Blame it on September by Students of Montague Intermediate
“Hey Tiff, it’s Kaitlyn. This is very awkward for me but you’re off the team. Today Josh broke up with Jordan and she thinks you caused it. Nobody could argue because you guys have been together a lot lately, and we all saw you flirting and laughing with him today. Normally I would argue for your sake, but it’s pretty obvious you like him. Anyway, I have to go. Bye.”
I’m off the team? They can’t do that! Can they?
I didn’t sleep at all that night. Was it really my fault? Why did he try to cheer me up anyway? I was just a pretty new girl and now I’m not even on the team. I really didn’t want to cause any trouble. Why me? I had all these questions swimming around in my head and for all the time I’ve thought about it, no answers came to mind.
This time, I was the one leaving a note on Demi’s forehead. At 4:15AM sharp, I snuck into her room and stuck a sticky note square in the middle of her forehead. It said:
Hey Demi, I just threw up. You can call Dad and get a ride to school this morning. I doubt I will be going. Have a good day,
Tiff.
Sometimes, whenever I just needed a moment to think, faking being sick was the way to go. After everything that had been happening lately, it was a no-brainer to take a day off.
As I lay on our comfy, but ugly, tan couch, I almost drowned myself in tears. I think I finally understood how Demi felt when she wasn’t fitting in; just plain rotten. I had to find something to do to take my mind off of this horror. It hit me. Dad was complaining about not having enough time to mow the grass. It would look good, take my mind off of things, and I might even earn a few extra bucks.
Demi calls me an extreme perfectionist when I do things like this, but I like to think of it as doing a job to the best of my ability. It was the front yard too; so I had to make an extra big effort to make it look really good. Up one row, down one row. I was definitely getting the hang of it. I was even having a good time. I might even say the loud hum of the lawnmower was somewhat calming.
“AAHHH!” A rock flew up and hit me in the eye! I was getting a bit dizzy and my eye was swelling shut. I had to go get it checked out.
I cautiously turned off the lawnmower, being careful not to cut my hand off. Next, I slid into the driver’s seat of my car and put the gear into drive. This was probably not the best idea, me being half blind and all, but there was nobody else around to take me.
When I arrived at the hospital, I gave the lady at the front desk all my information and took a number. As I walked into the waiting room, I realized it was full. There were people all over the place coughing and gagging on one another, and even some with mini buckets that I assume were for… well, you know.
I took a look around and finally found a chair. Shortly after I sat down, I learned why the person sitting there before me had left. There were big, fat guys on each side of me. One was wearing a chef outfit and every time he sneezed, spit flew everywhere.
The guy to my right was a bit tougher looking; I think he was a construction worker, although I couldn’t figure out why he was there. He had a teeny, tiny scratch above his chin, definitely not in need of stitches, but other than that, he seemed perfectly fine.
I was getting really dizzy now. The two fat guys were gone and there were two people left; me, and some old guy with a cold. I really hoped they would take me in soon. I had been here for six and a half hours already and I was feeling the heat.
“Number 99, please come to room five.” No! I watch the old man make his way to the front.
The doctor gave me some sort of a shot, and immediately my vision came back into focus. He told me I have a concussion and then he quickly ushered me out the door. He said to go home, get some rest, and it should be better in a week. When I left, I looked at the clock; 10:30PM. Wow! Time flies when you’re having fun, eh?
As soon as I pulled into the driveway I could tell something was wrong. The beautiful dark green grass I carefully mowed into the perfect pattern just hours before was all torn up and covered in tire tracks. My mother’s hundred-dollar vase was missing from its place on the dining room windowsill. And the worst; the house seemed completely silent. As I stepped out of my car into the darkness I saw nothing. Not a light was on, and only the soft hum of the cricket’s songs played in the distance. There was only one explanation.
Demi.
Part 3
It was a Friday night! How could I forget? Demi must have seen I wasn’t home and had a party!
I ran through the house. Everything was trashed. Even the kitchen table was in two pieces. But that’s not what I was worried about.
“Demi! Demi!” No answer.
Where could that child be? I ran around the broken house screaming her name, and when she didn’t answer; I bolted down the dark street.
“Demi! Demi!”
Where was she? Was she hurt? Did the party get out of hand? Where was my little sister? Who would she be with? I know! Ken! Ken might know where she is!
As I whipped out my phone, the old 1970’s Chevy that I’ve hated with all my heart wondered into my sight. But now it wasn’t hatred I felt; it was relief. I ran towards the truck, tears in my eyes that was when I noticed it.
Demi wasn’t there.
Ken rolled down his window.
“Have you seen Demi anywhere?” I was once again in tears.
“No, she held a party at your house and immediately regretted it. She asked me to kick everybody out, and then she left.”
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but thanks.” I bolted down the street once again, on the path of the unknown.
Next thing I knew, my phone was ringing.
“Tiffany, it’s me, Ken. I’ll go look down the roads in my truck; you run ahead and knock on all the doors asking if they’ve seen her. Everything will be ok.”
I did the best I could to say yes, but the word wouldn’t come out. Instead, I hung up and ran to the first door I saw.
An old lady dressed in pink opened the door.
“Hi, dearie, would you like to come in and see my pretties? I love cats! I have about 129 in total. Do you know where I can get another one? They’re so cute and fluffy; you can never have too many!”
“Sorry, but I don’t have much time. My sister went missing. Have you seen a girl, about the same size as me with electric blue hair?”
“Sorry dear; I haven’t… Maybe Mr. Snuggles knows.” She went back into the house. I was assuming she was going to get another cat, but I didn’t hang around to find out. I bolted from door to door, desperate for at least a sighting of my little blue-headed freak.
After about an hour, I met Ken.
“Did you find out anything?”
“Other than I have a neighbour with over a hundred cats, nothing. She shouldn’t be that hard to find, with her hair and all. I don’t know how no one saw her.”
“I don’t know… Maybe we should call your dad? It’s already 11:30PM and we haven’t found her.”
“Ok, I hate to admit it, but your right.”
As he drove off towards the shady part of town, I ran home to call dad. When I got there, I took one last look around before I made the call.
“Hi Dad, Demi ran away. Ken and I have been looking for her for the past I don’t know how long. You might want to file a missing person report and send out a search party.”
“I’ll be right there.”
As soon as he hung up, I made another phone call without even thinking.
“Hey Josh, my little sister went missing, can you come help me look?”
“Sure thing, I’m on my way.”
The next few minutes happened in a flash. There were sirens everywhere. Neighbours were knocking on the door and finally, in the middle of all this commotion, Josh arrived along with the rest of the cheerleaders.
“What are you guys doing here?” I wasn’t expecting the team, but it was a delightful surprise. The more people the better!
“Josh called us. We’re not here as the team, we’re here as your friends. Now let’s
Next thing I knew, everyone was put into teams. I was paired with Ken, Josh with Kaitlyn, and the rest of the cheerleaders teamed together. Mom and Dad stayed home and answered questions, while the rest of us were handed posters and assigned our search areas.
“Town Hall, let’s go.” Ken started for the door. I struggled to keep up as we ran full speed ahead. After all, I was the one who walked for the past hour. Ken had taken his truck. About halfway there, I received a phone call. It was Carmen and Grace, my other two best cheerleading friends.
“We just found a hat that looks similar to Demi’s. She dyed her hair blue last, right?”
“Yes!”
“Perfect. There is a strand of electric blue hair still attached to the hat. We’re at the park. This is a huge territory; maybe you guys should come and look with us.”
Before we knew it, we were both running faster than our feet could carry us. We tripped a few times, but when you’re running to save someone’s life, it’s worth it. After midnight, the park becomes a dangerous place. As I looked at my watch, I found out it was 12:14AM; time was running out!
“Demi! Demi!” We screamed in chorus. We ran through the thick branches of the wooded area in the park. We saw Carmen and Grace, but didn’t stop.
“What did Demi like about Tennessee?” Ken asked me.
“What do you mean?”
“Demi is constantly telling me about Tennessee, but she never told me what she liked the most. Maybe she came here to try and feel back at home. It is slightly calmer and peaceful back here.”
“The pond!” I screamed and suddenly I knew exactly where I was going.
When Demi and I were young, Grandpa used to take us fishing at a little pond in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. After he died, Demi would go down there every day and talk to him. He never answered, of course, but she felt comforted by telling someone she trusted all her fears and stories from a long day at school. The only pond in Town was in the middle of this enormous green space. It would only make sense for Demi to be here; she had nowhere else to go.
I ran through the final set of trees, hearing a muffled cry.
“Demi!” The figure turned towards me and I could see a little head of electric blue hair. “Thank goodness you’re safe! I missed you!” I whispered, as I pulled her into a big hug.
“It’s all my fault,” she whimpered.
“Shhh. It’s okay. Nobody’s angry. You’re safe. That’s all that matters.”
When Ken burst through the bushes a few minutes later, he took the clue and called home to let them know she was safe. Then he joined us until the police came to pick us up.
When we got home, everybody was there crying tears of joy, including Josh and the squad. I ran over to them and we mushed together in a group hug.
“We’re so sorry!” Kaitlyn said, as the other girls nodded in agreement.
“For what? Everything’s okay now! Demi’s safe and we’re all one big happy family again. Why would you be sorry?”
“Josh explained everything to me. Jordan broke up with him, just to get you off the team. She was scared you were going to replace her as team captain.”
“No captain I know would do that,” Carmen added.
“And that’s why, with all the power invested in me, I announce Tiffany our new cheer squad captain!”
By the time the night of the Mountain View High prom rolled around, my life had finally returned back to normal, with the exception of Ken and I being friends. I know! Strange, eh?
Kaitlyn, Carmen, Grace and I were standing at the back of the room, munching on cookies as we waited for Mr. Maddox to announce the King and Queen of this year’s prom. I saw Josh making his way towards us; a huge grin spread across his face.
“It’s going to happen any minute!” He seemed barely able to breathe.
“First off, I would like to thank everybody for coming tonight. It has been a great year for our school; all thanks to you people. Give yourselves a pat on the back.” Everybody moaned as Mr. Maddox said that, but we all knew we had to do it.
“Good! I know you’re all anxious to know this year’s King and Queen of the prom! The results are based on votes by who the student body thinks represent our school and show great determination. These two individuals show great leadership, and…”
“Will you just tell us already!” Some random guy in the crowd hollered.
“Okay then. Like good old tradition, we will do the boys first… This year’s King of the Prom is… Josh Clarkson!” We all screamed and clapped as a beaming Josh took his well-deserved spot on stage.
“And now, for our newest Prom Queen… Tiffany MacDonald!” I stopped breathing for a moment. Was this really happening?
“Go on!” Kaitlyn screamed over the applause, “That’s you!”
As confident as ever, I made my way to the stage. When I arrived, Josh was there, a wild grin across his face, barely visible tears in his eyes.
“I announce to you; this year’s King and Queen of the Prom!”
When Josh reached for my hand, there was no hesitation as I let him lead me to the dance floor.
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Acknowledgments
Creating an anthology takes time and effort. The students would like to acknowledge those who helped them bring this project to life:
Computers and machines in the world just in case. I want to be on their good side. (Brenna de Montbrun)
To my mom, Hilary, for her support while writing it. (Bailey Brydon)
Mr. Morris for helping me be a better writer. (Emily Brothers)
Joesph Richard for being a great friend. (Chiane Perrot)
My mum, Sherry, for encouraging to continue writing. (Michaela McSwain)
Everyone who reads our book! My dear friend Laura (aka Bookie bear). Without her support I don’t know where I would be. (Nicole Mills)
Our teachers over the years, and my brother. (Logan Kennedy)
My uncle JD. (Conor MacIntyre)
My best friend Mikayla Laird. (Kayla MacLeod)
To my sister Kaitlin, who showed me that even through horrible times, love make the darkness disappear. (Abby McManus)
Many thanks to Mrs. Van Dyke, Mrs. MacKenzie, Mr. Stonefield, Mrs. McIntosh and Mrs. Coe
And to Mr. Quinn, Patti Larsen, the students involved in writing the book, thank you for making this happen.
***
Postface from the Writing Chair
I knew from a very young age I wanted to be a writer and, through hard work, a bit of luck and a long time trying, I now make my living with words.
It was my greatest wish as a teenaged writer to have guidance, some kind of road map to lead me where I needed to go. So when I arrived at this place in my own career, with a plan and the knowledge I sought for so long, I wanted to share it.
The students at MIS, along with their wonderful librarian and teacher, Mr. Mark Quinn, welcomed me and the idea of creating a student anthology, a way to not only teach them the things I wish I’d known, about structure and what goes into writing a book, but to help them see and feel the process by actually doing it themselves.
The result is fantastic. I’m very proud of each and every one of the students who participated. Anyone who says today’s kids are losing their ability to write, to create, haven’t met these writers. Their enthusiasm for the project, their story telling abilities, amaze me still.
I hope you enjoy their imaginations as much as I did.
Patti Larsen