|Ch 10 Second Attempt| Alysha slung her green backpack over her right shoulder and headed out the door. Her brother was still sleeping and it is impossible to wake him up. Really she tried an air horn that didn't work. No wonder he had straight F's but this was a chance for a new start and Alysha didn't want him to miss it. She then tried a megaphone. After about half an hour and six different other methods she gave up. She didn't want to be late for her second day of school. Who knows what would happen today. Make new friends, learn new stuff, she might have a whole new adventure. Alysha came back to reality as Danny closed his door behind him with a smile. "Alysha how did you sleep?" Danny asked as they began to walk toward school.

"Fine, dead to the world. You?" Alysha answered happily.

"Same. Especially with you singing me to sleep."

"What my singing lulled you to sleep? You heard me?" Alysha asked blushing with embarrassment.

"Yes it was lovely."

"Well it should. I've been singing it every night since I was 9."

"Why do you sing that song every night?"

"First it's called 'somewhere out there' and it's to remind me that everyone has someone out there, somewhere," Alysha expanded sounding hopeful.

"Well there might be that someone for you out there somewhere. I can't think of a single thing bad about you."

"Thanks, but that's because you don't know who I really am. There's more to me than you think," Alysha said sadly.

"Like what?"

"I really don't want to talk about it."

"Hey Danny. Hey Alysha," Tucker said running down the steps and passing a sausage to Danny and offering one to Alysha. Alysha eyed the grease dripping slab of meat and started to stager as she suddenly became overwhelmed with dizziness. Her eyes fluttered and she started to fall. Just as she was about to hit the sidewalk Danny and Tucker dove to catch her. Danny won.

"Tucker, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't I tell you that I don't eat meat," Alysha said as Danny helped her up.

"Sorry," Tucker said quickly forking down the sausages to avoid any other accidents. They walked on to Sam's house. Sam stood there tapping her foot and her watch making sure it wasn't broken. When she finally saw them she asked "where have you been?"

"Sorry Sam, we had to meet up somewhere," Tucker broke up laughing at his own pun. He held his hand up to Danny to receive a high five, but he received a cold, stern glare from him and the girls. "OK, back to walking to school?" he suggested quickly putting his hand down.

When they got to school an annoying feminine voiced holed "Hey Alysha, Danny, Sam, Tucker," Paulina came up and asked "Can I borrow you for a second?" she asked picking Alysha out of the lot.

"Uuuu sure," Alysha said walking to a nearby tree.

"So Alysha, I was thinking if you didn't have any plans after school today I was thinking that we could get manis and pettis to day."

"Well that sounds nice but I don't think that Sam and the boys would like it."

"Wow, Dash was right. You are funny."

"Come again?"

"No I meant 'we' as in you and me not those losers," Paulina said loudly to make sure that Sam, Tucker, and Danny heard that.

Alysha looked behind her at her friends, then back at Paulina. "Thanks for the offer but I think I'll pass."

"You're joking right?"

"No. I'm not," Alysha said with stern eyes and backing up slowly to her friends. "They might be losers to you but to me they friends. If you call my friends loses you call me a loser. So you can tell your friends and the A-list to back off because you will never be friends of mine. No matter what you say or how you bribe me I've made up my mind to be a proud outcast," The whole school gasped. Sure Alysha was pretty, but was she smart? She had turned down the popular crowed twice! How can you be a proud outcast? Everyone would have jumped at that offer in a blink of an eye. She turned to her friends that all had flabbergasted faces. "What?"

"Are you insane?" Tucker asked throwing his arms up and down.

"No. What would make you say that?" Alysha asked stepping back in slight shock.

"You passed you the popular group, twice!"

"Being popular isn't that big of a deal. Everyone just knows your name."

"But you get a hall pass and when it's stamped 10 times you get a free frozen yogurt."

"Hey Tuck you can get a free frozen yogurt at home. Stick a yogurt in the freezer overnight and voila! You have a frozen yogurt."

"Wow it's good to now you have a brain in there Alysha," Sam said impressed.

"Thanks. That means a lot."