The Phoenix, Bianca Gray [best books to read now txt] 📗

My parents weren’t always divorced, like any other parent. They just did when I turned 12. I wasn’t very happy because right away my mother got married to some hotshot lawyer named George. To make matters worse, I wasn’t the only child anymore. George had a son with some other woman and now he’s part of the “family” if you could call it that. His son’s name is James and he’s 18. After my mother got married to George, the greatest lawyer of our time, she tried to have a baby. It didn’t work out. I mean she was young and everything but the weird thing was the doctor said she couldn’t have any babies. That was weird because hello? I was born. The doctor said sometimes there’s “good mistakes” and that’s how I was born. Oh great! Another thing James could tease me about. I’m a mistake. So lately my mother has been trying to get closer to me. It’s sickening and annoying. I heard my mother slapping her feet against the marble stairs. She yawned.
“Melanie! Are you down there?” she asked warily. I grabbed my piece of toast and ran out the door. I closed the door behind me to see Kate.
“Hey, Kate!” I cried, waving my hand frantically. I looked around and frowned.
“Where’s-“ I started to say.
“Jolie? I don’t know. Oh and hey Mel!” said Kate. I caught up to her and walked beside her. We all walked to school, Kate, Jolie, and I. Lately, though, Jolie has been ditching us for some red head. Oh I’m sorry, strawberry blonde. I don’t know what she looks like because I’ve always seen her from a distance. All I know is that she’s new to our school.
“I cannot believe Jolie is ditching us again!” I cried. I felt heat building up inside of me. Kate gulped behind me. Somehow she always has water and she splashed me with it.
“Augh!” I yelled. Then I smiled.
“What was that for?” I asked her looking at my wet curls and my wet top.
“You needed to cool down,” she said carefully. I looked at her.
“Where do you keep that bucket anyway?” I asked her. She shrugged.
“I don’t know,” she said. Then Kate’s phone went off playing her favorite song by Taylor Swift, “Jump then Fall”. She looked at the caller ID. Then she looked back up at me.
“It’s Jolie,” she whispered. I shook my head and laughed.
“You always make things so dramatic,” I said smiling. She laughed.
“Yeah, I do,” she said and then she picked up the phone.
“Hey Jolie! So why’d you call? Really? Uh huh. Oh my god that would be great! Oh the red head? Oh I’m sorry, strawberry blond,” she said while rolling her eyes at me.
“Yeah I know she has a name. I don’t-oh whatever. Yeah, yeah. Wait, what time? Seven? When again? Friday? Ok we’ll be there. I said we’d be there! Are you hard of hearing? Where are you any way? At school? No wonder there’s all that yelling. Is whatever-her-name-is with you? Did she drive you to school again? Ok yeah I’m walking up to school. We live near by you know. Ok whatever. Bye!” she said while closing her phone. She looked at me.
“I guess we’re going to a sleepover,” said Kate. I rolled my eyes.
“Great,” I said.

Chapter 2
School

We walked up to the bronze doorways. I sighed. I didn’t mind school too much; it’s just the people inside of it. Everything is always broken up into groups. There are the outcasts (that’s me!), the populars, the jocks, the geeks, the dramas, and all the other stereotypes. That’s why I wasn’t very happy in high school. Southern California, L.A., is great its just there are a lot of snobs living here. I walked through the doors, past Miss Sparkle and Shine (A.K.A the queen of the drama club also A.K.A Rachel Wellington.) She sneered at me and then smiled at all the rest of her friends. They were all good looking let me tell you but they were also all snobs. The food chain was this: first, the populars. They can eat up anybody and can turn the whole school against you. Plus, they were all blonde. Second, the jocks. Those boys are totally hot but have really big heads. Technically they belong in the populars group but not all of them are blonde. Boo hoo. Third, are the dramas. No wonder why Rachel thinks she’s all that. They all try out for the school musicals and if you don’t get in, you’re out. As simple as that. And everyone else follows after them. Lately people have been starting to mix. It’s really irritating me. Kate waved over her boyfriend and smiled. Her boyfriend walked over and kissed her on the cheek. I just glared at him. He smiled a wary smile. Kate’s boyfriend is Justin Gregory. He’s the quarterback for our school football team. Yes, he’s a jock and she’s an outcast. Do you see how irritating that is? To make matters worse, because he started to date Kate, everyone else has been mixing. Some popular girl is dating a geek! Sure she gave him a makeover and now he looks totally hot but the thing is he was a geek! I swear I don’t know what this world is coming to. Justin doesn’t really like me that much. I honestly don’t know why. Okay, I do. He’s the guy I burned in the third grade. He still has my little hand marks on his skin. It’s pretty funny when you think of it. Well, I think it’s funny, he doesn’t. Jolie has a boyfriend too actually but, thankfully, he’s somewhat of an outcast. Nobody really knows why though. I mean he’s cute and funny. He’s nice too! Jolie thinks he just “chose” to be an outcast. Who chooses to be an outcast? I’m the only one without a boyfriend. Kate thinks it’s because of the burning accident in third grade. Jolie thinks it’s because I don’t let guys get close to me. Whatever the reason is, the point is I don’t have a boyfriend.
“Hey, Mel,” he said smiling at me. I rolled my eyes and gave him a little wave. Kate looked back at me.
“Bye Mel! See you after school!” she screamed down the hall. Everyone looked at her and she just smiled and waved. Kate loves attention. That’s one thing that Justin likes about her. At least he seemed to love her; you could plainly see it in his face when he sees her. That makes me like him, some. Then I saw Jolie at her locker, without her boyfriend. I walked up next to her.
“Were you going to school with that red head?” I asked her. She looked at me and rolled her eyes.
“It’s strawberry blonde and yes, I did. We have an English project together,” she said smiling a forced smile. I’ve been Jolie’s friend long enough to know when she’s upset. I sighed.
“What did he do?” I asked. I didn’t have to say his name. We both knew who he was.
“We had a fight,” she whispered her eyes watering. I looked at her.
“Everyone has fights, Jolie,” I said. She looked at me with her huge brown eyes.
“It was about his…career. If you could call it that,” said Jolie in disgust. Her boyfriend, Ian, is a famous singer. They met and fell in love. Now he goes to our school and sticks with her every second of the day. He’s got curly dark brown hair and brown eyes. Lately, they’ve been having when-to-meet issues and Rachel issues. Rachel hates the attention that Jolie is getting from the press and what not so she’s been trying to steal John away. John just doesn’t believe that. “She’s a good person!” is his side of the argument.
“Oh whatever! Just forget about him. He’s just a big headed pop star,” I said walking to our first class. Jolie sniffled.
“I can’t. He’s in my mind twenty-four seven!” she shouted. Everyone in the hallway stared at her. Jolie shied away from the attention. Kate and Jolie are complete opposites. Kate is outgoing and loves being the center of attention. Plus, sometimes she thinks she’s in a movie about her life so she’s completely dramatic. The thing is about Kate, is no matter how hard you try; you’ve got to love her! Jolie is different. She’s shy and hates it when people stare at her. Sometimes she completely ignores you. So if you don’t know her well you would think she’s rude but she just doesn’t know what to say. Plus I think she’s kind of deaf and blind, but that’s just my opinion.
“Well he doesn’t have to know you’re thinking about him,” I said quietly. Kate came up to us.
“I heard,” she said putting her hand on Jolie’s shoulder. She looked at her like she was crazy.
“Heard what?” she asked slowly. Kate closed her eyes like it was hard for her to say it. Then she looked out into the middle of nowhere.
“About…your breakup,” she said. Then she looked back at us. I just shook my head slowly.
“What’s today’s episode about, Kate?” I asked sarcastically. She looked at me.
“Ha. Ha. Ha,” she said sarcastically back.
“Kate! We didn’t break up!” cried Jolie. She was a mess. We ran into the girl’s bathroom. Who cared if I was late for first period? My friend felt like she was dying! Kate grabbed a bunch of tissues out of her big black gold lined purse. It had a gold belt in the middle of the bag too. I didn’t know what the purpose of it was but it was still there.
“There, there,” said Kate sympathetically. Jolie blew her nose.
“Is the ‘show’ on hold?” I asked teasingly. Kate smiled at me.
“Of course,” she said. I rolled my eyes. Kate frowned.
“So what happened?” she asked.
“Well, I guess Jolie and Ian are in another fight. That’s what she told me,” I said. Kate frowned some more.
“Rachel told me that they broke up,” she said. Jolie started to cry even harder.
“We,” she hiccupped, “didn’t break up!” I shrugged at Kate. She shrugged back.
“Jolie just forget about him,” said Kate.
“But I can’t,” wailed Jolie.
“Then act like you did,” said Kate breezily. She’s good, I thought. Jolie looked into the mirror.
“Fine. Okay. Just help me fix my makeup,” said Jolie wiping up the last of her tears and washing her face. I laughed.
“Okay we’ll help you,” I said laughing. Then Rachel came in the bathroom. Kate and I crossed our arms, like bodyguards.
“What are you doing here?” asked Kate glaring at Rachel. Rachel smiled.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” she said smiling a smug smile seeing that Jolie was a mess. She walked up to Jolie.
“I heard that you and Ian broke up,” she said with a fake sad face.
“I thought she said she needed to go to the bathroom,” I whispered to Kate.
“Yeah, seriously,” she whispered back. Jolie threw a sharp look in Rachel’s direction.
“We didn’t break up,” she said confidently. Rachel’s smile disappeared.
“You didn’t?” she asked.
“Yeah, we didn’t,” said Jolie. Rachel walked straight out of the bathroom.
“What’s her problem?” I asked in disgust. Jolie picked up her light pink bag.
“Let’s go to first period,” she said. I looked at Kate and waved good-bye.
“So? There’s a sleepover Friday?” I asked