"Dear Diary,
Today is the day. The day I hopefully step out of my former position as the klutz from junior high and become the popular girl of high school. Ok. So I'm dreaming a little big. I just don't want to be known as the girl who constantly falls down. And hopefully I won't be. I just have to not fall down. That's the hard part.
The big day starts in just two hours. Gordo's meeting me and Riley at the bus stop in an hour and forty five minutes. I have to get ready! Wish me luck on my first day as a high school student! 3 Lizzie"
She slid the notebook under her mattress and grabbed the clothes she was going to wear, before half jogging - half skipping to the bathroom. Turning the corner, she barely managed to dodge out of Riley's way.
"Morning, Ri!" she chirped.
Riley smiled slightly, "Hey Lizzie. Excited for high school?"
"So much! Gotta take a shower! See you downstairs!" Lizzie practically ran into the bathroom, swinging the door shut behind her. She caught a last, fleeting glance of Riley walked down the stairs in faded jeans and a t-shirt, her hair hanging loose around her face, glasses framing her eyes. 'I didn't know Ri wore glasses.'
Lizzie scrubbed herself clean with her favorite body wash, and washed her hair quickly. She then leapt from the shower, drying off and pulling on the outfit she had decided to wear on her first day as a freshman. A yellow, one-shouldered top and a jean skirt were accessorized by her heart necklace and the charm bracelet that Gordo had given her as an eighth-grade graduation present. She blew-dry her hair so it was stick straight and added some light makeup. Smiling at her reflection, she opened the bathroom door and walked downstairs, ready to start her freshman year of high school.
She found Riley sitting at the counter, already ninety percent done with her breakfast, although it was not really a large meal. "Is that all your going to eat?"
Riley looked down at the SlimFast shake in her hand and shrugged, "I've never been much of a breakfast person." She took a long swig of the drink, sucking up the last drops. Adjusting the small glasses on her face, she hopped down from the stool and began walking toward her room.
"Hey Riley?"
Riley turned around, and tilted her head questioningly, "Mmm?"
Lizzie pointed to the frames surrounding Riley's eyes, "I didn't know you wore glasses."
Fingering the frames delicately, Riley shrugged. "Well, I need them to read. My head always hurts when I read. Ever since the accident."
"Oh. Well, they look really good on you." Lizzie looked down at her plate. She always felt so bad when the accident was brought up. "Um, I'll come get you when it's time to go meet Gordo?"
Riley nodded slightly, and turned, again walking towards her room. Lizzie watched her retreating form, biting her lip in thought. Jo walked in, and laughed slightly at her, "You know, eating the toast in front of you might fill you up more than your lip."
Rolling her eyes, Lizzie swung around to the counter and picked up her toast. Biting into it, she mumbled to her mother, "Do you think Riley's going to be okay?"
Jo fixed herself a cup of coffee, and, sitting down across from her daughter, sighed. "Yeah, I really do. Whenever I talked to Rebecca, she always talked about how much of a fighter Riley was, how stubborn she was. How she would never give up on anything. It might take some time, but I think she'll come out strong."
Lizzie smiled. Finishing her toast, she ran upstairs for a few last minute adjustments to her outfit. She reapplied her lip gloss, and sprayed on her perfume. The scent of lilacs and roses filled her bedroom, and she grinned at her reflection. She put on a few rings that went with her outfit and checked the clock. 6:40 AM. 'Time to start walking to the bus stop.'
~~~~~
Lizzie and Riley stood at the corner with seven other teenagers, all of whom Lizzie recognized from junior high, but had never really been friends with. 'I wonder what's keeping Gordo.' Lizzie strained her neck, looking for the familiar bush of brown hair that covered her best friend's head. She turned to Riley, who was staring into space as though admiring a piece of art.
"Riley?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you scared? To go to a new school I mean?"
Riley faced Lizzie, squinting her eyes at the sun. "No, not really. It will kinda be like being a freshman all over again, but I liked freshman year, so what the hey? You're only in high school once; I say live it up. It'll just be weird not seeing all the people I grew up with." She looked past Lizzie's shoulder, smiling slightly. "There's Gordo."
Lizzie turned, smiling. She watched as Gordo walked closer to the bus stop. As always, he looked completely confident and at ease with himself. He was wearing loose fitting jeans and a closer fitting vintage t-shirt. She pulled a green sweatshirt with yellow stripes on the arms out of her backpack and threw it at him as he drew closer to them. Laughing, Gordo snatched the shirt out of the air before it could hit him square in the face. "Did you really think you were going to hurt me with a sweatshirt, McGuire?"
"No, I was simply returning it by airmail." Lizzie smirked, "Thanks for letting me borrow it."
Gordo shoved the shirt into the messenger bag slung over his shoulder, "Took you long enough to give it back. I let you borrow that thing in the first week of July!"
Lizzie laughed, "Hey! I lost it for a little while, and when I found it, I had to wash it. I didn't think you would want girlie smells like lilac and roses on it!"
Gordo and Riley both laughed at that. As the three continued to joke around, the yellow school bus pulled noisily up to the curb. Gordo got on first, followed by Riley and then Lizzie. The bus was completely empty, so Gordo headed to the back, taking the single seat in the last row. Lizzie and Riley sat across the aisle from him.
Riley gazed out the window, watching the world pass by, as Lizzie and Gordo talked anxiously about their new school.
"Do you think we'll be in the same homeroom?" Lizzie twirled a strand of blonde hair around her finger aimlessly.
Gordo shook his head, "Nope. They do it by last name. I'm a 'G,' you're an 'M.' There's almost no chance of that happening. Unless there is suddenly a lack of people with their last names starting with H to L."
Lizzie smiled at his sarcasm, "Very funny, Gordo." She turned to look out the same window her cousin was. Wrapping her arms around her body, she hugged herself tightly, smiling faintly. 'This year is my year.'
Today is the day. The day I hopefully step out of my former position as the klutz from junior high and become the popular girl of high school. Ok. So I'm dreaming a little big. I just don't want to be known as the girl who constantly falls down. And hopefully I won't be. I just have to not fall down. That's the hard part.
The big day starts in just two hours. Gordo's meeting me and Riley at the bus stop in an hour and forty five minutes. I have to get ready! Wish me luck on my first day as a high school student! 3 Lizzie"
She slid the notebook under her mattress and grabbed the clothes she was going to wear, before half jogging - half skipping to the bathroom. Turning the corner, she barely managed to dodge out of Riley's way.
"Morning, Ri!" she chirped.
Riley smiled slightly, "Hey Lizzie. Excited for high school?"
"So much! Gotta take a shower! See you downstairs!" Lizzie practically ran into the bathroom, swinging the door shut behind her. She caught a last, fleeting glance of Riley walked down the stairs in faded jeans and a t-shirt, her hair hanging loose around her face, glasses framing her eyes. 'I didn't know Ri wore glasses.'
Lizzie scrubbed herself clean with her favorite body wash, and washed her hair quickly. She then leapt from the shower, drying off and pulling on the outfit she had decided to wear on her first day as a freshman. A yellow, one-shouldered top and a jean skirt were accessorized by her heart necklace and the charm bracelet that Gordo had given her as an eighth-grade graduation present. She blew-dry her hair so it was stick straight and added some light makeup. Smiling at her reflection, she opened the bathroom door and walked downstairs, ready to start her freshman year of high school.
She found Riley sitting at the counter, already ninety percent done with her breakfast, although it was not really a large meal. "Is that all your going to eat?"
Riley looked down at the SlimFast shake in her hand and shrugged, "I've never been much of a breakfast person." She took a long swig of the drink, sucking up the last drops. Adjusting the small glasses on her face, she hopped down from the stool and began walking toward her room.
"Hey Riley?"
Riley turned around, and tilted her head questioningly, "Mmm?"
Lizzie pointed to the frames surrounding Riley's eyes, "I didn't know you wore glasses."
Fingering the frames delicately, Riley shrugged. "Well, I need them to read. My head always hurts when I read. Ever since the accident."
"Oh. Well, they look really good on you." Lizzie looked down at her plate. She always felt so bad when the accident was brought up. "Um, I'll come get you when it's time to go meet Gordo?"
Riley nodded slightly, and turned, again walking towards her room. Lizzie watched her retreating form, biting her lip in thought. Jo walked in, and laughed slightly at her, "You know, eating the toast in front of you might fill you up more than your lip."
Rolling her eyes, Lizzie swung around to the counter and picked up her toast. Biting into it, she mumbled to her mother, "Do you think Riley's going to be okay?"
Jo fixed herself a cup of coffee, and, sitting down across from her daughter, sighed. "Yeah, I really do. Whenever I talked to Rebecca, she always talked about how much of a fighter Riley was, how stubborn she was. How she would never give up on anything. It might take some time, but I think she'll come out strong."
Lizzie smiled. Finishing her toast, she ran upstairs for a few last minute adjustments to her outfit. She reapplied her lip gloss, and sprayed on her perfume. The scent of lilacs and roses filled her bedroom, and she grinned at her reflection. She put on a few rings that went with her outfit and checked the clock. 6:40 AM. 'Time to start walking to the bus stop.'
~~~~~
Lizzie and Riley stood at the corner with seven other teenagers, all of whom Lizzie recognized from junior high, but had never really been friends with. 'I wonder what's keeping Gordo.' Lizzie strained her neck, looking for the familiar bush of brown hair that covered her best friend's head. She turned to Riley, who was staring into space as though admiring a piece of art.
"Riley?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you scared? To go to a new school I mean?"
Riley faced Lizzie, squinting her eyes at the sun. "No, not really. It will kinda be like being a freshman all over again, but I liked freshman year, so what the hey? You're only in high school once; I say live it up. It'll just be weird not seeing all the people I grew up with." She looked past Lizzie's shoulder, smiling slightly. "There's Gordo."
Lizzie turned, smiling. She watched as Gordo walked closer to the bus stop. As always, he looked completely confident and at ease with himself. He was wearing loose fitting jeans and a closer fitting vintage t-shirt. She pulled a green sweatshirt with yellow stripes on the arms out of her backpack and threw it at him as he drew closer to them. Laughing, Gordo snatched the shirt out of the air before it could hit him square in the face. "Did you really think you were going to hurt me with a sweatshirt, McGuire?"
"No, I was simply returning it by airmail." Lizzie smirked, "Thanks for letting me borrow it."
Gordo shoved the shirt into the messenger bag slung over his shoulder, "Took you long enough to give it back. I let you borrow that thing in the first week of July!"
Lizzie laughed, "Hey! I lost it for a little while, and when I found it, I had to wash it. I didn't think you would want girlie smells like lilac and roses on it!"
Gordo and Riley both laughed at that. As the three continued to joke around, the yellow school bus pulled noisily up to the curb. Gordo got on first, followed by Riley and then Lizzie. The bus was completely empty, so Gordo headed to the back, taking the single seat in the last row. Lizzie and Riley sat across the aisle from him.
Riley gazed out the window, watching the world pass by, as Lizzie and Gordo talked anxiously about their new school.
"Do you think we'll be in the same homeroom?" Lizzie twirled a strand of blonde hair around her finger aimlessly.
Gordo shook his head, "Nope. They do it by last name. I'm a 'G,' you're an 'M.' There's almost no chance of that happening. Unless there is suddenly a lack of people with their last names starting with H to L."
Lizzie smiled at his sarcasm, "Very funny, Gordo." She turned to look out the same window her cousin was. Wrapping her arms around her body, she hugged herself tightly, smiling faintly. 'This year is my year.'