tries to pass, Carly purposely blocks her path. Her friends huddle closer in anticipation of an impending fight.
"Get the hell out of my way, Carly," Anya shouts.
"No. You get the hell out of our way, loser!"
Maria's heart races. Oh no. There's no way Anya is going to take on everyone. "Come one, Anya. Leave it alone, Carly and let her go."
Carly ignores her. She steps so close to Anya that she towers over the girl's small figure. "So, you think that you can just leave now, loner? You owe me two-hundred-and-fifty dollars."
Much to Maria's surprise, Anya does not back down. "No, I don't."
"You know, I've never made any big mistakes until I took Maria's advice," Carly says, her voice stiff with rage.
"And what advice was that?"
"What do you think, loser?"
"My name is Anya, not loser, bitch."
"Oh shit, my parents are here," Jose yells.
"What," Carly screams.
"Well, I'm not staying here," Shondra says.
"Come on, Carly, let's jet," Matt says, taking her by the hand.
"Right behind you," Kirsten says.
Maria, in haste, grabs Anya by the hand, then sprints down the driveway past the other fleeing teens. She doesn't know what Jose's parents' car looks like, but she can’t see them or hear them speak harshly to their son. "Let's get out of here," she says in a hushed voice. Unfortunately, they don’t get into her car in time to escape from Carly's ferocious glare.
"I'm not done with you, Anya. I'll get you at school on Monday," she screams.
Once inside the car, Maria shoves the gear into drive and stomps on the gas pedal, causing the car to lurch forward. The tires squeal loudly as they struggle to gain a grip on the slick road. The shrill noise instantly gains the attention of all the people milling around Jose's wide driveway. Maria flips them the middle finger, not realizing that it's too dark outside for them to see her hand in the formation of the demeaning symbol. Rotten, self-centered idiots. They don't deserve my friendship, or Anya's for that matter. I should have never persuaded them to befriend her. What the heck was I thinking? Anya won't survive the rest of this school year, and it's all because of me.
For one second, her eyes drift over to Anya. Even in the dark, she can notice the tears streaming down her face. They are blackened from the heavy coat of mascara and they stain her face.
"I have some tissue in my purse," Maria says, nudging the red, Juicy Couture purse at her.
The only response she receives is the sound of Anya blowing her nose into the soft tissue.
"I'm sorry, Anya," she says, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
"Sorry for what," Anya says after a few painstaking minutes of silence.
Maria breathes out a long, heavy sigh. "I'm sorry for everything."
"My life is over. I can't go back to school, not after what happened, so I may as well throw away my dream."
"No. You can't do that. You have to go back to school."
"No I can't," she yells.
"Yes you can, and you will," Maria says, surprised by the sharpness in her tone. She jerks on the steering wheel, veering her car over onto the right-hand shoulder. Once the car comes to a stop, she shoves the gear into park. She then turns her body partway so she can get a good look at Anya. "Look, Anya, you can't let Carly and her groupies ruin what you've worked so hard for."
"What if I don't want to go back
"Get the hell out of my way, Carly," Anya shouts.
"No. You get the hell out of our way, loser!"
Maria's heart races. Oh no. There's no way Anya is going to take on everyone. "Come one, Anya. Leave it alone, Carly and let her go."
Carly ignores her. She steps so close to Anya that she towers over the girl's small figure. "So, you think that you can just leave now, loner? You owe me two-hundred-and-fifty dollars."
Much to Maria's surprise, Anya does not back down. "No, I don't."
"You know, I've never made any big mistakes until I took Maria's advice," Carly says, her voice stiff with rage.
"And what advice was that?"
"What do you think, loser?"
"My name is Anya, not loser, bitch."
"Oh shit, my parents are here," Jose yells.
"What," Carly screams.
"Well, I'm not staying here," Shondra says.
"Come on, Carly, let's jet," Matt says, taking her by the hand.
"Right behind you," Kirsten says.
Maria, in haste, grabs Anya by the hand, then sprints down the driveway past the other fleeing teens. She doesn't know what Jose's parents' car looks like, but she can’t see them or hear them speak harshly to their son. "Let's get out of here," she says in a hushed voice. Unfortunately, they don’t get into her car in time to escape from Carly's ferocious glare.
"I'm not done with you, Anya. I'll get you at school on Monday," she screams.
Once inside the car, Maria shoves the gear into drive and stomps on the gas pedal, causing the car to lurch forward. The tires squeal loudly as they struggle to gain a grip on the slick road. The shrill noise instantly gains the attention of all the people milling around Jose's wide driveway. Maria flips them the middle finger, not realizing that it's too dark outside for them to see her hand in the formation of the demeaning symbol. Rotten, self-centered idiots. They don't deserve my friendship, or Anya's for that matter. I should have never persuaded them to befriend her. What the heck was I thinking? Anya won't survive the rest of this school year, and it's all because of me.
For one second, her eyes drift over to Anya. Even in the dark, she can notice the tears streaming down her face. They are blackened from the heavy coat of mascara and they stain her face.
"I have some tissue in my purse," Maria says, nudging the red, Juicy Couture purse at her.
The only response she receives is the sound of Anya blowing her nose into the soft tissue.
"I'm sorry, Anya," she says, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
"Sorry for what," Anya says after a few painstaking minutes of silence.
Maria breathes out a long, heavy sigh. "I'm sorry for everything."
"My life is over. I can't go back to school, not after what happened, so I may as well throw away my dream."
"No. You can't do that. You have to go back to school."
"No I can't," she yells.
"Yes you can, and you will," Maria says, surprised by the sharpness in her tone. She jerks on the steering wheel, veering her car over onto the right-hand shoulder. Once the car comes to a stop, she shoves the gear into park. She then turns her body partway so she can get a good look at Anya. "Look, Anya, you can't let Carly and her groupies ruin what you've worked so hard for."
"What if I don't want to go back
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