The Other Side

by Ashlynn Elliott

  “Thanks!” Bella happily smiled, convinced that her day had started over.

  “I’m so sorry about the Sparkle, honey,” Freddy gave her a hug.

  So it wasn’t all a dream. Bella felt like she had been punched again, this time, just harder. She put her head on her dad’s shoulder and cried. She cried out all her sadness, all her anger, and all of her fear.

  After her parents left, Bella looked at the cake her parents made her. Chocolate and caramel. Her favorite. She was about to take a bite, and a feeling of happiness washed over her. But then she remembered.

  She would never be happy again.

  She picked up the cake, and threw it on the floor.

  She had hoped and prayed her whole life that she wouldn’t get a bad Sparkle. But she didn’t even get one at all.

  Wednesday, April 24

  Dear Diary,

  I’m certain this will be my last diary entry. I’m in my classroom and I don’t see how I won’t get this diary turned in.

  But I wish I could keep it another day, because I want to talk about the party tomorrow. But I have to turn it in today. I don’t want to get sent to the office again. Mom and Dad will be mad.

  I’m really excited about the party tomorrow! I’ve got waterslides, a pool, lots of snacks, and The Smashers will be playing!

  But something will go wrong. It’ll be Thursday. Something HAS to go wrong. Maybe a water slide will pop. Or the pool will overflow. Maybe The Smashers miss the date. The possibilities are endless!

  But you know what I’m not looking forward to? The snow day Friday. We’ve had so much snow this winter, it’s unbelievable. I’m so glad it’s April and almost the end of winter! This should be our last snow of the year!

  Anyway, since this is my last entry, I’ve had fun writing in you, diary, and you’ve help me keep my sanity. hat has been happening to me over the past week has almost drove me insane. Thanks for helping me not have a major freakout.

  Bye!

  Chapter 18:

  Macy walked into the classroom. Barbara was at her desk, writing in her diary. Macy wondered if her diary had gotten a good grade, so she walked over to Mr. Marcantel’s desk.

  “Mr. Marcantel, did I make a good grade on my diary?” Macy smiled.

  Mr. Marcantel sighed and looked up from his work. “What was it titled?” He groaned.

  “Macy Rules Third Grade,” Macy smugly replied.

  Mr. Marcantel, annoyed, sighed and pulled out a paper. “You got a D.”

  “WHAT?!” Macy shrieked. “WHY?!”

  “Your title was inaccurate,” Mr. Marcantel snorted. “You do not rule this class. I do.” He smiled smugly at her, just as she had done.

  Macy scoffed, offended. Mr. Marcantel knew very well that she ruled this classroom!

  Macy noticed a stack of papers on Mr. Marcantel’s desk that he planned to hand out. She skimmed the paper.

  “I can’t let Barbara see this!” She gasped. “It would ruin the party.” She smiled evilly to herself, thinking about the party and what she planned to do there. She had to do something to make sure that Barbara didn’t get it.

  Macy slyly walked over to Barbara’s desk and sat by her. “Hey, Barbara!” She smiled.

  “Hey,” Barbara replied and scribbled the words The Smashers will be playing! in her diary.

  “The Smashers will be playing?!” Macy looked up to see Natalie looming over Barbara’s seat. Barbara put her diary down. Good ol’ Natalie. Macy thought.

  “Yes, and I got-” While Barbara was talking, Macy snatched Barbara’s diary. Barbara didn’t even notice.

  Macy walked over to Mr. Marcantel’s desk again. “Mr. Marcantel, when are you going to pick up Barbara’s diary?” She slyly asked.

  Mr. Marcantel frowned. “And since when is that your business?” He asked. “Anyway, I’ll go ask her for it right now, Macy, since you’re so curious!”

  Perfect.

  “Barbara, I’ll take your diary now.” He said when he got to Barbara’s desk.

  “It’s right here on my-” Barbara paused. “Hey, where’d it go?” Natalie looked over at Macy. Macy nodded, letting Natalie know that she took it.

  “It wasn’t just right there!” Natalie laughed at Mr. Marcantel. “I’ve been sitting here the whole time, and I never saw it!”

  Barbara’s mouth hung wide open. “Natalie! You- you- just- SERIOUSLY?!”

  “She left it at home!” Natalie whispered to Mr. Marcantel. “She told me.”

  Mr. Marcantel scowled. “I told you to turn it in, Barbara!” He yelled.

  “But-But I had it just right here!” She cried.

  “I’m tired of the lies, Barbara,” He groaned. “Go to the office. You get and F, and I’m calling your parents.

  Mr. Marcantel sat down at his desk and called Barbara’s parents. Sucker! Macy thought. But they didn’t answer, so Mr. Marcantel mumbled that he would call them back later. Then she remembered the papers he had to pass out. She had to make sure Barbara didn’t get one!

  “Mr. Marcantel, can I pass out these papers?” Macy held up the stack of papers.

  Mr. Marcantel let out an exasperated groan. “I have a lot of paperwork to do for Barbara’s office visit and the diary, so thank you, Macy, that would help a lot.”

  Macy smiled. She passed out papers to everyone in the class, except for Barbara, who was in the office, which was technically not the class.

  After passing them out, to make sure Barbara didn’t get one, she ripped up the extras and threw them in the trash.

  And if Barbara even thinks that going to the office is bad, she doesn’t know what’s coming for her. Macy thought and snickered to herself.

  Chapter 19:

  Bella turned page after page in her book. She wasn’t really reading anything. She was just depressed, because she knew she’d be powerless for the rest of her life. Eric would inherit her mom’s powers. One person in the family always did, and if it wasn’t her, it had to be Eric.

  Eric sat down next to her. “It really stinks you don’t have a Sparkle.” He said. Bella snorted in reply. “Yeah, now you’ll be powerless forever. I’ll get the power, and you’ll feel bad because you didn’t get one. Yeah, It must really stink for you. Knowing that your awesome brother will get a power and not you. You must be really upset right now. So upset you want to scream.”

  Bella realized her brother was trying to taunt her. “ERIC, LEAVE ME ALONE!” She shrieked.

  All of a sudden, Bella heard the front door to the house swung open. “BELLA, COME LOOK WHAT WE FOUND!!!!” She heard Freddy yell. She got up off of her bed and trudged to the living room.

  “Unless it’s my Sparkle that came late, I don’t care,” She moaned.

  Maryrose, who was on the sofa watching Tv, said, “Bella, if you were to get a Sparkle, it would either come early, or right on time. They never come late.”

  Great.

  Freddy interrupted Maryrose’s comment. “Bella, remember how the other day you said you always wanted an Alaskan Husky puppy with purple eyes?”

  Bella rolled her eyes. “That wasn’t the other day. That was three years ago.”

  Freddy ignored her. “Anyway, guess what I found on the driveway while I was checking the mail!” Freddy held out a small, black and white puppy with purple eyes!

  “How-How- Those don’t even exist!” Bella screamed.

  “They do now!” Eric laughed.

  “Happy late birthday, Bella!” Freddy smiled and handed Bella the puppy. “Maybe this could make up for your Sparkle.”

  Somehow, Bella still felt upset. I mean, she loved the puppy, but nothing could make up for that. “Thanks, Dad.” She looked at the dog. “I’ll name you Lavender.” Lavender barked.

  “You still look upset,” Freddy remarked.

  Bella frowned. “Well, why wouldn’t I be? A puppy is just gonna make up for the thing that I’ve waited for my whole life, and didn’t get? A puppy is supposed to make up for that?” Lavender ba
rked again.

  “Well, what would make up for it?” Freddy asked.

  “A trip to Hawaii,” Bella sarcastically snorted.

  “Alright!” Freddy said.

  Bella scoffed. “Dad, I was being sarcastic. I don’t-” Freddy hopped onto the family computer. “I DON’T WANT TO GO TO HAWAII!!! I JUST WANT A SPARKLE!!!!” Bella screamed.

  “Oh,” Freddy said as he spun around toward her on the spin-chair. “I’m sorry, honey. I wish there was something we could do.”

  “Hit the lottery,” Bella muttered to herself.

  Ironically, seconds later, Freddy pulled out his Wednesday lottery ticket and pulled up the lottery website. “What the-” He muttered.

  “HOLY SMOKES!!!” He yelled.

  “What is it?” Maryrose pulled off her reading glasses and put down her book.

  “WE HIT THE LOTTERY!!!!” He yelled

  “WHAT?!?!??” Bella, Eric, and Maryrose screamed at the same time.

  “Are we going to Hawaii?” Eric asked.

  “How much did we win?” Maryrose gasped.

  “I-I-I-” Bella stammered.

  Freddy started laughing in delight. “We won six million bucks!” Maryrose screamed in happiness. She jumped off the sofa and ran to Freddy.

  “No way!!! EEEK!!!” She squealed. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!!!!”

  “Can we go to Hawaii now?” Eric smiled.

  “Go to Hawaii? Let’s move there!” Freddy proposed.

  “Let’s move first thing Friday morning!!!” Maryrose yelled.

  “Alright!” Freddy yelled. “Everyone start packing!”

  But Bella didn’t start packing.

  Her life was ruined, again.

  Chapter 20:

  When Tommy woke up Thursday morning, he expected it to be like any other Thursday. Terrible, crazy, and cursed. Just like any other BLT.

  But this was destined to be the craziest Thursday yet, and it all started when the phone rang at 6 AM. Tommy awoke with a start. He hollered, jumped out of the bed, and landed on the floor.

  When he realized that the noise that woke him was the phone, he got up to answer it. It was Barbara’s teacher.

  “Mr. Wilson,” Mr. Marcantel stated, “Barbara has been misbehaving a lot lately.”

  Tommy scoffed and brushed off the dust on his shirt from the floor as he sat up on his bed. “Not my little Barbara! What could she possibly have done?”

  “Soaking and destroying five pairs of clothes, shoving classmates out of their seats, being late for class, talking to her friends in class, lying to me, and failing to turn in assignments,” Mr. Marcantel replied.

  Thomas was stunned. Barbara would never do anything like that! Would she? Barbara had been acting weird lately. “I-I’ll talk to her later.” Tommy responded and hung up the phone.

  He went back into the bed, but he felt cold. Something wasn’t right. It felt hot yesterday! He went outside to check the thermometer. 30 degrees! It was 70 yesterday! Tommy was about to go inside, when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

  “Hi, I’m here to deliver this to Thomas Wilson. They have to be returned to BounceMania Jump House Emporium tomorrow morning.” Tommy turned to see a delivery man with five big boxes.

  “Oh. Okay. Thanks.” Thomas said as he began opening a box.

  The delivery man walked away. “But I don’t see why you would need that today!”

  Thomas, confused, opened one of the packages. “What the- HEY! I DIDN’T ORDER THIS!” He yelled to the delivery man, but he had already drove away. Tommy couldn’t believe it! Someone had delivered him five blow-up water slides on a cold winter day like this!

  Tommy went to go put the boxes in the storage room, but he wasn’t prepared for what he saw! A giant pool! “What the heck is going on?!” He groaned to himself. He stuffed the boxes in the room and decided to eat some breakfast before he got Barbara up for school.

  He opened the cabinet door, and food came tumbling out. A second later, Tommy was on the ground, covered in food. Bags of chips, candy, cans of dip, chili, you name it!

  “What on Earth is going on?!” He shrieked as he started placing food back into the cabinet.

  Finally, all the food was put back into the cabinet, and Tommy was relieved. He sat down to take a nap on the sofa, hoping Thursday would give him a second of peace. But it didn’t.

  DING DONG!

  Tommy groaned and got up. I hate Thursday. He thought as he swung the door open. Five teenagers stood in his doorway. “What could you possibly want this early in the morning?” He moaned. “Why are you stupid teenagers here?”

  “We’re the Smashers. We’re the neighborhood band,” Said the guy with the guitar.

  “Unless you're here to lull me to sleep, get out of my house,” Thomas groaned and slammed the door. He began walking back toward the sofa. But seconds later, they rang the doorbell again.

  “WHAAAAAAAT?!!?!” He growled between his teeth.

  The girl with the drum set smiled nervously. “We’re supposed to play at your party today,” She replied.

  Tommy was about fed up. “What party?”

  The five band members all looked back and forth at each other. The girl with the biker hairdo, leather jacket and black makeup popped her gum and rolled her eyes. “You are the Wilsons, right?” She groaned. Tommy nodded. “Yeah, well, someone booked us to play at a party at this location.”

  Tommy sucked in his teeth in frustration. Maryrose must have done this as a prank. I mean, she had cursed him! Why shouldn’t she pull a prank to go with it? “Who told you to play here?” He asked.

  “Barbara Wilson. She said you were a multimillionaire.” Said the bald guy with the bass.

  Tommy’s eyes widened in sudden realization. Barbara. “I-I-I-” He stuttered, speechless.

  Anger bubbled in his stomach. Barbara was about to get it. What she had been doing behind his back was totally unacceptable. Planning parties. Using his money. Being bad in school. Making bad grades.

  He shook his head at the band in total disgust. What Barbara had done disgusted him to levels unimaginable.

  “Excuse me a second, thanks,” He slowly closed the door on the band.

  “BARBARA!!!!” He yelled as the top of his lungs. He had never been so angry in all his life. Barbara was about to get it, bad.

  Chapter 21:

  Barbara waited by the bus stop. Something didn’t feel right. She had gotten ready for school before any of her parents got up, and she had been waiting for the bus ever since, although she was an hour early for the bus. She was just so excited for the party.

  But something wasn’t right. It didn’t feel warm enough for the pool. It felt...chilly... in an eerie sort of way. Barbara had to throw on her jacket. It’ll warm up by this afternoon. She thought.

  Barbara thought everything would be fine, up until the mail truck showed up. She saw the delivery man walk up to the door, and knock. She saw her dad yelling at the guy about the waterslides, and the man running away.

  Then she saw the band. And her Dad being mad. Oh, well, she’d confess after school. But then Barbara realized that Tommy might cancel the whole party when he found out. But he probably already knew.

  Something interrupted Barbara’s thoughts. Something...small. And….cold. It had landed on her nose, and sent a chill down her spine. She rubbed it off of her nose, quickly and looked at it. It was a little white speck. It melted in her palm.

  Oh.

  Oh no.

  Snow.

  A flurry of feelings rushed through Barbara. First, disbelief. It was snowing, on Fun in the Sun day? She couldn’t believe it! Then, confusion came. Grace had planned the date. She had told her it would be sunny and hot. And she said it was going to snow Friday. It didn’t make sense. Third, she just laughed. Thursday strikes again, she thought. Thursday changed the weather forecast, just to mess with her! But then, she realized something else. The weather forecast never changed. She remembered seeing it a few days ago. I
t had always said it would snow on Thursday; she had just never put much thought into it. Then she laughed again. Stupid Grace. She got the forecast wrong.

  But then she thought about it again. This would ruin the party. Snow would ruin Fun in the Sun.

  Ruin the Party.

  Suddenly, Barbara had a terrible thought. Grace isn’t that stupid. She had told her that she had checked the forecast. She had done this on purpose. It was all a dirty trick.

  Everything suddenly made sense to Barbara. She felt as if she had been punched in the stomach as everything made sense. Why Grace had put “Winter” for the theme and why she had told her to buy summer stuff. So everyone would come thinking the theme was winter and Barbara would be humiliated when people showed up and saw the summer stuff.

  Then Barbara remembered something else on the invitation. It had said the time was 9 AM for the party. Why hadn’t that set an alarm off in Barbara’s head?! If it had been sunny that day, they would have had school, and if they were at school, they couldn’t have had a party at nine in the morning.

  She now understood why the party planning was so complicated. She understood why they had the party was at her house. It was to make her look stupid.

  The whole party was a big trick. Barbara felt so gullible, so stupid, that she hadn’t realized it earlier. Grace, Macy, and Natalie are so mean, she thought. They lied to her stole her seats, tattled on her, threw their lunches on her, and made up this whole party thing, just to be mean to her. What kind of friends did that?! Barbara was so mad!

  Then, Barbara made another terrible realization. They weren’t her friends. They were never her friends. To them, Barbara was just a joke. Sadness washed over Barbara. She felt hurt. She blinked back tears.

  Why hadn’t Laura stood up for her? Laura must have known the whole time! Barbara burst out into tears. Laura knew the whole time! Laura was on their side the whole time! Laura was never Barbara’s friend in the first place.

  The wind picked up and it started snowing harder. Barbara’s tears felt like they were going to freeze to her face.

  No one cared about her. No one liked her. The only people who cared about her was her parents. She started to walk back home.

  But wait. Layla and Tommy found out about the party! They were probably looking for her right now, trying to punish her for the rest of her life.

  Barbara couldn’t go home. She couldn’t get in trouble. She didn’t want to. That would just be more people to hate her.