The next morning was the first day of summer vacation. Lizzie stretched her
arms as she woke up, and almost smiled. But then she remembered what had
happened the day before.
Ethan Craft was her boyfriend. After many short-lived relationships throughout the eighth grade, she had finally been approached by the one guy who was always on her mind. It was regarded by the entire school to be "it" relationship, causing Lizzie to have a sweet ride on the popularity train. Even Kate Sanders had eventually succum to show Lizzie respect when it became apparent that the Lizzie/Ethan hook-up was not the every-day one- week fling.
"What's wrong with me?" she asked aloud, buried beneath her covers.
It felt as if she had spent every waking moment of the past two months with Ethan. How could she possibly get used to being without him. The worst part of it was that he had broken up with her at lunch, for all of the gaping seventh-graders and snickering eighth-graders to see. The whole school had witnessed how the love of her life had rejected her.
As she slowly trudged down the stairs in her pink kitten pajamas, pondering the wretchedness of her life, the smell of chocolate chip cookies tickled her nose. Her suspicions were confirmed when she entered the kitchen and her mother was pulling a fresh batch out of the oven.
Mrs. Mcguire looked over at her daughter and smiled as she scraped the cookies off the sheet and placed them on a rack to cool. "Hey, sleepy head," she said. "I guess it's nice not to wake up early and go school, huh?"
Lizzie nodded meekly and forced and smile. She reached for a cookie and got a swift pat on the hand from her mother.
"Not so fast, young lady. Those are for after lunch."
"Oh," said Lizzie. Once her mother had gone back to the oven, she smuggled a cookie from the rack and quickly exited the area.
* * * *
"Geez, Lizzie, you're acting like a starving Ethopian," Matt complained as Lizzie reached for another cookie from the plate. She ignored him and dunked the cuookie into her milk. After it was good and soggy, she placed it in her mouth and devoured it in one bite.
"You know, if you keep eating like that, you're going to get fat." He laughed wildly at the thought.
Lizzie glared at him acidly, but she was still feeling down and didn't feel like getting into a fight with him. She grabbed a handful of cookies and retreated to her room.
As she lay slumped on her bed, stuffing her face with homemade cookies, her eyes fell upon the necklace Ethan had given her on their one-month anniversary (which, to a junior high student, was a monumental achievement). She would have cried at the sight of it, only she felt she had cried so long yesterday that it would be physically impossible for her to shed another tear.
The phone rang, and it was Miranda. "Hey, girl," she greeted in her ever ecstatic voice.
"Hi, Miranda."
"Are you feeling any better about... you know?"
"Sure. It's not so bad." That was one of the biggest lies Lizzie had ever told.
"That's good to hear. I was thinking we'd go shopping tomorrow if you were up to it. Maybe look at some cute new swimsuits for the summer?"
"Yeah, okay." Anything was better than staying home and moping about Ethan.
"My mom and I will come pick you up tomorrow about 3:00, then. See ya."
"See ya."
Lizzie sat up and walked over to her dresser, where the silver chain necklace was resting. She picked it up and shoved it into one her drawers, where she wouldn't have to look at it. Then she went downstairs to get some more cookies.
Ethan Craft was her boyfriend. After many short-lived relationships throughout the eighth grade, she had finally been approached by the one guy who was always on her mind. It was regarded by the entire school to be "it" relationship, causing Lizzie to have a sweet ride on the popularity train. Even Kate Sanders had eventually succum to show Lizzie respect when it became apparent that the Lizzie/Ethan hook-up was not the every-day one- week fling.
"What's wrong with me?" she asked aloud, buried beneath her covers.
It felt as if she had spent every waking moment of the past two months with Ethan. How could she possibly get used to being without him. The worst part of it was that he had broken up with her at lunch, for all of the gaping seventh-graders and snickering eighth-graders to see. The whole school had witnessed how the love of her life had rejected her.
As she slowly trudged down the stairs in her pink kitten pajamas, pondering the wretchedness of her life, the smell of chocolate chip cookies tickled her nose. Her suspicions were confirmed when she entered the kitchen and her mother was pulling a fresh batch out of the oven.
Mrs. Mcguire looked over at her daughter and smiled as she scraped the cookies off the sheet and placed them on a rack to cool. "Hey, sleepy head," she said. "I guess it's nice not to wake up early and go school, huh?"
Lizzie nodded meekly and forced and smile. She reached for a cookie and got a swift pat on the hand from her mother.
"Not so fast, young lady. Those are for after lunch."
"Oh," said Lizzie. Once her mother had gone back to the oven, she smuggled a cookie from the rack and quickly exited the area.
* * * *
"Geez, Lizzie, you're acting like a starving Ethopian," Matt complained as Lizzie reached for another cookie from the plate. She ignored him and dunked the cuookie into her milk. After it was good and soggy, she placed it in her mouth and devoured it in one bite.
"You know, if you keep eating like that, you're going to get fat." He laughed wildly at the thought.
Lizzie glared at him acidly, but she was still feeling down and didn't feel like getting into a fight with him. She grabbed a handful of cookies and retreated to her room.
As she lay slumped on her bed, stuffing her face with homemade cookies, her eyes fell upon the necklace Ethan had given her on their one-month anniversary (which, to a junior high student, was a monumental achievement). She would have cried at the sight of it, only she felt she had cried so long yesterday that it would be physically impossible for her to shed another tear.
The phone rang, and it was Miranda. "Hey, girl," she greeted in her ever ecstatic voice.
"Hi, Miranda."
"Are you feeling any better about... you know?"
"Sure. It's not so bad." That was one of the biggest lies Lizzie had ever told.
"That's good to hear. I was thinking we'd go shopping tomorrow if you were up to it. Maybe look at some cute new swimsuits for the summer?"
"Yeah, okay." Anything was better than staying home and moping about Ethan.
"My mom and I will come pick you up tomorrow about 3:00, then. See ya."
"See ya."
Lizzie sat up and walked over to her dresser, where the silver chain necklace was resting. She picked it up and shoved it into one her drawers, where she wouldn't have to look at it. Then she went downstairs to get some more cookies.