± a song±

"Dont let them get to you, Lizzie. They're only trying to get to you. Remember that song that we used to sing together in your room? 'No matter what they say, it never gets to you. Keep it strong,and i'll always miss you.'" Melissa told her friend, as she was, yet again, harassed by everyone because her boyfriend wasn't who everyone else liked. "Sometimes you just gotta face your fears, and sometimes you gotta just let them go." Lizzie quoted. It was a proverb that she and Melissa came up with. 1

Melissa and Lizzie were "tighter than Abercrombie jeans" as some people would say. Lizzie and Melissa had a hobby of finding, and memorizing, interesting sayings and song lyrics. They had their own secret code that way, which made them "geeks" compared to everyone else. But Melissa didn't let that get to her. She let it slide. Lizzie,on the other hand, took it all in and bottled it up inside of her. Her older sister, Kennedi, was really popular, and was always having her friends over, who were popular too, and they would harass her there, too. Kennedi would stick up for her little sister, but when she left the room, the other girls would just tease her some more, and Kennedi wouldn't notice a thing when she got back.2

Lizzie's parents signed her up for anger management classes, and self- esteem classes, but they didn't help, because soon after she signed up, everybody found out and tormented her for that, too. 3

"Missy, it's not that easy!" Lizzie screamed. "I can't let it go. It's too much! Make it stop!" She cried as she slumped along the wall of their school to the ground. She had her hands over her ears, putting a lot of pressure on her head. She felt like she would pop. 4

"You guys stop it! Just leave her alone, will ya?" the school mascot came over. He took off his "head" and leaned over to Lizzie. "Are you okay? Here, take my hand. I'll help you."5

Lizzie looked up, only to find the most popular boy staring down at her. He's so hot, she thought. Why's he helping me, and ruining his reputation? He could just join in with them, it wouldn't make much of a difference, anyways. She reluctantly took his hand, and off they walked to the other side of the courtyard. 6

"Why are you helping me? Shouldn't you be with them, like all of the other kids are?" Lizzie questioned, but regretted soon after the words escaped her mouth. 7

"What are you talking about? Don't you want help?"8

"Well, yea, but no one's ever helped me before, and it feels, I don't know, awkward. I really appreciate it." Lizzie said as she gazed into his eyes. And from that moment on, she was in love. They talked the rest of the afternoon, and he, Todd, gave her a ride home. They took a walk through the park beforehand, though, and talked even more. 9

When they reached her front door, Lizzie turned around and said, "I had a lot of fun with you. Thank you so much."10

And with a sly "You're welcome." he kissed her on the lips, right there and then. They kept at it for a few minutes, passionately, until they pulled away at the same second, and said a few awkward "good nights." and "see you tomorrows."11

Lizzie fished her key out of her purse and unlocked her front door. "Lizzie has a boyfriend! Lizzie has a boyfriend!" She heard from her living room. ANd for once in her life, she ignored the taunting coming from her little sister. And ran to the back porch and stood on the railing. At the top of her lungs, she screamed, "I had my first kiss! And somebody likes me!"12

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Pulling out of Lizzie's driveway, Todd heard what Lizzie screamed into the night, and smiled to himself. This isn't gonna be the only time she's screaming like that. He thought. Not even close. 14