Little Differences

Jessie and I get into the school and go to our first class of the day. As I walk into the classroom, I glance over at Alani’s desk and begin to think about her. “We’re going to find you”, I say to myself. “Alani must be so scared”, I think. I cannot focus at all. My desk is right next to the window, so I sit and watch as rain is pouring down outside.

“Class, I need your attention”, Mrs. Rizen shouts. She’s standing at the front of the class waiting for everyone to quiet down. The room goes silent and it is so quiet you can hear a pen drop. “Maybe she is going to tell us that they found Alani”, I think. “As you all know, we were supposed to go to Sea World tomorrow”. She continues, “Due to inclement weather we are pushing the Sea World trip back to allow the weather to clear”. The whole class begins to groan and complain. “Quiet down and get back to work”, she says.

After class, I run into Jessie in the hallway and she drop all her books. “I’m sorry”, I say. I bend down to help her pick up her books. “Are you okay?”, Jessie asks me. She looks very concerned. “I’m okay, just can’t stop thinking about Alani”, I say. “Don’t worry, Katie. They are going to find her and bring her home”, Jessie says. “I guess you’re right”, I say.

We’re in our last class of the day and our teacher is rambling on about cows in a field. “Wait, I thought this was science class. What do cows have to do with science?”, Jessie leans over and whispers to me. “I’m not sure but don’t forget that we are going looking for Alani again after school”, I say. Jessie gets a weird look on her face. “What is it?”, I ask. “It’s just that I have other plans this afternoon”, she says. Jessie and I do almost everything together and we tell each other everything. I get a feeling she’s not telling me everything. “What kind of plans?”, I ask curiously. “Samantha wants me to go with her and some of the girls to find pajamas for the sleepover”, she says. “I thought the sleepover wasn’t until next weekend”, I say. It was but since the trip has been pushed back, she moved the sleepover up to tomorrow night”, she says. “Fine, I’ll go alone”, I say. “I’m sorry Katie”, she says. We don’t speak for the rest of the class. The dismissal bell rings and I rush out of the classroom without ever looking back. I climb onto the bus and I sit in our usual seat, all alone. As the bus pulls off the school’s lot, I see Jessie climbing into the limousine with Samantha and her friends. “It’s no big deal”, I tell myself. “Everyone has more than one friend. If Jessie wants to be friends with Samantha that’s fine”, I say. After remembering what Jessie said about us be friends forever, I try to stop thinking the worse. “Jessie would never turn her back on me”, I reassure myself.

I run home from the bus stop and into the kitchen where mom is. “Hello sweetie. How was your day”, mom asks me? “It was okay”, I say. “Would you like a snack”, mom says. “Sure!”, I reply. In case you haven’t noticed, I absolutely love food. It just tastes so good! Mom gives me a plate that has apple and orange slices and little pieces of cheese. “Yum!”, I say in between bites. Mom smiles at me and goes over to the counter to prepare dinner.

“I’m going to go take Brownie for a walk”, I say. “Are you going to take Jessie with you?”, she asks me. “No, she is hanging out with some of her other friends today”, I say. It sounds so weird saying that. Jessie and I have been best friends since 1st grade and we never actually hang out with anyone else outside of school. “I guess that’s just a part of growing up”, I say to myself.

“You shouldn’t be going out by yourself”, mom says. “I’ll be careful”, I say. “No, there is too much going on right now”, she says. “Okay, fine”, I say. I head up to my princess quarters and Brownie comes running from behind the couch. “Hey there boy. How are you feeling”, I say to him? He begins to jump up and down and run in circles all while barking as loud as he can. “Your leg must be feeling much better”, I tell him. Brownie is now using the leg that’s wrapped up. The doggy doctor said that he would get better quickly. I guess she was right.