Natasha, Elisha, Lizzy, and Karly are all best friends until they meet the new girl Melissa. This year the unexpected happen, a friendship will be tested, secrets will unravel, games will be played.

It all starts when Karly meets Melissa in the school library. Karly was studying for her History exam , and Melissa helps her by giving hints and tips for the test. Later on that day Karly and Melissa leave the school library as friends. As they leave the library Lizzy shows up, and gets jealous. Lizzy tends to get jealous really easily. The next day at school Karly, Melissa, and Natasha sit together at lunch, laughing, telling jokes, and enjoying each others company. Meanwhile on the other side of the lunch room, Lizzy and Elisha sit quietly at a table in the corner. Elisha is a very beautiful girl. She's Latin-American and is from Spain. She's also very quiet and mysterious. Then Lizzy said, "What's your problem, Elisha? Your always so quiet, don't you have something to say; due to the fact that Karly and Natasha are sitting with the new girl Melissa?" Elisha just stared at Lizzy and then got up and walked away. "Where do you think your going?" said Lizzy to Elisha in a commanding tone. Then Lizzy was sitting all alone as some high school boys stared at her, then she said, "What are you looking at?" The boys eventually turned around and left her alone.

Elisha was sitting on the bathroom floor when Melissa walked in. "What's wrong?" Melissa asked in a shaky tone. "Nothing." Answered Elisha. Melissa stared into Elisha's face and noticed tear stains, as if Elisha had been crying. Melissa then said, "If you need a friend, I'm here for you." Melissa then thought that Elisha was the type of girl who was sweet and friendly, but her clothes told other wise. Elisha had dark brown hair, she wore black vintage clothes that looked like they were bought from an antique store. She also wore black eye liner, black mascara, and black nail polish. Elisha then said, "I just don't know if I really have a reason for being here, sometimes I feel as if I don't belong." Melissa smiled and said, "I know how you feel, but the one thing that helps is confidence." Melissa was really saying that, confidence is needed everyday. Confidence helps people see who you really are, instead of covering it up with a mask that makes you feel insecure about yourself. An hour went by and Elisha and Melissa were friends from that day on. They talked, had slumber parties, and shared secrets.

Natasha was friendly by nature, that's just the way she is. Natasha is a Russian girl,is very smart and very opened to others. One Saturday evening the girls were having a slumber party, and Lizzy was the only one who didn't show up. The girls sat in a circle playing the game truth or dare, but the game turned into a fight, the fight turned into a big disaster. One question led to another question, which led to being angry to screaming, then to crying, and ending with a broken friendship. It all started when Karly asked if Natasha was coming back to school next year. Natasha answered back saying, " I'm actually not coming back. I'm moving back to Russia." "What?" Karly said with a disappointed look on her face. She then said, "you can't move, not now. Were in high school, your parents can't just take you out of school. Were best friends, how could you move in a time like this? I tell you all my secrets and now your moving, and I won't ever see you again." Natasha then said, "I'm sorry, I really am sorry. The secrets you told me, people know them. Everyone know's your secret." "And how do they know my secret, I only told you." Answered Karly. "Well, you told me your secrets in the girls locker room, and nobody was in there." Said Natasha. "After you left, Cecilia walked out behind me; when you had already left the bathroom." replied Natasha. Karly just stared at her with tears in her eyes, and left the room. Natasha followed her, and left Melissa in the room all by herself. Standing in the middle of the hallway, Karly and Natasha were talking about the secrets that Cecilia heard. " Which means if she heard what I said, then she knows that I like Michael." Said Karly with tears in her eyes. "Not only does she know I like Michael, but she might even tell him. Meanwhile my best friend is leaving to Russia." Then all of a sudden Melissa get's a text from Cecilia saying, "How's your slumber party, Ladies?" Melissa then showed the text to Karly and Natasha. "How did she know we are having a slumber party?" Asked Karly. "I don't know, and I don't even talk to her." Replied Natasha. Melissa then said, " I don't even know who she is, I know she goes to our school, but I personally don't know her. I don't even have her number this text says its to Karly."
"Which means she's stalking us?" Said Karly. Then the door bell rang. All three girls were silent. Melissa then answered the door, it was Lizzy. After Lizzy came in Elisha came in behind Lizzy unexpectedly. "We have something to tell you." Said Lizzy and Elisha. "I was adopted." Said Elisha. This time there was something different about Elisha, she dyed her dark brown hair to a jet black hair color. "Your what?" Said Natasha. "I'm adopted." Elisha said, again. " I guess we should lay all our secrets on the table, now."Said Melissa. Natasha went first by saying, " I'm moving back to Russia, and I won't be here next year for school." Then Karly said, "I like Michael, and I told Natasha because I trusted her." Then Lizzy said, "So are you telling me that you can't trust me or the rest of us." Karly replied with saying, "yeah, that's why Lizzy, just admit that all you care about is yourself, your self-centered, you want to get into an Arts College, and everything we talk about is about you. Its all about you. I hate that you get jealous of everything, and for the record I don't trust you. Lizzy replied saying, " I'm sorry I'm not perfect. People get jealous, even you Karly but you don't admit it either. I admit I'm jealous of Melissa because your pretty, smart, and you have confidence in who you are. Melissa you have the perfect life, everybody loves you; you changed the school and your everyone's best friend. Lizzy then cried her heart out. She was trying to be different, from everyone else. Lizzy sometimes feels as if all she can do is escape to another world by writing a song, a song that reflected on life and how people aren't always who they say they are; even in a friendship. That night Lizzy wrote a song in her friendship journal. The song is called: "Underneath The Line".

Saturday 8/20/2011

• Underneath the line / we call our life / we hide our pain / in a crowded / room/no one sees past / the smile / we hide / we hide our pain / no one sees what were going through / we hide / hide everything / underneath / the line / We say hello / we wave goodbye / to our / old life / underneath the line / we call our life / we hide our pain / in a crowded / room / leave the pain on a / book page / and go to the next chapter / put the book / on the shelf / for a new / person/ underneath the line / we call our life / we hide our pain / in a crowded /room / no one sees past / the smile / oh, cry / just cry / cry / the tears / on the page / show your / pain / its ok / to be / angry / we hide / we hide our pain / no one sees what were going through / we hide / we hide everything / underneath the line / we call our life / we hide our pain / in a crowded / room / underneath the line / line / underneath the line….
• Courage by The Strange Familiar
Take all my vicious words
And turn them into something good

Take all my preconceptions
And let the truth be understood

Take all my prized possessions
Leave only what I need

Take all my pieces of doubt
And let me be what's underneath

Courage is when you're afraid,
But you keep on moving anyway

Courage is when you're in pain,
But you keep on living anyway

We all have excuses why
Living in fear something in us dies
Like a bird with broken wings
It's not how high he flies,
But the song he sings

Courage is when you're afraid,
But you keep on moving anyway

Courage is when you're in pain,
But you keep on living anyway,
You keep on living anyway

It's not how many times you've been knocked down
It's how many times you get back up

Courage is when you've lost your way,
But you find your strength anyway

Courage is when you're afraid
Courage is when it all seems grey
Courage is when you make a change,
And you keep on living anyway

You keep on moving anyway
You keep on giving anyway
You keep on loving anyway

When Elisha got home, she turned the radio on, and the song: "Courage" came on. She listened to the words and was amazed by what she was hearing. Elisha's secret was that she was adopted and life was going great, but Elisha feels neglected by her family and her friends aren't supporting her. Elisha's reason for dying her hair black wasn't just to look cool, but to get attention from her friends. Elisha missed her real parents. She's never met them, but she wonders if her mom was a true beauty. She wonders about her father. If her father was an attorney or worked in the medical field.
She wonders why her parents gave her up for adoption. Elisha feels abandoned, unloved, and lonely. She feels as if she can't tell her friends, because there also going through other situations, its not just her. Elisha was realizing that Melissa's character was making people realize that what you say and do reflects who you are, so that means that when everybody was telling the truth, except Melissa;that means that Melissa was hiding something. She didn't speak at all, in the midst of Karly and Lizzy crying. Tomorrow at school I'm going to be confident in who I am. The next day Elisha woke up with a great attitude and smiled and was different. She went to school, and was herself, but not quite. She was different in a good way. Elisha held her head up high, smiled and was very social at school.

At school chaos was everywhere. Karly was having the worst day ever. People were telling secrets and gossiping about her. Karly felt as if she wanted to hide under a rock or at least disappear into thin air. Then after putting books away in her locker and slamming her locker shut, Michael was standing next to her. He then said, " hey, we have to talk." Karly replied saying, "no, no we don't." Michael then said, "I know the secret, and I feel the same way." Karly then said, " I'm sorry, If you just want to forget about it you can. If you have a girlfriend and like her and not me, then go for it. Michael stared at her waiting to see if she comprehended what he said. He just stared and smiled. "Wait, did you just say what I think you said? Are you sure you feel the same way?" Karly said with an excited shaky tone. Michael then said, "Listen I really do mean what I say, and prom is coming up and" All of sudden Karly bursts into tears of happiness and says, "yes, yes, I'll go to prom with you". She said interrupting him. Across the hallway Cecilia screams in an angry tone saying, "ugh, you were supposed to go with me, not some girl who cries when she doesn't get what she wants." Everyone in the hallway heard this and started laughing. Michael then said, " well, good luck finding a date to prom." Cecilia then screamed as she ran to the girls bathroom with tears in her eyes. "For once I'm glad she sees how it feels to be bullied, maybe that will teach her a lesson." Karly said.

It was prom night and Karly and Michael were having the time of their life. Natasha was dancing with her older and very protective brother. Natasha secretly liked Michael's friend Anthony. Anthony was a really good looking guy from the senior class. He was Italian and was a very social person. Natasha's brother Daniel was keeping a sharp-eye on her. Elisha was sitting at a table drinking fruit punch and was just enjoying the night. Melissa and Lizzy were talking in the bathroom. "I have something to say, and I want to say that my life is not perfect. My life is falling apart at home, ever since I was eight years old. My parents are divorced. " Melissa said. Lizzy then said, "oh, I'm sorry, but let me remind you were all going through hard stuff not just you." Melissa replied" I know, I just thought I share. My dad is dating another women who has three kids from another marriage, my mother is married to a man who is now my stepdad. my mom and stepdad want custody over me, but my opinion doesn't seem to matter; to my parents. " Lizzy then said, "Well, I don't really want to be your friend." Melissa then replied by saying, "I can't be with someone who's always jealous at me or something I do." Lizzy then walked away, and never talked to or hanged out with Melissa, Karly, and Elisha. Natasha eventually went back to Russia after school ended.

Last weekend Melissa, Karly, and Elisha all had a "meeting" on having courage and to be real, and to show your feelings so people or your friends can encourage each other along with support by family. Melissa, Karly, and Elisha decided on making a "Friendship Journal" which would have a log of secrets, and encouragements, Bible verses, etc…Friendships were tested, but in the end Melissa, Karly, and I realized who are true friends really were.

"If a hug is worth a thousand words, your friendship's worth a million."

Life is about trusting your feelings and taking chances, losing and finding happiness, appreciating the memories, learning from the past, and realizing people change