Chapter Four - Abby
I wrote this during my Writing Kidlit class.
See, I'm being ACADEMIC.
Well, kinda.
938 words.
Chapter Four - Abby
You know, in Long Island, we never had any of this. We don't name our cars like SOME families I could mention (cough KRISTY cough) and we don't have clubs besides the typical extra-curriculars at school. We don't have Short Takes, or even anything LIKE Short Takes. Apparently New York is in a whole different country from Connecticut...
Anna and I both overslept, which is almost unheard of in our family. We're all morning people ("late" to us is ten AM), and usually, if I don't wake up on time, Anna wakes me, and I do the same for her. But we were both overtired, I guess, because I woke up in a panic and ran in to shake Anna awake, and then we both rushed to get dressed and find our school books.
Never fear, though. Abby Stevenson, Track Star Extraordinaire, lead the charge, and I bounded up on the Wheeze Wagon (our school bus) just before it could pull away. Anna followed me a moment later, her violin case banging against her shins.
Luckily, Kristy had saved me a seat. She eyed me critically. "You look horrible, Abby," she said, tactful as usual.
"You mean you don't like my new beauty regiment?" I asked, touching my hair and affecting a Southern accent over my usual Long Island one. "But, darlin', ah worked on it just fer you!"
Kristy cracked up. She might be tactless, but she has a great sense of humor. "I thought you were going to miss the bus," she said when she'd recovered.
"I almost did. I was considering skipping school because of my tragic illness."
"Your asthma?" Kristy asked, suddenly concerned.
"Even worse," I admitted. "I have hairitis."
"What's that?"
I grinned at her. "Illness of the hair."
"Abby!"
"Hey, I could be contagious," I pointed out
Kristy laughed. Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all night, tip your waitress.
"How was baby-sitting last night?" I asked. "You missed the late bus. I had to sit with Anna." I made a face.
"Hey!" my sister shouted from the front of the bus, just like I knew she would. It's a Twin Thing.
Kristy laughed. "Just be glad your only sibling is your age."
"Yours aren't," I pointed out.
"No, but I only have half as many younger ones as Mal does. I think she's careening towards a nervous breakdown."
"That bad?" I asked. "The Pikes are usually so easy to watch."
"I think Mal's about ready to trade it all in and become an only child," Kristy said with a smile.
"Ouch."
"The triplets are ready to kill each other," she continued. "I tried to distract Adam and Jordan with some football practice, and you know what they kept saying? Byron's such a baby. Anyone can play football. Byron's such a girl."
"You're a girl," I pointed out needlessly.
Kristy is the only BSC member in the eighth grade who neither wears nor needs a bra (well, besides Logan, but you knew that already, right?), but she's still, unmistakably, a girl. She laughed. "I know. I tried to tell them that, but I don't even think they really heard me. By the time Mrs. Pike got home, if either of them missed a pass and they didn't think I was listening? They called each other Byrons."
"Ouch," I said again.
"Yeah."
Then I grinned. "No wonder Mrs. Pike's going out so often. If I had to live with that, I'd find a billion reasons to need baby-sitters."
"You're working there soon?"
"Today after school, with Jessi," I said. "I guess Mal's going out again."
"She's working at the Braddocks', I think," Kristy said. "She really wants out of her house."
I laughed. "Maybe I should start planning some football drills. Keep the boys occupied."
"Maybe you should bring your own football helmet," Kristy suggested. "Just in case you have to get between any two of the boys."
"It can't be that bad," I said. "The triplets like me."
Kristy snorted. "That's what they all say, Abby."
I laughed. "I think you're just jealous," I teased. "It must hurt to know the triplets might respond to me and not to you."
"Nah, I'm just worried that you're going to have a heart attack when you get there and Jordan's trying to decapitate his brother."
"How is that different from a normal afternoon at the Pike house?" We were both laughing at that point. Kristy and I are both overcritical and bossy, but at least we can tease each other about it.
The Wheeze Wagon pulled up to SMS, and kids started streaming out of it. (I saw Anna fighting valiantly with her giant violin case as she dragged it to the band room.) Kristy and I were the last to get off the bus. "I heard we're supposed to find out today which Short Takes class we're in today," Kristy told me as we walked towards the building.
Kristy always knows these things first. I believed her. "I can't wait!" I said. Short Takes are always the most exciting classes. They're one of the best things about leaving Long Island. Sometimes they're hokey, but at least they're always interesting.
"I hope I'm in a class with someone," Kristy said, playing nervously with her ponytail.
"Nah, I heard they're going to give you a whole special class," I teased. "They're going to call it Short Takes with Kristin Amanda Thomas. And-"
"Abby! Kristy!"
We both turned to see the rest of the BSC running towards us. "What's up?" Kristy asked.
"The Short Takes lists!" called Claudia. "They posted them!"
See, I'm being ACADEMIC.
Well, kinda.
938 words.
Chapter Four - Abby
You know, in Long Island, we never had any of this. We don't name our cars like SOME families I could mention (cough KRISTY cough) and we don't have clubs besides the typical extra-curriculars at school. We don't have Short Takes, or even anything LIKE Short Takes. Apparently New York is in a whole different country from Connecticut...
Anna and I both overslept, which is almost unheard of in our family. We're all morning people ("late" to us is ten AM), and usually, if I don't wake up on time, Anna wakes me, and I do the same for her. But we were both overtired, I guess, because I woke up in a panic and ran in to shake Anna awake, and then we both rushed to get dressed and find our school books.
Never fear, though. Abby Stevenson, Track Star Extraordinaire, lead the charge, and I bounded up on the Wheeze Wagon (our school bus) just before it could pull away. Anna followed me a moment later, her violin case banging against her shins.
Luckily, Kristy had saved me a seat. She eyed me critically. "You look horrible, Abby," she said, tactful as usual.
"You mean you don't like my new beauty regiment?" I asked, touching my hair and affecting a Southern accent over my usual Long Island one. "But, darlin', ah worked on it just fer you!"
Kristy cracked up. She might be tactless, but she has a great sense of humor. "I thought you were going to miss the bus," she said when she'd recovered.
"I almost did. I was considering skipping school because of my tragic illness."
"Your asthma?" Kristy asked, suddenly concerned.
"Even worse," I admitted. "I have hairitis."
"What's that?"
I grinned at her. "Illness of the hair."
"Abby!"
"Hey, I could be contagious," I pointed out
Kristy laughed. Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all night, tip your waitress.
"How was baby-sitting last night?" I asked. "You missed the late bus. I had to sit with Anna." I made a face.
"Hey!" my sister shouted from the front of the bus, just like I knew she would. It's a Twin Thing.
Kristy laughed. "Just be glad your only sibling is your age."
"Yours aren't," I pointed out.
"No, but I only have half as many younger ones as Mal does. I think she's careening towards a nervous breakdown."
"That bad?" I asked. "The Pikes are usually so easy to watch."
"I think Mal's about ready to trade it all in and become an only child," Kristy said with a smile.
"Ouch."
"The triplets are ready to kill each other," she continued. "I tried to distract Adam and Jordan with some football practice, and you know what they kept saying? Byron's such a baby. Anyone can play football. Byron's such a girl."
"You're a girl," I pointed out needlessly.
Kristy is the only BSC member in the eighth grade who neither wears nor needs a bra (well, besides Logan, but you knew that already, right?), but she's still, unmistakably, a girl. She laughed. "I know. I tried to tell them that, but I don't even think they really heard me. By the time Mrs. Pike got home, if either of them missed a pass and they didn't think I was listening? They called each other Byrons."
"Ouch," I said again.
"Yeah."
Then I grinned. "No wonder Mrs. Pike's going out so often. If I had to live with that, I'd find a billion reasons to need baby-sitters."
"You're working there soon?"
"Today after school, with Jessi," I said. "I guess Mal's going out again."
"She's working at the Braddocks', I think," Kristy said. "She really wants out of her house."
I laughed. "Maybe I should start planning some football drills. Keep the boys occupied."
"Maybe you should bring your own football helmet," Kristy suggested. "Just in case you have to get between any two of the boys."
"It can't be that bad," I said. "The triplets like me."
Kristy snorted. "That's what they all say, Abby."
I laughed. "I think you're just jealous," I teased. "It must hurt to know the triplets might respond to me and not to you."
"Nah, I'm just worried that you're going to have a heart attack when you get there and Jordan's trying to decapitate his brother."
"How is that different from a normal afternoon at the Pike house?" We were both laughing at that point. Kristy and I are both overcritical and bossy, but at least we can tease each other about it.
The Wheeze Wagon pulled up to SMS, and kids started streaming out of it. (I saw Anna fighting valiantly with her giant violin case as she dragged it to the band room.) Kristy and I were the last to get off the bus. "I heard we're supposed to find out today which Short Takes class we're in today," Kristy told me as we walked towards the building.
Kristy always knows these things first. I believed her. "I can't wait!" I said. Short Takes are always the most exciting classes. They're one of the best things about leaving Long Island. Sometimes they're hokey, but at least they're always interesting.
"I hope I'm in a class with someone," Kristy said, playing nervously with her ponytail.
"Nah, I heard they're going to give you a whole special class," I teased. "They're going to call it Short Takes with Kristin Amanda Thomas. And-"
"Abby! Kristy!"
We both turned to see the rest of the BSC running towards us. "What's up?" Kristy asked.
"The Short Takes lists!" called Claudia. "They posted them!"