Iris: The American Dream Series Book One

Bridge To a New Life

"Come on Iris, you should join the committee with me! It'll be fun, and we get to pick the theme for the winter dance." Abby was laying on her bed, feet up on the pillows as I sat on the beanbag in her bedroom. She had a poster of One Direction on her wall, and a shelf lined with stuffed teddy bears.

"I don't know, I've never been on a committee before."

"It's easy. We just go to the meetings and talk about decorations and stuff. If we don't put in our two cents' worth, then those popular girls from English class—you know, Kayla and Olivia and the rest of them—they'll run the whole thing, and it will be stupid like last year."

"Why was it stupid? And how do you know it was stupid—weren't you too young to go last year?"

"Because Zach went and he told me all about it. The theme was 'Swingin' Sixties'." Abby flopped over onto her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows and looking at me. "And if you don't know enough about America yet to know about the Sixties, then just imagine your grandma as a teenager in a miniskirt dancing weird." Abby wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue.

The Sixties didn't sound that bad to me (although Oma in a miniskirt was something I couldn't even imagine), but maybe it would be kind of fun to help pick out decorations and stuff. "Okay, I guess we can be on the committee," I said.

"I'll sign us up tomorrow."

"Good. Should we finish our presentations for the artistic inspiration assignment? My group is going first." I dug through my backpack, looking for my envelope of pictures that I'd printed from our field trip on Friday. "I have my photos all ready—want to see?"

Abby scooted off of her bed and sat cross-legged on the floor in front of me. "These are incredible, Iris—seriously. You're definitely getting an A on this project!"

I felt my face flush with pride. I knew when I was taking them that the light was good and that the colors on the bridge would look amazing together. I was really happy with how they'd turned out. "I like the one of Felipe with the bridge stretching behind him like an orange snake," I said.

"That's my favorite," Abby said, holding it carefully so she wouldn't get fingerprints on it. "You should give him a copy."

"Great minds think alike." I pulled another print of the same picture from my envelope. "I already made him one! And I made one for you," I said, taking out a copy of the one I'd shot of Abby leaning against a post on the bridge.

"Aw, you made this for me, Iris? I love this—thank you!" Abby took the picture from me and slid across the wood floor in her socks like she was skating over ice. She pulled the pillows off of her bed and stood up on the mattress so that she was facing the wall. "I'm hanging it right here," she said, taking the thumbtacks out of the corners of her One Direction poster. She flung it onto the floor and stuck my photo of her up there instead, pushing the pins into each corner.