"I'm the party star, I'm popular
I've got my own car, I'm popular
I'll never get caught, I'm popular
I make football bets. I'm a teachers pet." Nada Surf
2003 Colors and Cannonballs
Seventh grade is so much work. I mean there's a lot of actual school work but that's not the exhausting stuff. It's keeping up with everybody. First you have to make sure what you're wearing fits in with everybody. Thank God for back to school shopping with the girls otherwise I would have been totally screwed. The uniform is low rise jeans or skirts and American Eagle or Hollister t-shirts in our respective colors. My color is blue and Rosie's is red. Rosie says blondes look better in red. If we're going to wear a different color we have to call and coordinate the night before. Allie says she doesn't buy into the corporate idea of what a teenager should look like. I'm not quite sure what that means but I know she has her own crazy style. She spends hours going through the racks at Goodwill and Second Hands Second Chances finding all kinds of crazy stuff like hippy dresses and bellbottom slacks. When she does buy new stuff it's usually from Hot Topic. That place is totally weird but I do like the music they play. Rosie says that it's good to have an oddball in our group.
You also have to make sure you're in the right place at the right time. First you have to make sure you're on the quad before school to see how the day is going to shape up. You see who's there and what kind of drama is going on that day. When Lauren Mallory and Tyler Crowley had a huge screaming match and broke up the other day it was right in the middle of the quad before first bell. It was crazy.
Where you sit at lunch is super important too. Sixth grade babies sit closest to the lunch line. The jock seventh and eighth grade boys sit closest to the door. The eighth grade perfects sit next to the jocks. We've staked out our table somewhere in the middle. It's pretty much the perfect place to sit and keep an eye on everything. Our lunch group is Allie, Roise, Jessica, me and sometimes Angela but only when she doesn't have bible study group. I'd say we're the second most popular seventh grade group. Lauren, Leah, and Emily are the most popular, they're the seventh grade perfects, but that's only because they're all dating football players.
None of us have boyfriends right now. Rosie says the guys at our school are just too immature for her but I know that she's really just pining away for Em. Allie and I just roll our eyes whenever she starts talking about how Emmett did this or Emmett said that. The only boy I've ever seen Allie take a second look at is Jasper but he's so wrapped up in band this year he's hardly ever around anymore. Besides that Rosie said that if Allie starts dating her cousin she owes her big time. She's my best friend and all but sometimes I really just don't understand how her mind works.
I do agree with Rosie that all the boys are just too immature. Even the eighth grade boys are always teasing and calling names. Just the other day James Thomas started whistling at me in the hall saying "what's up sexy Sawn?" I just flipped my hair in his direction the way Rose taught me and made it really clear that I was ignoring him. He started to say some more but then Edward grabbed his arm and pulled him off down the hall to do whatever delinquent stuff it is that they do.
It's funny you can spend pretty much the whole summer around someone but not realize they're a bad kid. Edward is always getting in trouble for mouthing off to teachers and pushing kids around. Not any of the girls, of course. No way. All the girls think Edward Cullen is the cutest boy in school. And I guess he is with those eyes as pretty as they are but he's just so…. Edward.
Exhausting, all of it. Sometimes I just want to say screw it all and keep my head buried in a book. I think maybe I don't even want to be popular and cool. But then I think of laughing so loud at lunch and staying up all night at sleepovers and the way people actually move out of the way when Rosie, Allie, and I walk down the hall together and it's worth it. So I keep up with my friends. And I work at perfecting my curling iron skills. And I try to convince my dad that Emmett is a perfectly safe driver so I can ride to school with him and Allie. And I write every little detail of life down in my notebooks so I'll be able to remember them forever and ever.
I seriously hate Jessica Stanley. I hate her more than I've ever hated anyone in my entire life. I don't use this word lightly but she's a real bitch. I didn't actually want to invite her to my birthday party but my dad said I could only have a boy girl party if I invited everyone. I didn't even really want to have a boy girl party but Rosie said we're too old to have baby sleepovers and we needed to start having real parties.
"Yours is the first birthday party of the year, Babydoll," Rose said. She didn't really like that nickname at first. She rolled her eyes and said it was a baby name. But as soon as she heard Em using it, she was all about it. "It has to set the standard."
So we went to work planning the perfect party and convincing our parents. The perfect party being a boy girl pool party at Rose's since her mom and dad had the pool heater turned on followed by a sleepover for just our girls. An October pool party. Nothing is cooler than that. My Dad wasn't crazy about the idea at first he said that having a pool party in October was just ridiculous. But I begged and pleaded and promised chores and good grades for pretty much the rest of the year. And Mr. Hale told him that they could use his super huge gas grill to cook up all the party food. I'm pretty sure that's what did it.
The weekend started amazing when the best birthday present ever was waiting on me when I got home from school on Friday. My very own computer. With internet access! Even Shakes, my cat, was happy about it. He was snuggled up next to the tower which Dad had situated under my desk.
"But I don't want you on it all the time, Bella," Dad cautioned. He was smiling. Happy that he got me the perfect present. He knew because as soon as I saw it I screamed my head off and ran to turn it on. "And you can't use the internet all the time and tie up the phone line. And I want it off by nine o' clock every night."
I wasn't paying a bit of attention. I was too busy listening to the beautiful sound of the internet connecting. Music to my ears! And there was a document program! No more hand cramps from too many hours writing!
I was still on cloud nine when we headed over to Rose's the next morning. I told Rose and Allie about my amazing present. Rose said it was cool but I could tell she wasn't very impressed. Allie was super excited for me though. She started telling me about all the cool tricks and stuff she could teach me.
The party started off pretty great. We knew we planned the perfect party when we saw how many people showed up. Pretty much the whole class was there. Luckily it was a bright cloudless day so it warmed up just a little. Still it was crisp enough so that you wanted to get right back in the pool as soon as you got out. Kids were everywhere splashing and yelling and generally having the most awesome time. And the almost as great was how crazy high the pile on the present table was.
"Look at all that loot!" Allie exclaimed laughing. "Spoiled Babydoll!"
Halfway through the day my dad whistled a couple of times and got everyone's attention. Food from the grill was ready and it was time for me to open my presents. Just like Allie said, I was super spoiled. Cute t-shirts, make up, and c.d.s galore. Pretty much everything a girl could possibly want. After the unwrapping extravaganza was over and everyone was more worried about eating or getting back in the pool to warm up Jake came up to me with a little box wrapped in blue.
"Blue's your color, right?" He asked. He looked nervous.
"Yeah," I said with a smile nodding toward my blue swimsuit and shorts as I took the pretty box. "How'd you guess? What's this?"
"Find out," he said with a smile. Jake and I have been friends since we were in diapers. Our dads are fishing buddies.
I opened it carefully and gasped when I got to the present inside. It was the prettiest silver charm bracelet. I lifted it carefully off its cotton bedding to inspect it. There was a book charm and two best friend charms attached.
"One for Rose and one for Alice," he explained as I touched each one of the pretty pieces. "You like it?"
"I love it!" I cried happily giving him a huge hug. He gave me a hug back even though I could tell he was embarrassed. "You're the best, Jake."
He shrugged.
"It's whatever. I just thought you would like it," he said. He was blushing pretty hard now.
It was weird, knowing each other as long as we had there'd never been an awkward moment but suddenly it was setting it. Carefully I laid the bracelet back in the box and set it on the table. Then I grabbed Jake's hand.
"Cannonball!" I said grinning at him. Just like I hoped all the weirdness fell away and he grinned back at me. Together we took off running and splashed into the deep end.
A/N: Hey people, thanks for taking the time to check out or keep up with my little fic. Followers, alerts, favorites, and most of all reviews make my day. I heart you guys. I know this chapter is a little short but between this one and the next one it I had to make a division somewhere. But that means more party time goodness next week.
Oh and if you want to see some inspiration (tunes, pics, etc) and the possible occasional sneak peak check out my tumblr: bnwritergirl dot tumblr dot com.
Chapter Songs: Learn to Fly – Foo Fighters
Thank You - Dido