June 2, 2014
Walkerville High Hallway
7:52 A.M.
As Wanda walked into Walkerville High that Monday, there was a skip in her step. After a long year, the last week of school had finally arrived! Just five more days of classes, and she and her friends would be free to do whatever they wanted for three long months. Needless to say, the enthusiasm was radiating off of Wanda.
In the school, Wanda spotted Keesha standing at her locker, putting away her books. Wanda raced over to Keesha and stood beside her locker, grinning. Keesha raised a brow. "How much sugar did you have this morning?"
"Who cares?" Wanda cried. "It's almost summer!"
Keesha nodded, now understanding her friend's enthusiasm. If there was anyone who hated school, it was Wanda. No wonder the girl was excited. "Have any plans?"
Wanda smiled manically. "Don't I always?"
"Do I want to hear this?"
"Hear it?" Wanda echoed. "Keesha, you're going to be a part of it! See, I spent all night working out the perfect plan to mess with Arnold this summer, and I think I've got it! I just need your help; you in?"
Keesha frowned. "Wanda, I can't."
Wanda's grin faded. "Don't get all moral on me now. It's a good plan." She perked up. "Maybe you just need to hear it! All we need to do is-"
"No, Wanda, I can't," Keesha repeated. "I thought I told you—I'm busy this summer."
Wanda cocked her head. "Busy? With what?"
"I'm working at the local summer camp," Keesha explained, shutting her locker. "I'm a counselor."
"Why?" Wanda scrunched up her nose. "Are they paying a lot?" If counselors made a lot of money, Wanda decided she might have to reconsider her summer plans. After all, she could always use some cash…
Keesha shook her head. "Actually, it's volunteer work."
"Gross. Why would you want to do that?"
Keesha rolled her eyes dramatically. "Gee, I don't know," she remarked sarcastically, "Maybe to gain leadership experience? Do something worthwhile? Put something else onto my resume?"
"Those are dumb reasons."
"Anyway… You might have to put your prank on hold," Keesha added, changing the topic. "Last I heard, Arnold's going on vacation this summer."
Wanda's eyes grew wide. "He's what?!"
June 2, 2014
Biology
8:06 A.M.
"Ya, I'm going on vacation," Arnold confirmed, squirming uncomfortably. Currently, Wanda was holding Arnold against the wall, hand to his throat (for despite her size, Wanda sure had a strong grip). He didn't know why the girl was in such a rage, but he had the sinking feeling that he'd done something he shouldn't have. "I told you, remember? My parents and I are going to spend the summer abroad."
"You can't go on vacation!" Wanda exclaimed, unconcerned that the whole classroom had its eyes on the scene she was causing. Mr. Wolfe sat at his desk nonchalantly, sipping his coffee. Wanda wasn't his problem for another four minutes.
Finally, Arnold was able to break out of Wanda's hold. Rubbing his neck tenderly, he glared at the girl. "Why not?"
Wanda crossed her arms. "We need your basement, remember? Where else are we supposed to go?"
Arnold squinted in confusion. "Who needs my basement?"
"All of us, Arn! The whole gang!"
Arnold frowned. "I'm sorry," he apologized, hoping to calm the girl down. "It's just that everyone seemed pretty busy, so I didn't think it would matter if I left for the summer."
"Busy? Whose busy? Keesha?"
Arnold shrugged. "Everyone, I guess."
"Hey, guys!" At that moment, Tim entered the classroom and walked over to where Arnold and Wanda stood talking. Noticing the serious look on Wanda's face, he stepped back defensively. "What's going on?"
"Tim, we're hanging out this summer, right?" Wanda asked, eyes narrowed at the boy.
Tim looked over to Arnold, hoping for some explanation, but the boy just watched the scene in silence. "Actually, I've been meaning to tell you, Wanda-"
"Let, me guess—you have plans."
"Uh… I do, actually. See, my mom's going back to work, so my parents need me to babysit all summer."
"How selfish," Wanda scoffed.
"Selfish?"
"Yes, selfish! You're leaving me to rot all by myself for three whole months? How selfish can you be?"
Tim shuffled his shoes. "I'm sure you'll find something to do, Wanda."
"Of course I will!" Wanda declared, going to her seat. "I'll find someone better to hang out with, Hudson! Someone better than you and stupid old Perlstein! You'll see!"
Tim grimaced and turned back to Arnold. "Well, she took that well."
June 2, 2014
English
10:48 A.M.
By the time Wanda got to English, she could feel herself growing frantic. She hurried to her friend's usual seat and sat down beside her, out of breath. "Pheebs, please tell me you can hang out this summer!"
A concerned look crossed Phoebe's face. "Wanda, what wrong?"
"Everyone has plans!" She moaned. "Keesha's a counselor at some camp, Arnold's going on vacation, Tim has a baby—everything's falling apart!" Wanda looked hopefully up to Phoebe. "But you can help! Tell me we'll hang out this summer!"
Phoebe looked away uncomfortably, and Wanda immediately got the message. "I'm sorry, Wanda, but I'm still grounded. I'll be stuck at home all summer."
Wanda's shoulders fell. "You and those stupid frogs… Fine." Wanda stood up, reinvigorated. "I'll just hang out with DA. Take that!"
June 2, 2014
Walkerville High Cafeteria
11:30 A.M.
Before Wanda even had a chance to sit down, Dorothy Ann blurted out, "I'm busy all summer!"
Wanda furrowed her brow. "Really? With what?"
"I'm volunteering at the library."
"What's with everyone working for free?" Wanda cried out, dismayed. "You people know you can get paid to work, don't you? It's called a job!"
DA looked at her friend sympathetically. "Sorry, Wan."
"I don't need your pity," Wanda replied, taking her seat. "I'll just hang out with my good friend Carlos," she said, wrapping an arm around the boy. Carlos gave Wanda a phony grin, but Wanda read right through the face. "What's your excuse?"
"I'm spending the summer with my cousins," Carlos replied, shaking off the arm. "You could come, but they only speak Spanish."
DA frowned. "How do you plan to talk to them?"
"I don't. Visiting family is all about awkward silences, DA."
Wanda put her head down, ready to snap. "Fine, then. I don't need you, or DA, or Keesha, or Phoebe, or Arnold, or Tim, because I have…" Wanda turned around to where her remaining friend now stood. "Ralphie! What do you want to do this summer?"
"Pft, what can I do?" Ralphie retorted, sitting down. "I'm grounded, remember?"
"So?" Wanda countered. "Your mom has to work."
Ralphie's shoulders fell. "She's dragging me to the hospital. According to her, I'm going to sit in the waiting room where the nurses can keep an eye on me. Trust me, I'm not going to be having any fun anytime soon."
"When did you all get lives?" Wanda moaned. "Guys, we're supposed to have the greatest summer ever! How can you all have plans?"
Phoebe pat Wanda on the back as DA spoke. "Sometimes, these things happen, Wan. It's part of growing up-"
"But we're not grown up! We're still kids!" Annoyed, Wanda stood up and rushed out of the cafeteria, leaving her friends behind.
June 2, 2014
Wanda's Bedroom
3:24 P.M.
After school, to Mrs. Li's surprise, Wanda came straight home and locked herself up in her room. Concerned, her mother knocked gently on the door. "Wanda, dear, what is it?"
"Go away!" Wanda shouted through the wood. "You wouldn't understand!"
Mrs. Li grinned at the comment, but wiped the smile off of her face before entering the room. "I wouldn't say that, Wanda. I was young once, too."
Realizing her mom wasn't going to go away, Wanda sat up on her bed, allowing her mother to sit beside her. "My friends all have plans this summer. Without me."
"Oh…" Despite Wanda's protests, Mrs. Li really did understand. She knew how close Wanda and her friends were, and could imagine that Wanda was having a rough time processing that they might be having fun without her. "I'm sure they didn't mean to exclude you, sweetie."
"But what am I supposed to do?" Wanda muttered, tears forming in her eyes. She hated to be vulnerable, but it bothered her that her friend's had so easily forgotten about her. "They're going to be having the summer of their lives while I'm stuck here by myself!"
Mrs. Li wrapped an arm around Wanda, and to her surprise, Wanda let her. "Well, you could do something exciting without them, couldn't you?"
"Like what?" Wanda sniffed.
"You could go with your dad on one of his business trips," Mrs. Li suggested. "You used to love visiting China when you were younger."
Wanda shook her head. "Dad's always busy with work. I'd just be by myself in some foreign country."
Mrs. Li nodded in understanding. Her husband did have a tendency to get caught up in his work. "Why not spend time with your brother?"
"William?" Wanda snorted. "I'm bored, but I'm not lame, mom."
Mrs. Li let the comment slip given how upset her daughter was. "I'm sure you'll think of something fun to do this summer," she reassured. "And before you know it, school will start up and you'll see all of your friends again." Unsure of what else to say, Mrs. Li stood up and left her daughter alone, hoping that all she needed was some space.
June 3, 2014
Wanda's Bedroom
7:29 A.M.
Unfortunately, the next morning, Wanda didn't feel any better. How could her friends just abandon her like this? Sure, she wasn't always the greatest friend in the world, but she would never stand up and abandon one of them. It just wasn't fair!
But Wanda had a new plan in mind. If her friends didn't have time for her, she simply wouldn't have time for them.
June 3, 2014
Walkerville High Hallway
11:25 A.M.
Once the bell rang announcing the end of English, Wanda leapt out of her seat and hurried out the door, hoping to beat the rush of kids piling out of the room. To her dismay, she soon heard the sound of footsteps racing up behind her.
"Wanda, wait!" Phoebe called, catching up to the girl.
Without a response, Wanda sped up her walking, hoping Phoebe would get the idea.
Phoebe frowned, but kept pace. "Slow down, Wan."
Seeing how persistent the girl was, Wanda sped up even faster. Finally, Phoebe seemed to realize what Wanda was doing and stopped chasing her. Wanda smirked. That's what she got for ditching her all summer.
June 3, 2014
Li House
3:27 P.M.
After being ignored by Wanda all day, Carlos decided to get to the root of the problem. If Wanda wouldn't approach the gang, he would just have to approach Wanda. Tentatively, he knocked on the Li's front door. After a minute, Mrs. Li answered.
"Carlos? Can I help you?"
"I need to talk to Wanda," Carlos replied.
Mrs. Li opened her mouth to answer, but a shouting came from inside the house. "Whose there, mom?" Wanda yelled.
"It's Carlos, dear. He's here to see you."
The house fell quiet momentarily. "Tell him that I'm visiting family, and that he could come, but they all speak Spanish!"
Mrs. Li gave Carlos a sorrowful glance. "Now might not be the best time," she replied tenderly. "Maybe you can come back later?"
"No! Tell him to never come back!" Wanda's cries filled the house.
"Or not…" Mrs. Li rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm sorry, Carlos-"
"Don't be sorry! Be angry!"
Carlos's shoulders fell as he realized he wasn't going to get anywhere with Wanda. "I'll just… Leave, I guess."
"That might be for the best," Mrs. Li replied. Softly, Mrs. Li shut the door, leaving Carlos to make his way back home.
June 4, 2014
Walkerville High Hallway
11:28 A.M.
Wanda gathered her lunch from her locker and slammed the door shut. Behind her, she heard the thud of footsteps. "Hey, Wanda!" Ralphie greeted.
Wanda turned around. Before her, Ralphie stood with Evans, holding a football. Evans, ever the friendly guy, waved at the girl. Wanda waved back, though less enthusiastically. "You going to lunch? We missed you yesterday," Ralphie mentioned.
With a glare, Wanda shoved past Ralphie and strutted off down the hall, leaving Ralphie to nurse his now-sore shoulder. Evans watched Wanda walk away. "You know, she's pretty hot when she's mad at you."
Ralphie glared at Evans. "Hey, exes are off-limits, dude."
"Did you two date?"
Ralphie sighed, confused. "I still don't know…" he mumbled. One of these days, he was going to have to figure out from Wanda whether or not they ever dated for real. Now, however, didn't seem like the right time, given the whole silent-treatment thing. Oh well.
June 4, 2014
Walkerville High Hallway
2:53 P.M.
At the end of the day, Wanda stood at her locker packing up her book bag when Keesha leaned against the neighboring locker. "Hey, Grumpy."
As per her new routine, Wanda ignored the girl and kept shoving books into her bag.
Keesha remained unphased. "Look, I'm not doing anything this afternoon and I thought you might want to hang out." She offered, hoping the girl would accept her peace treaty. Keesha knew Wanda felt a little abandoned, and was hoping that spending some time together before summer arrived might quell some of her anxieties.
To Keesha's disappointment, Wanda simply slung her bag over her shoulder and walked off, leaving her by herself. Keesha frowned. Wanda had thrown hissy fits in the past, but this seemed worse than usual. For the first time, Keesha worried that Wanda might not be okay that summer.
June 5, 2014
Biology
8:31 A.M.
Before class, Tim and Arnold had tried their best to talk to Wanda, but the girl continued to give the boys the cold shoulder. Now, with class half over, Tim had a new plan in mind.
Quietly, Tim ripped a page out of his notebook and scrawled a note onto the page. When Mr. Wolfe turned his back, Tim spun around in his seat and dropped the note on Wanda's desk. If the girl wouldn't talk, maybe words were the wrong way to go about this. Maybe Wanda would communicate via means of a note.
To Tim's astonishment, Wanda never read the note. Instead, she picked up the paper, crumpled it into a ball, and stuck in her mouth. Tim's mouth fell open.
Then again, maybe she wouldn't.
June 5, 2014
English
11:09 A.M.
"Now class, for this next assignment, you will need to work with a partner," Ms. Tyler announced as she handed out a sheet of paper to everyone in the class. When the class started to look excited, Ms. Tyler added, tone firm, "With a partner that I will select." Immediately, all enthusiasm died down.
As Ms. Tyler reached Wanda's desk, she looked around the room. "Wanda… Why don't you work with Phoebe?"
Phoebe perked up at the suggestion. A group project meant that Wanda would have to talk to her, and talking might lead to some sort of forgiveness. Happily, Phoebe gathered her stuff and began to walk over to Wanda's desk in the back of the room.
Wanda cleared her throat. "Ms. Tyler, I can't work with Phoebe."
Ms. Tyler frowned. Last she'd checked, Wanda and Phoebe were friends. Wanda should have been excited about the assignment. "And why is that?"
Wanda looked between Phoebe and Ms. Tyler a couple of times before answering. "Phoebe's racist now."
Phoebe looked at Wanda in shock. "No I'm not!"
Ms. Tyler raised a brow. "Wanda, I'm sure Ms. Terese is not a racist-"
"Oh, she is. She told me." Wanda smirked towards Phoebe.
"She told you… That she's racist?"
"Ya, said that 'white is right' and all that crap."
Ms. Tyler stared at Wanda in disbelief for a few seconds. "Yes, well… Maybe you two shouldn't work together then."
"Ms. Tyler, I'm not racist!"
Ms. Tyler rubbed her temples. How she was looking forward to her retirement. She didn't get paid enough to deal with this sort of thing. "Just… Go work with Ron, Phoebe."
"But-"
"Go, Ms. Terese."
Phoebe looked sadly at Wanda before turning and walking over to Ron. Ron shot her a dirty look, but allowed her to sit next to him.
June 5, 2014
Walkerville High Hallway
2:58 P.M.
As Wanda walked out of the school, she was grabbed by the arm and pulled to the side of the hallway. Before her, DA stood, arms crossed, with Carlos. "Wanda, please stop ignoring us!" Dorothy Ann pled, tone firm.
Wanda turned to walk away, but Carlos grabbed her again, preventing her from leaving. "We just want to talk!"
Wanda tried to pull away from the boy's grasp, but his hand remained firmly on her arm. Desperate to get away, she did the only thing she could think of—she bit Carlos's hand as hard as she possibly could.
"Ow! Wanda!" Carlos shouted, pulling his arm away. Now free, Wanda ran out of the school and to her house, leaving DA and Carlos behind.
Carlos held his bleeding hand limply. "Did you see what she did?" he complained.
"She's really good at the silent treatment," DA mused, almost impressed. Say what you would about Wanda, but she stuck to her convictions, that much was for sure.
June 6, 2014
Walkerville High Cafeteria
11:46 A.M.
For the third time that week, Wanda never showed up to lunch. Concerned, Phoebe put down her food. "Guys, I'm getting worried about Wanda."
"She's fine, Pheebs," DA replied confidently. "She just… Needs some time to deal with the fact that we're all going away this summer."
"But is this healthy?" Arnold wondered, picking at his food. "She's been ignoring us for a long time."
Phoebe nodded in agreement. "She called me a racist!"
"She's stubborn, guys."
Tim sighed. "Still, I feel bad. We did sort of abandon her, didn't we?"
"We can't plan our lives around Wanda's feelings!" DA insisted. "What are we supposed to do, cancel all of our plans? Am I never supposed to get a job? Is Tim supposed to stop his mom from going back to work?"
"Of course not," Arnold replied, trying to prevent an argument from breaking out. "We just feel a little guilty that she got left behind."
DA's shoulders fell. "I know, and I feel bad too. But I don't think we can do anything to make Wanda feel better."
"What if did something make her feel important?" Ralphie suggested, taking a bite of his sandwich. "Maybe we could make her forgive us."
DA considered the notion. "That's not a bad idea, Ralphie. But what could we do? Have a party?"
Phoebe frowned. "It'd have to be during school. I can't do anything after school lets out, remember?"
"Okay… So we throw a party during lunch. Sounds… Desperate."
"We are desperate," Keesha pointed out.
"Fair enough. Do you think it'll work?" DA pondered out loud.
The group considered the question for a few moments. "Well," Ralphie said, "It almost definitely won't make things any worse. Probably."
"Then I guess we're having a party…" DA flipped her hair over her shoulder. "This is bound to be good."
June 7, 2014
Walkerville High Cafeteria
11:31 A.M.
Wanda wasn't sure why she chose to go to the cafeteria that day. Sure, the note in her locker had directed her to, but since when did Wanda obey orders? In any case, Wanda walked into the cafeteria and approached her usual table with caution.
Once she reached the table, her friends popped out from beneath the table and cheered. "Surprise!"
Wanda raised a brow. "Ya… You guys are in the cafeteria at lunch time… I'm super surprised."
Keesha winced at the cutting remark, but Carlos chose to ignore Wanda's tone. "No, the surprise is the party!"
"Party?" Wanda looked around. As far as she could tell, everything appeared to be as usual in the cafeteria—there was certainly no sign of a party anywhere.
Arnold nodded, holding up a plastic bag. "We bought party hats! I mean, we're not allowed to wear them, but… Maybe they'll make good centerpieces?"
"And we have cake, minimally smushed!" Ralphie added, gesturing to a small cake that sat on the table.
"Right…" Wanda eyed the cake suspiciously. "What are we celebrating? Your abandonment? Your entire summer without me? Our inevitable drifting apart?"
Keesha grabbed a party hat from Arnold and plopped it onto Wanda's head. "No… We just thought it would be nice to have a celebration together before we all go separate ways for a few months."
"And this is supposed to make me feel better?" Wanda asked, looking around at the sad scene.
"Does it?" Tim asked. Seeing her friends standing pathetically, each holding their own party hat, Wanda felt her heart soften. Sure, the party was makeshift and kind of lame, but they had really gone out of their way to make Wanda feel special.
Wanda grinned slightly and nodded her head. "It actually does. Although you guys do not know how to throw a party." She criticized.
DA laughed. "Hey, we did our best!"
"So, do you forgive us?" Keesha pushed, hoping that their friend had finally cheered up some.
"I guess…" Wanda conceded. "But this summer is still going to suck. What am I supposed to do without you guys?"
Phoebe ran over to Wanda and gave her a big hug. "Summer will be over before you know it."
"Besides," Keesha added, "We've got our whole lives together. How bad is one summer apart?"
For the first time that week, Wanda felt herself beginning to relax. What her friend's said made a lot of sense—it would just be one summer apart. Surely Wanda could manage. When did she turn into such a weasely wimp?
"I guess you're right." Happy once more, Wanda pulled herself away from Phoebe and approached the table. "So, are we going to crack open this cake or not?"
Before taking his seat, Arnold snatched the cardboard hat off of Wanda's head. "Seriously guys, we can't wear the hats! I took an oath to obey school policies when I joined student council."
"What oath?" Arnold averted her gaze, and it soon dawned on Dorothy Ann that she had been forgotten by the student council. Her friends, laughing at her misfortune, took their places around the table and began to hand out the cake.
For the rest of lunch, the gang enjoyed their remaining time together, knowing that the day would come to an end all too soon.
June 7, 2014
Li House
3:24 P.M.
Once Wanda arrived home, she could feel her joy deflating. She knew it would be quite a while before she saw her friends again, and despite the party, she couldn't help but still feel a little bit lonely. Still, she knew that she'd see her friends again when the summer ended. For now, she'd just have to find some way to entertain herself.
Wanda began walking to her room, but she froze halfway up the stairs. Maybe she wouldn't have to be alone that summer. With her energy renewed, Wanda hurried up the stairs and began banging on her brother's door.
"William, open up!"
William quickly opened his door, confusion evident. Wanda usually just left him alone; he couldn't imagine what it was that she wanted. "What?"
"Let's go to the park!"
William frowned. "You… Want to hang out with me?" As long as William had been alive, Wanda had never seemed interested in spending time with her baby brother.
To William's surprise, Wanda grinned. "Of course I do!" William cocked his head. "Look, my friends are all busy," Wanda explained.
"So you're desperate enough to hang out with me?" William clarified, somewhat dismayed.
"Not desperate," Wanda replied, picking her words carefully. "I just… Have the time now. So, do you wanna go to the park or not?"
"You really want to hang out with me?"
"Yup!" Despite the lightness of the conversation, William couldn't help but feel touched by the sentiment. It felt nice to have a sister who took an interest in his life.
And so Wanda and William walked down to the park together, joking and laughing all the way. And finally, Wanda felt like her summer wouldn't be a total bust after all.