Believe
Written By Kruti Patel
Chapter 1
Gym. The subject I hate the most. Hi. I’m Jessica, and I just moved here from Boston Illinois. My mom is a banker. And Dad? Well, he is a coder and works at home. Dad has to take care of me since mom is almost never home. The school I now go to is called Princleton Middle School. I miss the school I used to go to in Illinois and my friends, especially Lily. She’s my best friend and still is. We still video chat, but it’s not the same. I wish I could go back to Illinois!
I rush to gym class as the bell is furiously ringing. I’m going to be late if I don’t hurry! I don’t look where I’m going, and suddenly I bump into someone.
“Hey, watch where you’re going, slowpoke!” she jeers. “Or should I say, rushpoke!” She cackles. I’m so angry, but I just say, “Sorry.” I step into the gym room and get my yoga mat from the equipment room. I plop it onto the gym floor, and I suddenly catch sight of a cute boy. He’s so adorable! He has jet-black hair, awesome clothes, a great smile, and cute shoes! My mind focuses on gym class.
The gym teacher tells us to do push-ups, planks, burpees, and a bunch of other exhausting exercises which I’m not willing to do. My grade is depending on this though, so I have to. After P.E., I go to my locker and open it. I grab my pencil and math book from there and hurry to math class.
I sit down in my seat once class starts. The math teacher looks kind and nice. “Alright, class, settle down!” she commanded gently. I see her name on the desk. It says, “Mrs. Walchester.”
“Welcome, everyone! So good to see you, Gavin. Oh, and you, too, Carla! I’m especially grateful you’re here, too, Alexa!” Mrs. Walchester says soothingly. She gazed at me. “Oh, and it appears we have a new student! Say hello to…” she paused and whispered to me, “What’s your name?” “I’m.. I’m Jessica Walters,” I replied nervously.
“Alright, now open your math workbooks to page 1,” Mrs. Walchester said. “As you know, I’m Mrs. Walchester, the math teacher. I teach every class math except for 6th grade because it’s overwhelming to teach every single grade.”
We learned about subtracting and adding fractions, and while we were doing our independent work, the jet-black hair boy glimpsed at me. He said, “Hi!” I whispered, “Hi!” back. “What’s your name? Want to sit down together at lunch?” I said softly. “I’m Jake. You? And, yes, we can sit together at lunch. Actually, if you don’t mind, some of my friends are coming, too, so is that okay?” he replied. “Yes, and my name is Jessica! Now let’s do our work before we’re caught!” I whisper.
I continued to finish my problem ?-?, which was really easy. The bell rang at 11:40, and I went with Jake so we could sit together. I found him, and we rushed to the cafeteria to order some food. He says he would pay, but his pocket is empty. “I’m sorry. I brought lunch from home, though! We can share!” he says. “Okay, I guess!” I agree. Not only because if I say no, it would disappoint him, but also, I myself forgot my money.
Jake and I go to a table and sit down. Soon, some of his friends arrive with their lunch. They ask, “Hey, are you the new student, Jessica?” “Yeah, I am!” I say. “What are your names?” Jake introduces me to Kate, a blonde girl, Carlos, a brown-haired boy, Violet, who has purple hair, and Nick, a boy with a Yankees T-shirt and black hair.
“Wow, you guys have refined taste in fashion!” I say, impressed. “Thanks!” Kate says, flushing. “I play the drums!” Carlos says, banging an imaginary instrument with imaginary drumsticks. We all laugh and start eating our lunches. So far, middle school is off to a good start! But just because it’s good right now, doesn’t mean it will be good in the future. Who knows?
After lunch, I have religion and read some gospels of the bible. Then I have french and music. I run outside and wait for the school bus to pick me up. When it does, I climb aboard and wait on the ride home by reading a book.
“I’m home, Dad!” I shout, running inside my house as the bus stops at my home and I climb out. Dad greets me and hugs me tightly. He says he learned a trendy recipe online. He already prepared it, and that is so sweet. Dad takes his dish and sits with me on the dining table.
“So, how was your first day of school?” Dad asks. I wasn’t dreading this question since I made some new friends. “It was great! I made some new friends!” I reply happily. “What are their names?” Dad questions politely.
“Their names” I say. “are Kate, Carlos, Violet, Nick, and Jake!” “Wow! Those are a lot of friends you made in one day! Good job, sweetie!” He rustles my hair once he finishes his lunch. In a few moments, I am sitting at my desk in my room, doing my homework. I think about the problem: 433 divided by 67 and then write down the answer. Once I finish my homework, I begin reading my favorite mystery book.
Soon, Mom comes home and cooks salad as dinner. I especially love her salad. It has onions, tomatoes, green peppers, lettuce, olive oil, and black pepper and salt for seasoning. Mom, Dad, and I devour the meal, and I go into my room to brush my teeth.
I then dress into my PJs and read my novel from the library: Because of Winn-Dixie. I don’t know when I’ll…zzzzzz.
I wake up the next morning, the sun shining in my face brightly. My calendar reads: Saturday. I jump out of bed and walk downstairs to the kitchen. Dad already fixed a batch of waffles with maple syrup for himself and me. I eat my breakfast and decide to go for a nice stroll after getting dressed. I hastily brush my teeth, take a bubble bath, and dress into my jeans and T-shirt. I take my purse with me and go outside for a walk.
I wear my sunglasses and start walking. I pass a shabby-looking corner and stop at a mall. Wow! It has shoes, dresses, earrings, food, drinks, and more! Well, that’s what it says on the banner above me. I walk into the mall and look around. The dresses look so beautiful, with ruffles on the bottom of it. I see a staircase and go up the stairs. I catch sight of what looks like the food section, and I search in my purse for a five dollar bill. I’m definitely going to purchase one of those chocolate hearts. But then again, my mom taught me how to save money: by using it on something that you really want. Anyways, I’m not hungry. Plus, I just brushed my teeth; why would I want to brush them again? I neatly place my money back into my purse. I go down the stairs out the door and rush to my house.
I arrive and knock on the door. Dad lets me in, and I sit with him, asking, “Hey, Dad, do you wanna play a board game?” “Sure, sweetheart!” he says. “Which one?” I think about the ones we have, and then, I know which one: “Payday!” I exclaim suddenly.
I get the board game, Payday, and start laying out the figures, game board, fake money, and die. After playing two rounds of Payday, (3 months each) Dad rests on the couch and says that I can go with my friends or do something else while he rests. Good idea!
So I video chat with my friends and ask, “Hey guys, wanna meet at my house and walk together? We can order lunch at the mall near me!” “Sounds good!” they said in unison. I give them my address, and they arrive at my door. We walk around the neighborhood. Oh, and did I mention Violet has an adorable chihuahua? Nick has a turtle, and Jake has a cute pet rabbit.
Kate, Carlos, Violet, Nick, Jake, and I strolled to the park, where Kate, Violet, and I sit on the swings, and Jake, Nick, and Carlos ride on the slides and see-saw. We order lunch at the mall near my house. The food section has pizza, cake, soda, chocolate, vanilla cupcakes, veggie salad, croissants, apples, oranges, bananas, and loads of other dishes, foods, and drinks! I order a croissant for myself, Violet gets two oranges, Nick buys a slice of cheesy pizza, Jake purchases one banana for himself and a veggie salad for Carlos, and Kate gets a slice of vanilla cake and a veggie salad.
After having our delicious meal, we walk out of the mall and say good-bye to each other. I walk to my house and rest with my dad.
Chapter 2
“Do you want eggs on your toast, sweetie?” Mom asks me. “Huh?” I say. I must’ve dozed off. Mom asks me again, “Do you want eggs on your toast, honey?” “Uh, yes. Yes, please!” I say. She plops some fried eggs on my toasted piece of bread. “Thanks, Mom!” I reply. “No problem!” She pours cereal and milk quickly into a glass bowl and carefully hands it to Dad. “Here, Jake! Your breakfast,” she says. “Now, I have to run to the bank to do my job! Take care of Jessie and-” “Mom! Please don’t call me Jessie,” I say. “Okay, make sure to take care of Jessica while I’m gone, okay?” she tells Dad. “Yes, but she’ll be at school!” Dad jokes. I walk out of the kitchen and see the school bus at my house. Waving at my parents, I hop onto the bus and begin the journey to school.
As I walk in the building, the hall fills with many students of different sizes-some short, some large, some fat, some skinny, some tall, and some with blue hair. I catch sight of Kate, Carlos, Violet, Nick, and Jake. I wave to them, and they come over. “Hey, I recall seeing this movie called “We Can Be Heroes”. It’s really great!” Violet says. “Where can you watch it? I’d love to check it out!” Carlos asks. “I think it’s on Netflix. Well, if you have a subscription,” Violet says. “Cool!” Kate and I say in unison.
Walking to math class, we clutch our books. We stroll into class and sit down. The math teacher says good morning to us and starts our lesson.
Mrs. Walchester tells us, “Turn to page 6 and do the review, please.” I do the review, and when I’m done, I read a book.
After class, we have a break, and I take advantage of that break. I study for my quiz and read some books in the library. Before I know it, the bell rings again, and I stroll to reading class. I don’t want to be in detention and rush to class. I sit down in a random seat, and the teacher says, “Hello, class! Turn to page 11 in your textbook so we can start reading the story!”
First, she calls on a shy girl with brown pigtails to read. “Okay. Um…Alice lived in a beautiful town with her family. She had three siblings and loved to play in the fields. One day, she spotted a magical rabbit, and it could talk! It said, ‘Hello, Alice! Join me in my home and stay with me for a while!’ The girl said yes and…” I pay attention to the brown pigtail girl and listen to the story. Before I know it, it’s my turn to read a passage of the selection. I impress everyone by reading with my smooth voice and fluent reading.
At lunchtime I sit with my friends, and we all talk about the upcoming talent show next week. “I’m going to dance!” Violet says. “I’m doing ballet and dancing to the Nutcracker. Boy, is it complicated! But I’ll learn!” she smiles. Carlos tells, “I’m going to be playing the drums!” He imitates drum sounds, and we all are laughing.
When I go home today, I don’t feel lonely anymore. I feel that now I have great friends who support me, no matter what the situation! That makes me feel welcome and warm on the inside. I start doing my homework and write with my lucky pen, you know, to get luck.
Chapter 3
It’s the big day today! Today is the talent show, and I’m so excited! But a girl has been teasing me a lot and saying that I’ll never win the competition with my performance. That makes me feel sad, angry, worried, anxious, nervous, and mad all at once!
After school, it’s talent time, and everyone who is going to perform is behind the curtains on the stage. The director says, “Welcome, ladies and gents! We present to you…the Princleton Middle School Talent Show Extravaganza!!!” The crowd goes wild and cheers! I hear some, “Yahoo!”’s and “Can’t wait!”’s from the eager audience. “First one up is… Rebecca Parkinson! She is going to play Fur Elise on the piano!”
I think Rebecca is doing pretty well! She has all the notes down, and her rhythm’s amazing! After a couple more students do their talents, it’s my turn. I’m so nervous right now, my heart is pounding, and I can’t breathe. My friend, Violet, says, “Stage jitters?” I nod. “Don’t worry,” she says calmly and soothingly, “You’ll do great, I’ll bet!”
I go on stage, and someone hands me a microphone. I take a deep breath and sing. I visualize my friends and my beloved ones and picture my old ones and new ones that were made along the way. When I come back to reality, everyone’s clapping and cheering. It’s like a million voices are saying many things inside my head and telling me to follow my heart and believe. I shout out the word, “Believe!” in a singing tone. Oh my gosh! So many people are crowding around me!
After the audience returns to their seats and a couple of more students, like my friends, go. I think Violet did a fantastic job, and Carlos nailed the drums! The director announces, “And the winner is…Jessica Walters!” “J, you did it! You got the award!” Violet screams. I am handed the award and say, “I won? I won!”
The next day, I have a couple of fans. The days after that, my fans grow and grow. I get invited to sing at another amazing competition called “The Singoff!”, and I accept the offer, confirming my decision. I’m glad school is going to be over the next day, but the problem is that when I go to the show, I’ll have to take a plane and go to the show, which is all the way in London!
“Hey guys,” I tell my friends, “Um, I won’t be able to spend time with you for the next couple of days because I have to go to London. I’ll be back as soon as possible!” “That’s fine, Jess!” Violet says. “Yeah, we’re fine with that!” Kate answers. “We want you to be happy!” Carlos comments. “Oh, thanks guys!” I embrace them all. “Well, guess I’ll see you in the summer, guys!” Carlos says. “Yep, see you in the summer, Jess, whenever you come!” Kate says. “But make sure not to miss my birthday party on July 7th, or you’ll be sorry!” “Okay!” I laugh.
I realize that having friends to back you up helps you become more confident in yourself, and you feel more capable of doing things you never thought that you could do. My singing talent was hidden inside me, I just didn’t know how to bring it out. All that grief that was inside me, I could share it with the loved ones I have. And I would come to Kate’s birthday party! Just believe, and you can shine and become a star.
The End