School Spirit

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I knocked on the door nervously. I gripped my bag tightly and waited for someone to answer the door. I heard footsteps approaching and I gulped. The door opened and I was met with an angry glare.

"May I help you?" she said tightly.

"Um, i'm here for the sleepover," I said meekly.

"Well you're about 3 days too late," she said stiffly.

"Emma, don't be like that."

"Like what? Like my best friend totally fell off the face of the earth, ditched me, and still hasn't told me where she's been? No, I think I will be like that," she snapped.

"Can I just come in? I'll explain I swear," I pleaded.

She sighed and pushed the door slightly open. I followed her silently up the stairs to her purple bedroom that I had sat in many times before.

When I opened the door, Aimee, Noah, and Lee were all sitting on the ground. Clearly they hadn't been expecting me because their expressions were relieved, concerned, angry, and confused all at once.

"Hey guys," I said sheepishly.

"You let her in?" Aimee hissed.

"She said she would explain!"

"I will!" I swore.

"Then do it!" Lee chided.

"Fine I will!" I threw my hands in the air. I had to come up with a sugarcoat where I had been. Not lie-sugarcoat something I wasn't too good at.

"Well?" they stared at me expectantly.

"Well, I was on a trip," I started. "With my friends."

"Friends? We're your friends," Noah said in a hurt voice.

"Well these are friends from Filmore."

"Filmore? That's even worse! Why do you have friends from Filmore?" Noah said Filmore like it was a bad word. It was disgusting to even say.

"Well what did you expect? I would just be a loner forever? I would sit alone at lunch everyday? I would wait for you guys to come home from school like a puppy?" I exploded. I hadn't realized that what I was saying was true until I said it. It was true though, I needed friends too. I loved my friends but they couldn't be there from me all the time.

"Look, are you saying this is our fault?" Aimee stood up.

"What is your fault? That I have friends other than you guys? I think I can be friends with whoever I want."

"Guys, guys," Lee stood up, being the peacemaker like always. "Payton's right, she should be allowed to have other friends. But you should've told us that you were going somewhere, don't shut us out."

I hung my head, knowing that he was right. "You're right, i'm sorry guys."

"No, it's our fault. We should've known you were lonely," Emma said apologetically.

"Well i'm here now! Is it too late to have our sleepover?"

"No way!" Emma shook her head excitedly.

"So tell me everything I missed." I plopped down on Emma's bed and kicked off my shoes.

"Nuh-uh! Tell us about your friends first!" Emma demanded.

"Yeah, are they cooler than us?" Lee asked.

"Cooler than you? Never! They're nice..." I trailed off. Suddenly I felt uncomfortable talking about Isaac, Chris, Zack, Joel, Daisy, and Brooke.