The Letter

Would you open a letter that wasn't your? No? Of course not. But say this letter was fancy and baby pink and happen to be accidentally put into your mailbox. Still not tempted? Right, no. Well, I wouldn't either... But I was really bored and had nothing to do, so well it was okay if it was just ONE letter so it's no big deal! Being bored is the one condition you can do whatever you want.

I ripped open the envelope after fingering it for a very long time. I pulled out a creamy paper and started reading:

Dear Ms. Smith,

You have been invited to a cocktail party downtown on 56Th street....

Blah, blah, blah. Great, just some boring invitation to a cocktail party where everyone gets drunk. Well, I would've probably impersonated Ms. Smith and went if I were a grown-up... I'm kidding!

This invitation now owes me a day of boredom and temptation--or it might been just me. Now I probably learnt my lesson and will never open other people's letters, I know I'll just waste my time.

Lennie Minus George Is...

"S'pose George don't come back no more. S'pose he dies or got hurt, just s'pose that"

George wun't leave me, no. George wun't do that. George's careful, he doesn't do that.

Crooks, the stable buck. Bitterness and lonliness. Crooked with age. Nothing else. Just to torment and torture.

In his place, where books take him everywhere. Where no one talks to him.

George wun't leave me will he? He's careful, 'course he won't.

Lennie's fist curled, ready to do anything for George. His friend and protector.

They're totally different people, Crooks and Lennie.

Without George, its just Lennie. Lennie and his pup. Lennie and no one else. No one to protect him, no one to tell him right or wrong.

Without George, Lennie's got nothing. No one.

George and Lennie. Without one, there's not another.

Those Friends

You know how some people just don't get you? Even your friends? They call you "weird" or something and say stuff behind your back. I know that feeling. I know that when this happens, you need to get away from those people. Even if it means being a loner. Or even if those people say more things. You either run or you get into a fight.

"Mari, look at that kid over there! She looks like a guy!" my friends yelled and laughed like hyenas. I looked at the sad kid and rolled my eyes.

"Nice you know," I said. This happens to my friends alot, they tend to pick on people and laugh in their faces, I know how that feels since they did the same thing to me the oter day. My friends stopped laughing and glared at me. They walked away, like they were going away to cook up a plan to murder me. I just walked away.

The next day, I noticed something. My friends were laughing like usual. This was weird since whenever I say something to them, no one talks to me the next day. Then I noticed. They were laughing at me. I caught the words "thinks she's all that" and "I can't believe I hung out with her for a year". I mean hello? If you hang out with someone for a year, your bound to realize they're not your friend if you dont like them. You dont take an year to notice that sort of thing.

I glanced at them and they were laughing like they were going to die if they stopped laughing. I knew they'd spred rumors. I walked away. Planning on never looking back, no matter what.

Like Babies

I glared at my best friend and a pair of light brown eyes met mine.
"How could you Nathalie? You said you'd tell nobody and now half the school knows!" I said and tried to keep my voice from shaking.

"I only said that you liked you-know-who because you were mean to me the other day!" she said and her face began to flare up like fire.

"Mean? Nathalie, I just said that your hair looked like it exploded and your crush wont look at you like that!" I yell and felt my own face burning up. Her eyes glanced nervously at her own crush, as if he was going to be stolen. I followed her gaze and she caught me looking.

A plan was being cooked in my head, and I glared at her and she glared back. We both whirled around on our heels and walked away to our classes.

The next day, was bright and sunny, and I can still remember everything. Me asking someone's crush out and a pair of furious eyes glaring at me and the word "boyfriend" and "girlfriend".

I ran to the phone and picked it up on the first ring. "Hello?" I said and look at my messed up hair and blotchy face that I tend to get when my best friend isn't around to help me put make up on. "Mari Onozato, how could you?" a voice I never recognized boomed from the other end. Nathalie.

"I don't know what happened, I just had this urge to ask someone out, just like you had when you told everyone about who I like. Gosh, how similar are we?" I said happily into the phone. I heard her yell angrily and the phone went dead. I sank into my bed and buried my head into my hands and started crying.

I woke up the next morning with my face blotchier than ever and my hair was bushy and frizzy (not that it always isn't).
The month that flew by was cold and humorless. No one to talk to but some guy that I didn't even know so well. Just a big hand in mine and nothing else. Football, friends and nothing else. Everything seemed like it was either on fast forward or in slow motion.

"Hey, Nat?" I said softly, I was so tired from fake laughing and crying and getting a blotchy face. She looked up, "I broke up with him, and I'm sorry, I really am" I said and stopped myself from crying like a baby.

"I'm sorry too!" she burst out and dropped her books and we both cried. Yeah, like babies.
We walked together, our arms linked. Linked with the promise to let no guy come between us.

Of Mice and Men

"An' live off the fatta the lan'," the voice of joy and innocence.
The sway of the sycamore leaves. Cackling of the burning fire.
The smile that never changes. The sound of nature that never ends.
"I want you to stay with me, Lennie," the voice of the strength and warmth.
The scraping of the metal and the munching of the beans.
The friendship never changes. The strength never ends.
"I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you," the men that continue their journey. Friendship, the only thread that links them.
Friendship, the only word to keep wishing for the dream.
"Never seen two men traveling together," the men who work. Who don't stop to think. The men who are lonely. The men who are robots.
I've only got you. You've only got me.
Chalk and cheese. But like wood with fire.
Two men with one dream. No one to call them strange.

Spotlight

I couldn't believe that anyone could be as self-conscious as I was right that minute. I pondered over why I'm so tongue-tied. I plucked my last thread of courage and went to stand in front of the podium...for the third time. The first time I was over-come by consternation and started speaking gibberish, so anyway the second time I'm pretty sure everything went black and the next minute I was laying prostrate on the floor, so here I go. Third time lucky right?

I coughed uneasily and the revelry from the crowd stopped. I coughed uneasily again and began speaking in my worst Japanese (honestly? I cant speak Japanese so well.) I felt gratified that no one was laughing yet, like the other schools I've been to. I fiddled with the hem of my skirt and watched the palms of my hand grow sweaty. I saw the student that showed me around the school this morning and blushed.

I quickly said my name and where I'm from and tried not to run to my seat. I looked at my sister and she rolled her eyes at me, yeah, I guess that was pathetic since everyone seemed to be waiting for me to continue or do back flips or something but I just turned red and tied my hair up into a ponytail, wishing I can kick up a fight and beseeched that everyone would stop staring!

The principal finally started clapping and everyone joined in. And I finally had the privilege or was excused to sit down. I glanced at the teenager who was showing me around like I said and quickly fixed my messy pony tail.

Yeah, so I never make the best first impressions... Especially when a thousand eyes are staring at you and the spotlight's shining so hard you can feel it burn.

Thief!

Do you ever have the urge to hurt your sister or brother real badly? Well, that's how I feel right now. I sighed heavily and glared at my sister. "Mari, get me water," Sara said, not taking her eyes off her phone. I knew I'd just waste my time arguing so I got her water. Yeah, I know what will happen if I try to argue, Sara would probably yell at me to not talk back and we'd get into a huge fight. I handed her the bottle of water and turned to get out of the room before she asked me to massage her feet or something.

"Where are you going?" Sara said just as I shut the door behind me. I groaned. And turned aroun reluctantly. "Uh... Just finishing this extra credit thing," I lied and sighed at the untouched bottle of water. "Oh, bring it here then!" she said happily. I love it when my sister's in a good mood but can't I have some privacy when I need it? My head spun as she dragged me back into her room.

"I'm really sick Sara! I honestly think I need to go lie down..." I said and her grip got tighter. And I knew I was trapped. I sat on the bed and leaned against the wall. At least I can still sleep.

My sister turned on her stereo full blast and my eyes opened and rolled over.

Finally my sister was asleep. I crept into her bag and pulled out her wallet. I pulled out the crisp 20 dollars. She mumbled angrily in her sleep. I froze and quickly put the money in my pocket and sneaked out even though I promised her I wouldnt leave.

Feeling guilty of ruining her mood, and knowing she'll find out, sooner or later.

First Impressions

I clambered on to the yellow school bus, my sweater hanging dangerously off one of my arms and the other arm being dragged onto the street. Yeah, not a very good first impression. I sank into the nearest seat and pulled out my ipod and turned it on. A gang of giggly girls turned and whispered. I caught "New girl" and "Isn't that the oldest ipod there is?" but I didnt really care and turned the volume higher.

The bus screeched and stopped. I jumped off and went to my first class. The principal met me half way and steered me to the other direction because I was obviously heading the wrong way. I looked at all the expensive designer bags and compared it to my sister's old JanSport backpack. I turned red as we walked in through the doors of my new classroom. Everyone had their cell phones out and their pink finger nails tapping at the key boards.

The teacher coughed loudly and the obsessive tapping stopped. "Good morning class! We have a new class mate. This is Mari Onozato," the teacher said. The class went silent. As they gave me a head-to-toe exam. The girls rolled theyre eyes and the guys raised their eye brows.

Mental note number 1: Always make a good impression and take at least a week on it. Which is what I did from then on.

Revenge...

I tap the eerie grey door quietly. I look down the hallway and the usually crowded and busy hall looked long and creepy. I knocked louder and had the trouble of having to cough real loudly. The door finally swung open and a pair of beady eyes looked down on me and I saw a boy sitting on an old leather chair as if he were prostrate with fear. I looked up fiercely at the woman.
"Ah! Mari! Yes, Simon told me that you dared him to do something very bad?" she said with a sickening false grin. She took a step back as if I were giving off a bad aura. I glared at her and gritted my teeth. "Yeah, it was a joke! I didn't think anyone would see" I said and flashed her a false smile. She frowned and gestured at the other leather chair.
"Now Mari, you do not have the privilege to mock teachers!" she said and her eyes were cold like I'd never seen them before. I turned my head sideways and looked up at her innocently and widened my eyes, "Mocking you? Sorry, just being polite" I say looking hurt. She sniffed and looked too haughty and snobbish. I glanced at Simon, who gave me a grateful smile. She sat on her chair and regained her confidence. "Well, let's stick to the point. Mari, I heard you dared Simon to do something offensive" she peered down at me like I was the prey and she was the predator. "Yes, you said that ma'am. And like I said it was a joke and never mean it to be carried out" I say hoping I sounded very business like. The teacher stiffened and glared at us. I stared right back. I swear she looked like she could reach under her desk and pull out a hammer that I can bet was there and hit us in the head.
She widened her fake smile until it looked creepy "Well, I'll be contacting your parents Simon and Mari, I'll let you get away with this one but I've got my eye on you!" she snickered and turned to Simon to glare at him. He whimpered.
"Ma'am, if I may, it's very rude to stare and also, it looks like harassment to me, since your putting peer pressure on him and not having any reason to since you're already punishing him by contacting his guardian" I say and glare and glare at her. She took a step back again after standing from her chair. "Dismissed" she said and practically pushed us out.

Crushed

Who likes watching your crush like someone else? No one! So why should I be the exception? I glare at a brunette being over-flirty to my crush. OK, it was sixth grade for god's sake, I'm not going to be a drama queen...not today at least. I compare my scruffy old black shoes to her brand new converse shoes. My frizzy hair, to her sleek and shiny black or brown hair that always looks like some one's hair out of a shampoo commercial even when they wake up. I'm not usually this picky about how I look, I honestly don't care. But right now I genuinely felt like a skinny bag of trash.

I gulped down what felt like tears and glared so hard at the girl I thought my eyes would burst. She probably had the feeling someone was staring at her really madly because she turned towards me. I was hoping she'd look scared or something but all she did was look annoyed and irritated. I blushed when I noticed my crush was looking at me as well. I turned around and went into the class room. A gang of girls gossiped secretively as I brushed past them, their blond hair suffocating me with vanilla.

I burst into the classroom, phew it was empty. I took her usual chair and as you can guess, I stuck some very gross and pointy things on them. I tucked the chair under her desk just as the students and the teacher came inside as the bell rang. I smiled at the over-flirty brunette and excused myself to go to the bathroom real quick. After that, I heard a painful scream.

She ended up having a really smelly skirt and needles stuck in you-know-where. She wasn't bleeding for some weird reason. But I heard she got some really bad pinches from them so she was sent home because she had a heart attack.

That's what you get when I get overly-jealous.