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Chapter 2: You are not invited…

As summer passed slowly, my mom said I need to go to Grace's house everyday of summer because she has to work. I would be happy about this, but after a few visits, I got tired of it. That was because every time I am at Grace's house, Martha would be there. I loathed Martha, because she wanted to be Grace's best friend. Each day at school, Martha would tag along with us and looking at Grace as if she were a goddess. Martha was always invited to Grace's house for sleepovers with me because Grace has suddenly got this crazy idea stuck in her head. Her crazy idea was that I and Martha are her BFFs and because we are her BFFs, we had to worship her. She is starting to act like she is the leader. Martha doesn't seem to mind though, as long as Grace is her best friend, she has nothing to worry about.

"It is not my fault!" Grace protested, looking bewildered. I was really mad at her; she was just showing off that she and Martha are BFFs and that they would be hosting her summer party as a sleepover for only girls! I glowered; Grace had told us that her sleepover would be all gossip and all makeup; we would be dressing up and playing fashion show. It sounded boring; I wanted a party like we had every single year. This sounded so babyish, "It is so your fault!" I fired back, how could she? She knew that I had been waiting to put on my new party outfit; she knew that I had spent ages planning exactly what I would do to attract the new boy, Ben. She knew and she had been jealous of me, because she had a crush on Ben also, but Ben did not like her, he liked me. "So, it is my party, I get to do whatever I want!" Grace shot back, her face is reddening and her eyes are narrowing, Uh-Oh, I thought, not another Grace tantrum! Whenever Grace throws her special tantrums, she gets whatever she wants right away because she threatens us… but I decided that I would not care, I would fight back and stand up for myself. "You are just doing this to make my life miserable!" I screamed at her big ugly face, I was in the verge of tears. Grace smirked, she knew she had won the battle, she had known that she would win always. She walked away, her dress swishing here and there. "Oh, and by the way," Grace said as she turned back, "you are no longer invited to my party and also all of my sleepovers." And with that, she swished out of the room. I made a new chant, what do you think about it?

Grace the Grape

Grace the round shape

Grace the big fat purple Grape!

I am furious! How could Grace? How

could she do this to me? We were BEST

FRIENDS! I stomped out of the room also

and had no choice but to retrace Grace's

steps into the garden where Grace, Caprice, and Melody were decorating the shed with pieces of tissue and leftover Halloween decorations. I think they are getting ready for another big party at their house. Then, it hit me; they were going to have the big summer party at their house this year! Jealousy sprang up inside me, I wanted to get invited, I was the one who helped her come up with this idea in the first place! How could she?! How could she pretend it was all her idea and get all the credit for something that I did?! I was furious and jealous. I scrunched up my hands into fists, I hunched my back down a little, and I narrowed my eyes, turned my body until I faced Grace. She turned and faced me also, "What's wrong with you Lindsey?!" she demanded (did I mention she was a spoilt brat?), when I kept quiet, Grace raised her hand and did a sharp and smart slap right across my left cheek. She grinned evilly, "Want a fight?" she sneered, "you know who would lose when we start this war, and so why not just let the person that everyone knows will lose give in?" My eyes flared with fury. How dare she insult me! I will not lose to a spoilt brat! I raised my fist in the air, just as I got ready to punch her face... "Ouch!" I let out an earth shattering scream, blood streamed down my face, I couldn't believe it! Grace had just kicked me in the eye! Who knows what that girl would do next?! I got up; both hands covering my right eye, trying not to drip blood on Grace's family's neatly trimmed grass. I ran out of her garden, all the way home…

I guess the summer party at Grace's house was a disaster. Everyone was moaning and grumbling about it today. I felt relieved that I didn't go/ got uninvited. Next week was the beginning of school! Hooray! I can't wait; it is hard to believe that I will be a middle school student at Yollywando Apricho! It is said that Yollywando Apricho was the top school for middle school students. If you got into it, you were counted lucky and clever. No one thought I had the nerve to even sign up for Yollywando Apricho. In Pillworks Primary, I was known as a shy, clumsy, neat, and organized little know-it-all. I was a teacher's pet, and typically, to the other kids, I was known as a nobody. Well Grace, was considered popular, smart, confident, glamorous, and amazing to the other kids. If Grace were your friend, you would be considered lucky. So, I guess I was lucky for three years, but now, I am just about the unluckiest girl in the world. If Grace hates someone, then everyone hates that person. So Grace basically has control over everyone, anyone who argues or disobeys her rules will become an outcast, no one will talk to that person, sit with that person, look at that person, or even think about that person. I am now officially an outcast.

Today is the first day of school, Martha and Grace were sitting across the aisle, and they were pointing at me and giggling. Mean old Martha leaned over and pulled on my babyish plaits, "did old mama help you braid these?" she sneered. I kept quiet and held my temper. Now Grace got involved in this too, which meant the whole bus was listening. I shrugged, pretending that I couldn't care less. Grace leaned right beside my ear, and she bellowed, "My best friend Martha just asked you a question, so answer her!" She started a chant, "answer, answer, answer…" The whole bus started chanting after her,, "answer, answer, answer.." I clamped my eyes shut and covered my ears with my hands. Don't listen to them, I told myself over and over again. I felt a tug on my bag, I ignored it, it was probably Grace and her gang playing a joke on my. The bus came to a stop and they stopped chanting, they all rushed out of the bus. I stayed seated until I was certain that no one was in the bus, then I opened my eyes and let my hands drop at my side. I got off the bus and broke into a run, I was exactly ten minutes late. My new teacher would be cross with me. I groaned, I would undoubtedly get a detention or some other type of punishment. As I reached the school building, I saw him again, it was the man in the big black coat, only this time, his coat was filthier than last time and his hair shaggy and gray. He looked old and wrinkled. Normally, I would have felt sorry for someone like that, but today I was in a hurry so I rushed past him without a second glance. What I didn't realize was the look in his eyes when I rushed past, without a glimpsed back. His eyes were a mixture of sadness and close to tears. His old, wrinkly, and ancient face looked as if it was about to crack any minute. And I, Lindsey Nicole Starchy had just rushed right past.

"Lindsey Starchy!" thundered the teacher, Mrs. Devillies, "how dare you be late on the first day of school!" I looked down, ashamed of being lectured in front of the whole class. Grace and Martha stifled back giggles. The rest of the class stared at me with blank expressions. I felt my face turn a deep shade of red. Grace and Martha were practically wetting themselves. I mumbled an apology and went to sit at the empty spot. Mrs. Devillies continued talking, I slumped down in my seat and dozed off, "Lindsey Starchy!" I woke up in an instant, Mrs. Devillies was standing right in front of me, "never have I seen such disrespect, it is a dishonor to your family," she shook her head in dismay. "I expect to see you after school Lindsay Starchy" she said coldly, I could feel the room getting colder. Grace and Martha could hardly contain their joy, Grace even let a little whoop escape from her mouth. She is my deadly enemy now.

I can't believe it! Here I am after school, scrubbing and cleaning the dirty cafeteria, Grace and Martha just pops up from nowhere with the whole school. Everyone is staring at me and pointing while they giggle as they watch me turn from clean and neat, to dirty and smelly. I was so humiliated! They acted like they were watching a show.

"Don't stop scrubbing, Cinderella!" Grace called out emotionally, "step mother would kill you!" They all burst out laughing. I hid my angriness. Never had I felt such disrespect! Mrs. Devillies entered the cafeteria, she had a smug grin on her face, I glowered. It was one thing getting dirty while cleaning the cafeteria, but it was a totally different thing having people watching me while I cleaned the cafeteria! By the time I finished, I looked as if I had been on a journey to the rat sewage.

Back at home, my mom took one look at me and hollered in fury, "Lindsey Nichole Starchy! Just what do you think you are? You are a human being, not a dog or cat, and yet you are acting like one" she slapped me hard and I tumbled backwards, "never have I seen such a disgrace to the family," she looked like she was ready to burst into tears. That really surprised me, my mom has never cried in front of me before. Then, she actually started sobbing. While, first she sobbed, but then she started howling. "How could I have_" she gasped for breath, "no, I wouldn't_" she said, which totally did not make sense.

"I miss you dad!" she screamed in my ear, I backed out of the room and raced up the stairs to my bedroom. I was immediately greeted by the bright colors of the rainbow. I felt warm, comforted, and relaxed. I felt like I had no care in the world. But that feeling only lasted for a while. My thoughts soon swiveled back to when my mom was talking non-sense. Something about her dad, and something about she wouldn't do it.

I felt my eyelids droop, and soon drifted off to deep sleep. In my dream, I dreamed of the man in the big black coat, how he had appeared in times when I needed help, appeared in times when I felt nervous and embarrassed. He had been there and he had helped me. This is weird I thought, why would I be dreaming of him when my mind is on some thing else? Then, I saw a hand reaching for me; I had just fallen into a dark hole. I looked up to see the face, and guess what, it was the man in the big black coat. He was carrying a humungous king cobra that is coming next to me and about to take a big bite. "Aaaaaaahhhhhh!" I woke up with a start, that couldn't have been me screaming right? I was sweating all over and panting too. I felt sick and cold. I called for my mom, "what is it, honey?" she asked sweetly, I noticed that she had pinned her hair up and wearing a creamy white dress that floats when she walks, she also smelled faintly of perfume. I decided to ignore my problem and ask her about her dress. "How come you suddenly dress all nice and girly?" I sneered, "is it because you don't want anyone to know that you have been crying and day about your long lost father?" She looked stricken.

"No, of course not!" she fumbled, trying to think of something to cover up her little phase this afternoon. I smirked, "there is absolutely no excuse for what happened this afternoon," I said coolly. I was still mad at her for slapping me this afternoon. When she made no attempt to apologize. I stormed up to my room and slammed the door. A few minutes later, my mom came in and sat on the edge of my bed, I flinched a bit and rolled off my bed. She was getting a bit fat, I could tell. She isn't exactly a dream mom, the girls at school laughed whenever she came to school to pick me up. I did not care, at least I pretended to. But that made the girls tease my mom and I even more, they called me weakling and pig girl. I would normally cry about it when we got home. My mom certainly did not cry, she only sat on the sofa and stare at open space. When my dad came home, we would usually straighten up and greet him with fake cheery smiles on our faces. But we both know that inside our heart, is a great piece of misery. My mom made blueberry pie for us tonight, father and I gobbled down the whole pie. After dinner, we all watched television together, they were playing a program called " The wind in the Willows". I especially liked Scarlet.

I fell asleep that night with a smile on my face. I dreamed happy dreams of lollipop princesses and ice palaces. But little did I know, that everything was about to change…..

Slap slap slap, the sound of heavy slippers awakened me, what was going on? I wondered, I slipped my slippers on and slowly walked out of my bedroom. I saw a shadow on the wall, the shadow looked big and sturdy. I shivered, I thought about turning back and retreating back to my room. But I took a big breath and continued walking forward.

"Shush John, you might let the girls hear," I stopped at the sound of my mom's voice, "Arianna has to take her exams today, don't go wake her, and Lindsey is still a little girl, she is too young to know all this stuff." I held my breath, did they still think of me as a little girl? Did they think I wasn't mature enough for all this? What would they do if they knew I was listening to this? I immediately regretted coming out of my room. I started backing up when suddenly, "Aaaaaaahhhhhh!" I had just slipped on a pile of newspapers! Mom and dad looked up from their conversation. They did not look happy; I looked back at them sheepishly.

"Lindsey Nichole Starchy!" my mom thundered with rage. I flinched, that was the second time this week. My dad showed no signs of angriness; he just looked as if he couldn't believe that I had the nerve to eavesdrop on them. I bent my head down in dismay. Mom certainly had a lot to say, she lectured me for half an hour. Then she stopped when Arianna came bounding down the stairs, humming a strange tune. She was all dressed and made up. She was the most popular girl in school, all the girls admired her, and the boys practically fell on their knees whenever she came near, that's right, she is what you call Ms. Popularity. I am a total disgrace to her. If I did anything wrong, she would blame me. I felt so useless! My mother is a fashion designer; she wears all the newest fashions. Arianna follows suit, dressing like a pop star. My father is an athlete. Everyday, a bunch of women follow her. But it was my mother caught his attention, and it has been like that ever since. I sighed, it was such a romantic story, and Arianna and I would gush when they told the story. My dad also wears the newest designs; the three of them look like a perfect family. But when I came along, everything started falling apart. I was born in a posh hospital on a private island called Micraon. My mother was alone, because my father had a very important tournament to go to, and my sister still had school. I was told that I was a really ugly baby, bawling everyday and screaming until my face turns red. My mom once threw away a box of pictures. After she threw it, I rushed over and looked into the box, inside the box, I found old pictures of me. I wasn't really upset; she always threw my things out while she kept all of Arianna's pictures on the bedroom wall. But I also found the picture of a man in a big black coat.