Step Right Up, and Pick Your Partner

I slowly walked into Glee Club. Ms. Pike hadn't arrived yet. Everyone was sitting about the classroom, chatting. Bridget was watching Glee - A Very Merry Christmas on her iPod, Peter was showing Scott how to play the baritone, and Annabeth and her clique of girls were sitting around squealing and giggling. For once, I didn't want to be in Glee Club.

I took a seat on the farthest side of the classroom. Peter looked up from his baritone business to see me moping, twiddling with my thumbs.
"Sonnyyyyy!" He bellowed. "Why are thou sitting so lonely over there?" He called as he raced up to my chair.
I shrugged, containing my laugh. "I dunno."
Peter frowned. "Awwww, come on! Don't be so sad. Christmas is only in 15 days!" He reminded me.
I sighed. "I know, I know. Fine." I got up and walked down to the piano with him.

Ms. Pike had arrived and we all gathered around the piano. She had placed a mini Christmas tree on top of the ebony black piano top. She looked around at us and smiled. We all knew what she was about to say.

"....CHRISTMAS DUETS! Step right here, right up here, to pick your fantabulous partners name out of the hat! Right here, right here!" She cried. Everyone laughed but me. Peter pushed me forward.
"Well, looky here Sonny, come forward to pick her partner? Alright!" Ms. Pike crowed in her gamebooth voice.
I smiled. I shoved my hand into the black hat decorated with Christmas ribbon and pulled out a name. Peter, Peter, Peter, please be Peter, my mind prayed. But when I opened the folded little name on a scrawny piece of paper, it read 'Annabeth'.

"Ughh.." I accidentally said out loud.
Ms. Pike looked up from her task of letting Scott pick from the hat. "Whats wrong, Sonny?" She looked concerned.
I shook away my disappointed facial expression. "Uh, nothing.. just.. I just don't want to wait any longer for Christmas!" I urged a smile.
"That's the spirit!" Ms. Pike grinned ear-to-ear.

-Sonali

I Like Everything About Christmas- Kindof.

The clock striked 11:12. I cursed in my mind. I missed 11:11 AGAIN! I needed someone like Gracelynne to hang around and remind me of these types of things.

I gazed around the room at the hanging pine boughs and dried cranberries and pinecones sprinkled with glitter. Thinking of Gracelynne brought me to the thoughts of Christmas- and yet another Christmas without Bethie. 'Can you believe its been almost a year?' I thought.

A hole in my heart opened up as I thought about Bethie. I love that girl. I just wish I could spend a Christmas with her. Maybe just ONE SINGLE CHRISTMAS? Please god?

I huffed and walked around in circles. Everything was dark in the living room but the Christmas lights draped around the mantle and almost every bare part of the room. Everyone was in bed but me. I wasn't sleepy. My phone vibrated. It was Erin. I laughed, imagining her lying in her bed upstairs, texting under the covers.

Fr. Erin Is The Best :)

COME BACK UPSTAIRS!! i think the ghost of christmas past is coming to get me.. SAVE MEEEEE!!


'Thats exactly what Bethie would say.' I thought, again ruining my good mood.

I like everything about Christmas.

Except for being away from my bestfriend.

-Sonali

Scrapbook Pages

Sometimes Grace can be really really stupid. She has a tendency to leave our Christmas gifts out right where we can see them, because she believes "we won't see them" and that "we won't ever touch them" but she's just silly like that. Really, Grace, really? Of course we find the Christmas gifts and squeal and giggle over them.

This afternoon, we found a cupboard, a basket full of yarns, and a scrapbook lying around.

"Christmas gifts." Kit sighed, as she picked up the basketball and spun it around in her hand.
We all smiled as we found the scrapbook. Felicity turned the first page and found uncoordinated pages-full of colorful stickers, photos, and letters. 7-year-old Grace had gotten this scrapbook in the mail and immediately dedicated it to Kirsten. Kirsten's face was plastered on the front. There were photos of Kirsten on the plane, photos of Kirsten in 2006, and photos of Kirsten in the playtent with Grace. We all sniffled as the beloved moments between Kirsten and Grace touched our hearts.

"This is all a load of cheesy crap." Felicity hmmmphed, but no one believed what she said. We all knew Felicity was just jealous of Kirsten.

I was tempted to write a note to Grace on the last page of the scrapbook - telling her that we mean more to her than her friends. She just doesn't know it yet.

-Sonali

Grace's Post

I guess in the end, I realized I am NOT different than every other child or teen - I am concerned about looks, appearance, and popularity, more than any other thing in my life that actually makes me happy.
I thought maybe I'd hold on to dolls much longer than this, until I was 60, until I was in my grave, even.

Yup, its me, Grace. Not Sonali, this time..

I need you guys.

I don't like saying this, or typing this, or even THINKING this, but maybe its time to wrap up the dolls for a while?
.. There, I said -- I mean, I typed it. There. THERE!
I admitted it.
I'm really, not sure about my dolls.
I guess I'm not losing interest in them.
I think I'm just scared.
Really.
Really.
REALLY.
Scared.

I don't want to be the odd one out, I don't want to be bullied. I don't want to be so depressed of bullying that I commit suicide.
I want to be normal.

Is this normality? Liking dolls and taking photos of them? I don't like the thought of packing up my dolls in a box, and I definitely don't want to forget them. Stuff like that scares me. These dolls have helped me grow up, I don't know what my life would have gone like without them. They were a part of my childhood, kinda like how Hannah Montana was. But she's going, too, isn't she? She's ending her show in like, 2 more episodes. I guess you think that doesn't matter, but it doesn't. It means that something good can end. ..Can't it? I mean..

Oh, guys. Help me out.

-Grace

Lena & Carmabelle have a chat

"Hey, Lena." I used my nickname for her as I peeped my head around Julia's bedroom door. "You there?"
"Hey there, Carmabelle!" Julia's reply came from behind her closet door. I entered Julia's room and crept across the floor to the closet.
I knocked on the walk-in closet door. "Hey, open up!"
Julia opened the closet door.
She stepped out in a ruffled pink mini. I smiled. Pink was her color.
She twirled around. "You like?"
I nodded.
She sighed, then sat down on her bed. "I'm having such a hard time picking out a dress for the dance."
I laughed, enlightened at the fact that Julia's only problem was which dress to wear to a Fall Fling.
Jules patted the spot on the bed next to her. I plopped down on it, flinging my arms out, and accidentally hitting Julia in the face. "HAHAHA!" Julia cracked up. I giggled.
"So, Carmen, what brings you to my humble abode?" Julia winked.
"School.." I looked down and mumbled.
"OOOHHHHH." Julia exclaimed. "Right, 7th grade. I remember it clearly now!"
I exhaled. "This isn't something to joke about, Julia. I'm failing and I can't even watch Glee tonight - Kirsten banned it, remember?"
Julia patted my back. "I don't think failing is all you're thinking about."
I side-ways glanced at her. "Well, maybe I do think about guys and friends a liiiiitttle biiiiit..." I backtracked.
Julia snorted. "Riiight."
"I think about Peter. A lot." I confessed.
My wise older sister stopped and thought for a moment.
"But isn't he going out with Annabeth?" She joked, poking fun with me.
I fidgeted. "Um.. he kind-of is. Thats why I came to talk to you."
Julia gaped.
"Spill, girl. Tell me everything." She cried.

-Sonali

Smack

Kirsten smacked the test down on the kitchen table with a fierce slap.
"You FAILED your math test?!" Kirsten yelled.
I cringed. "Um.."
Kirsten went to get my backpack out of the coatroom. I sat there in a chair by the kitchen table, fearing the worst. My sisters were slowly trickling downstairs to see what all the commotion was about.
Kirsten marched back in. She poured out the contents of my schoolbag onto the table. A pit of fear balled up in my stomach as I realized that all of the items in my bag were useless - Glee music sheets, my cellphone, a 10 dollar bill, and one little dictionary.
Kirsten's eyes flared.
"What is this?" Kirsten dug into one of my bag's side pockets and took out a note.
Darn, I thought, as I recognized the note to be the note that Bridget & I were passing between ourselves in Spanish class.
"Well, well, well, Sonali Beth Lynne." Kirsten said - I cringed because I knew she NEVER ever used my full name. "You failed your math test, you got a 54% on your spanish and you just edged by your social studies test with a 60%. Am I proud? No." Kirsten spat in my face.
I sat there, expressionless.
That annoyed Kirsten.
"All right, young lady, if you have nothing to say, I'm taking away all Glee and music privileges. No iPod, iTunes, Glee Club, and no, you are not going to be watching the new Glee episode on Tuesday with the rest of your sisters. Now go to your room!"
That was it. My expressionless face morphed into the ugliest, most raging face I could ever muster.
"Fine, Kirsten. If thats the way you want it. Fine."
I stomped upstairs and slammed my door.

-Sonali

too much depression

too much depression
not enough energy
to even type proper sentences
or capitals.

-sonali

oct. 29th...