Project Unpopular

{2}

The next morning, Sunday, I rolled out of bed at ten o'clock looking like a zombie bride, with makeup that I hadn't removed smudged over my face and my hair in a birds nest.

Because that's how we roll in the shire.

I'd been up till eleven (after that mum yelled at me she was going to turn the wifi off if I didn't go to sleep) texting Demi and my other friends about what to do about the Melody problem, and then hasn't actually fallen asleep till one thirty. My ass the average time it takes to get to sleep is seven minutes.

Finally I managed to drag myself from the bed, after I heard Zach screaming he was going to dump water on me to wake me up. He'd done it before. Not pleasant, trust me.

The floor boards of my room were cold, even through my thick socks (knee length, pink with yellow polka dots and fabulous). I could never sleep without socks on, it was a weird habit thing. When I got to the kitchen, my lovely mother threw a wet dishcloth in face, as if it make me stop practically sleep walking.

My mother, is a wonderful person.

Halfway through a breakfast of Cheerios (which I still ate and enjoyed even though they were meant for ten year olds), it became apparent that my mum was trying to get me to do something house-work related.

"I'm supposed to go shopping with my friends today," I told her, before she began on her list of things for me to do.

"You went shopping with a friend yesterday."

I stared at my mum, wondering what the hell she was talking about.

"Melody," She reminded.

"She is not, a friend."

Mum ignored that. "I want you to start cleaning the attic today-"

"But muuuuuum!" It was too late to argue; I was already that unknowing fly stuck in a cruel spiders web.

"Sasha." My mum really was a cruel spider.

I groaned.

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The attic was mostly full of old school books, artworks, ugly vases from ancient relatives and old toys, clothes, games and books that had too many sentimental values to throw away.

And spiders.

You mustn't forget the spiders.

The attic was at least twice the size of my room, and again I felt envious of Melody. She didn't even like the attic for god's sake!

There were about twenty or so cardboard boxes in the attic, and mum wanted me to sort through every one. I was not happy. But I knew if I didn't do it, I just be in trouble later, which meant more chores, which meant less fun time. Better just to go through the stupid boxes.

The first one was full of skiing gear, which was strange since I'd never been skiing, and I didn't think my mum or dad had been during my life.

The next was full of Zach's artwork from kindergarten, most of it finger painting in bright reds, greens and blues, and all of it terrible. I came across one painting of a (I think) girl with yellow hair, a blue dress, vampire teeth and devil horns, with the words 'my sister' written in scratchy writing above.

Nice to know he loved me so much.

The next boxes were full of my books from middle school. I found my seventh grade History assignment on building one of the Seven Wonders (it was kind of squashed flat. Zeus's face ((I'd done that statue thing of him)) was indented so it looked like he'd been hit in the face with his own shield) and my eighth grade science test (I had failed Science that year. Actually, I'd failed a lot of things that year). Then, near the bottom of the box, I found a sketch I'd done in year six, of me, Demi and two of my other friends, Candy and Delphi. I smoothed it out on my lap, trying to get rid of the thousands of crinkles.

Seeing the sketch kind of made me reminisce. I had been good at art, I really had. But I'd given it up after I moved to the popular table. Now I kind of regretted it.

I'd written in thick, blocky bubble writing at the bottom, 'TOP OF THE POPS'. I wasn't really sure what I had meant when I wrote it, but when I had met my new friends for the first time, we'd made a decision to get to the top of the school food chain, and we'd done it. We'd called it Project Popular, but it was hardly a project. More just pulling stunts to get noticed, wearing fashionable clothes.

And leaving behind our old friends. I still kind of felt bad for that, as much as I could actually feel guilt (which wasn't that much).

But now...Melody had told me as we were leaving the mall, she was pretty much going to take all I'd worked for away. No way was I letting her do that.

She was definitely ruthless enough to survive at Redlands High (she had tried to bury me alive once), and there was no doubting she could steal my place at the popular table.

If I was going to lose my popularity, it was happening on my own terms. I would need some help with it, but luckily I knew just the person. And he owed me a favour. I glanced back at the sketch on my lap.

Shoving the picture back into the box, I muttered, "Project Unpopular is a go,"

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I imagine Melody looking like Brooke Hyland from Dance Moms. Pic to the side. I know I said I probably wouldn't update for six weeks. I lied, but this is really short. It's just letting ya know I guess. Not the greatest but anyway.