All of the cool kids were going to the party. Trisha and her boyfriend named Matt were going, Stephanie was going separately, Rita was going with her new boyfriend named Trevor, and of course Alex and Brad were going.
Finally, they were at the party. The music was blasting and cups filled with sparkling liquid were drunk quickly by kids who were acting like idiots. Brad grabbed a shot and gulped it quickly. “What’s that?” Alex asked. Brad laughed. “It’s alcohol. You want some?”
Alex gulped. She knew it was illegal and her mother probably wouldn’t want her to drink it, but she didn’t want to be a ‘sissy’. “Yeah give me a cup.” She said, trying to gulp down the sudden fear that was lodged in her throat. He handed her a cup, and she took a sip. She tried to cover up her strong urge to spit it out. Why do people like this stuff? She thought.
Brad was looking at her suspiciously. “Don’t tell me you’ve never drunk alcohol before.”
She laughed. “The truth? Well, no. But it sure tastes good…”
He smiled. She tried to take another sip. But after a few sips, it didn’t taste so bad. After a few cups, it tasted good. She could feel herself becoming wilder. That’s good though, right?
~ ~ ~
Where am I? Alex thought. Who am I?
As Alex opened her eyes, she felt a roaring headache. What happened to me?
She looked around, trying to focus on everything. There were some bars… a bed… a cop? What?
Alex jumped forward.
“I’m here to pay the bail for Alex Morris.” Someone said. Alex looked for the voice. It was Deanna Morris, Alex’s mom. Alex didn’t know whether to be relieved or scared.
~
“What were you doing at that party you idiot?” Alex’s mom said as she closed the car door.
“Brad, a friend of mine, invited me…” Alex muttered, buckling her seat.
“Did you drink?”
“Drink what?”
“YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!”
Alex frowned. “I don’t remember…”
“That’s a lie!”
“Honestly, I don’t remember!”
Deanna sighed. “I’m pulling you out of that public school.”
“WHAT?” Alex screamed. “I JUST FOUND FRIENDS THERE!”
“IF IT WEREN’T FOR ME, YOUNG LADY, YOU’D STILL BE IN THAT CELL, SO I WOULDN’T YELL AT ME IF I WERE YOU!” Deanna screamed. “And, it’s obvious your new friends have corrupted you, so why should I keep you in that school for your friends?”
Alex looked down at your feet.
Deanna sighed again as she started the car up. “I’m going to transfer you to a Christian boarding school.”
“WHAT – I mean, what is it called?”
“Captivate Christian Academy.” Deanna said. “But you’re going to go to go to that public school for another week, until the beginning of the next school year. But you better study hard for those finals.”
~ ~ ~
The week flew by, even though it had been one of the most stressful weeks of Alex’s life. The finals didn’t go as bad as she expected, though. Her mom stripped her from every device and grounded her. She actually grounded Alex instead of forgetting about it. Alex got C’s and B’s on all her tests, which was pretty good for her. The summer vacation began, and Alex felt happy, but somewhat sad. She was going to leave home in August.
Alex was sitting down, eating a granola bar and packing some clothes when her phone started ringing. It was was Trisha. Alex sighed and answered it. “Hello?”
“ALEX! OH MY GOODNESS!” Trisha squeaked. All of the sudden it sounded like Trisha had dropped her phone.
“Hello?” Alex frowned. What was going on? She thought.
“ALEX WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU?” Trisha screamed.
“Calm down! I’m fine, how are you?” Alex said.
“I HAVEN’T HEARD FROM YOU, I TEXTED YOU, CALLED YOU…”
“I’m sorry, I’ve been very busy packing and such.” Alex said nonchalantly.
“PACKING?”
“I’m going to a boarding school.” Alex sighed.
The phone dropped again.
“Hey Alex, this is Stephanie. Trisha is kind of… freaking out right now. Is it ok if we call you back in a few?”
“Sure. I might not answer though.”
“Ok, I hope your ok, with all your moving and such.”
“I’ll be fine, thanks Stephanie.” Alex said sadly. She hated to admit it, but she missed the times she had spent with her new friends. Even though she really hadn’t spent much time with them, she felt really close to them. And what about Brad? Oh well.
~ ~ ~
The drive to the academy was 3 hours.
“Alright, honey, I’ll see you in a few weeks.” Deanna said, trying to sound happy.
“Will you be picking me up on my break?” Alex asked, while getting her bags.
“Yeah, me and my boyfriend.”
Alex smiled, but she couldn’t hold in her tears any longer. “I love you so much, Mom.”
They hugged. “I love you too, baby.”
Alex’s mom let go, got in the car, and drove away. Alex watched the car get smaller and smaller. She turned around to face the academy. There were some old brick buildings, and a few kids around her age walking. She took a deep breath in and walked over to one of them. “Hi, I’m looking for the girl’s dorm!” Alex said.
“Oh, it’s right over there to the left.”