Well, here's the next chapter! I send my thanks to those who left feedback for me to keep this story going – you know who you are.


The next morning, DJ woke up, went downstairs to eat her breakfast, and then headed back upstairs to brush her teeth. Danny and Becky had left for work. Stephanie had already finished and was all ready to go with the Coreys.

Then when she was looking through her wardrobe, trying to find something that would make her look good, but not too sophisticated (as she didn't want a repeat of the day before), there was a glimmer of light, and her "Bad Self" appeared.

"Hello, DJ. I saw what happened to you yesterday," she said in a sugary sweet voice.

"Yeah. Those bullies were so mean to me," replied DJ.

"Want to make them really sorry?" suggested her "Bad Self". DJ nodded. "Well, here's an idea. Try getting them back with Kimmy. That'll show them."

DJ was torn for a bit. Then she looked at her "Bad Self", who gave her a secretive, smiling wink.

Then, DJ smiled back.

Why not? It seemed like a good idea, and revenge was certainly a good payback idea anyway.

"And while you're at it," said the "Bad DJ", "pick out something to wear that's really good, so that when you walk into a classroom, those bullies will stare at you in shock."

"I'll do that," said DJ. Her "Bad Self" gave her a thumbs-up, and then disappeared.

Soon DJ was dressed in a pair of black Levis, a black turtleneck, and a royal blue coat. On her feet she wore black cowboy boots. She looked great…at least, she thought so.

She walked down the stairs, through the kitchen and out into the living room.

As she picked up her backpack (purple with black stripes), a voice stopped her.

She froze. She knew that whoever that was, they would probably stop her from going out to meet Kimmy on the way to school.

She remembered the remarks she had gotten the day before.

"Look out, scrub!" snapped Colleen.

"DJ Tanner? What kind of a name is that?" said another student.

"You're just a scrub…with no brains and no friends! You are such an uncool freak!" said Colleen in the hallway after third period, then laughed along with her friends.

DJ bit her lower lip. She knew she wasn't uncool. She had a brain, and she had friends, too. Those bullies clearly did not know what they were talking about, anyway.

I am not a freak, she told herself confidently. I just want people to like me.

That very first day in junior high, she had learned a few lessons. Gossip and rumors would run rampant, making or breaking a girl's reputation. Power plays and rites of passage were a part of the junior high social scene.

And, being called a "scrub" hurt really badly – worse than being cut with a knife.

To sum it all up, junior high school was a very complex place. It had boys, crushes, cliques, parties and gossip. It was a tough place.

Very tough indeed.

Anyway, DJ turned. But it wasn't who she was expecting to see.

"That is a very snappy outfit," said the Felddog.

"Really? You think so?" asked DJ.

"Of course," the Felddog nodded.

Then Stephanie came down the stairs. She wore a white dress and she looked very beautiful. DJ turned to see her.

"Well, how do I look?" asked DJ, striking a pose.

Stephanie looked at DJ. "Cheap," she said.

Then she turned to the Felddog and gave him a high five.

Then the Haimster's turn to make his appearance. He looked awesome as well in his tuxedo, black pants and black shoes. His hair was dyed brown.

As for the Felddog, he looked great in his red jacket, blue jeans and white shoes. His black hair was expertly styled just right, too.

"Wow," said Steph. "You guys look so handsome."

"Really?" said both Coreys. They then turned and grinned at each other. "Cool!"

With that, they left with Stephanie. DJ then left as well, as she wanted to see if Kimmy had recovered from her cold and was up for school today.

When she came to Kimmy's house, which was right next to hers – as Kimmy and she were next door neighbors as well as friends – she was happy to see that Kimmy was better.

They hugged each other.

"Ready for school, Deej?" asked Kimmy.

"Absolutely!" replied DJ, smiling.

With that, they left for Van Atta Junior High School…