Atta Girl! by Emma Cavar

Ignore Me! (it's for school)

{ 5:04 PM, 2009-Jun-5 } { 0 comments } { Link }

Dear Reader, It is my duty to inform you that this piece of literature that you hold in your hands may be short in length but definitely not short of misfortune. In its pages is contained the dreadfully unpleasant story of a young girl and her dog that I have been destined to record. From the beginning, a terrifying encounter with the neighbours’ flower garden, to the climax - which may or may not involve scenes of extreme disaster and unhappiness, and most likely will - the two will face many unspeakable horrors. Just to warn you, this young girl and dog encounter a gang of hooligans, a stale box of puppy biscuits, a crumbling house, a devious old woman, and a sinister patch of sunflowers. So, if this story is indeed in your hands, it is best to get it out of them quickly. If you really must read about young girls and their dogs, there are plenty of stories involving both that are far more cheery. This is your last chance to pursue one of those instead. Yours gloomily, Peachy Keane ***** Have you ever stumbled upon a garden? The phrase “stumbled upon,” I’m sure you know, in this case refers to finding a garden, and not actually tripping and falling flat on your face in the moist dirt, possibly crushing flowers. However, Mabel stumbled upon a garden in the literal sense, and this is where our story begins. Mabel Ridge was not your typical sixth grader. She liked to collect socks. Not just any socks, but colourful knee-highs. She had a drawer stuffed full of them, and the pile increased steadily. When it was her birthday, she received socks from everyone as they were at a loss as to any gifts of originality. I’m sure many of you are wrinkling your noses at such a thought, but she was one of the few who enjoyed such gifts. One pair was striped with a perfect rainbow (red through purple with no silly indigo), and she wore this pair on special occasions. Those who knew her well could tell when she was in a good mood - her hair would be pulled up into pigtails. It was very rare to find her golden tresses fluttering loose or tied back in a sloppy ponytail, which usually only occured when she was ill. She was a rather optimistic child. Mabel also named as many inanimate objects as she could could. The left sock of that special pair of hers is named Herbert; his twin is Hubert. She had a journal where she kept the growing list of names recorded, and she consulted it often whenever she needed to address one of these objects for fear of “insulting them.” Now, one day when she and Petunia were going for a - oh, I’m sorry! I’ve completely forgotten to introduce Petunia. She was Mabel’s dog - a pug, to be precise. Pugs are known for their stubby legs and squashed in noses which makes their breathing ragged. Petunia was rather portly, a word which here means “fat - due to eating Mabel’s leftovers and lying around in Mabel’s bed for the good part of the day.” Through a series of grunts and snorts, she was able to communicate with those around her. Mabel translated for her. For instance, while the two of them were going for a leisurely stroll, Petunia abruptly stopped in her tracks and said, “Hrngh...!” Mabel frowned. “Mrs. Parkins’ yard? We can’t explore there today. She’s not home.” Mrs. Parkins lived next door to Mabel’s family, and she had a tall fence that was impossible to see over unless you were looking through a window on the second story of Mabel’s home. But the pug was determined. “Nnngh, mrgh!” “I know we still have an hour left,” Mabel muttered. “And I know Mrs. Parkins’ flowers will be blooming beautifully this time of year. Come to think of it, Pet, we’ve never seen her garden up close. I’d like to see the flowers, and I bet if we went in quickly, she’d never know.” Petunia watched, fascinated, as Mabel manipulated herself into entering the garden. Soon they were creeping in through the gate.

Chapter Twelve

{ 6:48 PM, 2008-Jul-31 } { 0 comments } { Link }

- Lily must have delivered the necklaces the next morning, for I awoke to two ecstatic girls twirling about with necklaces, almost forgetting their hastily bandaged hands (Hayley: “Her tacky hobby may be crap jewellery, but at least I can operate efficiently with a first aid kit!”).
- I picked up the string of beads on my bedside table and examined them. Seven different beads of different colours, with Lily’s green bead dead centre. They were all made of cheap plastic, and hung in the bright rainbow order. And printed across them, one letter to each bead (except for the two brackets on Willow’s), was our cult’s name: r@!nb()w.
- Each bead would give one an idea of that colour-bearer’s background or personality. What ideas could I collect from the cheap jewellery?
- The first bead, Flannery’s bead, was a brilliant fire engine red cross. I frowned. I hadn’t known that she was religious. Or wait... The bottom line was too short. It resembled more of an addition sign. “Flannery, what does your bead mean?” I found myself asking.
- She grinned. “It’s a plus sign.”
- I must have looked confused, because Hayley piped up, “Believe it or not, she’s a real winner when it comes to math!”
- Reminding myself to regard Flannery in a whole new light, I turned to the next bead. My bead. It was a simple orange square with rounded corners that displayed the ‘@’ perfectly. The other orange beads had been too involved, with bumps and dots. It wasn’t a show of modesty, however. I chose this bead because the others wouldn’t have been easy to embellish with the sign.
- Zoe’s bead, golden yellow and cheerful, was a five-pointed star. Lily’s was a simple sphere, seeming at first so humble until you noticed that it appeared to dwarf the others. Hayley’s bead was a deep sky blue flower with six youthful petals, and Willow’s was a lavender equilateral triangle, plain and impersonal. Delilah’s bead, bringing up the rear, was a fuchsia heart, a very common bead, I noted.
- “Delilah said that she chose the heart because a ‘w’ upside-down looks like an ‘m’. And she said that that stood for Matt. Isn’t that silly?” Hayley sat down on my bed. “So, Sam... Need help putting on your necklace?” She smiled so sweetly, and I remembered the day I had loathed her for rewriting my project, and instantly kicked myself on the inside.
- “Oh, no... Thanks...” I mumbled, waving her away. I had no intention of wearing the cursed thing.
- The Briton gasped. “Your hand!”
- Flannery snapped to attention and rushed over, grabbing my wrist and staring intently at my palm, flipping it over to look at the back, and then repeating the process with the other hand. Once she finished, she frowned at Hayley. “What are you talking about, girl? It’s fine!”
- Hayley rolled her eyes. “That’s exactly what I was talking about. Why isn’t your hand cut, Sam?” Flannery finally understood and stepped away from me in shock.
- I bit my lip. Think, Sam! Think! “Um, the cut was really small, and I have this genetic thing in which I heal from cuts almost too quickly.”
- Flannery seemed satisfied, but the blond looked thoughtful. “If you say so...”
- I knew Hayley was too clever, so I’d have to come out eventually. But not now. I wouldn’t have enough time to explain myself. It was time for classes.
- Oh, joy and bliss. ***** - I was actually feeling good today. I was free from Lily, first of all. Little did she know I hadn’t actually cut myself on the bulb. It was a good thing everyone broke their bulbs at the same time, otherwise she would have seen me not following her instructions.
- Stupid Willy and their stupid cult.
- I breezed through my morning classes with only two minor grievances (Josh nearly took my eye out with a thermometer, and Hayley was watching me all English). I enjoyed a satisfying lunch with Ella, Lucy and Kate. Even Zoe showed up later, having escaped Lily early. I asked my old roommates how they were enjoying Rebecca, and they said they weren’t. Hmm.
- “I don’t know how many times I walked into the room only to find her snogging some random bloke,” Ella complained. Obviously she adored Jimmy, having picked up almost all of his slang words. “It’s positively disgusting.”
- Zoe nodded. “She wears thongs, Sam. Thongs!”
- “If you can call them that,” Ella wailed. “The things that she wears look more like bits of string tied together, creating the illusion of a thong.”
- I shuddered. “And I thought Flannery’s were bad.”
- From the sounds of things, the girl I knew as ‘Becky’ had changed a whole deal. Then again, she and I had barely seen each other since Tabby took us shopping at the Mall of America. She had gone wild, and I had been frightened of her, though I dismissed it as shopping craziness. Boy, was I wrong.
- "I’ll bet every guy at this school, sparing our respected boyfriends, would be jealous to hear you have seen her parading about in the near-nude,” Lucy chuckled.
- I looked up. “Our respected boyfriends?” Lucy was single, last I checked.
- Lucy’s face flushed scarlet. “I’ll show you after classes,” she said quietly. She had this dreamy look to her eyes. “Remember William Moseley? He plays Peter in The Chronicles of Narnia.”
- “How could I forget that mug?” Kate asked with a wink.
- I gaped. Did Lucy somehow snag a Hollywood hottie for herself? She was quite the cutie herself, of course, but honestly... “You mean...”
- Lucy stuck out her tongue. “Oh, gosh, no!” she laughed. “Something even better!”
- Ella, Kate, Zoe and I exchanged glances. Should we be wary?
- After a little bit of sniggering on Lucy’s part, I took back the conversation. “So, Lily is not the sanest arc in the rainbow.”
- “You’re telling me,” Zoe grumbled.
- “No, really!” I continued. “You were there, Zoe. You saw her, erm, cultish behaviour. She’s reached a new level of madness at this school.”
- Ella looked at Zoe for an explanation. “Exactly what happened last night? You returned with a cut hand and dismissed it as an accident. But it was two in the morning!”
- Zoe blushed, and examined the bandages on her right hand. “Okay. Lily made me, as well as everyone else in the group, break a light bulb with my bare hand. We did it up in the clock tower. It was kind of scary...”
- Kate gasped. “And people are jealous of her? She’s mad!”
- Lucy frowned. “What about you, Sam? Where are your cuts?” She was staring intently at my hands.
- “Oh...” I smiled. “I’m not a part of her group anymore.”
- Kate went wild. “So, the cuts were really supernatural and healed up the very second you turned your back on Lily?!”
- Ella and Lucy cracked up.
- “No!” I laughed. “I never cut my hands at all!” Even though I knew it was no proof, I threw up my palms for inspection.
- Zoe stared. “You broke the bulb that easily? And why aren’t you in her group?”
- Lifting my sneakers, I showed them the bottoms. Wedged in between the groves was a tiny shard of orange glass. I pulled it out. “That’s why.”
- Ella snatched it up. “But... this means nothing. You broke the bulb...”
- “Oh! I get it!” Zoe suddenly cried. “Lily specifically told us to use our hands to break the bulbs so that we could mix our blood - freaky stuff, I know - so Sam went against her rules.”
- “Eww,” Kate said, and nodded. “She also didn’t add her blood to the mix.”
- Ella leapt up and hugged me. “Yay! Ooh, you’re one of us!” she squealed.
- I looked over at Zoe. She returned my gaze with one of barely contained fear. “It’s your turn, mate,” I said with a small smile.
- Her face fell (even more). Her dream had been to get in with Lily’s crowd so that she’d have great university recommendations. Now, was I forcing her to give up that dream, or was I saving her from all that is evil (Lilcifur)?
- Ella patted her roomie’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Zo. We won’t hold this against you. In fact, you can be our little mole in Lily’s clan.”
- Zoe fiddled with the yellow bead on her r@!nb()w necklace.
- “But, remember,” I added silently. “If she ever tries to hurt you again - get the hell out of there!”
- Kate nodded. “Cuts aren’t the best she can do, and I know that from experience.”
- We looked down solemnly.
- “If do don’t do what she wants,” Kate continued, “she hurts you pretty badly.” Her eyes glazed over, in memories or anger, I don’t know.
- “Zoe!” Lucy suddenly piped up. “You only stay for the recommendations, right?”
- The bead fiddler nodded slowly.
- “Your marks are stellar! I’m pretty sure you’d get in without Willow and Lily fingering around your application.”
- “But...”
- “And besides, is it really worth it?”
- Lucy’s question silenced everyone in the room. Her face reddened after a moment, and she looked away.
- “We should probably get ready for classes,” Kate mumbled.
- “Yes, good idea!” Ella cried, leaping to her feet. She dashed out the door - “Toodles!” - and disappeared into the hallway, followed my Zoe and then myself. I waved to them and headed to my room, pausing when I heard voices.
- “That’s right, Flan,” Hayley said. “No cuts on those hands. Perfectly manicured as always.”
- I barged in. “Alright, alright! Haven’t we got past this? My hands aren’t cut!” Wait a second, what was that about manicures?
- Flannery stuck out her tongue. “We aren’t always talking about you, Whindler...” She stroked her chihuahuas, Hoshi and Suki, who reclined on her bed.
- Her friend strode up to me. “Listen, Sam. I don’t know what you, Willow and Lily are trying to pull, but I don’t like it.” She tugged my palms toward her and dropped my necklace into them. “And if you’re so cozy with them, why aren’t you wearing this?”
- I shook her off. “Okay, okay... I didn’t cut my hands at all... I don’t have a weird skin cell condition, I just used my sneakers to shatter the bulb. But I’m not in league with Lily!”
- I could tell they didn’t believe me.
- “We don’t believe you.”
- I screwed up my eyes and flopped on my bed. “Urgh! Listen, did you say she hasn’t cut her hands, either?”
- They nodded impatiently. “Neither has Willow,” Hayley added.
- “And they made you do it? If anyone is trying to pull something, it’s only them!” I insisted. “I was only trying not to hurt myself, and I didn’t want to be in her stupid cult!”
- Hayley tossed down my necklace angrily and stomped on it, somehow snapping Lily’s bead. It had been hollow, and inside there was a tiny diamond. “What is that for?” she demanded. “Why is there a diamond hidden inside your necklace?”
- “Don’t ask me! It was in Lily’s bead. I’ll bet all of them have a diamond in them.”
- Curiosity led Flannery to banging her necklace moronically against her bedside table until finally stepping on it as well. Lily’s bead revealed another diamond.
- “Aha! So, she not only made her bead the largest, but made sure it was much more valuable than the others!” I announced with a certain splendour.
- Whilst Hayley investigated her necklace, I gathered my school things together.
- Flannery set her ruined necklace down. “N... now what do we do if she sees this?” Her glossed lips quivered.
- I groaned. “If she gets snappy, you tell her that you ‘broke the rainbow’. It’s the perfect counter to Willow’s little ‘the rainbow is complete’ frivolity.”
- A smile tweaked its way onto Hayley’s face. “Rebellion. I like it.”
- “Honestly!” I continued. “She made us cut our hands while she and Willow didn’t... Maybe they wore special gloves or kicked it like I did.”
- Flannery turned to the clock. “Hmm... It’s about time for us to head to class. Hayley, are you wearing your necklace? ‘Cause, I guess... Even though it’s broken... kind of... we can still...” She trailed off, unsure.
- “No way am I putting that thing on again!” the Briton trilled.
- I laughed. “That’s the spirit. Ella was worried you would never speak to her again if you were on Lily’s side.” I ran a brush through my hair quickly, and pulled my bag onto my shoulder.
- Hayley gaped. “What? My twin - no offence, Flan, but you’re just too damn sexy to be my twin - thought I had abandoned her?”
- Flannery wasn’t sure to be upset or happy, as she had just been complimented amidst the put down. In the background, Suki fell off the bed and yelped.
- “It’s true! Ella turned to Lucy to be her wacky companion in the, er, dark times.” I headed towards the door, and the girls followed me.
- “Oh, Ella... I’m sorry...” Hayley muttered.
- I paused to look at her. “Well, you have third period with her, don’t you?” I prompted. “Go and say it to her face!”
- This brightened the Briton’s smile considerably, and we continued on our merry way. ***** - In the middle of math, Ella turned to me and said, “Y’know what, Sam? Perhaps Jimmy isn’t as great as I thought.”
- I just looked at her. ***** - Keith had bumped into me between periods three and four and requested that we rendezvous in the cafeteria. I also saw Ella and Hayley hug one another, so all was well in the land of designer labels and essays.
- As I made my slowly to the arranged place, Lucy fell into step with me, and a huge grin encompassed her face. “What’s got you?” I asked nervously.
- She giggled in a rather Ella-esque manner. “I have a surprise for you!”
- I stopped and turned to her. “Is the long-awaited Lover Boy about to be revealed? Ella and Kate will want in on this!”
- But the brunette merely gave me another creepy grin and went on her way.
- Some times, that girl really made me want to hide. However, I finished my journey to the cafeteria and instantly found Keith.
- “Hey!” he said brightly. “I’m sorry, but I really have to run to the bathroom. Bloody Angus and his bloody coffee.”
- I laughed. “He offered you coffee? Sounds like you two are really getting along.”
- “Har har.” He stood. “If you must know, the other night he and I used the other’s guitar and tried to attack one another as they slept. But if both of us were doing it, that left no one to attack. Of course we didn’t know this, as it was dark, and...”
- “And you slammed his acoustic guitar into his empty bed just as Angus slammed your electric in yours.”
- “Precisely. I’ll be back.” And he tottered off.
- I watched him stride purposefully towards the hallway, and noticed that the cafeteria’s ‘cafe’ had created its own little corner in the room, as if it were a real coffee store. Wouldn’t a certain acoustic-strumming individual be joyous?
- “Hey, Sam! Want to get some coffee with me?” Speak of the devil.
- I looked up at Angus slowly and coolly. “Pardon me?”
- “Oh!” he gasped in alarm, as if understanding my dark demeanour. “Oh, no... I’m not asking you on a date. Ahaha... You’re with Keith, I know. And besides, you’re not really my type, you know? Well, put it this way-”
- “What do you want?” I snapped. Was he rambling, or just being a jerk?
- He jumped. “I just have some things to discuss, and I didn’t know who I thought would listen to me, and then I saw you here...”
- “Uh huh..?”
- “And you’re good friends with her, so it was suddenly quite clear to me that, well, you’d do.” Jeez, what was with Angus and his putting me down?
- “Friends with...?”
- “Not here!” he hissed, grabbing my hand and tugging me over to the cafe. “Firstly, what would you like?”
- I sighed. “I’ll have a Strawberry Cream Swirl.”
- “Okay...” He ordered it as well as a plain coffee for himself.
- “Weinstein, what is this all about?”
- He sat down at a table nearest the cafe and gestured for me to follow. “Lovely weather we’ve been having, right?”
- I almost expected to look outside and find a freak storm of wind and snow, but the sun was shining pleasantly. “Uh, yes. Now, who am I friends with that you must speak about?”
- We received our drinks, and so Angus buried his mouth into the cup. “Oosie.”
- “What?”
- He swallowed. “I said, Lucy...”
- “Ah.” I remembered how he had spent the whole of Lily’s party with her, and how he often turned to her when Keith bothered him.
- “I know I acted like a creeper at that party Sunday night. It’s because I wasn’t myself. When I saw Lucy, I recognised her, and smartened up.”
- I looked up, startled. “You knew Lucy from before?”
- He nodded. “I’m pretty sure she was the daughter of my mother’s guests at some party she held,” he explained, stirring his coffee half-heartedly.
- “So, you two were already somewhat acquainted, and...?”
- He shoved the cup of coffee over his mouth again. “I thig I lag Oosie.”
- I reached over and snatched the mug. “Stop that!”
- “Sorry.” He blushed a very deep crimson. “I said - and I’ll say it clearly this time - that I think I like her.”
- Keith was suddenly hovering over us. “What’s going on here?”
- I hadn’t noticed his approach, and jumped. “Oh! He was just professing his love,” I smiled.
- “What?”
- Angus leapt out of his seat, waving his arms in front of himself for protection. “No! No! I wasn’t professing my love for her!” he squeaked.
- As if to prove his cries, I finished my drink and took Keith’s hand. He looked at little dark, but as soon as he looked at me, he must have believed us.
- Ella and Kate were rushing up towards us. “Sam! Samantha Johanna Whindler!”
- I looked up, laughing. “That’s not my middle name, you fools! I don’t even have one.”
- “We just wanted your attention,” Ella explained. “Sam, remember how Lucy acted all mysterious about something that’s better than William Moseley?”
- “Mhm?”
- “Well, look!” Kate wailed. She pointed wildly at the cafeteria doors, and sure enough, Lucy was entering with not the actor himself, but a perfect look-a-like.
- I turned to Angus, whose face was now an interesting shade of yellow. “Hey, chums!” Lucy trilled, looking quite adorable in her blue coat and sparkling pink skirt. “Meet my boyfriend, Todd!”

{ Last Page } { Page 1 of 7 } { Next Page }

About Me

Links

Atta Girl! Images

Friends

Tamalover0312
Elana
Stardust88
animemangafreak