Marissa-

September 2, very important day is finally here. It is the three girls first day of high school. As exciting as this day might be to some, these three are definitely not looking forward to going back to school and seeing their “old friends.” They were not looking forward to the awkward conversation, the stares from down the hall or the whispering behind their backs. As far as these girls can see, they feel like they don’t need each other anymore.

“Marissa hurry! You can’t be late for your first day!” screamed her mother from the kitchen.

Bounding down the stairs came little miss perfect Marissa Marlin. Her outfit look stylish yet casual, her chocolate brown hair left curly yet controlled, and her perfect skin was streaked with a light pink blush and gorgeous silver eye shadow to enhance her crystal blue eyes. Standing at the perfect height of 5’7 she was supermodel skinny. She could impress anyone with her stunning figure and flawless looks. She knew it and she used it to her advantage. She was ready to impress a whole new crowd, a school full of older kids ready to beat down on the freshman, but she was not going to let that happen. Marissa was ready for her big first day.

Marissa was the “it” girl at her old middle school. Everyone, even the teachers, adored her bubbly personality and her confidence to do anything she wanted. No one ran against her when the elections for class president came around because they knew they did not even have a chance.

Although she may look perfectly happy with herself on the outside, secretly she was insecure and always trying to show someone else up. After she split up with Zoey and Clara, Marissa made a quick rise to queen bee. Nobody messes with Marissa because if you do, she will completely destroy you.

Her insecurities were caused by a tragic accident that happen the summer before sixth grade. Her older brother, James, was caught in a tragic car accident. He was in the hospital for three months before he finally passed away. Marissa’s life felt like it was falling apart right in front of her eyes. She was constantly crying and storing all her anger up inside of her instead of talking to someone to let it all out. She decided that she did not want to be the sad girl walking alone in the hallways, nor did she want to be remembered that way either. She made a comeback, stronger than ever that made her rise to the top as queen bee. And she’s not looking back.

“Do you think it’s going to be too hot for these boots?”

“Do my shorts match my headband?”

“What about my shoes, are those OK?”

“Is my hair going flat in the back?”

“What if someone has the same shirt as me?”

Questions came spilling out of Marissa faster than her mother, Eleanor, could process them.

“Honey, everything looks perfect. Every girl in the school will be jealous of your sense of style,” stated Eleanor.

“I want my first day of highschool to be perfect, I am so worried I am just going to mess it all up,” Marissa said nervously.

“Let’s get going before you change your mind again..” begged her mother sarcastically.

“OK fine, but if something goes wrong I am blaming you,” giggled Marissa.

They left their big house in a hurry, not wanting to be late. As they were walking to the glimmering white, Cadillac Escalade parked in the driveway, Marissa looked back and wondered how many things would change that day. Who would she meet? What would her classes be like? How is she going to change this year? These are all questions that would be answered sooner than she anticipated.

As Marissa’s car pulled up to school she looked at what would become the next four years of her life. At her new school, all of the buildings are very old and unattractive. Most of them are an ugly white color with chips of paint always falling to the ground. There were ten buildings, each designed for a different class. They were numbered from the 100 building to the 1000 building making them very easy to locate. The school’s lot was a perfect square with all of the buildings lined up on the outside. In the middle of all the buildings was the lunch area where mostly the juniors and the seniors would eat. The freshman and sophomores were forced to eat somewhere else.

From the chipping paint to the creaky doors, Clear Creek High was complete with the rusting metal gates shut on the weekend. On extra windy days the howl of the wind is amplified by the gates old bars. There were rumors that, only on the weekends, a school of ghosts inhabited the school. this helped to keep the troubled kids from breaking in and vandalizing the school. Overall this school is definitely a place to be scared of.

Zoey-

Zoey Castro, is a quiet girl that you can usually find reading books alone in the hallways during lunch, or sitting in the corner outside talking to the one of her other nerdy friends from robotics club about their newest invention. She doesn’t care for the fame of popularity or for the trouble it would bring into her life. Her grade were perfect, not ever having less than a ninety five in any class (except for art when Mr. Zim gave her a ninety three, but she does not talk about that…)

At this point in Zoey’s life she does not see the need for best friends, she is perfectly content with spending her days in quiet, cuddled up to read a nice book. She sees friends as people to get you into trouble, and for you to deal with their troubles too. They are not necessary, and once the friendship ends you are left with no one to talk to in your life because your spent all of your time and energy with them.

Zoey’s wardrobe for school usually consists of sweatpants and sweatshirts in various colors but the same brands. She never changes anything up, her hair is always in the exact same ponytail with a black scrunchie to hold it in place. She also does not join any clubs or sports teams because she would rather be reading.

It is the morning of her first day of highschool and Zoey is definitely excited for school, but not for the social aspect.

“Oh my goodness Zoe, aren’t you just the cutest thing!” screeched her gramma as the came out of her room.

Ever since her parent got divorced, her grandmother came to live with Zoey and her father. She helps out around the house and get Zoey to and from school each morning. Her grandmother acts in the place of her real mother who left the family when Zoey was 10. She still has not forgiven her mother for what she did, and is not planning on doing so anytime soon.

“Thanks Nana, what’s for breakfast?” questioned Zoey.

“I made your favorite… chocolate chip pancakes!” said her nana excitedly.

Her nana came over and handed her a green plate with three pancakes resting on it. They both went and sat down at their large wooden table in the middle of the dining room. The forks, knives, syrup, and butter were already there and set up too. Zoey could tell that her nana was just as excited for this day as she was.

“Where’s dad?” asked Zoey suspiciously.

The question had to come eventually, her father was hardly around. He worked long hours, leaving early in the morning and coming in late at night too. Sometimes he even worked on the weekends. Zoey wishes at least one of her parents would always be there whenever she needed, but that’s what her nana is here for.

“He left very early sweetie,” her nana said uncomfortably.

“But her promised he would be here to say goodbye,” whimpered Zoey.

“Yes, but something very important came up at work and her had to go. Do not let this ruin your day, OK?” said her grandmother.

“OK, I’ll just tell him all about it once I get home,” said Zoey, starting to cheer up.

Her nana truly loved her with all her heart and Zoey knew that. She always had a way to cheer her up, even when everything seems to be falling apart. Zoey appreciates everything she does for the family too. But at the same time, deep down inside she misses her mother and her father, and the deep bond they used to share.

After finishing their pancakes, it was time to go. She did not think she would get nervous, but she was practically shaking. Zoey was scared of the future, of what would happen next in her life. Zoey was ready to start the year because summer always seems so lonely to her. She was ready to grow up and start living like an adult.

Clara-

It was the morning of her first day of high school and Clara looked around her room with eyes full of excitement. Middle school was not the best years for her but she was sure that high school was going great. She glanced from wall to wall in her small bedroom, examining it for memories of her past. Clara’s room was just big enough to fit her bed and a small desk. Everything was cramped and cluttered because she did not care to pick up her mess very often. Above her desk was a bulletin board filled with awards and soccer trophies from tournaments she had won. On the walls surrounding her room she various poster of her idols players: Ronaldo, Messi, Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach and many more. Her favorite clothes are her sweatshirts and shirts she receives at all of the big showcases. At that moment she realized that the one thing she misses more than anything was soccer, and she would not let anything get in her way.

“I can’t wait to catch up with all the girls!” screeched Clara, “I haven’t seen any of them all summer… they must have lost my number or something. That’s why they didn’t call me to hang out”

“Of course honey,” said her mother sympathetically, “I just want you to try to make new friends this year. Don’t rely on only a few people - give yourself options…”

“Mom stop. You act like they aren’t my friends or something,” demanded Clara.

The thing was that deep down inside her mother knew that they weren’t friends. The girls on the soccer team continually ditch her and then make up lame excuses that Clara always bought. Her mom didn’t want to break it to her that these girls really aren’t her friends, but she also does not want to see her daughter get hurt.

Ever since last year when Clara blew out her knee right before soccer season her soccer friends just have not treated her the same. Clara used to be the star of the team. She was quick and skillful yet still strong and tough. People were always nice to her because they did not want her to leave the team. Now that Clara is out from soccer for two years, her soccer friends just are not treating her the same. Clara is always hobbling along as fast as she can go on her crutches and huge brace on her leg. The other girls never wait or try to help her get around. They find her useless and annoying, but Clara just seems to not notice at all.

“MOM! Let’s go I do not want to be late. Shelby is going to meet me on the steps in front of the library,” Clara screamed up the stairs.

Shelby is the leader of all the girls that mistreat Clara. She is the planner of all the ditchings and the mastermind of the pranks. Clara’s mother cannot stand Shelby because she can see how she does not care about Clara or her feelings.

Once Clara and her mom get into the car and they start driving to Clara’s new school, Clara asks an interesting question:

“Mom do you think I will ever get to play again?” she asked in a very low voice.

“Yes of course, in less than a year you will be back and better than ever,” her mother said supportively.

An awkward silence between them follows her peculiar question. After 10 more minutes of driving they finally reach the school...

“Have fun at your first day sweetie!” said her mother.

“Thanks mom! bye!” yelled Clara as the hobbled away on her crutches.

Clara went directly to the front steps of the library to meet Shelby, and waited for 20 minutes in the freezing cold. Eventually she had to leave because the bell rang. First ditching of the year for Clara, and there were many more to come.


Welcome to your first day of highschool girls, now everything is going to change…

As a ninth grade student at Clear Creek High, everyone is to report directly to the auditorium here they would get their class schedules and any important information.

First arrives Zoey, where she immediately goes to the first row with no one else is sitting in it.

Next comes Clara who, when she arrives, sees that her “friends” were already there sitting in a group. Clara goes up to sit with them and is sent away because there “isn't enough room”. She goes and sits on the other side of Zoey’s row, avoiding any awkward eye contact.

And finally Marissa runs in right before the bells rings. To her surprise, there is no more room other than the row where Zoey and Clara are already sitting. She rolls her eyes and slowly makes her way over there making it seem like the biggest drag of her life.

The meeting begins and you can almost feel the tension in the air between the girls. It seems weird that someone who used to mean everything to you is suddenly a stranger.

“WELCOME FRESHMAN CLASS OF 2017! My name is Selena and I will be leading you first pep rally here at Clear Creek High,” said the very excited leader at the front of the room.

As everyone looked around the big room, they started to realize that they weren’t in middle school any more. This was a room of new people, filled with new things, and different attitudes. This was real. Time to start living a new, adult life.

After about an hour of Selena talking about Clear Creek’s “strict policies” and that how this was a “loving and safe learning environment the meeting was over.

“And lastly,” said the peppy leader of the meeting, “you will pick up your class schedules at the tables here in the front. She gestured to the five tables labeled by last name.

Called by rows, the kids stood up, walked to the front of the room, found the schedule with their name on it, and then departed to their first ever class in high school.

Since Marissa, Clara, and Zoey were sitting in the back of the auditorium, they were called last. When it was their turn, the stood up and practically ran to the front trying to get out as fast as they could. Little did they know, high school was not at all what they thought it was.

Everyone sees high school in the movies as a time where you and your friends bond and everything is great. But their experiences are not at all what they were hoping for, even though everything did end up turning out for the better.

Marissa was the first to get to her class, Geometry. She looked around the room for any of her friends, but unfortunately there were not any. Surrounding her were all new faces and for the first time in her life she was scared, scared of everything high school had to offer, scared that she might mess up, scared of the future. Everything started moving at such a rapid pace that she could not keep up. The teacher never stopped talking to let them take notes, there was no time to start homework or to even ask questions. She was in fear of what her next classes had in store for her.

Zoey and Clara’s first class followed the exact same pattern. Everything went at lightning fast speeds and there was no time for questions.

Three classes later it is finally lunch time. All the freshman make their way to the tables on the far side of the school because that is their “traditional” seating, meaning that if all the other grades had to sit there as freshman then they had to too.

There were only a few old tables covered in graffiti and gum, so most kids decided to sit on the grass. Lunch was the time for everyone to unwind and just relax. Everyone sat and talked in their little groups, complaining about certain crazy teachers or how much homework they already have. Pulling out their brown-bagged lunches, and eating their assortment of sandwiches, fruit, and cookies everything seemed like it would be OK.
After the nice relaxing half hour lunch it was time to return to the main building to finish off their last few classes of the day.

After the bells rings, Clara tries to hurry to her next class. She is slowed by the mass mob of other high school students strolling along, not worrying about being late. For Clara, however, being late was not an option. Her favorite class throughout all of middle school was science. Not many people knew this, but Clara had a vast knowledge of science she was just waiting to display. She always hid this talent because she wants to surprise everyone, for better or for worse.



As she quickly weaved through the crowd of students she came upon the science building. She wanted to make a good impression on the teacher because she knew this was a very important class to ace.

Lucky for her, none of her classes were on the second story of any building. This made her travel on crutches much easier. Her crutches really were not even that necessary, but Clara was scared to hurt herself even more that she did not want to risk it. She was really counting on making an amazing comeback and nothing was going to stand in her way.

As the walked into room 254 in the science department she started to sense that something was seriously wrong. A growing feeling of sickness and nausea began to surround her, but she knew it was just because she was nervous. As she peered into her new classroom, her heart dropped. Sitting in the very front of the room was Marissa, her least favorite person in the entire world. Up to this point, they have not had any classes together but this just ruined it.

Zoey aimed to sit as far away from Marissa and her hateful glare as she possibly could. As quickly as she could, she hobbled to the back of the classroom where she could hardly even see her arch-enemy. “Perfect,” she thought, “now she can’t bother me.” She relaxed and began to take out her supplies.

“Everyone, please pick up your items and move to the back of the room,” said the teacher sitting at his tall desk, who she later learned was named Mr. Larson.

Clara looked up and saw a short, plump man with white uncombed hair, and a ruffled mustache looking straight at her. It look her a minute to comprehend what he was actually saying - a seating chart means assigned seats… She could still be sat next to Marissa.

At that moment she knew that she was going to be sat next to the evil queen from her past. Everything was going to have to change. Her grade will rely on their cooperation, and that would be a problem. She is now going to have to not only talk to her, but work TOGETHER with her.

“In the first row will be James and Emily, in the second will be Summer and John, third will be Joannah and Mark…” continued Mr. Larson.

Please DO NOT have me paired up with Marissa, please, please, please,” Clara said silently.

“In the sixth will be Clara and Zoey,” droned on the teacher.

When Clara heard these words she almost jumped for joy, her silent prayers had been answered!

“And in the seventh and final row will sit Miss Marissa. Unfortunately you will be alone since we are out of students to sit in your row. For labs and group project you will work with Zoey and Clara,” stated the teacher.

“That’s just great! I would love to work with them!!” Marissa screeched in her fake peppy voice that she used very sarcastically.

After Mr. Larson turned around and began walking back to her desk Marissa shot an extremely sarcastic comment specifically at Clara.

“Can’t wait to get started “group”, smiled Marissa..

Out of the three girls Marissa and Clara had the worst breakup. It all started when Marissa started to ditch Clara and then make fun of her in front of the entire group. Clara assumed it was just a faze the Marissa was going through, but that faze still has not left her. Their friendship was truly over when Clara told Marissa off that she never wanted to talk to her again, let alone be her friend. Then Marissa just shrugged it off and went back to her new friends. Since that day they still have never talked.

Clara felt all the emotions coming back to her at once, but she controlled herself and put on a fake smile. She looked Marissa in the eye and spoke the second set words they had exchanged in almost two years.

“Hey Marissa,” said Clara smiling.

Marissa looked up at her and then turned away pretending to focus on her notes.

“Perfect,” Zoey thought, “Just what I needed…”

Little did Marissa know that soon enough Clara would get her revenge from the years of hateful glances and devilish stares.

Science was definitely a subject out of her comfort zone, but she was ready for a challenge. Her favorite subjects were definitely English and History because it required lots of reading and comprehending, but math and science involved too much thought and problem solving involved. It also did not help that her two old best friends were also in her science class. She constantly found herself day dreaming about what would happen if they would have stayed together. What type of person would she be today? Would she still be somewhat popular? or would she be the exactly the same person? Zoey did not see the need for friends because they are just back stabbing jerks and she does not need any drama in her life.

All of Zoey’s classes are advanced except for Science and Math because she does not enjoy those subjects. Between her classes she take very slow walks through the old, but clean Clear Creek High hallways. She loves to look around the school and think of all the people that helped make this possible. Zoey is definitely someone who “stops and smells the roses.”

She thinks of all the kids that were here before her, of all the teachers and the staff that taught them, and the wonderful principals the school has had. Unlike most other kids, Zoey appreciates all of her teachers and the hard work they put into her education. She never talks behind their backs because she feels that that would be disrespectful. Last year, a couple of girls from Marissa’s friend group would call her a “kiss-up” or “teachers pet” because Zoey always talked to them and helped pick up after class. However, she did not care was other people thought of her because she knew that there was nothing wrong with who she was and what she was doing.

Thinking about the past makes Zoey sad, it reminds her of past friendships that fell apart right in front of her eyes. Even though she is not desperate for a new friends, she does miss having someone to talk to. when time are rough in her life. If she could fix everything that went wrong between she, Marissa, and Clara she would. But the problem is that she needs to prove to them that life would be better together, not apart.

Within the first few days of school, Zoey was determined to bring the girls back together. It was too hard to see someone and just ignore them when they used to be your best friend. Everyday at school they act like complete strangers, but they are not. This has gone on too long, and she was going to fix it… and she knew just how she wanted to do it. The next day in science, Zoey was ready but Clara had other plans in mind.

It was one o’clock in the afternoon on a sunny Wednesday at Clear Creek High. School has been in session for over a month now. Lunch has just ended and all of the students are heading to their assigned classes. Some rush to be there as fast as they can, like Zoey, and others are strolling along trying to waste as much time as they can, like Marissa who did not enjoy her science seat. And they they are others, like Clara, who have something special planned for the day and are just trying to blend in and not be noticed.

Today was the first time the lab groups would be conducting an experiment. They were to build a volcano that would explode at the push of a button. The volcano itself was not too complicated to build, but the timing of the explosion was.

“OK class, today you will be building a volcano. If you follow all the procedures exactly this will not be a very difficult project, but if you do not listen to one of the directions someone could get hurt to be careful. Any people who joke around will be sent directly to the principals office,” said Mr. Larson very sternly.

Zoey was very excited to finally all work together on something, this would give them all a chance to talk things out. How ever that was not at all how things worked out. Right from the start Zoey realized that it would take more than being partners to fix what had happened.

It all started with one snarky remark from Marissa…

Even through the silence, the girls were working and their project was very close to completion. Marissa and Clara never made eye contact, or even spoke a word to each other.

“It would be nice if you could actually do your part right Clara...seriously!” snarked Marissa.

“You know what Marissa, if you could work a little faster I would not have to be covering for everything you do!” Clara threw back, “Everything is so much harder when I have to work with you.”

“Well actually I am covering for you because you just cannot seem to do ANYTHING right around here!” Marissa said raising her voice.

After that came lots of nip-picky comments and mean remarks. Then, simultaneously, they both looked at Zoey and screamed “ZOEY!!”

“What do you think? Don’t you think she’s being unreasonable?!” yelled Marissa.

“Zoey, you can’t disagree with the fact that Marissa is just being a drama queen like she always is,” Clara threw in, knowing that she would get a rise out of Marissa.

“GIRLS! What in heavens name is happening here?” interrupted Mr. Larson.

Everyone was silent for what seemed hours.

Finally Zoey spoke, “Nothing.. we were trying to calculate how much baking powder we needed and ran into a little disagreement.”

“Thank you Zoey. Now that we have that settled, try to get some more work done, OK?” questioned Mr. Larson.

“OK,” said all the girls in unison.

Everyone was silent for several, long minutes. The first person to speak again was Clara who simply asked Zoey to pass vinegar. Clara could have easily asked Marissa for help because she was close, but that would require talking to her. Zoey is starting to see how much hatred is running in between these two. This is not a simple problem she could fix in a few hours. It would take lots of talking and compromising, two things that Clara and Marissa are not willing to do.

Twenty minutes later, their volcano was complete. It was about 24 inches high and 12 inches wide. This little piece of plastic took lots of effort and everyone was proud of it.

The volcano had a steep, rocky base decorated with small areas of greenery and some mountainous animals. There was everything from tall trees, to small shrubs with tiny berries painted on. Marissa had done fabulous job designing and assembling each little part.

As you look up the volcano you begin to see red, boiling hot lava dripping down the sides. It looked excruciatingly real. And the peak of the volcano was the overflowing lava (or red paint…) running down the sides. Zoey did an amazing job on making it look so real.

Finally, Clara was in charge of the explosion. The volcano would explode with the mixture of the two ingredients vinegar and baking soda. They were to put one tablespoon of baking soda into an electric cup that, at the push of a button, would drop it into the bowl of vinegar located at the bottom of the volcano. If this is to be done correctly, the explosion will be controlled and will not make a mess. Clara was in charge of this aspect. All of the girls were satisfied with their work.

The entire class gathered around to watch different groups set off their volcanoes. Every group that went did their experiment perfectly, and the teacher was thrilled with the great results. Now its their time to explode the volcano.

“And next will be Clara, Marissa, and Zoey!” instructed Mr. Larson.

The three girls walked over to the volcano. Clara grabbed the remote very protectively, and Zoey and Marissa walked over to the supplies in case anything went wrong.

“THREE, TWO, ONE GO!” yelled the teacher.

Clara pushed the button and nothing had happened. Everyone sat there and waited for something to explode, but nothing ever did. Zoey knew that the volcano was built perfectly and everything was set up correctly, except Clara’s part. Nobody checked to make sure Clara did her part right, and that was the problem.

An older lady from the office walked into the room and requested to talk to Mr. Larson. Mr. Larson instructed every not to mess around because he would be back in a few minutes. The students were left alone in the class, and trouble was bound to happen.

“Marissa,” said Clara very a smirk on her face, “why don’t you go check out what the problem is.”

Zoey could see right through her and realized that she was going to do or say something mean to embarrassing to her. She did not know what to, but since the volcano was inactive she figured that not much more damage could be done.

“Isn’t that dangerous?” asked Marissa.

“I’ll put the remote down over here, so nothing can happen. OK?” said Clara.

Marissa walked over to the volcano and looked inside. Zoey looked over at Clara and saw a huge, evil smile grew across her lips. Something really bad was about to happen.

All of a sudden a huge explosion came from inside and it rumbled the table. Whatever was blasting off was much bigger than what was supposed to. Marissa’s head was still peering into the volcano when it exploded ALL OVER HER. She screamed and started to run away, but the damage had already been done and there was nothing she could blame for this. Just confess it as an accident!” said Zoey.

“Never in a million years,” laughed Clara.

Less than five minutes later Mr. Larson walked back into the classroom looking quite enraged. His face was red with his many wrinkles showing when he creased his forehead. He was also gripping his hands quite tight.

“Zoey and Clara,” he said in front of the entire class, “The principal is expecting you both.”

This is definitely gotten out of hand.do to take the reeking smell of baking soda and vinegar out of her clothes.

Marissa was a wreck. Her black makeup was running down her face from the tears and the stench coming off her was atrocious. She just sat down at her desk and cried because there was nothing left to do.


As the teacher walked back into the classroom everyone just froze. Nobody knew what had just happened or how it has happened.. As Mr Larson walked back into the door he was not aware of the mess that had just happened. He had been handed a couple of random papers and was sorting through them on his desk. As he looked up from what he was doing he saw everything. The Marissa was crying in the back corner of the room, Zoey and Clara were aggressively whispering and the volcano had covered most of the right side of the room in a gnarly smell of vinegar.

He immediately stood up and requested to see Marissa outside. She willingly, yet slowly got up and made a dramatic exit. Once the teacher left the room everyone began to talk.

“Wow! What a drama queen. Ugh” stated Clara.

“Why did you do that?” asked Zoey, “You just caused so much more trouble than what was necessary.”

“What are you talking about? I didn’t even do anything to her,” Clara shot back, “The volcano just malfunctioned.”

“Listen here,” Zoey hissed, “I know what you did and why you did it. Next time you want to get even with her, leave me out of it.”

“Relax, just follow my lead. I have it all figured out,” said Clara as she put her feet on the desk and began scrolling through her phone.

“This is not a joke. Marissa will want someone to

After finishing talking to Mr. Larson, Marissa walked to the bathroom and tried to clean herself up as much as possible. She put her sticky hair up into a cute messy bun, then washed the makeup off her face and reapplied it. After that she ran down the locker rooms and changed into her PE clothes. She wanted to look her best to face her enemies. She could not let them know that they had done had truly crushed her.

Marissa walked over to the principals office to find Zoey and Clara already sitting in the two out of three chairs in front of the desk. The principal, Mr. Baker was a tall, thin man with black hair and no facial hair. He was about 40 and was lucky enough to not have lost any hair or to have had any go grey. He had small hazel eyes that match his light skin complexion. His welcoming appearance definitely did not match his personality.

He had the deepest voice anyone had ever heard, and he used that voice a lot. The only time you ever heard the principal talk to you was when he was yelling at your for something you had done wrong. Other than that he sat and watched, writing notes about the people to watch out for. His notepad apparently had every student's name written down in it and next to it was anything you had ever done wrong.

Marissa stood in the doorway until he gestured for her to sit. Everyone sat in complete silence for about 10 minutes, making everything even more uncomfortable. Finally someone spoke… and it was not Clara.

“It was me!” Zoey practically shouted.

Everyone in that room knew that Zoey definitely not the one to blame for this situation. But they let her continue anyway.

“I was mad at Marissa about how she was treating me, so I decided to take my anger out through the volcano. I did not mean for it to become such a problem,” stated Zoey.

With each word everyone, except Mr. Baker, seemed to grow more and more uncomfortable. Marissa looked super annoyed at the fact that Clara was not going to get into trouble. Clara looked guilty and unsure about what to do. And Zoey had a look full of regret.

“Zoey, how exactly did you perform this prank?” questioned Mr. Baker.

Zoey was not ready to answer any more questions because she was pretty shaken up. She looked at him with a blank face and stuttered.

“I...I...um bumped the table really hard and it kinda...um exploded I guess?” Zoey said nervously.

The principal left an expressionless emotion on his face that scared everyone. There was no way to predict what he was thinking or what he would do about the situation.

“Girls,” he spoke, “You do realize that we have cameras in every classroom specifically for situations like this? I already know what happened, I just wanted to see if anyone wanted to confess.”

Marissa looked over at Clara. She looks very regretful and scared about what would happen next.

The satisfaction that Marissa should have had about the fact that Clara was about to get suspended and even possibly expelled, did not even occur to her. She felt the exact opposite...regret..

All of a sudden she felt all of the feelings she had for the other two girls coming back to her. She missed all of their sleepovers and secrets. She missed how she could share anything with them and not have to worry that that would be the next “big news” at the school. She realized all they were missing were eachother.

“Clara, would you please step out for a moment? I need to talk to these two young ladies first,” Mr. Baker said.

“Yes sir,” Clara whispered.

Clara slowing got up and walked to the door. Her hands were slightly shaking and her eyes were tearing up. As she slowly turned the handle to leave Marissa wanted to get up and tell her that everything is going to be OK, but she did not. That was not her battle to fight. The door closed and all that was left was them and the terrifying Mr. Baker.

“Marissa, you played victim in this situation. None of this was your fault. Next time just please watch how you treat your fellow classmates or else I will have to call you back in her to have another talk,” he said sternly, “You may leave now.”

Marissa got up and out of her chair as if it were on fire. As quickly as she should she gathered her items and bolted out of the office. Once out she found a chair on the other side of the room and just sat and waited for Zoey.

As she looked across the room, she saw Clara sitting by herself, crying in the corner. Her heart dropped as she just stared unable to move her body. Why should Clara have to fight this alone? It was also partly Marissa’s fault for being the instigator. She felt like even through all the times they have been apart, they have always somehow been together.

Marissa made her decision, and it was not easy. She got up out of her chair and sat right next to Clara.

“I am going to get you out of this. Don’t worry,” Marissa whispered.

“No, there’s no way you can change his mind now. My life is going to ruined after I get expelled! What will my parents think?” cried Clara.

“You will be fine,” Marissa said as she was walking about, right back into the principals office.

The moment Marissa was about to walk in, Zoey came out. She looked pretty rattled and distressed but still went over to Clara to ask if she was OK. Zoey looked over to Marissa walking in the door and pulled her back. All she did was shake her head. Resisting Zoey, Marissa still tried to walk back into the office but Zoey was stronger than her. She sat her in a chair next to Clara and just told them to wait. They both trusted her, and knew that she had done something to fix this mess.

Immediately after Zoey told them this Mr. Baker came out of his office.

“Girl, please come back. We have formed a compromise,” he said sternly.

The three girls walked back into office and once again sat down. The were all very nervous about what was going to happen for each other’s sake. Zoey was just hoping that he agreed with her idea and was not going to take too serious of consequences.

“The three of you are in an interesting situation,” he continued, “I could just suspend one of you and let the other two go, but all three of you insist that it was not anyone’s fault. I have never made such a generous offer before, but this is my only exception.”

“What will our punishment be sir?” asked Clara.

“You three will be Mr Larson’s teachers aid for the next month. You will do everything he asked you to do with no questions asked. Do you understand?” he asked very loudly.

“Yes sir. We understand,” the girls spoke in unison.

“You will spend your entire lunch with him, and also half an hour every day after school,” he said, “You are excused now.”

“Thanks” said Marissa.

“Have a nice day!” said Zoey

“Thank you so much!” said Clara.

The girls joyfully walked out of the room and let out a sigh of relief. They were safe for now. They looked at each other and came into a huge group hug.

“I miss you guys,” Clara admitted.

Clara, Marissa, and Zoey looked at each other and laughed. After a while of just appreciating each other, someone started crying. A few minutes later all three of them were bawling and sobbing about how much they missed each other. It seemed as if everything was forgiven between the girls and hopefully everything could work out.

It was over a month after their time with Mr. Larson was up, but they were still going extra to his classroom everyday. Their month of being his teachers aid was so much fun they asked if they could do it for the rest of the year. Clara, Marissa, and Zoey bonded so much during the month long period, it brought their friendship back and better than ever. Also being with Mr. Larson was a blast because he was actually really funny and cool. He would give them candy everyday and did not make them clean anything because he already has the janitor coming everyday. Mr. Larson’s class is now their favorite one of the day because he makes science fun.

The girls lives on the other hand were working out quite well. Clara made an amazing recovery and is back sooner than any doctor could have ever predicted. Soccer tryouts are in a month and she is currently trying to get back into shape so she can play even better than she used to. Her other “friends” from soccer came running back to her when they heard she was back, but she did not care because she had new friends.

Zoey was becoming much more social and is not scared about confrontation anymore. She is becoming more confident in front of large crowds and is making everyone proud, especially her dad. Her dad is home much more often now because he is taking a break from working so much because he misses his family.

Marissa is becoming more confident with herself too. She does not have to bring someone else down to push herself up anymore because her new friends make her realize that she is perfect just the way she is. She dropped from the top of the popularity latter but she was fine because she does not need fake people with fake lives. She needs real people who care.

All three of the girls’ lives turned around back into the right direction. They were always meant to be best friends forever, they just needed a little push to get back onto the right path.

At some point in every person’s life they realize who their real friends are. It may be through something as simple as a little talk or as big as someone almost getting expelled. Whatever the circumstances are you can never prepare you must just be open and ready to handle whatever life throws at you. Your best friends in life are the people who genuinely care about you and your feelings. They do not want to always one up you or embarrass you in front of a group. They must be protective, yet not controlling. Everyone finds their perfect match at some point that makes them feel secure, and that is what these three girls have here.