Becoming Calliope

Chapter One: Sage

Calliope thought she was going to die. Never in her life had she been more bored than she was now, listening to Sage Brightenham talk about all she had done on her "very exciting Christmas break."

Sage and Calliope had never really been best friends, but never enemies either. They used to only talk when they had to, and usually Sage was the one to do the talking.

Calliope was a shy girl, with not much to say. Because of this, along with her "mousy" brown hair, hazel eyes, and slender figure, she was the prime target for the bullies in her school.

Namely, Poppy Nelson.

Calliope didn't know Poppy before middle school. Calliope went to Lincoln Elementary (yes, her middle school and elementary school were named the same) and Poppy went to the fancy private all girl's school a couple blocks over. Poppy's parents finally decided she needed to go to a public school, and there they were.

Poppy and Calliope first met in the hallway, because lucky for Calliope, they were locker neighbors.

Now, listening to Sage talk about all she had done and all the places she went, Calliope just wanted to shrink. She didn't want to hear Sage talk. She really only put up with Sage so that Poppy wouldn't have one more thing to make fun of her for, for having no friends.

Though Calliope tried, no one wanted to be friends with her. Everyone laughed because Poppy laughed. Poppy was the Queen Bee at Lincoln Middle School. As it was, what Poppy said, went.

Just before the homeroom bell rang and all the students sat in their desks to face Mr. Garrick, Poppy strutted in and flipped her long blonde hair. She looked perfect, and she knew it too.

Her jewelery was all coordinated, with little peace signs on her earring, bracelets, and necklace. She wore a red sweatshirt reading "Lifeguard" and black leggings.

"Hello, Calliope," she said with a smirk on her face.

Calliope tried to roll her eyes and absorb herself in what Sage was saying. "And then Daddy said that we would go to the mall and get more presents! And I was so excited but obviously-"

Calliope sighed and hid her face in her hands. It looked like, after Christmas break, it was going to be a long, long day.