zMac'nCheese

The reality of our world

    The reality of life scares people.  When there are the adds asking for donations for children in Kenya and other places, many people change the channel because they just wanna get on with their lives.  Not wanting to deal with the painful truth about people less fortunate enough.
    I'm one of them.  I was flipping through channels late in the night, I came across this add.  Feed-a-Child and this broke my heart.
    More than once I was tempted to change the channel and just forget that I ever saw it.  But something told me to stay and watch.  So this is a post about the harsh truth of the world around us.
    Reading about it in text books and hearing the hardships from the past, is nothing compared to seeing actual footage of places of today where there are kids as young as 16 months old that are on the streets sleeping on roofs with nothing more than the rags on their backs.
    It's devastation throughout the world is a level of depression that cannot be measured.  Everyone always say that there's something that needs to be done.  Yet nothing has changed.  No one has stuck out their hand to the orphans of Kenya, China, and other devastated places in the world.
    Even I know that I can't do anything about it.  If I were able to, I would've picked up the phone and called the number that they kept mentioning over and over.  Asking for help.  Asking for the little kids who cannot reach out to us themselves.  I would've done it.  Donating only 8 dollars a month.
    But I'm only 12 years old.  I can't do much at 12.  All I know is that people can help these kids.  But no one has done anything.  Not enough people at least.  I want to make a difference and make my mark on affecting this ugly face of the world.
    But I'm only 12.  I want to help kids that are my age and younger.  But there's always that little bit of doubt.  What kind of difference can I make?  I'm only one person.  Donating to help only one kid?  What will that do?
    It means that one more kid will have a nutritional meal and get to sleep in a warm bed and receive medical treatment.
    And this is a commercial of crucial necessity and it's running at 1:00 AM.  When no one's going to see it.  It just shows how people think of this.  I don't want to blow it off and just watch a re-run of My Super Sweet 16 instead.  I don't want to be able to watch this add and then buy 300$ Jimmy Choo heels.  Not when I know that the money could go to a cause that needs our attention.
    And I'll end up forgetting about this post and what I saw on that TV screen within a week.  But I think that everyone else should know that ugly truth about our world.  Whether they want to or not.  Whether they know it or not.
    It's how I make my mark on it all.  Hopefully I'll be able to make more of an impact on this than just telling people.  I'm just 12.  But you can help other people in the world who need the care.  Please.

Leafered Adams Academy for Priveleged Young Boys [and Girls] 3

    "Because. . . Well I was already asked."  I lied.  It wasn't true but I was holding for Cole K to ask me.  Daren's face fell.
    "Oh.  Ok.  Well, I'll see you in class."  I nodded and walked away.  A sinking feeling in my stomach.  When I walked into the home EC studio, i dropped my bag on the table and sat down in a huff.  Amanda and Michelle looked at me questioningly and I could already feel a girl's moment coming on.
    "What happened?"  Amanda asked carefully.
    "Boys."  Michelle and I responded in unison.  I didn't even try to jinx her.
  "This stinks."  I said.  Amanda gave me a look to continue.  "We'll talk about it later this night.  I'm calling a girl's night."  I said. Michelle liked the sound of it.
    So after working on the costumes we dropped by the school store and bought maybe 3 pounds of candy including pixie-stix, Resses, Swedish Fish, Hershey's, and Twizlers. We called everyone and told them that it was a girl's meeting night.

Meanwhile:

    "Dude, when are you just going to ask her to the dance already?"  Matt said to Cole K as they walked out of their classroom. "You are her boyfriend."  Mat was spinning a basketball on his finger.
  "That's the thing though.  Doesn't it mean I don't have to ask her if I'm already going out with her?"  Matt sighed and shook his head.
    "So naive man.  Just because you're going out, doesn't mean she's completely off market."  Cole K was confused now.
    "Huh?  I thought it did."  Matt rolled his eyes.
    "This is seriously your first girlfriend?"
    "Well, technically, no.  First serious girlfriend, yes."  he pointed out.
  "Same story, different version.  You're just dating.  You're not official like going steady or something like that."  Matt said brushing off Cole's excuse.
    "Isn't that term a bit old fashioned?"
    "Dude, our school is old fashioned, our curriculum is old fashioned, what kind of question is that."
    "Point taken.  So wait.  If someone else were to ask her to the dance, she could say yes?"
    "Catching my drift now?"  Cole K just nodded.
    "So how do I make sure she's not available at all to other people?"  Matt slightly laughed at Cole K's choice of words.
    "Make her your steady.  Show her you love her.  And ask her to the dance. Before someone else like Daren does."  Cole K had a sinking feeling in his stomach.  He wasn't really one for saying it out straight.  But for Sue, he knew he had to act.

Back to Sue:

    "So what's the girl dilemma?" Molly asked when everyone was in a circle in our room.  I sighed.
  "The dance."  Michelle said.  As if those words were some sort of power switch, everyone seemed to immediately start thinking of their own stories.  "Anyone wanna share first?"  Michelle offered.
    "Has anyone gotten a date yet?"  Katrina asked.  No one raised their hand.  but then Abby slowly raised her hand.  We all looked at her expectantly.
    "Name please?"  Julie asked.  Abby laughed at our suspenseful faces.
    "His name's Clinton."  I recognized the name but forgot the face.
  "oooooooo.  Abby's got a secret luver!"  Molly exclaimed.  It seemed to break the tension and everyone started telling their own stories. Hearing it seemed to make me feel a little better.  Like I wasn't the only one.
    "Well, Kurt hasn't asked me yet.  But I think he was about to.  But then the random-est thing happened to ruin it.  A duck flew in between us and landed on the ground between us.  We were able to laugh it off but the moment was killed."  Molly said.  We all laughed.  The pounds of candy was slowly eaten down to only 2 pounds.

    "Ok.  well my story has a little less humor.  I was at the gym practicing for Volleyball when I saw Josh and his friends walking by. Josh had said something to his friends and he started walking over towards me.  But I got so nervous and I was only in sweats and I was all icky so I bailed.  And I was almost certain that he was going to be there!"  Julie said.  I pitied her.  She took another Resses and ate it.

    "Ok my turn."  Michelle said.  "Nothing exciting happened, but Seth did say he had something he needed to ask me.  So I've got my fingers crossed."  We smiled at Michelle's happiness.

    "Ok.  Well I don't know if it means this.  But Peter and I agreed to go with each other to the dance in order to take notes on our latest project."  Trisha said.  We all laughed and I said,

    "You got a date.  There's no other option other than you're related and going.  But you're not related.  So you got a date."  Trish just smiled and laughed.

    "Nothing happened with Michaels and myself.  Nothing!  At all."  I nodded.

    "Yeah.  Same here."  I said.  Everyone turned to me and looked at me like I had just grown 3 heads.

    "What do you mean?  Cole hasn't asked you out yet?!"  Molly said not believing it.  I shook my head.

    "Unfortunately.  And I don't even know what's wrong."  I said.  Michelle put a comforting arm around me.

    "Well if he doesn't do anything, we'll take care of him for ya."  I laughed.

    "That's ok Michelle.  If he doesn't take me, I don't know, I might have to say yes to Daren."  This made everyone stop what they were doing.

    "Daren asked you to the dance already?  What did you say?"  Julie asked.

    "I said that I was already asked by someone, but . . ."  I drifted off but Katrina finished for me.

    "You're just waiting for Cole?"  I nodded.  Why are boys so complicating?

The next day - morning:

    "Hey there."  I looked up to see Julie and Abby standing in my doorway.  I slightly smiled at them and grabbed a sweater and stuffed it in my bag.

    "Ready."  I said pretending to act normally.  But last night's conversation didn't help me forget Daren's face when I lied about going with someone already.  When it comes to guilt-trips, I have one of the biggest ones.  I walked out into the hallway and saw the others there.  We started walking towards the Mess Hall for breakfast.

    When we claimed out food, we sat down at the table that we claimed as ours in the first week of school.  The guys came and took their places.  We all said hi and good-morning (with the exception of others that were still mentally asleep *ehem Kurt, Matt, and Molly ehem*)

    "So what's up you guys?"  Michaels said.  We all shrugged.  I picked at my eggs.  I wasn't very hungry.

    "Hey Sue.  What's wrong?"  I looked up to see Cole K's concerned brown eyes.  I looked back down at my eggs.  They looked like two yellow eyes staring at me.  I shook my head.

    "Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  I'm not very hungry guys."  I said getting up and walking out of the cafeteria.

At the lunch table:

    Matt gave Cole K a warning look.

    "What's up with her?"  Michaels asked.  Him, Peter, Josh, Kurt, and Alec were clueless as to what was going on.  But the rest were exchanging glances.

    "I'll go talk to her."  Alec said getting up.  Michelle started to protest but Molly stopped her.  Alec walked off and left the rest silently @ their table even though the sounds of the Mess Hall around them was loud enough.

Back to Sue:

    I sighed and sat down on a bench.  Thoughts were zooming through my head.  Then I looked up and saw a teacher.  She looked like she was in a daze.  Hard at work writing something down.  I looked closer and saw an exact replica of my journal.  I was focused on memorizing the motions of her hand with her pen.  She seemed to be writing a list.  I started copying the motions and it came out with the words, collect all Bronx Zoo souvenir coins.  It was like a list of things to do when you go on vacation.  But she wasn't a teacher from Alberto.  So she could be a new teacher.  Or a student teacher.  She didn't seem that old.  But we never were good at letting in student teachers since our schools aren't exactly normal.

    I didn't even notice Alec sit down next to me until he said something.

    "Thinking hard?"  I jumped slightly and came back to reality.  I looked over at him and then looked back over to the lady but found her gone already.  Was it a hallucination?  I don't think so.  "What's wrong?  You're kind of out of it."  I sighed.

    "I've got three words for you.  Date, for, dance."  Alec nodded seeming to understand everything from those words.

    "He hasn't asked you yet?"  I shook my head.

    "No.  And Daren had asked me to the dance and I lied to him that I was going with someone else.  But . . ."

    "But you're really holding out for him to get the guts to ask."  I nodded.  "Wow it's weird.  Somehow I'm still able to finish all your sentences like when we were little."  I nodded and laughed.  "Aha!  I got you to laugh.  One point for Alec!'  I laughed again and we headed to classes since first period was about to start.

    "Ok.  New partners!  Katrina, Billy.  Julie, Seth.  Michelle, Cole Katz.  Sue, Cole Michaels.  Molly, Josh.  Trisha, Kurt.  Abby, Peter.  Amanda, Matt."  I looked at my friends.  Another miss-matched partnering.  But throughout class, my mind was elsewhere.  After class I walked up to Matt.

    "Hey Matt.  Does our class eventually go to the Bronx Zoo?"  I asked.  Matt thought about it and then nodded.

    "Yeah.  We  go in the Spring when it's warm out.  Why?"  I shook my head.

    "No reason.  Thank you."  I was about to walk away when Matt spoke again.

    "Are you ok?"  I turned around and didn't answer.  "You were upset this morning because of Cole, right?"  I again, didn't answer.  With my back still to him, I started walking away.

    "If it's that obvious, why do I need to confirm what's already known?"  and then I walked out the door.

Leafered Adams Academy for the Gifted Young Boys [and Girls] 2

    "Sue, PLEASE tell me that's not Daren Pace."  Molly begged.

    "I would, but then I'd be lying."  I said wincing slightly.  Molly and I live near Daren Pace.  He was obsessed with me when we were little.  He was attractive to me at one point.  But now, I don't see him as anything more than a friend.  A very persistent friend at that.

    "Sue, Molly, Who's Daren?  and why the heck did he call Sue Suzie?!"  Michelle said starting to freak out.  I don't let any of my friends or anyone for the matter, to call me Suzie except for my dad.  It's a father,daughter thing.  And it's special to me.  Yet Daren Pace has been persistent on calling me Suzie because he claims it sounds better as ' Suzie Pace ' as opposed to ' Sue Pace '.  Which brings me to my next point.  Daren Pace is also set out on making me his fiance and wife.  Every year he proposes to me.  I'm too nice to completely turn him down (and the fact that with the press of a button, he could sue my parents for more money than they've ever made in their entire life.  But it sounds better when I say I'm too nice)

    "Daren's this kid who lives near us and he was OD obsessed with Sue when we were little."  Molly explained.  I sighed in frustration.

    "This school year just took another turn down Drama Lane."  I said.  Cole K walked over to me and protectively/comfortingly put his arm around me.  It calmed me a bit but it also made me more nervous for the reuniting of Daren Pace and my face and the greeting of Daren and Cole K.  Why me?!

    "Suzie!! It is you!! How have you been?!  I haven't seen you in so long!  Have you missed me?!"  I heard his voice. It made me cringe slightly.  He walked over to our group of friends and he then noticed Cole K's arm around mine.  I noticed a flash of anger enter his eyes but Cole K kept a straight face.  "Who's this."  he asked still looking at Cole K.  Actually, it was more of a demand more than a question.  I sighed.  Jeez this boy can change his attitude at the drop of a pin.  I sent Molly and the others a look crying for help.  Michelle responded first.

    "I'm Michelle.  I lift weights and I can run.  What about you."  She said standing up tall.  Though Daren was a good inch taller than her she still seemed intimidating.  He looked at her weirdly but then seemed to start to back off a bit.  next, Molly stepped forward.

    "Molly!!  So good to see you!"  Molly didn't say anything.  detted!  Josh and Matt took a step forward.  Since Josh is like SUPER tall, he towered over Daren.  It was kind of funny.

    "I'm Josh.  this is Matt."  He said in his low voice.  "And you are?"  he looked Daren up and down acting unimpressed.

    "Um, Suzie?  You wanna help you boy out?"  I tried so hard not to snort in disbelief.

    "Do I want to?" But then my guilt kicked in and I sighed in defeat.

    "You guys.  Heel."  I said.  They backed off slightly.  Daren stood up taller trying to act like his pride wasn't just kicked out the door.  NOT WORKING TOO WELL.

    "So anyway.  how about you and me meet for a movie later to catch up?"  he said totally ignoring the fact that Cole K was standing right there.

    "Can't"  I said.  I looked over at Molly.

    "She's helping me with Spanish."  Molly lied.  I sighed and played along.

    "Oh.  Well how about this weekend?"

    "studying."  I said.  "we'll play it by ear."  I started to walk off when Daren stopped me.

    "It was really nice seeing you again."  he said this sincerely and I almost felt bad for him.  He walked off and we walked in the opposite direction.

    "That was too hard to do."  I said as we're walking away.

    "What do you mean?"  Michelle asked looking puzzled.  "I thought you guys didn't like him."  I nodded.

    "Yeah, he's annoying.  But I'm not very good at completely blowing someone off."  I said.  Molly rolled her eyes.

    "And there's the fact that he can sue the pants right off of you."  We all laughed.

    "Yeah that too.  But either way, that's not the point.  He's going to keep bothering me for all of eternity while we're here."  I began to dread this school year and It's only our first day.

    First I wake up and flash Betty Boop to all the guys.  Now I've got my ex stalker is now attending the same school as me.

    "Lets get to introductory classes first and then we'll worry about everything later."  Michaels said.  We all agreed and started heading towards the buildings where classes are held.  "Who's got, Science with me?"  Michaels asked.

    "That would be me."  Amanda said.  Michaels smiled.

    "Same here."  I said.

    "Actually, it looks like we all do."  Peter said looking at all of our schedules.

    "So why don't we get a move on before we're all late?"  Abby offered.  I nodded in agreement.

    "That would be the smart thing to do."  Katrina said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    "Class, my name's Ms. S.  I will be your science teacher."  The lady said.  I exchanged glances with everyone else and I realized that we all had the same question on our minds.  ' is she related to Mr S? ' "Some of you may know Mr S from Alberto Lennard Academy.  Well he's my twin brother."  We all exchanged weird glances around the room.  Some of the people had no idea what she was talking about but the rest of us were in utter babbling shock.  And as if right on cue, there was a knock on the door and Mr S appeared.

    "I heard my name."  he said.  Ms S smiled and went to hug  her brother.

    "Very funny."  she said sarcastically.

    "I see you have my best students in here."  he looked over at our group.  "grade them extra hard."  he said.

    "Great.  Give us the unfair grading."  Michelle said.  I laughed.

    "I'll take care of that.  You, out.  You're not one of my students so out."  Ms S said.  Mr S held his hands up defensively and walked out.

    Ms S turned out to be as awesome as Mr S.  After her class we got to meet our new dance teacher.

    "Well hello there.  I'm Madame Velma.  I'll be your dance teacher for this year.  First off we'll split up into pairs."  I looked around at the people in the room.  Our whole group was here except for Peter, Trisha, and . . . oh crap.  Cole K's not here and Daren is.  "You'll be assigned a different partner every day until I permanently give you your dance partner."  she started reading off the names.  "Cole Michaels, Abigail Parcot.  Amanda Silberman, Josh Littles.  Matthew Cloud, Susan Wetherstine.  Julie Dorian, Billy Shakeman."  I looked around at my friends and I could tell that this was going to be all twisted compared to last year.  When she finished reading off the names I walked over to Matt.  My heart was beating louder with every step.  What is wrong with me?  Maybe I'm coming down with something.  no way can I be nervous about being partners with Matt.

    "Well long time no dance."  he said in his usual cool self smirking.  I smiled weakly.  After warm ups, Madame Velma started making a routine.

    Regardless of her age of late 30's, Madame Velma could dance!!  She explained that she was captain of her high school and college dance team and she loved every minute of it.  Which is what inspired her to become a dance teacher.

   The rest of classes weren't anything worth repeating except for advanced chemistry that i had with Trisha, Peter, and Cole K. so we placed ourselves in a group together.

    but then during some intense speed reading done by Ms S, someone called from the intercom.  They used old fashioned telephones to communicate and Ms S stopped her super-speed-racer reading to answer it.  She listened for a while and then hung up.

    "Susan, Michelle and Amanda.  Madame Velma would like to see you in the auditorium right now.  Take your bags too.  She said you might be there for a while."  I nodded and we walked out the door.

    "It's only our 3 day of school and we're already being called somewhere.  What do you think we're being called for?"  Amanda asked.  I shrugged.

    "We've done the worse.  Couldn't possibly be any worse than last year."  I pointed out.

    "Unless secretly she's some sort of mad cereal killer who's going to lock us in there and then kill us so quick we can't even scream."  Michelle said.  Amanda and I looked at her like she was crazy.

    "Yeah because we're just ordinary kids who end up just screaming out heads off till they're not connected to our body anymore.  Michelle, even if that were true, which is isn't, no way would we go down without a fight."  I pointed out and then I high fived Amanda.

    "Besides.  She's too nice to even try and harm us."  Amanda pointed out.

    We made our way to the auditorium like summoned and there was Madame Velma.  She was sitting on the raisers and was scribbling something down.  She looked up when she heard our footsteps.

    "Well hello girls.  nice to see you again.  You're probably wondering why I called you here."  She smiled warmly at us.  Amanda and I shot Michelle an 'I we told you so' Michelle just rolled her eyes and continued to listen to Madame Velma.  "I've spoken to your old home EC. teacher, Ms Cosmo.  She said that you guys are amazing when it comes to sewing.  I hear that Susan and Michelle have produced a few outfits themselves."  I smiled proudly and so did Michelle.  "So I've asked you three to take care of the costumes for this years school play."  I exchanged glances with my two friends before me.  It sounded like a huge job.  More of a challenge to just three eighth graders.  "It sounds like a big task, I know.  But you can use any materials you need and you can recruit as many of your friends as you'd like.  You can still be a part of the play as well.  I'm the head of the drama section as well so this is why I'm asking you such a big question."  she looked at us with her bright blue eyes full of happiness and hope.  It made me feel imobile to move let alone decline her offer.  And I didn't even feel like declining anyway.  It was a challenge and us Alberto Lennard Academy girls are hard at declining challenges thrown our way.  The three of us smirked and all said at the same time,

    "We're in."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    "dude lets get moving!"  Michaels said into his phone.  the Glide is the latest phone and since Michaels' phone mysteriously "fell into the pool" over the summer, he got to get another phone.

    "ok ok.  Keep your shorts on!"  I said back.  I had the en-V and I was across campus.  I hung up and closed my mac-book.  I stood up and looked over at Amanda who was changing back into her regular clothes.  Ms Gradey assigned us along with Michelle the duty of making the costumes for the school play this year.  "OK lets go before your boyfriend has another fit and yells at us again."  I said.  Amanda laughed and nodded.

    "Yeah lets go.  I'm just about back to normal clothes."  Amanda said.  We put away the costumes in the making and headed out the door.

    "hey wait for me you guys!!"  Michelle called after us.  She was stumbling into her flip-flops and ended up falling flat on her face.  Amanda and I started laughing in hysteria.  "Very funny guys.  Now does someone want to help me up?" 

    "I will do the honors."  I heard a voice say.  I turned to see Seth Jacobs standing there with a grin on his face.  Michelle laughed a cheesy smile as Seth helped her up.

    "Can we get a move on here people?  Amanda's boyfriends acting like he's got a Wasp up his pants and he's not settling down any time soon."  I said.  "we can save the flirting for later.  Right now, WE GO!"  And we rushed out of the Home Ec building and towards the Mess Hall.  It was actually a relief knowing that we had Seth here.  He knows the school grounds better than any of us girls still and it would really suck to get lost on our own school grounds just because Michaels is getting on our case and because it's lunch time and everyone's dying of hunger.

    As we walked out into the late summer air, I breathed in the sweet smells of the flowers.

    "I think the end of the summer's my favorite."  I said.  "Next to spring of course."  I said opening my arms wide open and twirling.

    Then I felt an arm around my stomach.  I looked to see Cole K.  I lowered my arms and smiled.

    "Hi!  Where are you coming from?"

    "I was in the library."  I nodded.

    "come on.  I'm starving!"  Michelle said starting to jog in the direction of the Mess Hall.

    "Mind if I sit here?"  Daren said walking up to us.  I exchanged glances with everyone and I sighed.

    "Yeah sure.  Go ahead."  He took the seat and started eating.  No one talked at our table.  Then we all started talking.  Not really paying any mind to him.  That's how it's been since we ran in to him a week ago.  Classes have already reached the end of the first week and everyone's relaxed knowing they can start slacking a little more.

    "So did anyone hear hear about the graduating dances planned?"  Daren asked trying to become a part of a conversation.  This caught people's attention.  Michelle was the first to speak.

    "What do you mean?"  Daren seemed pleased that he was able to catch our entire table's attention.

    "Well I know all about the dances planned.  There will be themed dances once a month.  this month's dance is supposed to be masquerade.  Kicking it like the Phantom of the Opera."  Daren took a sip of his sprite and continued.  "It's going to be next weekend actually.  The school's doubling it as our "welcome" dance as well."  I looked over at Amanda and Michelle and we smirked.

    "Well that's another to do in our creativity book."  I said.  Michelle nodded.

    "We'll brainstorm tonight."  We exchanged high fives.  That's when I noticed two pairs of eyes on me.  I turned to see Daren and Cole K looking over at me.  I gulped slightly and tried to pay attention to my lunch but it didn't look too appetizing anymore.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    "Suzie?"  I tried to ignore his voice as I walked out the arts building.  But when he was right in front of me blocking my way, I had to acknowledge him.  I sighed.

    "What is it Daren?"  I asked.  He took a deep breath.

    "Would you go to the dance with me?"  I felt a pang of guilt.  I looked at him standing there nervously and more vulnerable than I've ever seen him before.  I sighed again and looked away.  "Not to rush you or anything.  But I'm gonna be late for my next class."  I looked back at his face and saw the hope in his eyes.

    "Daren I'm sorry. I can't."  He looked at me so vulnerably.

    "What happened?  Why?"  I sighed for the third time.

    "because . . .

What's on my Mind?

    It got me to think at 5:12 PM on Friday, June 13th.  The unlucky day of Friday the 13th hit home to someone.  Or rather hit the heart of someone.  My dad didn't know him.  But he knew about him.  He hadn't talked to him.  But he has heard him.  He was a lecturer that moved my dad whenever he spoke.
    The first time that we heard him speak was in Nantucket in a small neighborhood church house with no air-conditioning and so many people that we ended up standing through his whole speech.  It was only 2 years ago when we heard him.  My dad seemed to enthusiastic about seeing him speak.  I was more concentrated on trying to stay cool in the crowded, white wall, high ceiling room with so many people.  Yet only one voice.  At the end everyone clapped.  Some people might have cried.  I don't remember the topic he talked about.  But it didn't matter.  Babies didn't care what they were crying about and so why should it matter now that we've grown up?
    So how did it make me think?  Well small news always seems to make me think.  And this guy.  this lecturer that my dad was so moved even if he was only hearing the story of The Giving Tree for the first time.  Had a heart attack.  He died today, from a heart attack.  No older than my dad, his last breath was that of struggling to stay alive.  I doubt that it was the poor guy's fault for dying on an unlucky day.  But it made me think of other great leaders.  Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr.  All were killed/assassinated in the primes of their lives.  We were all moved by their words.  Even if they were reading the poem of Auxiliary words.  They were all taken from this world before we believed it was their time.
    Why does this spark an interest in my mind?  Why does this want me to write this?  Why does this thought seem to have made its own mental post-it in my brain that'll stay there until I write it down?  I have no clue in all honesty.  Maybe it's because of that ever repeating line, "You don't know what you've got till it's gone." maybe we didn't appreciate these men enough so they were taken to find a much more worthy place and time for them to shine.  Would we become to persuaded that there's a solution to everything and that no matter what dream we have of a new and better nation of equal blacks and whites, can come true?  Would that mean that a 3 year old girl will be able to imagine up her dream pony and princess dress?  A woman would dream up her dream relationship, home, family, and wedding?  that a young boy out of high school will dream up his future career as the star athlete that all the major league teams will beg to put on their team?  It doesn't work that way.
    Without the balance of good and bad, it would all be psychotic and nothing would get done unless we dream it.  I wouldn't call it crtisism to Martin Luther King's speech.  the speech moved me to tears when I was in the second grade and I didn't even know why.  I thought it was beautiful withought having to even look at a painting.
    The founding father forgot so many more members of the shapers of out nation.  uncles, grandfathers, cousins, brothers, sisters.  They all deserve their own credit for managing to inspire at least one ear.
    That's why this caught my eye.  The post it was stuck on my mental bilboard and it sits along side the photos of who I believe their faces belong on Mt Rushmore.  the inner me at the end of the day looks at the bilboard and thinks to herself, "All in a days work.  But it's all thanks to them."  The only reason we're as successful as we are now.  But also, I haven't found any real leaders that have inspired me too much over the years.  All the good guys have been used up and they were rencarnated into small children whose potential hasn't woken up yet.  realizing that they've got a founding father, uncle, brother, sister, cousin, and mother inside of them.  And maybe that's even me.  I'm only a 7th grader.
    I'm only a 7th grader whose gains a thought, looses a thought, texts all day, and types all night.  Whose constant thought is either what college I'll go to, or if I look ok in this shirt.
    So I'll either wait for the next leader to come along, or become a leader myself.  I'm no polotitian but who is really?  These days they're all on Law and Order and other crime shows.  You don't usually see anyone who inspires you these days.  All you can see are people.  regular ordinary people.  whose either got potential, lost their potential, or are at their peak of potential.  I want to think that it's legal to go on a search for an inspiration.  A diamond in the ruff.  Something shining through all the dirt and crud.
    I wanna be that diamond.  But I also want someone else to be the diamond.  Are you an inspiration?

Practice Test Essay

     Friendship. A powerful word.  There are many levels of friendship in this world and the stories of   Ántonia and Jim and  Gina and Soo-Hyung show a couple of the different levels of friendship.

     In the story My Ántonia, by Willa Cather, there is a special friendship between Jim, a young farm boy, and Ántonia, a cheerful girl who helps work on Jim's farm after her father has just recently died. Friendly, cheerful, and quite bubbly, the pretty young Ántonia and the kind, hardworking, and maybe even a little shy Jim start to develop a friendship that gets stronger by the day. They have a deep connection with each other while they find beauty, peace, and enjoyment in the same things. With the two of them on a farm where you might not find the most mesmerizing activities, Ántonia and Jim find joy in what they do and being with each other. Jim and Ántonia, though they might seem more closed around other people, freely express their feelings and thoughts and can just be themselves whenever they are together. Jim and Ántonia don't have to be afraid of what the other might think, or say, because they know that it won't matter as they really care for each other. Their little friendship might one day even develop into a sort of love. They care for, and enjoy, each other so why not?

     The two young girls in Once Around Manhattan by Greta Anderson share another type of friendship. The girls get together and battle obstacles to achieve a common goal.  Gina and Soo-Hyung are in a Challenge Club together and are the only girls, so they spend lots of one-on-one girl-to-girl time together. They talk and giggle and share memories and have a great time. They are so close that when one of them is sad or shocked by something, like the polluted river, they don't even have to say anything to know what the other is thinking. The girls can just feel one another's pain as well as one another's joy, like when they finally made it back to the Statue of Liberty. Gina and Soo-Hyung can just look at each other and know that they are each thinking that they are proud and excited but too tired to do anything and they need to rest and talk about it later. And that's okay. These two are so close it's almost like they share one mind. Even when Soo-Hyung was thinking that Gina was as inspirational as the Statute of Liberty, Gina had the exact same idea in reverse.  "'I know. I'm  going to have to call her Gina," said Soo-Hyung, rolling her eyes, "because she was my only hope back there."  "Oh, no," said Gina, "her name is Soo-Hyung, steering us to solid ground."

     These two friendships are very alike in many ways. First off, both pairs of friends have similar interests.  Jim and Antonia both love life on the farm while Gina and Soo-Hyung both want to prove that they are as good as the boys in their group.  Both of these friendships seemed to have started accidentally.  Jim and Antonia met because they were neighbors and she came to work on his family farm.  Gina and Soo-Hyung met when they each joined the Challenge Club and were paired together in a boat by Mr. Kravitz.  The friends have to endure hardships and challenges together.  Jim and Antonia face brutal heat, harsh storms and hard work together.  Gina and Soo-Hyung must paddle 30 miles around Manhattan battling the clock, the tides and their own weariness (not to mention Mr. Kravitz's doubting their ability to finish the trip.)  In each friendship, the pair of friends are stronger, more confident and happier together than they are apart as individuals.  Their friendships make them better people.

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Practice Test Essay

     When you are really close to someone, you have a "friendship".  With that one word, you may think of someone who you have a friendship with.  Someone that you are really close with.  Jim and Antonia in My Antonia have a friendship with each other like that and so do Gina and Soo-Hyung in "Once Around Manhattan." They are close to each other, and they get along with each.

     In My Antonia, Antonia is staying with Jim and his family on the farm.  Antonia helps with the chores around the farm and no one minds that she is there.  It states in the story, "Grandmother was in high spirits the weeks that Antonia worked for us."  Which proves that no one minded that she was there.  This story shows that they have a strong friendship.  If someone wasn't really your friend, would they be in your house, and you not minding that they were there?  I don't think so!  Jim didn't mind.  Jim enjoyed having Antonia there.  Someone to hang out with while doing the chores.  It is easier to do chores when you are doing them with someone you enjoy being with.  The story states, "Each morning, while the dew was still on the grass, Antonia went with me up to the garden to get early vegetables for dinner."  Antonia went with Jim, even when she didn't have to.  Antonia enjoyed the outdoors.  She even said to Jim, "Oh, better to work out-of-doors than in a house!"  Then she goes on about how she doesn't care if Jim's grandmother says that it would make her like a man and that she would like to be a man.  With her telling this to Jim, it shows that she can open up to him and tell him anything and know that he won't judge her.  A close friendship.  Another example of their close friendship is when Jim asks Antonia when they were on the roof, "Why aren't you always nice like this, Tony?"

Then Antonia answers, "How nice?"

"Why, just like this; like yourself.  Why do you all the time try to be like Ambrusch?" 

This little conversation shows a lot about their friendship.  It shows that they listen to what the other person has to say and doesn't get offended by it.  Also that Jim knows that Antonia wasn't going to get offended and get all mad and angry about it.  That he knows he can ask her something without all the drama.  If someone was to ask someone else that question and wasn't really their friend, then they probably would have thrown a fit and there probably would have been a lot of drama. 

     On the other hand, in the story, "Once Around Manhattan," the friendship between Gina and Soo-Hyung is a close one, but a close friendship in different ways compared to Jim and Antonia's friendship.  In the story, Gina and Soo-Hyung are the only two girls in the Challenge Club.  They were in a canoe together and had to paddle around Manhattan Island.  On their journey, they talked almost the whole time and you could tell that they were close friends.  In the story, it says, "There was no need to shout to each other to share their thoughts about the serene beauty."  With this sentence, you can really tell that they are close friends.  This is because, the sentence is saying that they are so close and know all about each other that they don't need to speak to know what the other was thinking when looking at the serene beauty.  In the story, while the two girls were paddling, the river began to reverse with the incoming tide and made it harder to paddle.  With their gaze fixed on the Statue of Liberty, together, they were able to get to the shore.  When you have a close friend, you  are able to ask or tell them anything.  That's what Gina did in the story.  She asked Soo-Hyung..."Does she have a name?  The Statue of Liberty lady?  Because if it weren't for her..."

Then Soo-Hyung says, "I know.  I'm gonna have to call her Gina, because she was my only hope back there."

Then Gina says, "Oh, no, her name is Soo-Hyung, steering us to solid ground."

Soo-Hyung replied to that by saying, "Whatever she represents, we absolutely have earned . . ."

"The freedom to have crazy ambitions?" Gina asked.

"How about the freedom to excercise out crazy ambitions?"

"Perfect.  Just don't ask me to move."

This little conversation shows what kind of friendship Gina and Soo-Hyung have.  One that doesn't revolve around one person being better and the other person like her "servant".  It's more like they are both treated the same by each other and no one is the better person between the two.  Also, that they know how to have a funny conversation, even when they were exhausted from what they just did.

     As you can see, these two different friendships are different from each other, but they are both the same too.  They both understand each other and what the other person in the friendship is saying.  Also that they can open up to the other person.  Tell them anything and know that they will understand you.  Which is what a frienship is supposed to be.  To me, these two stories tell a lot about frienship. 

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I am so bored right now. im only typing so it looks like im doing work, so i dont get in trouble. but really, im writing nonsense and im booooooooooooooooored. hey jude is stuck in my head so now im gunna writing down. hey juuuuuuuude. dont make it baaaaaaaaaad. take a sad sooooooooooooooooooooong and make it betterererrer. remember. to let her into ur heeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaart. and u can staaart, to make it. better. yah tht didnt really help much so now its still stuck in my head and im BORED. GAHHHHHHH. hmm what to write what to right. oops. i spelled thth wrong. write right write rright. those are easily mixed up i believe. yup. yuppity yuppity yup. yah. uh huh. ooooooooooooo right. so you know what. laras coach is a singer!!!!!!!!!! and she didnt tell her!!!!!!!!!!!!! and theyre like sisters!!!!!!!!!!! omg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ok so now im really like OD bored. im just gunna bable on and on and on and on and on................... and theyve known each other since she was 5!!!!!!!!! and she KNOWS HER BOYFRIEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! like OD. gahhhhhhhhhhhh i feel stupid now cuz im like having a one person conversationwith a computer. but laras reading it so hey lara!!!!! what up buddy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! babble babble babble GAHHHH i hate being bored. yah kno, my dad always said "only boring people get bored." yah well ya kno wut daddy? IM MUS BEING PRETTY DAMM BORING CUZ IM SO FRICKEN BORED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ok. now tht i got tht my chest. ahahhaha. lol. lmao. hehe. teehee. im laughing now. because ms hill thinks im blogging, which i technically AM. but HAHA on her. cuz this dont make no sense! OK so this catergory is religion. so AMEN.

Practice Test Essay

One of the greatest gifts in life is the gift of friendship.  Friends see you through good times and bad.  They help with various problems and are always there to talk to you.  They help with style, social problems, family, and pretty much everything else you could possibly think of.  A great example of some strong friendships, are Jim and Antonia from My Antonia, and Gina and Soo-Hyung from "Once Around Manhattan."

Jim and Antonia are very good friends.  Antonia basically lives with Jim's family so she always helps out with all of the work around the farm and in the kitchen.  I kind of like to think of Jim and Antonia as being not just friends, but kinda of like brother and sister.  I think they act like it, too.  They work together on the farm, and they talk to each other about really personnel stuff.  Antonia is pretty much a part of Jim's family, too. " 'I like your grandmother, and all things here,' she sighed.  'I wish my papa live to see this summer.  I wish no winter ever come again'...'If I live here, like you, that is different.  Things will be easy for you.  But they will be hard for us.' "

But Gina and Soo-Hyung are good friends, as well.  Gina and Soo-Hyung may not have the same opinions on certain topics, such as whether the Yankees, or the Metz, are a better baseball team.  They also come from very different ethnic backgrounds, so their cultures and customs are different, but that doesn't mean that they cannot be friends.  They do fight sometimes, but I believe that they really are there for each other, and after that boat race in the story, they always will be there for each other.  " 'I know.  I'm going to have to call her Gina,' said Soo-Hyung, rolling her eyes, 'because she was my only hope back there.'  'Oh, no,' said Gina, 'her name is Soo-Hyung, steering us to solid ground.' "

As great as these two friendships may be, they have something very important in common.  The two people, in each situation, helps the other, just to get through the day.  They help each other work on the farm, in My Antonia, and they help each other finish a boating race/trip around the island of Manhattan, in "Once Around Manhattan."  They may not always seem like they plan on always being there for each other, but if you look closely, you can see that in both of the friendship situations, there is strong chemistry.  That kind of strong chemistry between people, in friendships, says it all; it says for itself, that the people on those friendships will always be there for each other.

In conclusion, friends can be you relief, your therapy, your saviors.  They can be your annoyances, your editors, your distractions.  But in the end, you need them, and they need you, (most of the time); and these stories are great examples of how great friendships can work out, to be.

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