Ch no noL Agaln

nobody Lold me abouL Lhe 1esL

Ch Lhey Lold me abouL Lhe pro[ecL ?eah Lhey Lold me plenLy abouL Lhe Lco
pro[ecL all rlghL 8uL nobody ever sald a word abouL Lhls LesL Lhlng
Ann Mlchael"
Mlss Llndsey was Lalklng Lo me l was Lrylng Lo pay aLLenLlon buL leL me Lell you
someLhlng l qot oo l lo my occooots test becoose l boJot ptepoteJ fot lt
?ou [usL pass Lhe buck ?ou are ln hlgh school now ?ou should be responslble
enough Lo"
l wasn'L really llsLenlng unLll she sald 8esldes LhaL ls Lhere anyLhlng dlverLlng
you from your sLudles?"
Pey she ls nobody Lo ask me abouL my petsoool llfe
no noLhlng ls causlng hlndrance ln my sLudles l Lold you prevlously LhaL l [usL
dldn'L know abouL Lhe LesL"

lm ln a well known hlgh school 'ltetotlo cbotms because of Lhe bad
publlclLy we recenLly faced kaLe 8amona lreddle and Cabbana were my
besLles kaLe was my flrsLever besL frlend l had always adored her eyes l and
kaLe haLed 8amona when she was wlLh us ln sevenLh grade ln facL l haLed her
more WhaL an aLLlLude! l beL one day her eye ball wlll come ouL lL lf she keeps
on rolllng lL llke LhaL" l used Lo say
Well l really don'L know how l became frlends wlLh 8amona Lhen Ch yes lL
was when l Lurned lnLo lm mlss looely l bove ooboJy afLer kaLe had Lravelled Lo
uk wlLh her famlly [usL afLer Lhe flnals And when kaLe saw my plcLure wlLh
8amona l could plcLure her ln a panlcky shock Lhlnklng l was a LralLor and
swearlng LhaL she dld klll me when she would come Lo new ?ork ln wlnLer
vacaLlons
8amona ls beauLlful and Lall l call her a blessloq lo Jlsqolse lreddle was wlLh us
ln Lhe same grade Lhen Pe was Lall and quleL and had braces LhaL shlned llke a
Lhousand dlamonds when he smlled
Cabbana ls my nelghbor She's a despo She's noL from 'Lhe beacon house hlgh
school sysLem for oll Jespos lL comes naLurally Lo hersomeLhlng qeoetlc? She
calls me loser face l call her poker facemaybe LhaL's Lhe reason why she keeps
poklng me ln my foce
ln Lhe corrldor l saw Sasha comlng along l haLed her noL because of Lhose
facLs llke lbotebetbecoosesbelssomocbptettlettboome no one excepL me
and Cabbana could see whaL she really ls Per wlsh on Lhe Lop of her llsL was Lo
spread rumors abouL me lf lts Not Ooe 1bloq lts Aootbet
!usL Lhen someLhlng hlL me hard on my head lL became so numb l couldn'L
even feel lL'wow' l LhoughL 'lm headless' and Lhen l collapsed on Lhe floor

1he nexL Lhlng l remember ls waklng up ln Lhe docLor's room and l had Lo see
her puppy dog face when l opened my eyes She was octoolly sLarlng aL me llke a
chlcken wlLh lLs head cuL off
Are you flne Ann?"She asked so mlldly l LhoughL she was melLlng ?ep lm
good" l could see some sorL of dlsappolnLed ln her Ann don'L you feel
anyLhlng? Any sorL of paln or memory loss? uo you remember evetytbloq? now
LhaL was splnnlng my head tlqbt toooJ ?eplm LoLally flne" l replled ln an
assurlng manner
l LhoughL she wanLed me Lo dle because she had a personal haLred Lowards
me no dlsrespecL oo oo lm LoLally flne wlLh Lhe facL LhaL she had senL me Lo Lhe
prlnclpals room llke LwenLy Llmes where l was LhreaLened Lo be suspended lf l
even dared Lo bunk her workshop agaln l don'L really mlnd when she makes me
sLand ln fronL of all senlor sLudenLs durlng her workshop when l hadn'L spoken o
wotJ C8 uo l? ?es l dld mlnd tbot
l wenL back Lo Lhe class Mlss Llndsey wasn'L Lhere yeL Cabbana hurrled
Lowards me and sLarLed hugglng me Ch Andy!" she kepL saylng l haLe when
Cabbana calls me Andy (Andy's lrench for boys) so l shoL Lhe boys Lhls mean look
over her shoulder [usL ln case Lhey were geLLlng any blg ldeas
uh Cabbana?" l flnally managed Lo speak because Lhe words can'L come ouL lf
you are belng hugged by a squeezlng machlne Cabbana can really annoylng
someLlmes 8uL you exacLly can'L dump your besL frlends [usL because she makes
Lhose welrd faces llke Charlle Chaplln Cr she embarrasses you ln fronL of all Lhe
'cool' boys
Cosh l LhoughL you were gonna have a memory loss or someLhlng ?ou know you
hlL Lhe flre exLlngulsher" Ch well 1bot flte extloqolsbet lL hlL you hard Where
were you looklngChmygosh! Look aL LhaL!" l saw her eyes shlfLlng Lowards Lhe
slde of my rlghL eye My hand auLomaLlcally wenL up Lhere and LhaL's when l felL
someLhlng llke a 8uM? Cabbana had already seen my expresslon Pey lL's
alrlghL! ?ou can apply a concealer or someLhlng on lL" She sald a blL confuslngly
LW Cabbana! ?ou know LhaL concealer glves rlse Lo blackheads!!! uo you wanL
my dermaLologlsL Lo klll me?" l sald ln such a manner LhaL Lucy who was drlnklng
coke Lhrew some ouL Lhrough her nosLrlls whlle grlnnlng All Lhe guys laughed
unLll Lhey rolled on Lhe floor whlch Lhelr hands on Lhelr sLomach l Look ouL a
Llssue from my pockeL and gave lL Lo Lucy Pere" oor Lucy couldn'L sLop
blushlng and all she sald was Lhanks

?o Ann chlll!!! Are you Laklng 'nowtobeJespetote classes Lhls year?" lred
came leaplng from behlnd me
l don'L know lreddle! l never expecLed my lasL day Lo be llke tbls" Well yeah
lL was everybody's lasL day ln 'ltetotlo cbotms nlqb 5cbool We were golng on a
summer break 5ommet bteok l remembered how l spenL my summer break lasL
year Mom gave me Lwo alLernaLlves elLher Lo geL employed or Lo go Lo sLay wlLh
uncle !ames's famlly ln Lngland l had chosen Lo seek employmenL
1hen l slgned away my summer Lo become a hoLel sLaff bobyslttet
Ckay ?ou can sLop looqbloq now
l wlll cerLalnly admlL LhaL lLs noL Lhe klnd of [ob l ever LhoughL ld be sulLed for
slnce l have lack of paLlence and l am deflnlLely noL fond of havlng a halr crlsls
8uL allow me Lo polnL ouL LhaL l had been pald flfLeen dollars an hour so l was
aLleasL able Lo buy a gown l had been longlng for slnce monLhs
1he nexL Lhlng lred dld was he announced a parLy aL hls place And lL's an
open lnvlLaLlon for everyone!" fot evetyooe? locloJloq 5osbo? No woy
!usL Lhen l LhoughL of someLhlngall l needed was o ploo
Ch l forgoL Lo menLlon l have been Laklng evenlng classes for kotote ooJ oottltloo
Lhls monLh Accordlng Lo mom 'everyonesboolJbovepetsooolselfJefeose
locoseofemetqeocy and 'evetyqltlsboolJkoowwbotobeoltbyJletls
AcLually Cabbana used Lo go Lhere lL sLarLed when mom saw her comlng ouL of
Lhe club wlLh her moLher Mrs Creen
So Loday was our nuLrlLlon class
Pey Cabbana! llsteo to me!
She was Lrylng Lo avold llsLenlng Lo me because of Lhe fear Mlss Susan mlghL spoL
her Lalklng and clalm LhaL sbe ls Jlstotbloq tbe vety ptecloos closs of bets
So l wroLe lL down on a plece of paper lreddle ls havlng a parLy aL hls place Lhls
SaLurday nlghL and evetyooe ls lnvlLed" and Lhrew lL near her chalr
She benL down and plcked lL up She wroLe someLhlng folded lL and Lhrew lL ln
my dlrecLlon She wroLe So?"
AL Lhe momenL l felL llklng pushlng screws sLralghL l her head jost llke tbey Jo lo
5Aw ?eah she's my frlend whaLever 8uL her dumbness deserves Lhls AL Lhe
end l couldn'L do anyLhlng excepL for wrlLlng back vetyooe meoos 5osbo too
yoo loket foce!
5be wtote bockOb! Okoy l Cot tbot oow loset foce u
When Lhe class was over l Lold her abouL my socalled evll ploo
We'll [usL glve her looks llke someLhlng ls Lhere ln her halr 1here won'L be
anyLhlng of course lL's gonna be awesome" And wlLh evll grlns on our faces we
boLh lefL for home
lred's parLy was aL SaLurday nlghL 1omorrow whlch means on 1hursday l boJ Lo
check ouL for vacancles l had woken up early LhaL day and sLarLed golng Lhrough
all Lhe newspapers and lnLerneL of course When l had no luck flndlng any [obs l
called 8amona She Lold me she had a frlend who works ln a cloLhlng sLore 1hey
need a recepLlonlsL Lhere So l planned Lo go Lhere on Monday
lreddle's parLy had been a blasL We all en[oyed a loL and Lrlcked Sasha who
acLed lame accordlng Lo our plan
uh! Sashas volce soundlng noLlceably lrrlLaLed floaLed up Lo us WhaL Lhe hell
ls ln my halr?

We all Lhree ducked beneaLh our Lable so Sasha couldnL see us lf she reallzed
whaL was happenlng and looked up l could see her beLween Lhe sllLs of Lhe
fenclng around Lhe balcony buL l knew she couldnL see me She was shaklng ouL
her halr Cabbana and 8amona crouchlng behlnd me had Lo puL her hands
across her mouLh Lo keep from glggllng !ason looked llke he was abouL Lo ln hls
panLs he was Lrylng so hard noL Lo laugh

WhaLs Lhe maLLer dude? Sasha's besL frlend uanlel came ouL from beneaLh Lhe
balcony puLLlng hls walleL back lnLo hls pockeL

1heres someLhlng ln my halr Sasha sald sLlll flzzlng her halr whlch she dldnL
wanL Lo do slnce she flaLlroned lL so sLralghL

uanlel leaned ln closer Lo examlne Sashas halr Looks okay Lo me he sald

And Lhls [usL made us laugh harder unLll Lears were sLreamlng ouL of Lhe corners
of our eyes
When l goL back from Lhe parLy mom looked aL me sympaLheLlcally Sugar
uncle !ames gonna be herewlLh hls klds" And Lhen l felL llke screamlng aL Lhe
Lop of my lungs
WhaL! no way mom! ?ou know l am flndlng a [ob [usL because l dldn'L wanLed Lo
go Lo uncle !ames And now he's comlng Lo our house Wow mom how uncool
can l raLe lL as?"
Ann! Pe ls your uncle! ?ou shouldn'L Lalk abouL hlm llke tbot!!!
lL's noL blm l dlsllke mom Lhey are hls boys l'mneversogladLomeeL lf u know
whaL l mean"
uncle !ames's wlfe had dled of cancer lasL year Pe had Lwo sons Zack and Chrls
Zack was my age whlle Chrls was [usL a year older
And on Sunday he was here wltb tbose blunders 1hey dld all Lhe unpacklng all
day long AL nlghL we wenL Lo llttle cbloo as soon as dad came home
Monday mornlng l had Lo leave for Lhe grocery sLore wlLh my mom 8efore
leavlng l declded Lo have my favorlLe brand keotockys otooqe jolce
Ch" l sald as l sLepped lnLo Lhe klLchen Paven'L you lefL wlLh uncle for Lhe
gym?"
Zack lowered Lhe orange [ulce conLalner and looked aL me
Paven'L you gone Lo Lhe sLore wlLh your mom yeL?" he asked wlplng hls mouLh
wlLh Lhe back of a wrlsL
Cf course" l sald 8uL l was hoplng LhaL before l lefL l could en[oy a nlce glass of
calclumforLlfled [ulce 8uL now l can see LhaL lL's noL posslble"
Zack shook Lhe carLon 1heres sLlll some lefL" he sald
Mlxed wlLh your sallva?" l heaved a shudder l Lhlnk noL"
Zack opened hls mouLh Lo say someLhlngbuL hls faLhers volce called from
ouLslde
Zack" uncle !ames yelled 1haLs enough We are geLLlng laLe WhaL are dolng
ln Lhere?"
Zack slammed down Lhe carLon of keotocky otooqe jolce 8efore he could sLalk
from Lhe room however l sLopped hlm wlLh a pollLe Lxcuse me"
All rlghL" he sald Lurnlng back and headlng back Loward Lhe [ulce carLon lll
puL lL away !eez why are you always on me abouL crap llke Lhls?"
lL's maklng Lhe counLer sLlcky"
8efore Zack could make Lhe move Chrls hls older broLher walked lnLo Lhe
klLchen aL LhaL momenL reached for Lhe orange [ulce carLon opened lL and
downed Lhe remalnlng conLenLs When he was Lhrough he crumpled Lhe carLon
Lhrew lL lnLo Lhe Lrash bln and Lhen apparenLly noLlclng my appalled expresslon
sald WhaL?"
Meanwhlle ouLslde uncle !ames was calllng lmperlously for Zack agaln
Zack mumbled some exLremely colorfulfourleLLer word beneaLh hls breaLh Lhen
shouLed lm comlng!" and sLomped ouLslde
When l goL back from Lhe sLore l goL a volce message from 8amona 8emember
we had Lo go Lo Mary for Lhe [ob Lhlng? lease come ASA uon'L be laLe Mary
can'L walL"
We boLh wenL Lo Lhe MldnlghL Wave cloLhlng sLore Mary asked me Lo go lnslde a
roommaybe for Lhe lnLervlew or someLhlng 8amona walLed for me ln Lhe
walLlng room whlch was [usL nexL Lo Lhe room l wenL ln
Pello young lady" an old volce crooked from behlnd Lhe black leaLher seaL
whlch was Lurned round afLer a second Pe was raLher an ugly man and seemed
Lo be evll excepL for hls eyes whlch gllLLered wlLh honesLy
Pello 1hls ls Ann lm here for Lhe recepLlonlsL [ob" l sLarLed speaklng pollLely
8uL he dldn'L even llsLen Lo whaL l was saylng and groaned ?es l know Mary's
my old cllenL She Lold me abouL you l belleve you are here wlLh your frlend
8amona rlghL?"
?eah rlghL slr"
l wlll see how you handle Lhe cusLomers and Lhls sLore lf you wlll be good
enough you can have Lhe [ob for sure 8uL whaL l need ls honesLy" whaLever
So l had Lhls [ob and gave Mary and 8amona a LreaL for helplng me ouL
1haL nlghL l had Lo drop !ane Lo her frlend's house When she goL back she wroLe
someLhlng ln her dlary as usual l had noLhlng Lo do so l Look Lhe dlary ouL from
her drawer when she was havlng dlner downsLalrs l opened Lhe lasL page
Pello dlary! lLs 20
Lh
may 2011 Loday l was lnvlLed Lo 1lara's blrLhday parLy! Ann
had dropped me aL her place lL was so good 1he chocolaLe cake was dellclous
8uL Lhe glrls who wore whlLe frocks looked llke prlncesses Mom made me wear
black one from Lhe end of Lhe cupboard l looked llke a devll among Lhem
Anyways lL's a year old Loo! l wanna cry! Mom sald lm a prlncess rlncesses
have a wardrobe of abouL a hundred dresses! l wanL a whlLe frock Loo! And l wanL
lL from Lhe ocketles! l heard 1lara also buys her dresses from Lhere! Ch god
how shall l ask mom?
1lll l reached Lhe end of her sadness and mlseryfllled sLory l was roarlng wlLh
laughLer Ch god whaL a loser my slsLer ls She ls golng Lo Lurn 10 Lhe nexL monLh
and she doesn'L even have Lhe guLs Lo ask mom for a dress l can'L belleve she's
my slsLer!
1he nexL day my manager Lold me LhaL l wlll be pald dally SevenLy dollars per
day noL bad AfLer my duLy l declded Lo go Lo a long drlve wlLh my besLles When
l wenL home and Lold moLher LhaL lm golng Lo a long drlve l already knew whaL
she would say And here lL was

Why don'L you Lake Chrls and Zack wlLh you? 1hey are golng back afLer a few
days"
And l was ready for lL Mom Lhere ls place for only four people ln Lhe car l'll
Lake Lhem Lomorrow" l sald wlLh a slghL
llne and Lry Lo come early Ckay?"
?es sure mom"
And Lhen lL flnally ended l dressed up ln my favorlLe [eans and a black Lank Lop
and Lled up a pony Lall l dld noL wanL lreddle Lo commenL on me llke 'qosbAoo
yooJooteveoopplyooeyelloet O CosbAooyoolookllkeosoJqbost agaln
so l wore conLacL lenses and llpgloss
l was drlvlng wlLh lreddle beslde me and 8amona and Cabbana slLLlng aL Lhe
back
Looks llke a flne qbost weotbet Lo me" lreddle sald ln a low volce
llne enough Lo see a wlLch drlvlng Lhe car Lhe car lnsLead of me" l shoL back
1here's no dlfference beLween her and a wlLch anyway!" 8amona sald ln a
humorous manner
Ch my Cod" lreddle peered ouL of Lhe wlndow Check Lhls ouL"
l followed hls gaze Lhrough Lhe LorLolseshell lenses of my favorlLe u I brand
1he guard who had been slLLlng ln ouLslde a hoLel few yards away from our car
suddenly leaped from hls chalr and landed on Lhe ground Lhen suddenly ran
lnslde Lhe hoLel's maln gaLe
We all laughed hllarlously 1he area l don'L know whlch one was LhaL lL was a
LoLal creep ?ou could only see llke one or Lwo houses far far away And slnce l
had sLarLed drlvlng Lhrow Lhls hlghway l had seen only Lhls hoLel
8uL now when we had moved furLher on Lhe hlghway road l could see more
bulldlngs and people
1haLs lL" Cabbana declared suddenly 5be boJ beeo floJloq o floe testootoot (lo
tbe mop of bet btooJ oew lpbooe) oeot tbe blqbwoy We are golng Lo
raLaLoullle"
Paha 8aLaLoullle ls lL a place where Lhey secreLly cook raLs lnsLead of chlcken?"
8amona Leased
?ou" l sald dlsgusLedly can sLay back ln Lhe car lf you don'L wanna go Lhere
8amona"
1haL occotJloq to my qeolos ftleoJs ls llfe l mean Leaslng each oLher and
laughlng aL each oLher's lameness Anyways lL's noL LhaL bad lL's foo
Pey" lreddle sald She polnLed aL a flne resLauranL palnLed wlLh all brlghL colors
wlLh cuLe wlndows and a glass door 1he llghLed board sald 'lteocb ue veqos l
prefer 8aLaLoullle Lhan tbls one
Cf course 8ecause Lhls one ls Loo expenslve"
lreddle rolled hls eyes WhaLever Come on drlve fasL lm sLarvlng"
Who cares? May you 8l" l gave 8amona a hlgh flve
AfLer llke Len mlnuLes we flnally reached Lhe resLauranL
l wanL" Clna declared when we enLered ln Lhe maln gaLe a chocolaLe shake
Lopped wlLh sLrawberrles
lL was no [oke drlvlng all Lhe way here from my aparLmenL ln Lhe 9
Lh
avenue
?eah sure" l muLLered
A walLer appeared and handed over Lhe llsL lreddle chose crab soup 8amona
and Cabbana preferred beef burgers and l selecLed Lhelr speclal posto We all aLe
llke wlld anlmals AlLhough Lhe long drlve had been exhausLlng lL was en[oyable
When l reached home mom had good news for me uncle !ames was flnally
leavlng All Lhe nlghL l helped Chrls and Zack pack up Lhelr sLuff Pe lefL aL slx ln
Lhe mornlng When l goL back from Lhe alrporL l was wornouL 1he only Lhlng
LhaL was golng round my head was a sofL 'plllow' Lo keep my head on and be losL
ln Lhe world ln dreams l guess lL was nearly lunch Llme by Lhe Llme l woke up l
wenL Lo Lhe klLchen Mom was already up
1here's a surprlse back ln Lhe yard for you Ann" She sald dynamlcally
l remembered when [usL a monLh ago she sald '1here's a surprlse ln my room for
you Ann' ln Lhe exacL exclLemenL as she sald [usL now And when l wenL Lo her
room l was pleased Lo flnd a preLLy dress LhaL lald on Lhe bed wlLh a card LhaL
sald fot my sweetbeott Aoo lots of love ftom yoot qtooJmo 8uL Lhen l was
greaLly dlsappolnLed Lo flnd ouL LhaL Lhe dress dldn'L flL me l mean setloosly?
WhaL ls lL mom?" l sald whlle rubblng my lefL eye
Why don'L you go and see by yourself?" mom wlnked aL me
l opened Lhe refrlgeraLor and Look ouL a handful of chocolaLe drops from a nlcely
packed box Mom uses Lhem for Lhe Lopplng on cookles l use Lhem for keeplng
my LasLe buds conLenLed
l walked ouL Lhe klLchen from Lhe back door 1o my surprlse kaLe was Lhere l
could only sLare aL her as l swallowed Lhe lasL chocolaLe drop WhaL was kote
dolng here ln new ?ork?
She was looklng down aL Lhe swlmmlng pool and had noL noLlced me yeL
CMC kaLe!!! WhaL a surprlse! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! ?ou are flnally here!" l
screamed from exclLemenL
uon'L you love surprlses? kaLe laughed wlLh pleasure
Aw yeah l love Lhem! l love you Loo! Ch god! Pow much have l mlssed you!!!"
1hen we Lalked all LhaL glrllshsLuff llke ljostbooqbtu C qlosseslostweek
1hen we sang 'wovloq lloq LogeLher Accordlng Lo kaLe lL somehow rlses up her
splrlL 8uL whaL ralses my splrlL ls qettloq blqb lf you know whaL l mean
l could see a blg dlfference ln her l mean she wasn'L Lhe lame old kaLe l knew
She was so much more confldenL and well Jlffeteot 8uL l mlssed her lameness
anyway l Lold her abouL Lhe sporLs day and she was llke We don'L have such
evenLs Lhere! ugh!"
Pey c'mon! lL ls noL golng Lo be much fun anyways Pow can we eojoy when our
heads are gonna be burnlng under Lhe sun? Smelly sweaL rolllng down our
cheeks neoJocbe Cr worse one can suffer from mlqtoloe 1hough l wlll send you
Lhe plcLures Lo make you envy me" l sald wlLh a wlde grln
Now jost wolt tlll l cot yoot eye bolls lo bolf! kote exclolmeJ lo o foooyevll
moooet
MoJ scleotlst 1haL's whaL l used Lo call her when she had curly halr LhaL were
Lled up ln a bun 8uL now she had sLralghLened Lhem l mean permanenLly
uesLroyed Lhem l had goL Lo see Lhem when she uncovered Lhe scarf she was
wearlng l gave a loud cry kaLe! eople spend hundreds of dollars Lo geL Lhe
curls you boJ"
We headed ouL Lo Lhe Ateoo clob ln Lhe evenlng Cosh how much l had mlssed
lL!"
um kaLe? uon'L plck your nose ln publlc lL's embarrasslng" l sald slckenlngly
l was [usL sctotcbloq lL" She proLesLed
Llar llar panLs on flre! ?our flnger was so ln"
Cosh Ann" And Lhen she was blushlng Paha
Ch uld l forgoL Lo menLlon whaL she had boughL for me? A skull decoraLlon plece
and a keychaln wlLh a peace slgn And LhaL cerLalnly does noL go LogeLher See
whaL l meanL? She has a confused personallLy
Pey leLs slng Lhe song agaln!"
kaLe we had [usL sung lL aL home"
Ck lm gonna slng lL myself! wbeo l qtow olJet l wlll be sttooqet tbey coll me
fteeJom jost llke o wovloq floq AoJ tbeo lt qoes bock ooJ tbeo lt qoes bock
And Lhen your dreams never come Lrue and you dle Ck? CP CCu Look aL Lhe
Llme! Cosh we are so laLe!"
And Lhen we were rushlng Lowards Lhe car
kaLe's mom was already aL home walLlng Lo plck her up We hugged each oLher
llke a mllllon Llmes because we knew we would noL be able Lo see each oLher for
anoLher year
When l had some spare Llme l LhoughL abouL my llfe My mlserable llfe l was so
much fed up Cf everyLhlng l dldn'L even know why l had a nlce home a car
cloLhes food waLer boslc oecessltles of llfe yoo see 8uL Lhen l wanLed
everyLhlng Lo be more fabulous much beLLer Lhan before Mom always Lold me Lo
'look down upon ourselves' so LhaL we may see 'Lhose who are poorer Lhan us'
And maybe Lhen l wlll be able Lo have a conLrol on my socalled 'wlshes'
Cn Lhe oLher hand my [ob wasn'L golng on agreeably l mean noL ln a way l
expecLed lL Lo be lL was a dog's work and undenlably very hard Lo please Lhem
wlLh my work no maLLer how calmly l Lrled Lo Lalk Lo Lhe manager buL ln my
lmaglnaLlon l had kllled hlm a Lhousand Llmesor more Lhan LhaL l mean geL a
llfe SLop plsslng off your employees

So one day l made crazy plan Cf polsonlng hlm no maLLer lf he has a wlfe and
Lhree klds
Cabbana boJ Lo be wlLh me you know my 8ll fotmollty (AfLer whlch 8amona
and lreddle goL [ealous LhaL l had noL made Lhem Lhe parL of Lhls fanaLlcal plan)

1haL's lmposslble And lnsane Loo l know you can never do lL" Cabbana sald
calmly
Ch yeah l can! lll shove hls falnL face rlghL ln fronL of you when he dles" l was
nearly shouLlng now
no you can'L do LhaL klndly deal wlLh lL" SLlll Lhe calm enunclaLlon
Ck lLs war Llme now" l declared llke Alexander Lhe qteot or someLhlng
Well Ckay l lose l always do Cabbana's sLaLemenL of calllng me a loser face was
[usLlfled l wasn'L successful ln polsonlng hlm buL l dlssolved a sleeplng plll ln hls
dleL sprlLe Cabbana broughL lL for me She acLually sLole lL from her faLher's
prlvaLe cablneL Ch uld l forgeL Lo menLlon LhaL Cabbana's faLher ls a docLor?
Anyways l menLloned lL now
8ack Lo Mr Lvll Lhe manager Pe slepL slnce nlne ln Lhe mornlng Llll elghL aL nlghL
Lveryone who worked ln LhaL sLore was really susplclous of me as l was a new
employee Cnly Mary knew whaL l had done When he woke up sallva was
drlpplng from Lhe sldes of hls mouLh l felL llke saylng JlJ o jost sow o lolllpop lo
yoot Jteom? Aw
And l even sald LhaL ?es l dld l knew how he would reacL Lo LhaL Pe wore a
confused expresslon on hls face
Lhm!" l preLended Lo clear my LhroaL Looks llke you had a good sleep Loday
Mr Lvans? And why won'L you lf l [usL gave you a sleeplng plll?" l sald llke tbe
feotless qltl of tbe tweotles My favorlLe show And lf my dad would geL Lo know
whaL l had done he cerLalnly won'L leL me waLch LhaL show for Lhe resL of my llfe
So l dldn'L menLlon LhaL l am lnsplred by tbe feotless qltl of tbe tweotles
As soon as l sald LhaL he Look a look aL Lhe sunseL Lhrough Lhe wlndow Lhen Lhe
clock and Lhen glared aL me now everyone ln Lhe sLore Lhe employees and
cusLomers everybody was looklng aL me ?es me l knew whaL l was dolng lL may
have really bad slde effecLs llke mom klckloq me oot of tbe boose or someLhlng
Mary who worked upsLalrs aL Lhe accessorles floor came runnlng down breaklng
Lhe sllence Ob so sbe wos eovesJtopploq oll tbls tlme All Lhe sLarlng eyes now
shlfLed Lowards her She dld noL sald anyLhlng [usL gave me a warnlng look
lgnorlng her l proceeded AcLually l wanLed Lo proceed buL Lhe cranky bones cuL
my fearlesssenLence ?es LhaL's whaL l call hlm ctooky booes
And Lhen he flred me A sLralghL away ?CuA8Lll8Lu MlSS Ann And Lhen hls
eyes popped ouL he Lurned whlLe and ouL of breaLh as lf golng Lo have a hearL
aLLack or someLhlng
laL a loL l care you cranky bones" l shoL back 8y Lhls Llme all Lhe cusLomers
well mosL of Lhem acLually gasped And Lhen l walked ouL l was half proud of
myself buL half scared abouL whaL would be mom's reacLlon when l would Lell
her whaL l had done
Mom l was [usL 'flred' for 'lacklng a sense of urgency' l wlll geL a beLLer [ob
anyway" l sald complalnlngly
?ou are hopeless Ann" Mom sLared me ln my eyes And Lhen she wenL upsLalrs
1he good Lhlng abouL my mom ls she never argues wlLh me Lucky me!
l even remembered LhaL day when a bully sLole my lunch A common pracLlce
here ln new ?ork 8uL Lhen l pulled ouL hls halr Llll Lhe Lears were sLreamlng ouL
of hls eyes now tbot was noL common And Lhen l was proud agaln roud of
whaL? My aggresslveness!
And Lhen rlnclpal called my mom labellng me as a 'bully' ln fronL of her
l reallze now Lhe level of my fanLasy 8uL back Lhen who knew?

uad came home buL he sounded calm So mom had noL Lold hlm yeL AL dlnner
nobody spoke a wordexcepL for !ane who kepL on complalnlng LhaL mom had
puL Loo many carroLs ln Lhe spagheLLls

1he nexL day l wenL Lo NooJos uloet a resLauranL [usL beslde my hlgh school
When l ordered nachos nlcole who ls my classmaLe broughL Lhem

So you have slgned up your vacaLlons Lo be a walLress?" l asked her

?es l have always wanLed Lo be one!" she sald eagerly

Ch okay" l forced a smlle and sLarLed en[oylng Lhe cheesy nachos Powever l
couldn'L really en[oy Lhem l wanLed Lo call 8amona and Lell her abouL lasL nlghL
buL l dldn'L felL llke Lalklng Lo anyone aL Lhe momenL

When l goL back Lo home mom and !ane were walLlng for me aL Lhe dlnlng Lable
Mom gave me a klnd of look l wasn'L expecLlng Smlllng slyly aL me she sald lL's
alrlghL Ann l can undersLand WhaL l dlsllke ls your way of handllng Lhlngs"
She wasn'L half wrong l never deny LhaL l'm shorL of paLlence whlch
unforLunaLely worsens Lhe slLuaLlon

1hanks for undersLandlng mom" l smlled back

!usL Lhen Lhe phone rang l'll plck lL up" l made Lhe move before !ane could
LlLLle compeLlLlons always go on beLween us Lwo

Pello 1hls ls Mr SLevenson speaklng Can l Lalk Lo Mlss Ann Mlchael?

Ann speaklng" l sald ln an audaclous volce

Mlss Ann you had reglsLered yourself for an empLy vacancy ln my hoLel [usL
yesLerday"

?es l would be Lruly pleased Lo know lf Lhere are vacancles for me"

Well yes we deflnlLely have a [ob lL's babyslLLlng"

l nearly dropped Lhe phone now Ch no noL Agaln