True Life

"I hate my life," Lacey loudly complained to herself, settling into one of her favorite books, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, "and no one really even cares." she added quietly, flipping open the worn cover.

Lacey was a bit of a hermit. She had never been good at making friends, and a new school didn't help her case any. She wasn't a very attractive youth- a bit chubby with bushy eyebrows. She had never related to any of her peers, not that she ever let them get close enough to try to relate.

She was in the sixth grade, waiting for her new teacher to arrive on the first day. This class, she thought, is going to be dull. Just then, the teacher walked in.

She was tall, blonde, and a flute player. Which would make sense, seeing as this was a flute class. "Hello," she announced as soon as she walked in, "My name is Mrs. Miller, and I'm every bit as new here as you are."

Oh dear, Lacey thought, it's going to be one of those years. Boy was she wrong.

Just a few seats away sat one of the three girls who would change her life by the time the year was over. And on the other side of the school was another. As for the third, she was halfway across the town.

This class is going to be fun! thought Diana, smiling slightly. A new town, a new school, who knew what could happen?

She was in second period English, and one of her classmates leaned over to her.

"Psst!" she said. "I'm Christina. What's your name?"

"Why, my name is Diana!" Diana replied. Maybe she can be my friend!

"Well, Diana? Um, you have something stuck in your hair. Just thought you should know."

Wow. Diana thought, pulling the paper out of her beautiful dark brown hair with a grimace, This isn't going at all how I pictured my first day would go! Maybe this school year won't be how I hope it will. Maybe I'll change schools.

And she would, later, before eighth grade, and that would be where she would meet her three new sisters.

"Brenda!" Mr. Rogers shouted, breaking her painting reveire. "I said: what is the difference between these two blues?"

"Um..." Brenda began, only to be cut off by an impatient art teacher.

"See why you should listen?" He started to say.

"I know the answer. That one's got more green in it." Brenda muttered into her lap, only overheard by her neighbor, Delaney.

"The reason these blues are different is because this one has more green in it. I bet no one knew that. I went to art school for four years to learn that!"

"Wow," Delaney muttered to Brenda, "Might as well just give you your cap and gown now!"

I could get to like her. Brenda thought with a smile, surpressing giggles.

"My name's Ms. Miller." the teacher said.

She seems like a nice young lady, Thorn thought, putting her flute together. Very well put together. I could easily get to like this class.

"Now, today, we're going to start with rythm." Ms. Miller announced gaily, oblivious to her students' looks of disdain.

Thorn's previous feeling of openness vanished as Ms. Miller instructed them to put away their flutes.

"Now what is this called?" Ms. Miller asked Thorn.

"A half note." Thorn responded, impatiently brushing a bit of light brown hair out of her face before it could make her sneeze. This was going to be a long year. And it was only the first day.