Be Thankful Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Aly looked down her mother's old grocery list. Although the list contained contents more important than groceries. This list had a list of girls she had invited to her birthday. Her twelfth birthday. So far she was sure of four people she had invited. Those people were Stephanie, Angela, Celia and Hillary.

Aly's birthday was going to be a slumber party. It was going to be interesting to see her BFF, Stephanie mix in with Aly's new posse, Angela, Celia and Hillary. Her other friends would most likely be there too and they would have to get used to being around Angela Payton. Angela had always been the most fabulous girl in elementary school but not the nicest. She had dated Aly's big crush from fifth grade, Logan Camerons and that was enough competition for Aly. But Angela still liked him and Aly hadn't lost the vibes in entering sixth grade in September. Logan had mixed feelings for them both and Angela still was in the need to know.

"ALY!" yelled Nadia, Aly's younger sister. It was time for school. Aly swiped her lip gloss from her desk, grabbed her homework, her backpack and was out the door. Her mom was waiting in the silver Honda pilot. "Aly you take a while these days" she said. "I was planning my party" said Aly. "Oh. So who's coming this year?" Mom was paying atention now. They were backing out of the driveway. Aly listed all the girls she had invited until her school came into view.

Aly went to Monroe Middle School. Lots of bullies and snobs went there but Aly hadn't dealt with any of it yet. She was the most popular girl. Or runner up for most popular girl. She and Angela Payton were tyed for that place. But they were friends (kind of)

The Honda drove up in front of Monroe and Aly hopped out. "Aly remember to think about inviting Andy. Her mom's been giving me a hard time" Mom called out after her. Ugh thought Aly. Andy had brought popularity to Aly. All she had done was drive her insane so Aly said no.

She had been the first to do that. No way would Aly invite her to her slumber party. Mom knew that Aly hated Andy but Andy's mom, Mrs. Moore insisted that Andy needed to make friends. (No wonder)

"Hey" said Angela. "I'll be back but Celia wants to show me a sticker on her cousin's new Mercedes. Celia's mother had a Jaguar. The Martins were filthy rich. From where Aly stood she could see Hillary peering over Celia's shoulder to read her iPhone. On Aly's route to her locker, she said her "Yo" to Taryn and Taryn's friend Katrina, waved to Jenna, said hi to Sophie, yelled to Lauren down the hall and David and Max, (Celia and Hillary's crushes) said "Hi Aly". Everyone glanced at her.

While sorting through the weekend's homework, Logan approached Aly. "I was looking for you" he said. They hadn't talked since the Halloween dance. "Oh" said Aly. She didn't know what to say. "I won't take Angela out anymore" he said. "Really?" asked Aly. "Yeah" he said. "But don't tell her" "I won't" said Aly. They smiled.

Behind the Costume Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Carter went up with his friends and stood by Aly. Angela, Celia and Hillary were watching carefully. Logan, David and Max stood nearby. "So" said Angela. Aly tapped Carter's shoulder. "This is Carter" Angela's eyes bulged. Celia gasped and Hillary smiled. "Hi girls" said Carter. Aly

sighed with relief. All was going well.

"Hiiii" said Angela. "Hey" said Celia. "What's up?" asked Hillary and she extended her hand. Carter took it, shook it and asked Hillary about her liking of sports. The girls got drinks and the two minutes were over. Carter walked away.

"Oh my god, Aly!" hissed Angela. "That was an eighth grader! How in the world did you get him?" She was very impressed. Aly almost said to go thank Stephanie. Celia went on about how she would've dressed better if she knew and Hillary whined about not checking the news for the latest sports game. "Dudes" said Aly. "We're not boyfriend and girlfriend. It was just this dance" "Well it was actually a perfect idea. We are now the most popular girls in the sixth grade. We hold the Alpha title" Angela grinned. "Just wait until the eighth grade girls hear about you" Aly felt good. Everyone was happy now. Almost.

The DJ announced a couples dance. "Let's get our dates!" cried Celia. "Let's" said Angela. They ran off leaving Aly. This was bad. Dancing was not the plan. "I don't want to dance" said a boy's voice. Aly turned around.

That had been Logan speaking to Angela! Angela gasped along with Celia and Hillary. Aly hurried to find a seat in the back away from them all. Then she realized that Logan had followed her. Hopefully Angela didn't notice. Yikes!

"Aly I need to talk to you" said Logan. He sat down next to Aly. Aly's heart was beating really fast. "At Angela's party I was going to say that I think you've changed" he said. Aly looked into his blue eyes. "Whats that supposed to mean?" she asked. Logan sighed. "In fifth grade you were funny but now you look different and your personality seems different" Aly understood. She was different. Get on with it Logan!

The party was over realized Aly. She had a moment to spare before Stephanie's mom got here and Carter escorted her. "I have to go" she said to Logan. Aly began to run. But she tried to turn in the crowd. Logan was yelling something at her. "Angela called me. Otherwise I would've chose you!" it sounded like. Aly smiled to herself. Logan liked her after all. She had learned that not everyone was to be trusted and to pay close attention.

She realized she had work to do. Her birthday was very soon and a party needed to be planned. So much was in store for her and she couldn't wait to find out what the surprises would be. At home she opened up her Yahoo! Mail and sent a quick reply to Stephanie's plan.

To: Stephanie Wilson <sizzlinsw@yahoo.com>

From: Alyssa Ramsey <alykat1996@yahoo.com>

Subject: RE:Plan

TY sooooo much! It workd out well. I found dat Angela had called Logan and made him b her date. so he wouldve asked me. its almost time 4 my bday! any ideas?

xoxoxox

Aly

THE END

Behind the Costume Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Aly was ready for the dance. She had taken a shower using her favorite American Girl Strawberries n' Cream bodywash and then used the Mango lotion that Taryn had given to her last year. Then she had washed her face using the new Neutrogena Wave that Vanessa Hudgens had demonstrated in a TV ad. She was wearing her pink 60's dress again, this time with body glitter, side ponytail and a matching scarf around her neck.

"ALY!" called Nadia, Aly's little sister. "Your ride is here!" Aly bounded downstairs, reached for her student I.D and ran outside. Stephanie was right. It was exactly 6:50 PM. Carter was waiting in the car with all his friends. Stephanie was nowhere in sight. Aly thought maybe the disguise thing was a joke. Eventually Monroe came into sight along with lots of her costumed classmates. Including Angela, Hillary and Celia all sitting in Mrs.Martin's Jaguar. Aly felt her stomach turn to lead when she saw the boys come into view. Especially Logan.

The van doors opened and Aly picked up the ends of her dress and hopped out. The cold October air swirled around her and she shivered. Angela waved to her so Aly waved back. Then she saw Taryn wave and then Charlotte on the other side of the parking lot. No one noticed her beat up 1989 Toyota since this year's Jaguar was the main focus. Aly wanted to race to them but she had to be "escorted" in by Carter. This was very confusing.

Aly walked aside Carter into the dance room. Inside they were separated but Aly knew soon that Angela and her posse would get to meet him. Eventually Angela and Logan were standing next to her. "So where's the mystery boy?" asked Angela anxiously. Aly cocked her head. "Didnt you see him escort me in?" she asked. Angela shook her head. "Aww man" Aly pretended. "I let him go off with his friends so we could talk" Angela rolled her eyes.

Celia ran up with David panting at her side. Her model outfit was a lot of Victoria's Secret stuff with some fake Miss Universe pageant pins. She had her make-up done so she was very dazzling compared to Angela's Goth Superstar that everyone could tell was definetly Party City. "Oh my god Aly! Look over there! Those are my cousins from Florida!" Celia said jumping up and down. Her Floridan cousins were tanned and bright blonde dressed as cats. They looked very catty in Aly's opinion.

Then Hillary came over in a soccer uniform. She had done her hair and make-up so she still looked pretty. It made her gray eyes stand out and her tomato red hair looked a nice auburn. She complimented on Aly's costume.

The dancing started and Jenna and Sophie giggled with Aly about their costumes. Sophie was Tinkerbell and Jenna was Glinda the Good Witch. "Lauren's the Wicked Witch of the West" giggled Jenna. "I should've been Dorothy" said Sophie, frowning. "Or Toto" laughed Aly. They burst into loud fits of giggles.

Then Taryn came by with Katrina who chatted along pleasantly. Eventually Aly introduced Charlotte to all of them. Charlotte got along fine with all of them. Aly was comfortable now. All her friends were having a good time and she was a part of it. Her stomach dropped when Lauren came by. She was wearing green facepaint on her cheeks along with fake warts to be the Wicked Witch of the West. Aly thought she was a good one.

"So" said Lauren looking at Aly. "Where's your date?" Aly turned red. The fun was over. Jenna and Sophie went to get pizza, Taryn and Katrina sat down and Charlotte went to the restroom. Lauren was glaring at Aly still. "What a follower" said Lauren and she turned around. "I am nawt a follower" said Aly. Lauren turned back to Aly. Aly spoke first.

"I don't have a date" she said. "But I have an escort" Aly giggled. Then Lauren giggled. They had made up. But Angela broke the moment. "Come awn Aly!" she yelled. Uh oh thought Aly. It was time to introduce her "date".

Behind the Costume Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Aly was dressed in last year's Halloween costume, a pink 60's dress with a poodle on the skirt. It fit Angela's retro birthday theme. Angela was planning to show everyone the true Alpha.

"Hey!" said Angela, welcoming Aly inside. The party was at Celia's and Celia was showing off her enormous home which fit the whole sixth grade. Hillary was dressed as a baseball player insisting it was retro because back in the days the African Americans had their own team seperate from whites. Celia wore leggings and a long pink blouse which she tied off with a rhinestone belt around the waist. Her blonde hair was in a side ponytail and rainbow earrings finished the 80's look. Angela wore a tie dyed shirt with cuffed jeans along with rainbow glasses and long necklaces.

"What year does that outfit represent?" asked Aly. "Hippie years" giggled a voice behind them. Angela turned around abruptly and scowled at Jenna who was giggling with Sophie. "Here" said Sophie handing a present to Angela. Then they ran off with Aly.

"Didn't she look like a hippie?" giggled Jenna. Jenna was wearing a tie dyed tee which she wore over her soccer shorts. "What are you?" Aly asked Sophie. Her hair was plastered with hairspray and she wore a bright green plaid dress. "I'm Tracy Turnblad from Hairspray! It takes place in the 60's" Sophie loved all musicals.

Just then Lauren came and Jenna and Sophie were quiet, then left with Lauren. Aly was glad they weren't mad at her. She watched as they hurried to apelike, Amanda Barbodos but she was distracted when loud shouts of laughter were heard from the front of the house.

Bess Wilder was laughing loudest. "It's Charlotte O'Keith!" Aly hurried to the front. Charlotte's face turned bright red espicially when everyone glanced at the beat up 1989 Toyota. "I didn't think Toyotas were that old" said Max. Aly raced after crying Charlotte.

"It's so unfair" hiccupped Charlotte. "What cars do people here usually have?" she asked. Aly paused. "Hondas, Toyotas, Chevrolets, Fords, etc." "But that car was a Toyota" replied Charlotte, angrily. "They think your poor" Aly said honestly. "Oh" said Charlotte after a while. "Well we are, kind of. Our other family car was stolen. It was a 2005. My parents change jobs often and I am in a family of eight kids" Aly raised her eyebrows. "Don't worry about it" "Thanks so much" said Charlotte. "I never thought such a popular girl would ever help me out" Aly was shocked. Popular? Charlotte read Aly's mind. "You are really popular"

The two girls headed back to the party. It was all yummy food, games and then Angela opened presents. Aly gave her a gift card to use at any store at their local mall. Charlotte gave her a sketch pad which Angela raised eyebrows at and Celia gave her a necklace straight from Tiffany's. Everyone gasped at it.

Then the party was almost over when Aly found herself in a conversation with the boys. It started out with David's retro afro then Max's football tryouts and then Logan's cell phone. When it came to Logan's cell phone everyone started sharing their cell phones so it came to Logan glancing at Aly's.

"What kind of phone is it?" asked Logan. "It's Sprint's Sanyo Katana" answered Aly, coldly. Logan went aside with Aly. "Are you ok?" "Yes, why?" asked Aly trying to soften her tone and act innocent. "You seem....." Logan was looking for a word when David's mom honked at him to hurry up. Logan turned and ran away. "Logan, wait!" called Aly. But he was already gone.

Behind the Costume Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Aly's language arts class was providing partners for a new project so this would distract her from her confusing lie. Mrs.Kramer was calling out partners. "Alyssa Ramsey you will be with......." Mrs.Kramer looked down at her list and Aly crossed her fingers. "Alyssa Ramsey you will be with Charlotte O'Keith". Aly looked around the room for her partner. Who was Charlotte O'Keith? Looking around, Aly realized everyone knew who she was but since she had been so busy she hadn't even looked at her classmates from other elementary schools.

"Ew" said Bess Wilder (whom Aly recognized since Bess was a suck-up) "Did you see Charlotte's car? It's a 1989 beat up Toyota!" Bess giggled to the girl who was supposedly her best friend. Aly immediately felt bad for Charlotte for two reasons. One because her parents couldn't afford a car that was at least 2002 and two because Charlotte turned out to be a really nice girl.

Charlotte greeted Aly warmly and they giggled about TV shows they liked, like iCarly or American Idol while writing out their paperwork. Mrs.Kramer said they could keep the same partners for the follwing week and Aly chose to stay with Charlotte.

Later that night during Aly's IMing with Stephanie, Angela got online and brought back the lie.

AngelaAngel: Hiiiiiiiii

AlyKat1996: hey

AngelaAngel: i'm opening a chat with celia and hills

AlyKat1996: k

Aly was very upset over this whole muti-user chat. She was going to have to figure out something fast, so she sent an IM to Steph.

AlyKat1996: dude angela's online

SizzlinSW: ?

AlyKat1996: my lie!

SizzlinSW: im thinkin!

AlyKat1996: k

SizzlinSW: I know!

AlyKat1996: tell, tell!

SizzlinSW: tell em its a surprise who ur date is

AlyKat1996: crap! then i have to get a date fer sure!

SizzlinSW: duh! u said u had 1 so u will have 1......soon

Aly was in deep doo doo, no doubt. But now Angela's Yahoo! Messenger tab was ready. It was time to complete her lie.

AngelaAngel: Here they are!

TealCeal: like my Yahoo! name?

AlyKat1996: um yeah. but why teal ceal?

TealCeal: It's my stationery name

xoHillsxo: stationery?

TealCeal: why is that so wierd?

AngelaAngel: whos ur date Aly?

Aly paused to look at Stephanie's chat tab instead. All Steph did was encourage her but today it wasn't working. Aly slowly typed out her answer to Angela.

AlyKat1996: its a surprise

TealCeal: come awn!

xoHillsxo: puh lease, tell!

AngelaAngel: Aly....

AlyKat1996: i really want it 2 b a surprise

Geez they were so pushy. Aly stopped to IM Stephanie who was waiting for her response.

xoHillsxo: so whens ur partay, angel?

AngelaAngel: next sat. all planned out

TealCeal: the theme is?

AngelaAngel: a moment in time

xoHillsxo: ?

AngelaAngel: DRESS RETRO!

Behind the Costume Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The next school day was very much the same as the day before. Amanda sat in Aly's place with Lauren, Jenna and Sophie. So of course Aly ate lunch with Angela's posse. (Otherwise she would end up with Andy, Janet or Bob)

"Yo man" said Taryn when they arrived to the cafeteria. "Yo dog" replied Aly glumly. "Yo dude" said a voice. Aly turned around surprised to see Katrina back from her long trip to Italy. "You're back?" asked Aly. "Yeah" said Katrina. "I got back last week"

Aly hadn't noticed. "So you hang out with Angela now?" Katrina pronounced it like a statement. Aly's insides churned remembering that she didn't like Katrina since she took her only time with Taryn. "Yes I hang out with Angela" said Aly proudly.

Katrina's response shocked Aly. "Well Angela passes on bad reps" Katrina obviously heard about her squabble with Lauren. Aly's inside was like a washing machine now. It was time to show Katrina an "Alpha" even though it was going to require bragging.

"You know I was invited to David's party two weeks ago" Aly bragged. "Yeah right" said Katrina. From what Aly saw so far Taryn wasn't going to defend her. But Angela saved Aly. "Oh hey Katrina. I never noticed you came here" Katrina opened her mouth but Angela cut her off. "So you heard about David's party, huh?" Katrina nodded. "Yeah well Aly and I had a great time flirting with all the boys. We brought back the life to that party" Angela smirked and grabbed Aly.

At their lunch table Angela dropped all dance topics so Aly survived the conversations while eating her sandwich but afterwards it came up. Hillary brought up their costumes. "What are you going as?" she asked. "I'm gonna be a model!" said Celia. "I might even bring my cousins up from Florida!" All the boys faced Celia. "How are you going to get Floridan girls?" asked Logan. "Yeah" said David. "They're not free ya know" "My dad can send them up in a private jet. They're nineteen" replied Celia casually.

Angela stole Celia's spotlight. Aly kept last night's IMs in mind. "I'm going as a Goth Superstar" bragged Angela. Aly thought of Stephanie's IMs again. "Is it a Party City costume?" asked Aly. Angela glared at Aly. Party City costumes were not high quality so of course Angela didn't want people to know she'd be getting it there. "No" she said quickly. "But do you have a date yet?" Angela caught the attention of everyone at the table.

Aly's face turned red. Oh gawd this was a deep doo doo situation. It was time for a lie that would have to come true somehow. "Yes I do have a date" she lied. Yet everyone believed it.

Behind the Costume Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Aly was hardly breathing. Now she knew for sure that she and Angela both liked Logan. There was nothing as horrible as that. Logan was going to make his decision. Right now. Then and there.

"I'll take..." said Logan. "Angela" Aly thought her heart had broken. Logan had said she looked pretty in her Selena Gomez style hair. Didn't he still like that? Did he still like her? Maybe Logan had been lying all along. Maybe he had never liked her.

Angela turned and faced Aly. "Yay!" she whispered. "I gotta a date" Angela and Celia started whispering about double dating. Aly looked at Hillary. They were both dateless. Max looked at Hillary. "Wanna go with me?" he asked. "Yes!" answered Hillary in her strong British accent. Aly looked away. Now she was officially dateless. Hillary had joined Celia and Angela's conversation.

Aly got up with her lunch. "Hey guys" she said. Aly was going to go sit with Lauren, Jenna and Sophie, the girls she entirely trusted. But none of the girls looked up. Only Logan did. "Aly" he said. Aly turned around and walked away. Who cared what he thought? Logan was so over. But only part of Aly believed that. Part of her heart said, Logan you are a backstabber! but the other side said Go get him, Aly!

Lauren scooted over for Aly immediately. "Hey!" said Jenna. "Thanks for spreading the Halloween dance news around. I have to make less posters now" Sophie looked up at Aly. "You won't believe it!" she said. "What?" asked Aly. "In drama I didn't get a star role. Actually I didn't even get a good role! I'm an extra" Sophie looked really upset. Sophie was the one who made them bust up and used her dramatic acting skills in drama. Aly had never seen Sophie so upset.

"It's ok. I don't always get good dates to dances" said Aly. Sophie looked at her. "Your looking for a date to the dance?" "Um, yeah" said Aly. Lauren and Jenna were staring. Aly hadn't realized this was considered an embarrassing moment. These girls never showed interest in boys. "Yeah well Angela..." Lauren interupted. "Stop listening to Angela! It's al you ever listen to now! You don't have to have a date you know!" "I know" said Aly. "I still don't." "That's not the point" said Lauren. "You were looking, though" Aly looked up. A girl had arrived at their table.

"Hi" said the girl. "Hey Amanda!" said Jenna. Jenna scooted over for Amanda which threw Aly off. There was not enough room for them all. "Hey, um Amanda. There isn't room for..." "There's plenty of room" said Lauren, quickly. A lunch room lady came to the table and looked at Aly. "There's no more room, dear. Try that table over there." the lady pointed to Janet Striker's table. Janet Striker, the girl who played with unicorns. This was also the table where Andy Moore sat. Oh brother thought Aly. Aly took a seat between Janet and Bob McEarthy. (Bob was the biggest loser in the history of losers) Ugh thought Aly. She was in the middle of Bob, Janet and Andy. This was the opposite of heaven.

But Aly refused to talk to them. Instead she thought about how Lauren, Jenna and Sophie had traded her for Amanda Barbodos (a girl who could pass for an ape) and Angela had totally taken Logan knowing she had liked him. Everyone was not who they really seemed to be. They were all hiding behind a costume. And what was behind the costume was not a good thing.

Behind the Costume Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Aly hurried to her social studies class. She was not taking the risk of being late as she had been to homeroom that morning. "ALY!" yelled Angela from across the hallway. Gawd thought Aly. Didn't Angela care about being tardy? Ever? From what Aly could see, probably not.

"It's all around" said Angela. "Celia already asked David to the dance and he said yes" Why wouldn't he? "Remember" said Angela. "Our Alpha title?" Aly nodded. Then hurried to social studies.

Aly personally didn't get why Angela was saying, "we" but Aly didn't really care. She just had to make sure Logan was all hers. Aly took a seat at the front of the classroom. (It happened to be like the last one left) Unfortunately it happened to be right next to Andy Moore.

Andy brought bad memories way back from fifth grade until the first day of school. She just couldn't take no for an answer. Not now, tommorow or in the past. Never. That's where Aly came in. She said no to sit by her on the first day of sixth grade. After that Andy told her mom. Andy had started getting on her case last week. This was probably the beggining of her mom's torturing.

"Ok" said Mr. Holmer. "Let's start off with questions from last Friday's homework" Aly faced forward. She had totally studied this. "Does anyone remember one person who signed the Declaration of Independence besides George Washington?" Aly's hand shot up. So did Andy's.

"Alyssa" said Mr. Holmer. "Thomas Jefferson" she said. "Another person!" said Mr. Holmer. "Andy" he said. "Um Mr. Holmer does Thomas Jefferson really count? I mean of course he would sign it since he becomes president a few years later" Andy smiled sweetly.

Aly was disgusted. Andy was out for revenge! She was making up reasons for Thomas Jefferson being a person who signed the Declaration. Aly cursed under her breath. "Miss Moore" said Mr. Holmer. "Thomas Jefferson is indeed included as a person who signed the Declaration. Just because he becomes president doesn't mean we can't include him" Mr. Holmer frowned. Andy looked very angry. "Well" she said began. But Mr. Holmer blocked her out. "Aly please give us another person who signed the Declaration" Aly could feel Andy boiling. "Samuel Adams" she said. The two girls exchanged looks.

Aly was happy when lunch came around two periods later. Today she was sitting with Angela, Celia, Hillary and the boys. For some reason Angela always claimed the seats with the boys. She said it was from the form of a true "Alpha". Right away, Celia came to Aly. The girls had decided to confide in Aly since she didn't make snarky comments like Angela did, occasionally.

"So did you hear about me and David?" she asked. "Yeah" said Aly. "That's great" Celia beamed. Then Logan arrived with David and Max by his side. Aly turned away from Celia. Logan had to be her date. If not, everyone would see that they were not together and Angela would steal him and.... Angela sat down.

Angela picked at her food. She always did this as if the food contained poisen. "Well the Halloween dance sounds nice" she said. "And..." "I need a date" said Aly quickly. Angela was moving on to Logan faster than a train. Angela looked at Aly but Aly ignored her. "Cool" said Logan. "Then I guess I need to take a girl" he said. He looked at Hillary, Aly and Angela. Eventually he stopped looking at Hillary. It was either gonna be Aly or Angela.

Behind the Costume Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Aly was spread out on Celia's king sized bed. Celia had thrown the biggest sleepovers ever, in Aly's opinion. Her parents gave her whatever she wanted, including an iPhone and expensive Macs. She changed schools when she wanted too. In the last three years she had gone to four private schools. Monroe Middle was the first public school she had been to.

"Ok" said Angela. "Listen up" Hillary and Celia looked at her automatically although Aly took her time. "Ahem" said Angela looking at Aly. Aly rolled her eyes. Angela was not her boss. "I'm turning twelve in a week and I have NO idea where to host it or what to do" Angela looked at them. "Ideas please?"

"We could host the party here because it's big" said Celia. Angela nodded. "Invite boys" said Hillary. Angela grinned. "Ew!" said Aly. "Why would you invite boys?" Angela rolled her eyes. "Because I'm turning twelve. I will be a teenager" "Um actually thirteen is the official teenager age"said Aly. Angela rolled her eyes again.

"Well what should we do at the party?" asked Angela. "Eat, dance, play games" said Aly. Hillary grinned. "Spin the bottle" she said. Angela and Celia exchanged glances. "Perfect" they said. Spin the bottle? She had never actually played the game but from what she heard it involved kissing. "Hey!" said Aly. "Do I have to kiss someone?" "Only if someone dares you to. Which is only if the bottle points to you" said Hillary. "What if I got Max?" Hillary jumped around. "And what if I get David?" asked Celia who got up and jumped with Hillary. But Aly didn't get up. What if she had to kiss Logan? And what if she had to kiss someone else? What if.....

Aly's cell phone rang. "Hello" she answered. Her phone was a blue Sanyo Katana and she adored it. It was Jenna. Jenna had never called her before. "Hey! I wanted to tell you that there's going to be a Halloween dance at the end of the month" she said. "Cool" said Aly. Jenna was on the student council. "I'm telling you because we might not have the signs up by Monday and you could tell Angela and her posse. Then the whole school will know in a matter of time" Aly laughed. "Ok Jenna. I'll tell them" "Thanks" said Jenna. "Bye!"

"HALLOWEEN DANCE!" yelled Celia. "Omg!" said Hillary. "We must get dates!" said Angela. "Why must?" asked Aly. "Because" said Angela. "The dance shows whether who is capable of holding the Alpha title for the year" Aly shook her head. Now she had to do Spin the Bottle and get a date?

Aly knew who was going with who at the dance. Celia would ask David, Hillary would ask Max, Aly would try to ask Logan and Angela would ask......Oh my god thought Aly. Angela wasn't afraid of asking boys out. She was going to ask Logan and most likely she would be first. This was worse than Aly thought.

A Teen Year Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The drink table had about every pop existing. While Aly chose a sugar filled orange soda, Celia chose a sugarless Fresca. Aly chugged down her Fanta until Angela tugged her tank top. "Are you trying to gain weight or something?" she asked. "No" said Aly. "I never gain weight" Which was true after taking after her mother's fast metabolism.

Angela was drinking a diet Mug root beer and Hillary was drinking a diet Pepsi. Logan walked over. A large clear glass revealed a Mug root beer. Angela only got one to inpress Logan, as Aly was seeing it. "Is that root beer too?" he asked Hillary and Angela. "Diet Pepsi" answered Hillary truthfully. "Root beer" said Angela. "So you were right." She smiled at Logan, who smiled back in response to Aly's disgust. This brought back fifth grade memories. Angela had dated Logan a lot, then. Angela STILL liked him.

"Actually isn't that diet root beer?" Aly said this as a statement and not a question. Logan looked at Angela. "Um, yeah I guess your right" said Angela quietly. Logan shook his head and walked away.

"Nice going, Aly!' said Angela. "He is your ex you know" Aly rubbed in. Hillary and Celia looked at Angela. "Really?" asked Hillary. Angela was lucky because at that moment Alan made an announcement.

"Greetings Earthlings!" he said. "I have decided to let the gentlemen find a partner on the dance floor. Ladies stand still" Angela looked through the crowd. Aly took off. She had to leave before she was found standing by the refreshments all alone. Aly bumped headfirst into a boy.

To Aly's horror, she found it was Logan Cameron. His face turned a bubblegum pink. Aly was very surprised. "Will you dance with me?" he asked. This had been what Aly had dreamed about all summer and all fifth grade long. Logan looked really scared for some reason. Why was he asking her? Aly had been the kind of girl that boys knew never to go out with. This was probably why he was scared out of his mind.

"Yes" she said. "Do you know how to dance?" Aly asked. Logan's face turned red again. "Um, no" he said. Aly laughed. "Nither do I" The two went downstairs to the basement instead of out to the basketball court, where Alan had made an imaginary dance floor. "We should learn to dance" said Aly, giggling. Logan laughed. "You probably do know how. I'm the one the one who should really learn"

Just then Max and David came in the basement. Logan's smile faded. To Aly's disgust, so did Angela, Celia and Hillary. "Aren't you dancing?" asked Logan. "No" said David. "Turns out the dancing was just for Alan and the seventh graders"

Aly's cell phone rang. "Hello?" she answered. "Hey, my mom said we should have a sleepover so text me with your answer. Bye" said Stephanie, who had called. Aly stiffened.

No doubt was Stephanie's mom going to talk to her mom about the girls strange behavior. Aly texted a yes. Next Friday night was going to be a disaster.

A Teen Year Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Aly's first pointe class wasn't as fun as she'd wanted it to be. Stephanie and her weren't talking so there went all the fun out of the class. The good thing was that Nicole never came. (Aly was guessing that she wasn't accepted because of being new)

Although Miss Erin assigned partners during stretching and Aly was assigned to Stephanie. They didn't even talk. "You girls seem very quiet today" said Miss Erin. "Speechless" said Aly with a fake smile. Stephanie didn't even look up.

The class finished and Aly's bun came apart. (Which was good considering that she never did her own hair for class) Stephanie chuckled. "Great bun, huh?" She smirked. A few girls turned to watch. Aly felt her face get red. But then she remembered school and how to face off enemies like Andy with just one word. Aly stood up and faced Stephanie.

"At least I'm not the student of St.Lucifer's and a slave of Knuckle Buxter, a dancer with intentions of only crashing our class" Aly had exagerrated. She had changed St.Matthew's to St.Lucifer's, (the name of the devil) and totally went very far with Nicole. Aly sneered and left the dressing room, leaving the other girls with their mouths hanging open.

Aly decided to forget about the previous events. Tonight was going to be David's party and Aly couldn't wait, espicially when Logan was going to be there. According to the weather, this was going to be they last day of summer heat and Aly was determined to enjoy it by wearing her orange spaghetti strap top with her mini khaki shorts.

At excactly six o' clock, Aly's dad dropped her off at David's ginormous house which was already full of people in the garage and yard. "Hey!" yelled Hillary in her British voice. "Your here!" "Yeah" said Aly. "It's very crowded" Hillary nodded. "Everyone that we know is out back. Follow me"

Aly followed Hillary around the side of the house where David was playing a game with a group of seventh graders. "Why are they here?" asked Aly at the sight of the seventh graders. Celia was now standing by Aly. "David's brother Alan is in seventh grade and he invited them. It's actually his party" said Celia. "I guess David wasn't really supposed to be here." Aly looked at the two girls. They were dressed in summer wear as well. "Where's Angela?" asked Aly, realizing she wasn't with them. "Over there" said Hillary, pointing to a group of boys.

Angela was standing right next to Logan. Aly almost gasped. But there was nothing she could do. You couldn't own a boy. Max was right next to her too. Hillary sighed. "What's wrong, Hills?" asked Celia. "I really like Max and Angela looks toally into him" "Not really" said Aly. "Angela is flirting with Logan and Max is just hanging out with them" Hillary smiled. "Your right" she said. "Do you like a boy?" Celia asked Aly. "Well, do you?" asked Aly. "David" said Celia withought hesitation. Aly nodded at her. "He would be very stupid if he didn't like you back" said Aly. Celia smiled with Hillary. "Yeah. I guess your right, Aly"

Angela walked up to them. "Well finally! You guys are all here! Now let's go grab some drinks and food before they start dancing" Aly looked at Angela. There was dancing?

A Teen Year Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Aly was really upset with Stephanie over their ballet class the night before but she tried to smile when Angela greeted her the next morning. "Do you like parties?" she asked. Aly nodded as she dumped stuff in her locker. "Good" said Angela. "Because I'm inviting you to go with me, Celia and Hillary to David's Back to School party!" Angela was very enthusiastic. "When?" asked Aly to sound interested. "Saturday at six" said Angela. "It may last a while"

Aly was going to say no because she had a sleepover planned with Stephanie that night but she thought about ballet. Aly was going to David's party instead. "Yes. I'd love to go" said Aly. "Great!" said Angela. She gave Aly her number to call just in case she needed a ride because Celia's mom had offered to drive them all. "See you at lunch" and Angela walked away.

Aly began to think. David was most likely going to invite Logan, so it would definitely be a great time to flirt. On the other hand, many kids from other elementarys would be there and her Mom would be happy to see her meet new people. (Although Mom would be at work so flirting was totally available!)

Monroe classes were very much the same as elementary school. Very boring. So when lunch came around, Aly was very happy. Angela had saved her a seat at a very crowded table. Celia and Hillary waved to her and Aly waved back. Aly glanced at the other kids at the table. There was Logan, Max and David the host of the big party. "David, Aly will be going with us to the party" said Angela. David looked at Aly.

"You were great on Andy y'know" he said. "Thanks" said Aly. She meant it. Maybe this whole saying no to Andy was a good example to others who of course thought they had to say no always.

Everyone at the table suddenly began to have their own conversations with each other. It was different from the conversations Aly had with Taryn and the other girls. This people gossiped about people like Janet Striker, who happened to be very overweight and a little bit too whiny. That was Angela's first conversation. "Janet should totally get a move on from the whole unicorn phase she's in" This got the boys in. "Janet plays with unicorns?" asked Logan. "Ew" said Max, who burst out laughing. "Yeah" said Angela. She looked at Aly. "I wonder if people like Andy do too" she giggled. Logan burst out laughing. "Probably" he said. "Yeah well do you know if she does, Aly?" asked Max. Aly looked at everyone as they looked at her. Everyone except Logan. For some reason he hadn't said anything, although everyone else had. "No" said Aly.

"Oh" said Max. And everyone changed the subject as fast as it came and went like Janet Striker. Lunch went pretty fast in Aly's opnion. She finished then dumped her lunch box in her locker. She met up with Jenna in the bathroom who was washing her hands. Aly had gone there to check her reflection. Did Logan think she was ugly?

"So" said Jenna. "What did Angela and her posse say about me today?" she asked. "Nothing" said Aly, which was true. "Are you sure?" asked Jenna. "Sure" said Aly. "They talked about Janet Striker and Andy" There was no need to mention Andy's last name because by now everyone knew who she was. "Ok" said Jenna. "Do you think they hate me?" "No" said Aly. Angela didn't hate Jenna but truth be told, Aly thought Angela didn't like her. "Gotta run" said Jenna. "You can sit by me tommorow" "Ok" answered Aly. She had been silently pleading that she would ask her. Not that she didn't like Angela and her posse and getting to sit near Logan, it's just that she enjoyed the company of her trusted friends.

Aly stared at her reflection remembering why she came to the bathroom in the first place. Then she heard people by the door. Aly stopped so she could listen, realizing it was Logan.

"She seems so different" said Logan. "You know?" "No" said Max. "I never went to elementary school with you" "Same here, dude" said David. "Aly used to be more quiet" Logan said. "So are her differences good or bad?" asked Max. "Good" said Logan. Aly was beaming even though he couldn't see her.

"Oh and she's also really pretty with that hairdo" Logan said. He and the boys walked off so Aly couldn't hear anymore. But Aly had heard enough. Thank you Selena Gomez! she said silently.