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Chapter Six

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After school, I had to go to my locker to get my backpack. Mrs. Hawkins gave us a reading assignment in Health and Mr. Hoover had just instructed us to read chapter two in social studies, we would be having a test on Friday. Putting the books in my backpack, I heard Rachael call out to Heather.

“Heather. Here. I believe this belongs to you,” Rachael said, holding out Heather’s notebook. Heather stopped to retrieve her notebook. “You’re not going to have to return that too are you?” Rachael asked, handing Heather her notebook. Rachael was being sarcastic, referring to the clothes that Heather’s father made her return.

“I thought you guys were my friends!” Heather cried before running away.

“Some people aren’t cut out to be in the ‘in’ crowd,” Jamie stated, raising her head high, her nose pointed up as if she were better than everyone else.

The resounding thud of my locker door slamming made them turn to look. “You better hope it doesn’t rain,” I told Jamie. “Otherwise, you might drown.” I stormed off, not wanting to miss my bus.

Heather was right. Even I thought they were her friends. If they were, why did they treat her so cruelly? The only way I could describe them was as snobs. They turned their noses up at other kids who didn’t come from wealthy families.

Once on the bus, I took a seat next to the window. On the way home, I thought about how awful Rachael and Jamie treated Heather. They were supposed to be her friends. Darla and Robin would never treat me like that. They were true friends. I knew they would always stick by me no matter what happened.

“Stephanie, are you getting off?” someone asked.

“Huh?” I asked, looking around, unaware of who had spoken to me. I hadn’t even noticed we were at my stop. Picking up my backpack, I scooted past the girl in the seat next to me. “Excuse me,” I said as I squeezed by her.

The bus stop was near my house, so I didn’t have very far to walk. Mrs. Severs sat on her front porch and watched the neighborhood kids walk by on their way home. Mrs. Severs’ house was next door to ours.

“Hi,” I said as I waved to her. She smiled and waved back.

Across the street, I saw Pastor Ferguson mowing his lawn. His lawnmower made a loud whirling sound. On Monday’s he was usually busy working in his yard. It was his day off. He looked over at me and waved. I waved back before I went inside.

“Are you home honey?” Mom asked.

“Yeah. I forgot you were off today,” I told her, dropping my backpack down on the floor before I took a seat at the kitchen table.

“You know I’m always off on Monday and Tuesday’s,” Mom reminded me.

“I know. It just slipped my mind,” I said.

Mom poured me a glass of Kool-Aid. She sat it down on the table in front of me, then took a seat next to me. “Is something wrong?”

“There’s this girl at school named Heather, well, she’s really popular. She always teases people who don’t dress as nice as she does,” I told Mom.

“So what happened?” Mom asked.

“Her dad lost his job. She had a credit card and bought all kinds of new clothes. Then, because he lost his job, she had to return her new things. Now her friends Jamie and Rachael aren’t talking to her. Or if they are, they’re being mean,” I said, frowning.

“That’s not very nice of them,” Mom agreed.

“What I don’t understand is, if they’re her friends, why are they acting like this?”

“Sometimes people are materialistic,” Mom said.

“Ma-ter-ial-ris-tic?” Trying to repeat the word Mom used, I scrunched up my face as I said the word.

“Ma-ter-ial-istic,” Mom said slower this time.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Some people care more about possessions than they do people. They’re materialistic. They’re not usually the kind of friends you can count on when things aren’t going well,” Mom said.

“That’s for sure. Jamie and Rachael aren’t being very good friends to Heather right now,” I agreed.

“Maybe she could use a new friend,” Mom suggested. Then she gave me that look.

“What? Who? Me?” I asked, pointing to myself.

“Yes, you,” Mom said.

“But she doesn’t like me. She’s always saying mean things to me,” I argued. Mom had to be joking, become friends with Heather!

“Maybe you just haven’t given yourselves a chance to become friends. I’m sure right now she could use one,” Mom said.

“I’m sure she has to have other friends. Somewhere,” I said. Inside I had my doubts. Several people at school said they thought Heather was getting what she deserved. As far as I knew she didn’t go to church, so she wouldn’t have any friends from church. If the kids in her neighborhood were anything like Jamie and Rachael, they were probably giving her a hard time, too.

I kept thinking about what Mom said. I’m not sure Heather and I could become friends.

Darla told me that Heather might be moving into my neighborhood. That didn’t mean I should be her friend. I didn’t know what I should do. Maybe Jamie and Rachael would make up with Heather. Then I wouldn’t have to think about it. I didn’t know why I was even thinking about it now.

Love thy neighbor as thy self. Now where did that thought come from? “She’s not my neighbor,” I insisted, reasoning with myself.