"Hey, Karen! Mom's here! I'll race you!" Andrew cried out. He sounded like a girl.

"Um, I would rather not," I shrugged. Unhappily, I dragged my canvas bag to my mom's Toyota mini van. "Hey, Mom," I said. I tried to sound cheerful but it was just not working out.

So it was the next Friday and time for October at the "little house." Oh, I was probably stressed because mom is the tough one about my grades. Today my English teacher, Miss Burton handed back a very important project----I got an F! That b! How dare her! If I get another bad grade I will likely fail for the period! Worse, my mom has to sign the project grade!

"What's wrong?" Mom sensed something immediately.

I started nervously, braiding a strand of hair. "Well, I'm feeling down because….I haven't gotten many BSC jobs lately." Crap! I can't say something just to my own mother! Karen, you are such a sucker.

So my next job is next Tuesday afternoon with eight year old Lucy Newton, Jamie Newton is cute (well, he's twelve year old cute), and going to a doctor appointment that day.

Big whoop. "Oh. So, what's new, Andrew?" As she changed the subject my mind drifted off.

So the costume party's in less than a month. What am I going to wear? How should I design the invites? Who should be invited? When should we plan who is invited? Should it be held outside during the afternoon, or living room or playroom during the early evening? I should make a list…………

"What do you think, Karen?" asked Mom.

"Huh? What?"

"We are going to the mall tomorrow to get shoes for the girls and you and Andrew are going to come."

"Can I bring Nancy?" I asked.

"And Danny?" Andrew persisted.

My mom replied, "No, this is strictly a family thing."

I sighed then stopped myself. Do I want to get my attitude between my relationships with my mom? Not really. "Oh, is Seth coming too?"

"Yes, he doesn't have any carpentry jobs this weekend." I opened the trunk of the car and threw my bag inside. Hurray for family fun. This is going to be one crappy weekend.

I opened my eyes. Something was beeping, whoever is doing it stop! I turned to the left. My alarm was going off. Huh?

"Good morning," Mom said. "Ready to go?"

"Mrmph." My eyes closed, and then opened again. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" I sat up and looked at the clock. 8:15? Is that early or what?

"We're going to the mall. Now dress you, no time for a shower, and help Jessica and Jordan dress." She quickly turned off the alarm and left.

First I put on a v-neck striped sweater and my glittery diamond necklace. I tied my hair in a high ponytail, put on my Arizona jeans and black heel boots. Time to accessorize! I added huge hoop earrings and I put on cover-up, eye shadow and mascara.

"Hi, i-"I greeted my "little house" family, not so little anymore. The thing was, I almost ran into twin princesses!

Jessica (her eyes are blue and Jordan's are green) curtsied to me. She had a silver tiara, loads of mascara and a pink dress. Her hair was in a bun. "I am Princess Jessie of the Land of Messy!"

"And I am Princess Jordy of the Land of Sporty!" exclaimed Jordan. Her hair was loose and had a red bow clipped to it, with a long red skirt and white tee shirt with red hearts all over it.

"Good morning, pretty princesses, charmed to meet you. Now, we all now that princesses are rich and must have lots of everything. Today our mission is to buy new princess shoes. I watched my half sisters consider the idea.

Jessica finally said," Ya! WE must keep up with the new fashion trends. "I love when the y say their r's. It sounded like "twends."

"Let's pick out an outfit to wear, I'll race you!" We ran up to the room they shared. Jordan had jean overalls and a blue GAP tee underneath. I put her hair in pigtails and tied them with ribbons that matched her overalls.

Jessica had a pink sweatshirt with The Little Mermaid on the front. She had pink and purple striped sweatpants. Her hair was loose with a clipped little pink bow.

I managed to get them in the car, all buckled in. I had to sit between the in the back while mom and Seth sat up front. Andrew got to sit in one of the two middle seats. The whole ride the two were poking each other either in the front or back of me, and giggling.

"We're here!" called mom, and the girls scrambled out of the car. First stop, Payless Shoe Source.

"I like these shoes," Jordan declared. "They have Cinderella on them!" Jessica picked tiny pink Champion sneakers. Then Mom decided we go to an outdoor food place, I forget what it's called I haven't been there in so long.

"Well I'll get milk for the girls and some mac n' cheese." Seth left for food.

"What are you guys going to be for Halloween?" Mom turned to us.

I rolled my eyes. "Mom, I'm almost fifteen. I haven't done Halloween since, like, seventh grade."

Andrew took some offense to that. He was in sixth grade, after all. "I might do Halloween," was all he said.

"Ariel!" squeaked Jordan.

"Elmo!" Jessica cried.

"Food!" Seth exclaimed, carefully walking over.

"Daddy, you're so silly," Jessica said. "Who can be food for Halloween? But at least it's Food Time! Yay!"

"I'm going to get a fork," I said. Then I leaned over to tie my shoe and at that moment Jessica unintentionally elbowed her milk, and it went all over my head. I just gasped, because, hey, that was what I least expected to happen just then.

I flipped my head up and undid my ponytail. My face was turning red, people were staring at me. I had that sensation. So I flattened my hair so it looked half normal and calmly went towards the bathroom. Sometimes people say I am pretty good at hiding my feelings in public. I just say I hate making a scene.

First I stood in front of the mirror. Let's face it, I looked like crap. I wiped forming tears form my yes. Then I did a (very un-thorough) wash of my hair and quickly tied it into a knot in the back of my head.

I didn't think it could get any worse than that. But it did, because my least favorite people walked in just as I was finishing my hair. Pamela Harding, Leslie Morris and Jannie Gilbert, the snob squad was here. "Hi, Karen. All squeaky clean? They should put your milk in a bottle. You're too immature for a glass; doesn't your mommy know that?" Pamela fluffed her silky hair.

"And you're too retarded to think of anything nice to say, ever," was all I could manage. My teeth were clenched.

"Well, I know how to hold a glass," Pamela returned. Her friends laughed. I snorted.

"Go back to the hole in the ground where you came from, Harding," I told her.

Pamela imitated my snort, and left. "Well, the old milk smell was stinging my poor, delicate nose anyway" Pamela called at me while Leslie closed the door.

So the Snob Squad saw the whole thing. My life was not very joyful right now. And there still was that test to tell Mom about………….