**** AUTHORS NOTE*****

Hi everyone! My name is Dara! Thank you so much for reading this book. Just so you know the last chapter and the beginning of this chapter are her present time in 11th grade. However, some of the upcoming chapters will share her experience in 10th grade. It's the past! So you learn about how it affects her present. Enjoy!**********************************
I have two weeks left of this place until winter break. We get 3 weeks off and I can't wait. But in the mean time, I have to do my best to get through this. This being everything.

You see, the thing is I used to be an amazing student. Freshman year was a piece of cake. Gosh I could go for some cake now. Yellow cake with chocolate frosting.. mmm
Okay, food talk later.

Heads up, I'm the pickiest eater in the world, but I love food. It's super confusing and annoying and I tend to feel awkward when being invited to other people's houses for dinner, because, well you never know if you'll actually eat their food.

See, I can go on about food and my habits forever so back to the fun stuff. School. Another fun fact about me, I speak three languages, technically four, but we don't need to get into that yet. And my favorite? Sarcasm!

Where was I? Ah school. Grades. Here's the short answer to all your countless questions because I know you are just filled with anticipation and excitement (hint my language); regents classes, high honor roll, 4 different clubs, 3 different plays, and overall pretty damn good grades.

Like I said that was 9th grade.

I'm in my first few months of my junior year (11th) and trust me, I am already well aware of the tornado of torture (alliteration from my 9th grade golden years) that is going to hit me and probably knock me on my butt more times than in gym class. Only this time, it's not due to my terrible coordination and lack of exercise. To put it simply...
I don't sport.

I'm a theatre kid and that is a phrase we use more so than Shakespeare.
But my exceptional grades and easy vocabulary tests came to an end and then the beautiful 10th grade school year started. (I skipped my summer summary [lol my english skills are IRONICALLY still wonderful] because it was filled with Netflix [no chill, hahahahhaha that is the farthest from any life experience I have] and pizza bagels, as well as sleeping in until 2 in the afternoon and being in my pajamas for 3 months straight)

So tenth grade... I chose some honors courses because I'm just so smart! I mean if I could handle my 9th grade classes, I could handle anything! (You seriously better get this by now, or we can't communicate properly)

The year was going by decently actually. A new girl moved here from Mexico and because I don't really have many friends, I befriended her immediately. She didn't know any English, so we actually convinced the teachers to let us use Google translate.
I honestly only got through gym because of her. Plus, we just used my phone to talk and take selfies. I already knew we were becoming really close.

I was really happy.
I also had my best friend Mad. We became friends in science in 8th grade after my "best friends" started drifting away from me. But that has literally no importance in my life because these things happen.

They might happen to me more than others, but it's okay. I know that. It can be hard to deal with having no one ever ask you to hang out and always being the one to try and make plans but, hey those friendships ended and it was for the best. Even if it wasn't my choice exactly, I was content with it after a while and realized I didn't give one shit about it.

Okay, well I did. But that doesn't mean I didn't get over it and leave it in the past where it's supposed to be.

Enough with that crap. And hey, if you're dealing with something like that, just know it'll be okay and finding friends might be hard but there will always be at least one person there for you. Trust me.

Whoever that is can save your life...

So friendwise there was Mad and my new foreign friend (I guess my very own Fez!) I forgot to mention the only person I've been friends with almost all my life: Blair.

She moved away after 5th grade. But, not too far away. Still in the area, but we don't see each other too often. But, (again with the buts), we're always there for each other. She's been there for me through so much.

I know she's always there.

She's the only one whose always been there.

We might not talk for months but then we can call each other up and go out to eat while "bumming it". We like to make sure the other looks like crap so we feel equally bum-like. So she's been a best friend for 11 years, and it's different because it's not a constant friendship.

It's a friendship that lasts but doesn't need anything to hold it together.

I didn't have a lot of friends or people in my life, but in the end I knew I was loved.

Like I said the year was going by okay. I was dealing and doing actually pretty good in all my classes. Honestly nothing exciting was happening. If you expected boy drama than you're in for a laugh.

Because there would have to be boys for that.

Oh, I don't go to an all-girls school or anything! I go to a public high school. Remember? Stony Brooke High School, not Story Book? And there are A LOT of boys here. And some are quite attractive and some- not so much.

But there's literally no connection between any of them and me. Except for the fact that I've known some of them for over 11 years.

That's the thing about our school and this district. We have 3 elementary schools and one middle school as well as one high school.

Meaning 33% of your class you've known almost your whole life. And the other 66% except for the few and rare new kids you know for more than half of your life.

Therefore, I've been with the same kids and same dudes forever.

And there's been no action.

So, my sophomore year, was not so exciting. It mostly consisted of things such as blah, blah, and blah.

But then one day after school I went to the doctor...

I didn't know my life would change.

And sadly, no I'm not being the dramatic theatre nerd I am.

This day truly did change my life...