The Moment Keeper by Buffy Andrews

ever.
    But the bedspread was as close as I got to a bedroom makeover. Even so, I thought I was probably the happiest kid in the world.

Chapter 18
    “What are you girls giggling about?” Elizabeth asks.
    Olivia and Emma are in the back seat texting each other. They are going to the junior high dance.
    Elizabeth stops at a red light and glances back. “Are you texting each other because you don’t want me to know what you’re talking about?”
    The girls each flash a mouth full of braces with pink rubber bands and wires.
    “Well, it’s secret stuff,” Olivia says.
    “Yeah, Mrs. K. Secret stuff,” Emma says.
    “There was a time when you two told me everything. Guess those days are coming to an end.”
    They pull into the school parking lot and join the line of cars crawling to the front door to drop kids off.
    “Remember,” Elizabeth says. “Dad will pick you up at nine unless you call and want picking up earlier.”
    The girls giggle again.
    “Thanks, Mom,” Olivia says. “And thanks for the new outfit.”
    “Have fun,” Elizabeth says. “And remember what we talked about. No risqué dancing. If other kids want to dance like that, let them. But you better not.”
    “They’re cracking down on that, Mrs. K,” Emma says. “Principal said that if anyone’s caught dirty dancing they’ll be thrown out and their parents will be called to come and get them.”
    “About time they do something about that,” Elizabeth says. “Parents were complaining about the way kids dance at the PTO meeting the other night.”
    I’ll never forget the one and only junior high school dance I went to. Rachel talked me into it. I would have rather stayed home and rented movies as we normally did on weekends. But, Rachel really wanted to go so I agreed.
    The night started out bad. I forgot my school ID and it was a hassle getting in the door. One teacher had to get another teacher who had to get another teacher before I was cleared. And then when Rachel and I walked into the school cafeteria, which had been transformed into a Winter Wonderland with giant snowflakes dangling from the ceiling and fake snow everywhere, we got the stare down from Tracey Carmichael and her minions.
    “Don’t look now, but Tracey’s headed this way,” I told Rachel. “And Tara and Paige are with her.”
    “Hi, girls,” Tracey said. “Do you like what we did to the cafeteria?”
    Tracey was on student council and headed the social committee, which planned all of the dances.
    “It looks nice,” I said.
    “Yeah, nice job,” Rachel said.
    Tracey looked me straight in the eyes. “Are you going to dance tonight?”
    “Probably not,” I said.
    “Well, that’s a good thing,” Tracey said. “You’re one of the clumsiest people I know.”
    Tara and Paige giggled.
    Tracey scanned my clothes from my black shirt with silver and white sequins around the V-neckline to my black jeans. “Remember the time, girls, that little Miss I-get-my-clothes-at-Goodwill tried to turn on the balance beam and slipped and fell off and sprained her ankle?”
    They all giggled except Rachel. I stared at the cafeteria floor and prayed that I would melt away like Frosty when he got trapped in that greenhouse. No one would miss me, I thought. Well, maybe Grandma and Rachel. But no one else – especially Tracey. She hated my guts all of my life and I had no idea why. Grandma said Tracey was jealous, but I never understood why. She had everything I didn’t.
    “Come on, Sarah,” Rachel said. “Let’s get a drink.”
    We walked away from Tracey, Tara and Paige, but their giggles hung in the air like whole notes.
    “I told you I didn’t want to come,” I told Rachel. “I hate Tracey Carmichael. I hate how she always makes me feel. Like I’m a piece of crap. Crap. Crap. Crap.”
    “Listen, Sarah,” Rachel said. “You let her make you feel like crap. Don’t. You’ve got to learn to stand up for yourself, otherwise, she’ll just keep whacking you every