Maria Harriet And Valley In The Underworld

Chapter One

(A/N Hey guys! I know not a lot of people are not going to see this but if you do, and happen to read it, please comment what you think and what I could to to improve it! I'm open to all suggestions! 😊)

"Hello? Dad? I'm home." I say as I walk into our house. "Yeah Hun, I'm up here! Come up, I need to ask you something." I chew the inside of my cheek. This isn't our normal routine. Normally, I come home, I yell up to see if my dad's home, which he usually is. He says hi and asks for a grilled cheese, I bring it up to him and he's working on papers in his office. I sit down in a chair next to his coffee table and I tell him about all the things that happened in boring, yet drama filled eighth grade. Then I'll go over to his book shelf and see if there's anything new. (He owns the National Library of Kentucky.) After we go downstairs and while I'm doing homework he makes dinner. It's a normal night for almost anyone after that. I walk up slowly and stand in front of his desk. "Please sit down sweetie." I take a deep breath and sit down. At first I might've thought this would be nothing, he would just be telling me he's going off for business and Aunt Margret is coming to stay. But he looked so worried. So scared. "Yes dad." I say crossing my legs. He comes over to sit by me. "Has anything weird happened today? Anybody being mean to you?" He says. So THATS what this is about. He thinks I'm being bullied for my dyslexia again. I laugh and sigh filled with relief. "Daddy, I'm fine, nobody has been mean to me." He still sits there worried. "Honey, what if I told you, you had to leave. And you had the choice to come back every school year. What would you do?" Worry begins to fill and course through my veins again. "What? I wouldn't leave you. You need me here." I look up at him. He sighs. "Never mind Hun, can you grill me a cheese?" My father says with a worry filled smile. I'm still worried about him but manage to say yes and go downstairs.

My alarm clock wakes me up with its obnoxious sound. I moan and get out of bed yanking the cord out. I grab my phone to see what time it is. 6:00 am. I walk over to my closet and grab jeans and a gray t-shirt with a book quote on it. I walk over and brush my tangle of blonde hair and apply my make up over my gray eyes and caramel skin. I look from my curling iron to my straightener. I pick up the curling iron and curl the tips and let my hair flow down to my mid-back. I shove some books around in my closet and find my gray flats with a crossed bow on it. Then I go over to my book shelf and try and find something I haven't read because I finished my book, An Imperial Affliction, last night. I'm frustration as I walk down the hall to my fathers office and go over to his book shelf. "Finish another one?" He asks working on his paperwork. "Yep, got any new ones?" I ask. "In that cabinet, I got a whole new Alexandra Clarissa series." I walk over and grab book one. "Haley's picking me up again." I say. "Okay. Honey, please think about our conversation yesterday." I whip around to face him. He looks up and faintly smiles. "Okay." He walks over and kisses my cheek. "Have a good day."

I walk downstairs and grab an apple. My phone vibrates in my back pocket. It's Emily, my other friend. She's dyslexic too. "Hey Em." I say. "Hi, what are the questions for homework, I can't really read it." She says. "I don't know, work with the numbers." I say back. "Ugh, fine. I gotta go." She says as she hangs up.

Haley pulls up in front of my house and beeps her horn. She's in ninth grade but lives down the block, back in first grade I was going to skip, but my dyslexia got stronger, so I had to stay in first. I hop in her car and she yells hi over the booming Katy Perry. I yell hey back and we pull off. After Katy Perry, MKTO, Classic comes on and we yell/sing along.

We pull up in front of Lincoln Middle. She turns down the music just as Demons comes on. "Bye girl, you want me to bring you home?" She says reapplying her lipstick. "Nah, I promised I'd walk with Emily." I snorts and drives away. Haley doesn't like Emily since she started dating her brother, Keith.

I walk into school and shove myself through clouds of gossiping girls and dumb jocks talking about the latest Patriots game. I walk over to my locker where Emily is waiting. "I'm really excited for tonight, Keith is supposed to take me to the park, what do you think I should wear. I think my theme color is going to be scarlet." She says. I sigh and turn to her. "I think your king may like it if you wear your scarlet peplum with white jeans and black heals. And where some black jewelry." She thinks about this decision and then turns back to me. "Not black, scarlet. Anyways, dismissive content. Keith isn't my king, I just really love him." I grab my books and shove them into my bag. "Well, you definitely worship him. Sometimes I think it's just to make Haley mad. But can you stop trying to open my locker to put your dumb mascara on? We have class to get too, and if you don't mind, can you stop writing lipstick notes on here, especially ones to yourself. I'm going to have to change my combination... for the seventh time." She waves her hand and says something. "Hey, are you coming to the dance Friday? I'm already going with Keith. You should totally go with Jordan or something." She says with a squeal. Ugh, I never should have told her my crush. I regret it all, because ever since, she's been trying to draw attention to me. Whatever. "Um, well I'm not going with anyone, and I definitely don't want to tag along your make-out crew." I say. She shoots me a glare just as my phone starts to ring. It's my dad.

"Hello?"

"Hi Maria. Listen, you can't come home today sweetie, okay. Go to Haley's or somebody's house. Maybe Emily's."

"Why? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah Hun, I'm just meeting someone very......important."

"Well you sound very hesitant, and anyways, I've met a lot of important people before daddy, why wouldn't you want me to meet this one?"

"Because this one isn't related to business.".

I begin to smile.

"Is it a girrllllll?" I say obnoxiously squealing.

"Sort of. But don't come home."

"Ugh, dad why? I want to meet her!!"

"Well, because-"

The bell rings it's stupid sound, my dad was just about to tell me who it is!!

"Continue dad." I say impatiently.

"Is that the bell? Well you gotta go, love you, see you tomorrow. And I'm going to drop your bag off later." He says then he hangs up.

"What was THAT all about?" Emily says.

"I dunno, but I'm gonna find out." I say, feeling a little bit dramatic.

"Hello class, I'm Mrs. Downey, substitute to your original social studies teacher. You may ask why I have such an interesting accent. That's because I have recently moved from...uhh.." Our teacher says. She's honestly a bit strange, she can't even remember where she's from for Pete's sake! "That's right!" She's says rather loud, but to herself. "Australia!" Mrs. Downey says then scans the room. Her eyes land on me and they widen. She quickly looks away and walks out of the room unexpectedly. Everyone starts to talk and I start to wonder why she looked so...scared? Intimidated? Huh.

Mrs. Downey walked back in with another adult. "Hello. I'm uhh..." The man touches his chin and whispers to our substitute. She whispers back and nods towards the class. "Right. I'm substituting for your gym teacher, I'm Mr. Drew. Now, class is temporarily dismissed. You may roam the halls as you wish, but at 10:00 please return to this class room." What the heck? Are you kidding me? "Excuse me, don't you need to check with the principal for this? Is everyone else getting out of class? Maybe I can help, I know the lesson plans and stuff, because Ms. Ha-" Mrs. Downey cuts me off. "Hush, I don't need your help, but Mr. Drew might. Go help him." What the heck is she looney in the head? "No, this is unfair. I want to get out of class too!" I say. This reason, and because I'm getting scared, is why I just might've sent my sorry butt to detention. Mrs. Downey walks over to me, waiting and thinking of what to say. She looks me up and down before she says,"fine. But I'm watching you." She's definitely crazy. She even emphasized the word 'you'! I scramble out of the room and see Emily in the hands of another weird adult walking to the end of the hall. I lot of teachers are sick today...

After that, school flys by, my dad dropped my bag off (and I'm afraid for what he packed me so I'm just going to have to borrow some of Haley's black clothes for what I'm planning). I walk out of school to wait by the steps for Emily. I didn't see her at lunch, but sometimes she goes out with Keith secretly. Ugh, Em. Where are you?

Fifteen minutes later I decide she stood me up because Keith was driving her home or something and her phone probably died. I sigh and start to walk and check my phone to see what times it is. I look back up and keep walking. It's turning out to be a bad day.