Summer vacation melted away and became the new school year, third grade for Lexi and me. I wasn't that scared to go this year, since the school wasn't an entirely new place, and I already had a few friends, Luke and Lexi. I actually found myself a little bit excited, but there was no way that I was admitting that to anybody, not even Lexi. I had that feeling of butterflies in my stomach, and I found that my rubbing stone became more and more occupied by my nervous thumb. I was really looking forward to seeing Luke again though, for I hadn't seen him since my sleepover in the clubhouse with Lexi. That hideaway was more of a home to me than my own house.
To prepare for the new school year, my mom decided we would go shopping. I hate shopping more than I hate brussell sprouts. In fact, I would rather eat every single brussell sprout in the frozen package than go shopping. I especially despised looking for new clothes because I didn't get to pick out what we bought, it was always my mother's choice. I hated almost all of my clothes except for my favorite pink shirt, and anything that was blue. We also had to go school supply shopping. I didn't mind that as much, mostly because I could pick out anything I wanted, and I loved the folders with puppies on it. There were only a few more days until I met my new teacher and classmates. I hoped that Lexi and Luke would be in my class again. Or at least Luke, since Lexi lived right behind me and we could always ride the bus together. Of course I wanted Lexi in my class, she was my best friend! I also didn't want her to be in another class because I was afraid that she would make other friends and forget about me, which I knew I couldn't live with.
On the "Sneak a Peek" day, the one where we go and meet our teachers and classmates, I rode with Lexi in her mom's car. When we pulled up in the school parking lot, I was so nervous, I thought I might rub my stone away entirely. We basically sprinted out of the shiny, black convertible to go see the class lists. When we reached the doors that had been so intimidating to me on my first day here, there was a crowd of people that seemed to go on forever. Luckily, Lexi and I were small, so we held hands and wove through the crowd all the way up to the glass doors. We read the sheets of paper that were taped to the inside, searching for our names.
"Hey, I found me!" Lexi shouted over the noise of all the people.
"Who do you have?" I shouted back.
"Mrs. Thorne! Let me look for you!" I saw her standing on her tip-toes to see. "Hey! We are in the same class!" she said. I sighed with relief.
"Who else is in our class?" I asked.
She kept scanning the list. "Luke Stein, Mary Jane Elder, Austin Cole..."
"Okay that's all I care about!" I said.
"What's all you care about? That Luke and I are in your class?" she asked giving me a suspicious smile. I stuck out my tongue. Like she didn't know the answer to that.
We opened up the doors and walked into the school that smelled like soap and minty toothpaste. I really hadn't missed this place at all. Lexi and I searched for the third grade hall, where we could find Mrs. Thorne.
"Here it is," I said.
Lexi jumped up and down excitedly. "Yay! Let's go find our classroom!" she said.
We walked down the hall, turning our heads from left to right to see which classroom was ours. At the very end of the hall, we found Mrs. Thorne's room
"Hello darlings! What are your names?" an old, plump woman said.
Lexi, not being afraid of new people was the first to respond. "I'm Lexi Blackwell, and this is my best friend Anne Gallot."
Mrs. Thorne smiled. "Well, Anne and Lexi, welcome to third grade. Are you excited to be coming here in a few days?"
"Not really," I mumbled.
Lexi pinched me. "Yes, we are very excited to be here. Right, Anne?" she said.
I nodded.
"Well, I will see you girls on the first day of school! Enjoy your last few days of summer!" Mrs. Thorne said enthusiastically.
Lexi waved goodbye to her and we started walking away. Then, she leaned toward me and murmured, "You really need to work on your social skills."
YOU ARE READING
The Cherry Trees
Novela Juvenil"It was then that I heard it. The small, quiet, click. I couldn't turn my head fast enough. When I finally saw her, she had the gun to her head. "I'm sorry," she mouthed. And then the whole forest went silent when the sound of her life being taken e...
