfully it was and I spent my free time perusing the books.

When the bell rang I swallowed and tried to be brave. I found the room listed on my schedule and followed the crowd inside. I'd hoped not to be noticed and I sat at a table near the middle. I froze. The guy off the bus sat at the same table. He was in seventh grade? Had he been held back or something? Either way this was turning out completely awesome. I tried not to stare.

My hopes of being invisible were shattered when Mrs. Bell the teacher took role. "Brianna…Teverbaugh," god why did I have to have such a weird name? Of course everyone stared.

"Just Anna," I told her and raised my hand.

"Welcome, Anna, I'm sure you'll be very happy here," oh please stop talking to me.

Mercifully, she did and moved on to calling the rest. Everyone looked away at least and I could breathe again.

We all went to the cafeteria instead of having class for orientation. Even the kids that been here for three years had to attend. I didn't mind I was new but we were allowed to sit wherever. I glanced around the room.

I had no friends yet to sit with so I went to the mostly empty seats at a table in the front which was mostly sixth graders so I didn't feel intimidated. However there was also a girl around my age sitting with an empty spot next to her so I sat there. She turned and smiled at me and I smiled back.

The vice principal giving the orientation was funny and had the whole room laughing in no time. The girl sitting next to me and I laughed at the same things and she made funny comments that had me laughing more.

When the vice principal got to the rules about P.D.A (public display of affection) he said, "How many of you guys are in love in here?" he dragged out the word love and some laughed, some whooped mostly the guys, and a bunch of girls raised their hands. I just smiled.

"I'm not going to answer that," the girl next to me said grinning.

I laughed, "I'm Anna," I was hopeful I'd made a friend. She wasn't beautiful, just plain like me with light auburn wavy hair and greenish hazel eyes. She looked nice at least.

"I'm Catherine," she smiled at me and I was sure my first day of school was off to a great start.