Prologue
Dear Diary,
I have had a lot happen to me over the past few years. So much, in fact, that I can’t fit it in one notebook. So I will tell you my tale, or at least a part of it, in various notebooks. It’s a long one, so buckle in and hold tight. And also, if there is anyone reading this, just…STOP READING RIGHT NOW AND DON’T EVER COME BACK! SIGH. You’re still here. Fine, I guess you can read. Since you’re still here, here’s my story:
Chapter 1
I jumped in my seat as the blaring school bell rang. New Horizons Academy sounded cool, but in reality wasn’t that amazing. Its furniture was broken and uncomfortable, the paint was chipping and peeling right off the walls, and the teachers didn’t know how to control the classes, let alone teach them. I learned more outside of class than inside. A loud laugh rang out from behind me.
“Look, it’s little miss-know-it-all!” This is one of the times I hate having a twin brother. James whispered something to his friends who snickered. A wad of paper hit me on the back of my head. I picked it up from where it was on my desk and threw it back at the boys. It hit one of the boys, Mike, square in the face.
“Hey!” He growled.
I shrugged. “Dude, seriously, not my problem.” I left the room, with the boys in stunned silence behind me. My hair swished over her shoulder as I walked. My stack of notebooks crammed with writing and my binders stuffed with papers and folders felt heavy, but the weight lifted as I saw my friends, the popular girls.
“Hey! Cat! Over here!” The co-leader, Nat, who was my best friend, called. I was the leader.
“Hi!” I called back. All the girls hugged me and high-fived me as I heard a stampede of footsteps behind me. I turned to find James and his boy crew right behind him. My squad and I rolled our eyes.
“Dude, what now? Come to annoy us again? How about you just leave?” I sighed, annoyed.
“Actually, I’ve come to challenge you to a burn battle. After all, you hurt our buddy Mike.” Mike stepped to the front.
“IT’S NOT EVEN BLEEDING,” I all but shouted. The “wound” the boys were making such a fuss about was a miniscule scratch on the bridge of his nose. “IT’S BARELY VISIBLE.”
“ARE YOU GONNA DO THE BURN BATTLE OR WHAT?” James matched her tone.
“FINE!” I screamed. “LET’S GET THIS OVER WITH!”
James grinned smugly and said, “Your face could make onions cry.”
“Please, if laughter is the best medicine, your face could cure the world.”
“It’s a shame you’re so dumb, because you actually thought you could win.”
“Really? Beating ME? That’s a cute little daydream you got there.” I rolled my eyes.
“Wow, you’re so dramatic, you’re more than a drama queen. You’re the whole royal family.”
“Ummm…” I said under my breath.I was freaking out. I had to beat him, to show girls that they can be stronger than boys. I racked my mind for a burn, searching in every corner. Except for one. But I won’t go there. Even if it has the burn of the century.
“Say, ‘I see you’re ready to enter the realm of fantasy. You’re never going to beat me,’” A voice whispered to me. But when I frantically searched for a body to match the voice, I found no one but the boy squad, the girl squad, James, and I. I decided to trust the person.
“I see you’re ready to enter the realm of fantasy. You’re never going to beat me. Even with an army of knights in shining armor.” I added my own little flourish.
James’ face turned bright red as he struggled to come up with a reply. I took advantage of his silence and smirked as I said my signature closing line, “Roses are red, violets are blue, did I stutter when I roasted you?” James’ anger turned to violence. He stormed towards me, preparing for a punch. He swung his arm bulkily, but I swiftly dodged it. I uppercutted his jaw, then kicked him in the sweet spot. He doubled over as all the girls cheered behind me.
“Yeah, Nat!”
“Go, Nat!”
The bell rang and everyone filed into their classrooms. James glared at me and said, “This isn’t over.”
“Oh, I know.” I tried to hide my glee.
“I will win. And I will find you and personally annoy you to death.” He growled.
“Looking forward to it.” I grinned smugly and walked to class.
Chapter 2
Students crowded around me, trying to maneuver around the rows of steel desks. I sat down in the front row, and pulled out a notebook and a pencil.
Mr. Sano, a tall teacher wearing jeans and a white and gray plaid shirt–who had a bit of a belly–bellowed, “I’m going to start. Whoever doesn’t pay attention will most likely fail the homework and the quiz.” Most of the class quieted down, except for the boys in the back. They kept on whispering.
But then… “Miss Johnson! What is 157 divided by 3?”
I replied, “52.3.”
In a less blaring, but still rude tone, Mr. Sano said, “Well done, Miss Johnson. Now, write the equation on the board.” I walked up to the blackboard. I grabbed a piece of long white chalk and started writing the equation. The chalk made horrible scraping sounds against the board. When I finished, I said the equation aloud and went back to my seat. For the rest of class, Mr. Sano raved about the power of the x and y coordinates. The whole time, I was taking notes.
When the bell rang, I picked up my things, adjusted my glasses, and rushed out of class. I took a stick of chapstick and put some on. I went back to homeroom, grabbed my backpack, and left the gray brown building. All the girls around me had managed to get good clothes after the incident, but not me and James. The boys really didn’t care about James’ clothes and the girls didn’t care about my clothes, but the feeling was still there, like an elephant in the room. My black leggings and thin sweater on top were a huge contrast to the other girls’ bright blue ripped jeans and Lululemon shirts. From inside my backpack I pulled out a stylish but cheap beige raincoat and a Marvel themed scarf. I slid my arms into the coat. I swung my brown leather backpack over my shoulder. As I walked, I wrapped myself in my scarf. A blast of cold wind hit me and I shivered, even though I had my coat and sweater.. My house was all the way on the other side of the city. But I don’t mind the walk. It gives me time to think. One of the things I loved to do is walk back from the cliff. I ran to the edge of the cliff and started to climb down.
I perked up as I had a brilliant idea. I started jumping down, ledge by ledge, until I reached the grainy sand of the San Francisco beach. The fresh salty air no longer smelled polluted. It reminded me of back home in France. The beaches were beautiful there. Like the Notre-Dame beach in Porquerolles near my home. I loved going surfing there. I had been so distracted that I didn’t notice a bicycle zooming up at me. “Holy cra—” My world went black.